Proverbial Expression’s - My Life Hacks
My self-portrait series is an exploration of my upbringing and the memories from conversations and small handwritten notes left by my grandmother who used oral traditions or proverbial expressions to communicate guidance and insight that turned into my life hacks.
At its basic level a proverbial expression are oral traditions or a saying summarizing a culturally recognized truth, repeated until it is recognized as traditional. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these photos reference memories of my grandmothers’ teachings through long talks and handwritten notes she would leave about life. The proverbs that were spoken to me repeatedly are like my life hack to help me as I navigate life’s challenges.
My self-portraits are composed photographs that are a combination of objects and the use of expressive gestures and low-key lighting as many of the times the proverbial expressions were referenced were during times of uncertainty and lack of clarity as I journeyed through life’s experiences. These compositions are to arouse the mood and my interpretation of old proverbial expressions and hand written notes that derived from those conversations over a cup of coffee with my grandmother from a little boy until she passed away.
As Kimberley Lau stated in her book “What Goes Around Comes Around: The Circulation of Proverbs in Contemporary Life”
The vitality of proverbs—the constant emergence of new proverbs, together with their continual expression in new contexts—captures the ways in which folklore draws together our gravest concerns and our strongest commitments, our most precious values and our wisest perspectives, at times even our coarsest humor and our basest beliefs, thereby structuring the world around us.
A clearer understanding of myself and of my life experiences allow me to explore key moments and memories in a composited fragment of life as a form, and also to interact with memories of my grandmother’s guidance through proverbial expression.
"You are a mirror of yourself in others. Whatever you want, give. Be the best reflection of yourself."
Karen A. Baquiran
"We rise by lifting others"
"You can't have real peace until you learn to let go"
"Just because you wonder does not mean you are lost"
"When your grandparent dies it's like a library burns to the ground. So remember these cherished moments"
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown"
"When others happiness make you happy, that is love"
"To whom much is given much is required"
"The North Star tells you where to look, but it won't tell you what to see"
"Change your thoughts and you will change your world"
"Fight for your roots"
"Give the people you love their roses while they are still here"
"Your eyes shout what the lips are afraid to say"
