I’ve been sitting on this for a few days but I am thrilled this Self Portrait from my new series The UnBecoming has been selected to be exhibited in The Taylor Wessing Portrait Award at the beautifully refurbished National Portrait Gallery. After years of following my curiosity and perhaps hiding behind other people’s stories, I felt the need to turn the camera on myself and meet myself where I am now. It’s a challenging experience, to say the least, and has brought up a lot around aging, chronic illness, acceptance, and resilience, amongst a list of other reflections I have long buried. I realize now how much I have been flattering and beautifying my subjects when I thought I was being authentic and honest. When you place yourself in the frame there are no boundaries of how brutal and honest you can be. It feels rebellious to be so vulnerable and that perversely has its strength. To give value to this transition feels necessary, I appreciate the judges finding value in the work and giving it the opportunity of a wide and varied audience. I’m a little daunted at seeing myself framed and on the walls of this prestigious gallery but mostly delighted.