Exploration of Humanity
Core Concept
This project is an exploration of identity and human complexity. It examines how people see themselves and what shapes who they are. It looks at the visible and invisible aspects of identity, the parts people proudly show, and the parts they hide, love, struggle with, or feel ashamed of.
At its heart, the project asks participants to confront themselves honestly.
Who are you right now?
Who could you become?
Who do you want to be?
Growth begins with awareness, whether that leads to acceptance or to intentional change.
The series is designed to capture the layered, multifaceted nature of being human through image and reflection.
Goals
- To create a body of work that reflects the depth and contradictions of being human
- To invite honesty
- To encourage reflection
- To document not only who people are, but who they are becoming
Structure
The project is intentionally modular. Not everyone will feel comfortable exploring every theme, and that is part of the design. Identity is layered, and consent, comfort, and emotional safety are central.
Participants may choose to take part in one theme, several, or all.
1. Floral
You will choose a flower or other flora that you connect with and write a short paragraph explaining why.
The portrait will be designed using a dried version of that flower, pairing symbolism with self-reflection.
2. Intimate Spaces
Portraits of you in the spaces you create and inhabit, often bedrooms, bathrooms, or studies.
These are the places you go to relax and be yourself away from the rest of the world. The environment becomes part of the portrait.
3. Sexual
A portrait exploring what is often the most hidden aspect of ourselves, your personal tastes, arousal, fetishes, or complete lack thereof.
This theme centers on acceptance of a defining characteristic of how you view and interact with the world, even when society may pressure you to present differently or suppress it publicly.
4. Emotive
You choose a specific emotion or feeling, and we create a portrait that gives physical form to something internal.
How do you feel joy?
Sadness?
Fear?
Anger?
Temptation?
The goal is to take something intangible and make it visible.
5. Fears
Similar to Emotive, but focused specifically on fear or concern, about who you are, who you could become, or something that shapes how you see the world.
By visualizing fear, we acknowledge it, confront it, and begin to move through it.