What do you bring to the table?

Has anyone ever asked you that one simple question, a question that you would have naturally thought the answer will come as easily to mind as it did to the mouth of the person asking,

"Describe yourself to me", "Give me a better understanding of who you are?”

These questions are found in everyday life, whether it be getting into university or to get that new job. It's simple right, who are you? Well I don’t think it is as simple as you might assume, and saying "I’m a fun outgoing, bookworm", these are catagorised as blanket statements, nothing that couldn’t apply to every second person in the room - one day long ago you went to a party and now you are a fun outgoing person, or remember that book you read in highschool? Yip, you are officially a bookworm.

I was asked that very question and I couldn’t answer without generalising myself to the next guy - hard working? Check, Family orientated? Check? But ultimately, I was at a loss. So as an artist, the most logical approach was to draw what I was experiencing.

Going through the list, I began to discover that I might be more of a blank canvas then I had realised. Yes I have qualities about me that make me unique from the average Joe, and so does everyone. But what I’m questioning is whether or not we are aware of these unique qualities.

We all bring something different to the table. So question yourself, what do you bring? and who are you?

______________________________________________________________________________

From this question I began a series of three drawings, each trying to show the process I had experienced.

All three drawings are self-portraits, parts of the drawings have been filled in realistically and the rest are left to line work. In turn these drawings are symbolic of the journey so many wish they could embark on, to have a clean slate and just self-discover.

In the drawing above you find half my face missing and the other half being pulled off as if an identity is detachable. The other half of the face has no distinguishable characteristics, in essence that is what identity is all about right? Who you are, not what you look like. So to try and ask that question you will have to look beyond the wall of you physical features and dig deep, to peel away the first layer.

#RiccardoMontali #Drawing #Charcoal #Art #Realism