Another Month, Another 30 Days

I can't stop myself! I love 30 day challenges. The 30 Days of Lists Challenge (I promise a full post on it soon) really inspired me to take challenges in small doses in an effort to "Catch Up" in a lot of different parts of my life.

I didn't go looking for a new one, it just came to me through my friend Amanda at Apple Blue. This one is much more personal as the subject is just me. This is a 30 Day Self-Portrait Challenge!

Amanda describes her desire to start this challenge as an exercise in honesty - by snapping a photo, drawing a little something, recording a video or any number of other creative portrait options she is being as truthful as she can be about her day to day life. Letting her friends know that it's okay to not be polished and put together everyday because even if she is in her favorite pajamas and has disheveled hair, she's still awesome.

I agree with her. I call putting on makeup and cleaning myself up 'playing the game'. I believe people will take you more seriously and maybe even respect you more when you're freshly manicured and coordinated. So most days I straighten my hair and get dolled for that reason. But sometimes I don't, that's life. And I don't think I've ever posted a picture ANYWHERE when I'm not all put together. Maybe I am internet lying or maybe I'm vain.

Should I be treated any differently with a ponytail and chipped polish? Nope. I'm not expecting that a revolution will start because some people posted pictures of what they look like on the good and the bad days, but it might help.

On the lighter side, the last reason I'm choosing to follow Amanda's lead is that I don't seem to have any recent memorabilia of myself! I like filling my home with pictures of family and friends, art made by the people I love and mementos from good times. This makes my home really feel like home. But in my spring cleaning mode I found that I am running really low on anything with me in it. I don't keep much of my own art and I am usually the one behind the camera. I'm hoping that at the end of April I might have a few more things around to remind me that I'm awesome.

So here we go kids...

This is me on a pretty standard casual Friday. You can find my portraits on my Flickr page or all the participants portraits in the 30 Day Self-Portrait Challenge Flickr group!