Emily Fyfe
This Is Not Who I Am: Keeping Close, 2021
hand-inked comic strip, 5 x 7’ inch panels
This Is Not Who I Am: Keeping Close is a sequel to a series of self-portraits I created between March and July of 2020. In these self-portraits, I exaggerated the features of my face to depict the emotions I was experiencing during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, continuously drawing myself in an exaggerated way was unhealthy and enforced both a negative self-image and the idea that I was only my emotions. This Is Not Who I Am: Keeping Close attempts to unravel this old way of depicting myself and reveal a more accurate representation of myself.
This Is Not Who I Am: Keeping Close also shows the importance of recognizing, documenting and even appreciating the negative emotions I experienced. For myself, maintaining a more positive self-image includes cherishing past versions of myself, even if I wasn’t at my best.