Facial Recognition: November 2013

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?

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Constructing the Final Chapter

Having completed the fourth chapter, reporting the findings, I am now faced with the final chapter. This proves the most difficult. A vast amount of knowledge was gained; a greater understanding for how self-portraiture (drawing self-portraits for this particular study) has a positive impact on personal identity has been unearthed, but NOW to put it all down in meaningful, non-repetitious verbiage that holds lasting importance is the directive and challenge: what to say, how to say it, and when to stop saying it! Ugh! Help me, Rhonda!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

We Arrived Safely in Youngstown/Boardman Ohio!

We made it and have landed in Boardman (sometimes referred to as Youngstown) Ohio–great weather, love the Fall colors. Research continues. I am at the final stages, analyzing the data collected, reviewing my blog entries, and writing my findings.

Picture from Boardman: