Once again I am pleased to present this years ’24 Mobile Photographers Til Christmas’. It is a series that has been run throughout December for the last couple of years and has always been successfully received. In part, it is to celebrate the forthcoming festive season but also to celebrate another year in the timeline of Mobiography.
In the series I ask 24 hand picked mobile photographers to offer an insight into their work, to reflect on their year gone by or plans for the coming year ahead. Each featured photographer is someone who has inspired or supported me in one way or another during the course of the past year. One photographer will be showcased each day until Christmas Eve in a sort of online advent calendar so to speak.
Today’s featured photographer is Riel Noir.
The photo I am most proud of is…
If U break me I’ll grow stronger was created in response to online bullying I experienced in April this year, within a facebook mobile photography group.
Up until this happened I had been so happy to be part of this mobile photography community that appeared supportive and inspirational, but, this isolated incident has marred this for me.
Initially when I first read the scathing remarks made about both my art and myself I couldn’t quite believe that this had happened!… when other members in this group followed in support of the bully I became distressed at how quickly others blindly join in for the kill!
The following day I made the decision not to delete my facebook account or my art work (something I had spent the night contemplating), choosing to employ this negative situation to create a positive result by creating the series of self portraits that at first reflected me in a manner of distress,… but proved to be the therapy required to move beyond the negativity associated with bullying.
Over the next few days I remained saddened by this situation and this was apparent in my art, but, then something happened whilst editing an image I later named, If U break me I’ll grow stronger. I found that I could once again breath with ease and believe in my art,… I had reached a turning point,… and had indeed become stronger.
Not everyone will like my art work, of this I am well aware, but, there is an enormous difference between constructive criticism and the caustic remarks that had been made about both me and my art,… such bullying can be catastrophic.
Although this is an experience I do not wish to find myself in again I am almost grateful as I feel that this created a point whereby I made the decision to fight back using my art,… in a manner that hurt no one. It also became the starting point for the subject of my second iPhone Photography exhibition this year.
Unfortunately this is not an isolated situation as I notice others finding them self to be subjected to bullying.
My advice to those who find them self in such a situation would be to employ their art in the healing process. Stay focused on expressing the pain through your art work – allow art to be your voice.
