Design, for me, often happens in the serendipitous stitches. It’s in the details, the “what a coincidences” – the realization that coincidences don’t really exist. This morning, I stumbled upon the portfolio of portrait photographer Daniel Regan, which led me to the work of another portrait photographer – Paris-based Richard Vantielcke. Which led me to this thoughtful series of self-portraits with an aim to appear invisible and to melt, fading into the background. A series of emptiness.
We’ve all been there, of course. There’s FOMO. And the lonely crowd. And digital voyeurism. And then everything offline – like our entire junior high existence, for example – the same events and circumstances that have been happening far before we were documenting them with words and images and avatars. And I don’t have the solution. I don’t know what to tell someone who feels completely and utterly invisible that there is a door that exists beyond that feeling, and even though the door might be shut today, it’s certainly not locked. And that, tomorrow, it will likely open with a new opportunity – a new morning – and the invisibility cloak will be lifted, hung on a clothesline in the afternoon sun.
But then I stumbled upon the man who does have the words – Jim Morrison. “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are,” he says. “You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on an individual level. It’s got to happen inside first.”
So today, if you’re feeling particularly hidden, I wish you a personal revolution. I wish you an open door, a hot shower and a clothesline to hang that wretched cloak upon. Because sometimes, to be seen, we simply have to remove the mask.
Image Credits: Richard Vantielcke
p.s. The mask of the Internet.
This is so powerful.
Thank you, lady.
Ah, thank you, friend. :)
“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are,” Wonderful quote by someone very incredible. A great article, thanks for the inspiration!
He truly is an inspiration (both of them, actually!). Thanks, Marie. :)
That Jim Morrison quote is perfection! :) I love the comparison to Junior High, too – it’s ironic that that time is spent trying to be either as invisible as you can, or exactly the opposite – and still we struggle with this as adults, the fine balance between too much visibility and not enough? Makes me think.
Ooooh, you are so right, Michelle! Food for thought. :)
WOW…just WOW.
I love this post. That’s all for now. xo
Thank you, friend. :)
this is for me, erin. thank you! xo
Love to you, Ms. Cindy. I have a hard time believing that your talent/sweet self is invisible to anyone, but alas, I’m thinking of you. :)
Thanks for the mention!
Love your work – thank you!
I always spent my half an hour to read this blog’s content all the time along with a cup of coffee.
Hey, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues.
When I look at your blog in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet
Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted
to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, amazing blog!
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