This is my first blog post for my brand new website, so it seemed only natural that it would touch on the site itself, and that process. Representing yourself is no easy feat, and in this social media-induced age that comes to mean your digital self–how others see you on the Internet.
Although this website’s initial purpose served as a place for my portfolio, it’s also a way for me to represent myself online. Without getting too existential, I had to figure out a way to represent myself through images, website theme, and choices for my portfolio.
Perhaps the most quintessential of these representations is the “About Me” section. In order to say what I was “about,” I chose to represent myself (digitally, of course) through an array of carefully curated objects. The EDC, or Everyday Carry, is designed to say something about you vis a vis the objects that you have on you. Your own personal narrative, your selfhood, can in some form be expressed by the contents of your vintage leather briefcase.
Here are the highlights you see pictured above:
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Artisan chocolate: Placed in my stocking one year for Christmas by my stepmom. She and I share a love of patterns and great packaging, and are always looking for inspiration for our future soap-making business.
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L’Occitane lotion: Almond scented, great size. Perfect green label.
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Hamilton watch: An anniversary gift, bought covertly in Bozeman, MT.
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Pearls: A 21st birthday present.
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Repurposed cigarette case (now wallet) with Stiegl label: A gift from my stepmom, and the label is from a German bar in Park Slope. I had previously only seen Stiegl in Austria, and was excited to order it there.
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Art nouveau compact: Another gift from my stepmom (she has such great taste). It has a little lipstick and blush inside–too old to use, but charming to look at.
Part of the appeal of the EDC is the ability to craft your own narrative. Yes, the contents of my bag are mine and in this sense represent “me,” but as the designer of my own website I have a hand in creating this representation. Although we have no control over how others perceive us, we do have the ability to tell our own stories/present our own representations. I chose the Everyday Carry for the “About Me” section because it simultaneously says what I’m about (through the objects in my possession) and leaves space for countless narratives in between (what I’m not saying, and therefore what is left to interpretation).