Student 3

12/13/2000

Describing a person can be easy or difficult. When it comes to describing one's self, the task can be overwhelming. People use short-winded phrases to describe personalities such as, "He's easygoing," or "She's a type A person." What do these comments mean? More importantly, how well do they describe the person? Are all aspects of a person taken into account by drawing such a narrow conclusion?

During the course of this past semester I have been given the tools to make a somewhat thorough attempt to describe myself. I have been taught that there are many ways of explaining who I am that venture beyond the norm. It is important to note that I feel as if I already knew myself and what I'm about; I have come to find different ways of expressing that notion. To me this exercise has served to reinforce and confirm what I already knew about myself. Using colors, lines, and shapes, I am able to paint a broader picture of that realization.

For my project, I started with the shapes that I most identify with my personality. For the head of my craft, I used a circular piece of cloth-wrapped Styrofoam. Circles represent wholeness. I aim to be a well - rounded person in all of my endeavors, though sometimes overextend myself. I consider myself to be mostly complete although at times I question whether I am still lacking something in my life. Contained within the circular head I have placed a triangle. It has somewhat of a dual implication here. On one hand it symbolizes the goals that I have for myself. Graduating from college, securing a good job, raising a family, and traveling the world are some of those goals. Having a balance of ambition and happiness is something that guides those goals as well. The triangle also represents the strong relationships that I form with family and friends. I am seen, as I am told by those close to me, as a person of loyalty and dependability to those whom I allow close to me. In no uncertain words I value close friends and family above all else.

For the torso and leg of my self -portrait, I have employed the square shape. I am often described as a down-to earth person and someone who is easygoing. That is one of the square explanations. Another is that it is a reflection of stability. I am just now getting to a point in my life where I feel stability, as the past has been somewhat shaky and turbulent. The leg of my piece is made of square photographs. There is a picture of me with my baby nephew, another of me with my father, and the last is of me with my great-grandmother. Her picture is at the bottom because she stands as the base and foundation of my family, and is someone that I hold the deepest sentiments for.

The lines that I used for my project hold purpose too. Across the torso there is a diagonal line made with smears of broken clay. I am all that diagonal lines encompass according to Dr. Farrar's handout: someone who is active, not boring, and has the capability of emotion. I made this a broken line to express that I can be uneasy and to reflect the pain that I have often suffered in the past. The broken mirrors embedded in the clay demonstrate that I am a reflection (often times) of the situation that surrounds me. For example, I am certain to feel down if others around me are upset. The same holds true if I am in a joyous environment; I find it hard not to share in others joy as well. The implied vertical lines that join the head to the torso and comprise the leg reinforce the notion of stability in my life.

I follow the Yoruba chromatic scale in my choice of colors. There is a dominance of blue throughout. Blue in the Yoruba scheme is a funfun color. This symbolizes a cool feel to a personality and shows that I am typically "calm, cool, and collected." The arms are white and also fall in this category. In the torso my dudu side is exemplified. The brown clay is an earth tone and stands for my practicality. I harbor a strong attraction to this side because I am a biologist in training as well as an avid backpacker. Using the clay brings out the color and the earth that I so deeply respect.

Just as important as the parts that I have used are those that are not represented. There is a lack of spirals and crosses because I feel as if I have moved past times of large change and uncertainty. I am twenty-six years old and feel as if I have experienced enough to know myself and where I am going. I am not a hot-tempered person so the traditional red, orange, and yellow colors of pupa (Yoruba) are not used. I have left one leg missing to symbolize the fact that my life is not complete, and that this portrait is a work in progress.

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