cristina///nunez's photostream  

www.self-portrait.eu
introducing... THE SELF-PORTRAIT BLOG!!!

I'm a 48-year-old artist-photographer. My life has been very intense until now, and also very painful. Lately I've reached a sort of balance and peace of mind at last, the perfect moment to go through my life to give it some continuity, given all the changes I've gone through.

I've been in therapy for many years. Different kinds of therapy. In the last 4 years I've put together photography and therapy, two important pillars in my life, and now I teach selfportrait with my own method of self-knowledge, in groups and individually.

At the beginning of august 2007 I started to upload 20 years of self-portraits and writing about the moment I was living at the time. Then I uploaded my childhood and adolescence pictures, photos of my parents, uncles and ancestors, and my capacity to read pictures emotionally gave me a new view on my own past. I've realized very important things about my relationship with my parents and sisters, my ex-husband, my kids, with drugs and with myself. It's been a fantastic experience and I hope to inspire other people to do the same.

Actually I am amazed at the effect that my whole story has had on flickerites and the feedback you've all gave me. I want to thank you all for this. In all the books and reportages I've published on magazines, I've never been able to know people's reactions. I hoped that I could be able to touch people's souls, but I didn't know it actually happened. My page today (May 2010) has had over 70.000 views, this tells me there is a need to share intimacy and emotions through photography. People know very well that photography can be used as self-therapy.

I've always been very emotional. I used to think this was a problem, because people usually control themselves. Now I've finally accepted myself and actually I've made my sensitivity become a strength by teaching people to express their emotions on selfportrait, giving them a tool to work on their self-esteem and their true and complete identity.

My method consists in a journey into oneself, first one's own essence, dreams, multiple identities and roots. Secondly one's relationships with family, partner, friends, colleagues or boss. And finally one's own relationship with the world.

We work hard on the intuitive and emotional reading of the pictures, in order to make the good choice, the one which will surprise us and will make us learn something of ourselves. We also work hard on the overall project, so that it makes sense for us.

Everyone is able to do this, no matter your experience in photography. Technique is not so important, it's only a tool to convey the meaning, what's important is honesty of feelings, and total freedom.

I hope to inspire people to do this kind of work because I think that the more people work on soul-searching, a better world we will give to our kids.

In June 2010 I'll be moving back to Spain, after 24 years living in Italy. To me, it means coming back to my roots, after feeling completely uprooted for many years. This painful feeling has been very useful for me to grow, both as an artist and as a human being. People ask me why I'm moving. The barriers that kept me from doing so have fallen down...