Self-love and self-awareness is a characteristic that I am persistently working towards every day.

From this self-portrait, I am making you the observer of my life.

Did you notice the shadows? The shadows have a two-fold meaning.

As a form of self-love, I am illuminating myself in this self-portrait to showcase my accomplishments.

On the other hand, the shadows represent all of those who paved the way for individuals like myself to succeed in this world.

Contrasting to my ‘fear’ self portrait, the walls on the outside of this building are organized and sturdy. I recognize that my life is not perfect but if there is one thing I have control over, it is my public image.

I perched a robin on the window panel to remind me of my migrant roots and my ability to fly.

Lately, I have become comfortable with the idea of staying where I am, doing what I am used to and following a set ‘plan’.

But to make sure that I am more aware that plans can change, I have to be reminded of my ability and privilege to be migrant and adapt to new settings.

I am afraid that my foundations do not support the platform that I have built for myself. 

Coming from a first-generation immigrant background, I worked hard to attain opportunities that were not available for people like myself. In this self-portrait, I am on a balcony overlooking the city skyline. From this height, I am able to clearly see all of those around me.

Like my educational pursuits, I had the privilege of attending a great university that allows me to level the playing field in my career path.

However, if you look at the structure holding up the doorway, you will notice cracks and crevices framing it. These rifts represent the experiences in my youth that hindered my ability to build a stable foundation for myself.

From the outside, you will never know the challenges I’ve endured.

But through this portrait, I am making myself vulnerable and bringing you in as an observer.

I am allowing you to take a glimpse into my world. 

Not only do you get to see what I have built for myself, you get to see my vulnerabilities.

During these opportunities, I tried to hide my past to make sure that no one was able to judge me for my upbringings.

Now that I have built a platform for myself with the vast experiences and opportunities that I have worked hard towards, I realized that I never gave homage to what my upbringings taught me.