Auto Ethnographic Inquiry

This is a fourteen week documentation of my research for my final thesis project. Ummm, well, in all honesty, it is a diary of facing my fears, literally and figuratively, by committing to draw my portrait in four distinct ways: metaphor [superhero animal], Distorted/Altered, Folk/Outsider Art inspired, and Extreme Close-Up, [realism], and document the events as they unfold. To some this may seem simple and straightforward (big whoop); however, for a person, like myself, that deals with severe, crippling self-esteem issues, this is a daunting task. However, the emotional investment is not nearly as important as the adventure/investigation and real life implications for my students. Adolescent students often fight similar self-identity issues. Inquiry: Does drawing self-portraits assist in developing a positive self-identity? Or is it merely an exercise in "looking" at yet another face?

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

This Is What I'm Talking About...

Great quote: V. Grube (2012) posited, "If you are not truthful to the world about who you are and what you are, your art will stink of falseness" (p. 41).  This is what I am talking about.  As an artist and educator, if I do not research and push myself to understand my personal apprehensions toward self-portraiture in my own work, how can I expect commitment from my students? How can I help alleviate reluctance or fear experienced by my students if I am not willing to expose myself to the same analysis, critique, and process? I must–I do not want to stink of falseness!  According to K.L. Cummings (2012), "The introduction of [self] portraiture is overwhelming and intimidating for many students" (p. 20). –NAEA Art Education publication.
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