Derek - Franklin, Tennessee
I’ve used the metaphor of a camera lens to organize my self-portrait. Photography is a hobby of mine, so it seemed appropriate! Just as a camera lens takes in light and creates an image, my self-portrait shows some of the inputs in my life, on the left, that help create the outcomes seen on the right.
Inputs happen at work (drinking coffee, attending meetings, teaching classes), at home (grocery shopping, playing board games, drawing lunchbox notes), and elsewhere (taking notes at church, traveling with my kids). By investing my time in these activities, I’m able to enjoy the blessings of family, friends, and faith, as well as travel and a rewarding career. Years ago, I learned that how I spend my time on a daily and weekly basis shapes who I am. I try to be intentional about the inputs in my life, so I can have the outcomes I want for myself and my kids.
The canvas for my self-portrait is the cardboard lid to a box of comic books I collected as a young person. It represents my enthusiasm for comics, but also the way my childhood forms a foundation for who I am today. The lid is painted a color I call “Tennessee green,” a color I love to see all over Tennessee, where I live now.
The lines on the canvas that replicate light reflecting through a camera lens are made of shoestrings from an old pair of running shoes, as well as pipe cleaners from my kids’ craft room, representing two other ways I spend my time—running and making art with my kids.
Finally, I’ve added my favorite Bible verse, Psalm 139:9-10, because it’s God’s provision that makes all the inputs and outcomes in my life possible.