Mid-Month Challenge: August

This month's community poem dealt with seeing ourselves through someone else's eyes. Contributors were asking to explore mirrors in August's mid-month challenge. Literal. Figurative. One could craft and incorporate mirrors in the piece, or use a camera to take a picture of yourself using a mirror, or the reflection of something else. Or paint a self-portrait, using the canvas as a mirror.

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Untitled.
Michelle Swords.
Mixed Media.

about this piece and contributor.
Michelle describes these pieces, "On the left side of the paper I wrote words describing life BEFORE losing Xavier, on the right side words describing life immediately AFTER losing Xavier.  There is also a second picture of how life is now 14 months after his stillbirth.  I have two children on this side of heaven (Michael & Andi).  Xavier Ian was stillborn June 4, 2009 at 18 weeks gestation, but he only measured 14 weeks gestation."  Michelle blogs at My World.

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What Grief Looks Like.
November 2008.
Sally.
Photograph.

about this piece and contributor.
Sally talks about her photograph, "Here is a picture of myself taken in the mirror in November 2008. Three months out, and at the peak of the most raw part of my grief. I call this picture 'What Grief Looks Like'. It was another miserable day at home alone without her, and suddenly the heavens opened. It poured. The biggest storm we'd had in as long as I could remember. And all I wanted to do was stand outside in the rain and hope the storm would take me with it.


"I came inside to dry myself off and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I had no idea just how sad and defeated I looked. I wanted to take a picture to capture the moment because as ugly as that time was, I don't want to forget it. The intensity of those first months is because of how close she felt. She'll never be that close again."


Sally blogs about life without her daughter Hope Angel and her son Angus at Tuesday's Hope.

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Self Portrait
Rachel.
2.5 x 3.5
Watercolor

about this piece and contributor.

Rachel's description of this piece, "I've always put too much weight in how others view me, and before Lyra died, I almost didn't know how to view myself without someone else's opinion. I could feel really beautiful and confident and powerful in my own skills and strengths. Usually those days were out numbered by the insecure days of questioning my choice of clothing and hair style. The mirror usually just reflects the ambiguity I have of myself. So, this mid-month challenge I decided to just dive into a self-portrait, and however it turned out, I'd be confidant in it. I wasn't going to re-work it until it matched some unrealistic beauty factor, or just scribble a jagged face because ugliness is easier. This is me as of late. I might look different later. But I'm not ashamed."

Rachel blogs at Curls o' Fred.