I was playing around with a model when I asked her to just do whatever she wanted into the camera, a sort of personal portrait where she got to choose her actions and what felt right for her. I found her in this position, squeezing her cheeks and forming a sort of O shape with her mouth as she stared down the lens of my camera. It felt powerful, vulnerable … unnerving. It made me feel like she was about to speak, but also cutting herself off from speaking, a contradiction of actions.