This week I had Portfolio reviews from three people who were not my tutors. It reminded me that so far my tutors have been male and it got me wondering if gender makes a difference to how my work is read.
Anyway, the feedback from Georgia Metaxas, Caterina Fontoura and Krishna Sheth was very positive. All congratulated me on a very steep progress creatively, good grasp of the technical aspects of making photographs, the pleasing nature of my studio set, repurposed for different projects, how much they enjoyed me referencing photography history and the notion that Theatre and its relationship to photography is obviously my thing.
One of them even loved my series apologising for the male gaze which had proved to be so unpopular with the teaching staff last term.
At the end of the final review I felt affirmed and rejuvenated, ready to continue on my path wherever it might lead me, indeed all three encouraged to keep “bringing me” into my work, “trust my brain, “keep listening to the authentic me” and remember “the thread is me.” They also agreed that my work is about human nature/ what it means to be human and that I am a great model and should continue to embrace the self-portraiture aspect of my work.
All in all bloody good!!!
This picture has nothing to do with the post, except that when things are going right, creatively, one feels unstoppable, like a King or a Tzar, but not an evil one like Tzar Putin, a benevolent happy one, so here I am wearing my paper crown in a self-portrait I made in 2018. Enjoy xx