Portraits of yourself

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The Self
Part 4 - Portraits of Yourself

Let us now explore the length and breadth of ourselves: the light and dark bits, the shadows and the reflections, the parts of you that are okay to show off and the stuff that isn’t.

Imagine you are walking through a park one day and you come across two painters sitting either side of a path, each of them in front of an easel.

One of them is selling themselves as able to paint everything that is wonderful about you, capturing you at your very best, representing all that is strong, vibrant and beautiful within you.

The other artist is offering to put down on canvas all that is dark and murky about you, all the stuff you would rather avoid or cannot see, stewing and festering inside you.

Both of them will only charge what you have in your pocket, and it will only take fifteen minutes.

Q: Do you agree to have your portrait painted?
Q: If you do not want to have your portrait painted, can you explain the thoughts and feelings behind this decision?
Q: If you would like to have your portrait painted, which painter do you give your money to?
Q: What was your rationale for this decision?
Let us suppose that in the end, both painters agree to split your money and give you two pictures for the price of one. First up, you go to the wonderful-me painter. You position yourself in front of their easel and fifteen minutes fly by. When they are finished, you walk around the canvas and look at the picture. It is remarkable. It is uncanny. The painter has somehow managed to paint everything that is great about you.

Q: Can you describe the wonderful-me painting?
Next, you go to the murky-me painter. When they are finished, you walk around the canvas and look at the picture. It is remarkable. It is uncanny. The painter has somehow managed to paint everything that is hideous and grotesque about you.

Q: Can you describe the murky-me painting?
You are now invited to re-create both of these paintings, using whatever art materials you have at hand.

My light, wonderful-me portrait

My dark, murky-me portrait

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