We all have days when we don't feel 100% about ourselves and the way that we look; I am sure many of us have experienced 'fat days', 'thin days', 'good days' and 'bad days'. I truly believe that we know deep-down when these perceptions stem from being valid (feeling and looking overweight and being proactive in tackling it) to just completely unrealistic (picking fault with everything about how we look). So why do we feel like this?
Let's look to the media and the fashion industry - I know that there are so many strong minded individuals out there, who know what they want and don't care what other people say or write about; but for every one of these fabulous people; there are plenty more who consciously/subconsciously filter through and focus on the unrealistic body shapes and lack of diversity which is in the media.
Rather than putting women under pressure to achieve the 'perfect' body - which for the record, doesn't exist! - there should be a fairer representation of 'real' women in the media. I'm not championing being overweight and being happy about it, but we are all different - we are not identikit robots - we should be supportive to each other to be fit, healthy and embrace the way that we look. We need to be happy in our skin - I don't think that if you are unhappy, accept the way you are - as we all have the power to change things for ourselves - but don't try to set unachieveable goals.
For today's exercise we will focus on creating a self portrait. It doesn't matter if you are not great at art; the whole point is to have a different experience in front of the mirror to create a new perspective. This exercise helps you to get comfortable with looking at your reflection and practicing the art of not judging but playing with materials to help to alleviate some of the critical thoughts that you may have about yourself when we look at our reflection. This can be a difficult experience for people who spend time only to critique themselves in the mirror and attaching emotion to those critiques. This exercise is more about looking at the face as a set of shapes, lines and colours which builds the appreciation of the beauty of it rather than finding the flaws within it. With more practice this exercise can gradually decrease the initial instinct to judge.
Let's look to the media and the fashion industry - I know that there are so many strong minded individuals out there, who know what they want and don't care what other people say or write about; but for every one of these fabulous people; there are plenty more who consciously/subconsciously filter through and focus on the unrealistic body shapes and lack of diversity which is in the media.
Rather than putting women under pressure to achieve the 'perfect' body - which for the record, doesn't exist! - there should be a fairer representation of 'real' women in the media. I'm not championing being overweight and being happy about it, but we are all different - we are not identikit robots - we should be supportive to each other to be fit, healthy and embrace the way that we look. We need to be happy in our skin - I don't think that if you are unhappy, accept the way you are - as we all have the power to change things for ourselves - but don't try to set unachieveable goals.
For today's exercise we will focus on creating a self portrait. It doesn't matter if you are not great at art; the whole point is to have a different experience in front of the mirror to create a new perspective. This exercise helps you to get comfortable with looking at your reflection and practicing the art of not judging but playing with materials to help to alleviate some of the critical thoughts that you may have about yourself when we look at our reflection. This can be a difficult experience for people who spend time only to critique themselves in the mirror and attaching emotion to those critiques. This exercise is more about looking at the face as a set of shapes, lines and colours which builds the appreciation of the beauty of it rather than finding the flaws within it. With more practice this exercise can gradually decrease the initial instinct to judge.
Where do I start?
You will need a canvas (you can pick these up really cheaply), paintbrushes, paint, a palette (or paper plates will do), water, paper towels, a pencil and a mirror. Find somewhere comfortable to sit and make sure that you have a mirror in front of you so that you can see your face. Outline your face shape on the canvas with a pencil - this doesn't need to be exact! This is about spending time with yourself, learning the curves of your face, the colour of your eyes and the experience of playing with art materials. Spend some time painting your portrait. Once you have finished, try not to judge; remember fighting your inner critic is what you are trying to overcome!
Friday Focus: Complete this exercise during the weekend. Pick some quiet time for inner reflection!
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