The archetype that I most related to/felt closest to my heart was the Outlaw Archetype. The main thing that stood out to me about the Outlaw archetype was that the individuals that fit the mold often identify themselves as Outlaws instead of being ‘assigned’ the archetype like most other archetypes are; the hero doesn’t ever call themselves the hero, the wise elder never calls themselves the elder, the sacrifice never sets out from day 1 to be the sacrifice. I see myself in exactly the same way; the way I carry myself and the way that I identify, I don’t see myself fitting into the vast majority of social stratus. This could be, in large part, due to the fact that I am very unsure of my identity/gender identity. Therefore, standing by the sidelines and searching for ways to disrupt things within various institutions so as to be able to fit myself in? As I’m typing this out, it isn’t really making much sense but at the same time it is? It’s sort of a rocky boat since my mindset since last week has already changed so much in regards to my identity and what archetype
I think I would fit? The critique was a week ago and I already find the Outlaw archetype resonating less with me than it did a week ago where it truly sung to me.
The idea for my photograph was to mimic a page in the journal of an Outlaw. An Outlaw in the sense that its a person that is an outcast of society, has to live while constantly on the move, looks rather unkempt as a result of their plight, but at the same time, has no desire to find their way back into society as they identify as an Outlaw and do enjoy a small part of being exiled, so to speak. I took the photo with a mirror that I tried to make as dirty as possible, and a camera. I wanted for the image to be a selfie of me in a motel so to speak. The run-down American motels that I often see in movies. The image was made dark on purpose, to have minimal light apart from the flash in the camera. I wanted to look as unkempt as I possibly could, which was a challenge, I tried my best by not shaving and wearing a red hoodie. Which if you know me, is a huge thing as I only ever wear the colour black. As Charlotte mentioned, I am a storyteller at heart and I always look for the story in an artwork when I first see it.
I do have a proper thought process and idea behind the image, but the critique complete sense in saying that it just didn’t translate the story well enough. The image itself was not strong enough to have a dialogue on its own. What would have helped would have been many more images in a sequence that didn’t really have to be all that different, but it would have given the viewer the idea of a journal/diary of an individual. Should I have made myself look more unkempt and the surroundings much more uncomfortable to eye, the Outlaw archetype would definitely been communicated very strongly to the viewer.
