15th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Altered Images
me and myself

Often when we grow up and turn into adults we have one very certain image of ourselves, image that was formed by our parents, friends and society as well: we are certain what social roles we perform and we know that there are certain rules and standards that we need to comply with. But sometimes, often due to some crisis or stress, we discover that we’re not happy where we are. That a person never wanted to be a doctor, and went to a medical school only because his parents told him to do so. So the person realises that there’s a difference between what he/she really is and what he/or she appears to be in the eyes of the others. At some point there comes a moment of self-discovery. A person first realises that he/she doesn’t like the way things are in his life now, and then finds out his/hers other side. What he/she really likes and what makes him or her happy. And not only the person finds this thing, but also accepts it and decided to be in harmony with it. Which is not often easy to do, since the society might think otherwise. So I’m trying to show this particular moment in a metaphorical way.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2017
Date Uploaded: 09.2017
Photo Location: Helsinki, Finland
Copyright: © Daria Petrova