My time as a student has been a journey of self-discovery through photography. I grew up with very low self-esteem since I was overweight and considered fat by society and people around me throughout my life. I constantly doubted myself and was deeply affected by how people perceived me. I had very little confidence, especially when it came to my body.

At the beginning of the course, I doubted my abilities but I wanted to break the mould. Since I wasn’t confident enough to shoot someone else in a studio setting, I felt insecure about looking for models. Instead, I tried to express my own thoughts and ideas with self-portraits. Before the course started, I spent half a year losing weight by observing a strict diet and exercising regularly. I faced many struggles and have been through a few meltdowns, horrible mental processes which I visualised by lying in ridiculous places in a ‘failing like” pose. 

The project has boosted my confidence with regards to my photography skills and my body. I have proved to myself that ‘I can do it’, and began to let go of my past, self-doubt and insecurities. I became comfortable in my own skin, which has allowed me to look past myself and explore other topics. 

A video directed by Paul McLean, "Be a Lady They Said" came out before International Women’s Days which inspired me to speak up. For years I have opposed the trend/beauty standard that women without armpit hair are beautiful because it was simply a marketing slogan made by Gillette to sell more razors. So I took a photo and exposed my armpit hair after I dyed it pink to protest against this beauty standard. This project then inspired me to do another project where I highlight my own stretch marks with glitter to show everyone that the marks are common and beautiful, that stretch marks are not something to be ashamed of.

The theme of my Final Major Project is the self-exploration of identities by stepping into someone else’s shoes through creating different personas, which is why I decided the project would be a collection of self-portraits. 

I have explored my own identities, my opposite sex and LGBTQ+. When I create, I research the backgrounds and give stories to the characters and the scenarios. I ask myself a lot of “what ifs”, for example, “what if I was a transgender?” With these questions, I have created different personas that are Hyper Masculine and Hyper Feminine. I put on different makeup and outfits and performed as if I was that person in front of the camera. In the shooting process, I found myself channelling the energy of the people I wanted to explore and became the instrument of my thoughts and emotions. Every time I became another person, I gained a deeper understanding of the group I was exploring. I have also grown more respect for artists of any trade for the time and effort they spend on creating and honing their craft.

The concept is to bring forth ideas and images that were left unnoticed. I would like to bring exposure and raise awareness about issues that need to be discussed with the general public. I hope my work can encourage people to look deep into themselves, others, and inspire them to explore life in ways we weren’t taught to. I also hope that my work can shed some light on and bring more love to LGBTQ+ people and anyone who is struggling with their own identities.

All my work comes straight from my heart, whether it’s a complaint or a tribute, there is always a deeper message. I hope my audience will find their own interpretation through the medium I have chosen. Explanation kills art, because there is no point if I’m telling you exactly what to feel and how to feel it. Every person is unique in that we are all shaped from every second we have experienced since birth, therefore everyone’s experience through interacting with my images will also be vastly different, even though the words we use to share our thoughts with may seem similar. I hope the images can derail their train of thought from the usual route and can trigger deeper, less explored feelings.