Hot Talks: Vivienne McMaster
September 24, 2013
Self-Portraiture… more than just “Selfies”
In a culture where more and more of us have a camera in our pocket at all times and a trend of “selfies” is growing at breakneck speed, self-portraiture is, to many, becoming seen an expression of vanity, ego & self indulgence. Had I listened to those stories that self-portraiture was an act of vanity or selffocus, my life would have been drastically different. In fact, I think I might have still been trapped in a cycle of self-hatred and insecurity. Yet the very act that we think might promote seeing ourselves negatively or become narcissistic might just do the opposite. It might quiet out all the other voices of who we think we should be and finally let us hear our own voice and see the visual story of our lives.
I’m so looking forward to speaking with you about the transformative and healing possibilities of self-portraiture, sharing some of my story of finding my way back to myself through the art of self-portraiture. Oh, and since you just might have a camera phone in your pocket, I’ll share a few tips with you on experiencing self-portraiture in a bit of a different way. I should warn you, you just might find yourself wanting to turn the camera on yourself and start telling your visual story!
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Vivienne McMaster is a Vancouver photographer and workshop leader who helps folks around the world see themselves with compassion through their own camera lens. Her photographs have been seen in such places as Oprah.com, The Huffington Post and magazines such as Somerset Life, Mingle and Amulet Magazine. She discovered her love of photography in her late 20s while in a rough patch in her life and is now on a mission share the possibility of self-portraiture as a tool for cultivating self-love. You can get to know Vivienne more over at her website beyourownbeloved.com