Sounds pretty negative I know, and there’s no escaping that it is a challenging subject. Self loathing, self love and everything in between are daily challenges for many many people. A friend the other day told me that before he could start to improve his material lot so to speak that he needed to love himself again first.
I have no professional expertise on this subject just to be clear but plenty of personal experience. I’ve often been told that I shouldn’t feel any such feelings as I’m so much luckier than most, but still I do and the fight to not feel that way is just that, a fight.
This painting has taken me a fair few months to complete. Its sat on my easel looking back at me in different stages of edit. The demon started off as a vacant looking husk, but that was too much like one of my other pictures. For me it’s an interpretation how one might see themselves in the eyes of others. Its also a nod to one of my favourite ever short stories that unfortunately has been blighted somewhat by the recent revelations about the authors treatment of others, hence not mentioning them.
The medium is pastel on some watercolour card with some very rough and slight cuts applied to just the demon with a craft knife.
Authors note: Not seeing yourself in a good light is very normal and nothing to be ashamed of but also can be very damaging to your mental health. If you’re experiencing any sort of negative image of yourself then it might be worth checking out one of the links to professional services on our mental health page.
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