Assignment Two: Self-Portraits

All About Me: Or, all about my life in New York over the past few weeks..
I moved to New York in January. I lived in San Francisco, California for the past 5 years. Before that, I lived in San Jose, CA, London, Montreal, Boston and an assortment of small towns in between. I have now moved 21 times, and am living at my 21st postal address. I didn't intend to, but I guess I have somehow become a bit of a wanderer. I pack, travel, move, and unpack. I sell my furniture, hire movers, get new furniture, buy plane tickets, and find new apartments.

My new living room: 5x5 and orange
This time, I am living at my parents house until I figure out the next spot on my wandering journey. And I've put most of what I didn't sell into a small 5x5 storage unit in Yonkers. This transition is a bit uncomfortable. I often look for something, and realize it's in a box. So, I go get it. It's like having an extra big closet with a lock in a 24 hour surveillance building next to a gas station. Here I find my photos of life before today, 11 boxes of books from undergrad, grad school, and everything in between. All my summer clothes and flips flops. Who knows where I'll end up next. But for now, I am in New York.


Commuting to the City
Each day I take the train into Manhattan to go to work. I have to admit, going to work to spend the day at my desk is not my favorite activity. And as I wait outside at the train station each morning, I think of all the other things I could be doing, and plot my escape. And I think my self-portraits at the train station, which all show a rather anguished look on my face (which I didn't do on purpose), convey exactly how I feel about it.


Identity: Past, Present, Future
This photo is a self-portrait of photos other people have taken of me throughout my life, and a few I've taken. I think my identity is a culmination of many small moments and many periods of life, all vastly different from the period before. Here I am 29, looking back at moments captured of me as a small girl, a teenager and an adult.