Digital Composite, Self-Portrait.
As a gay boy, I struggled with my sexuality and the need to fit in. I did not come out until I was 21 years old, but was fortunate to have found an incredible role model to help me through the journey. This African-American man had a profound and positive influence on my adult life, helping to destroy some of the racist and homophobic thoughts that had been beat into my brain as a child.
The images represents me as a teen boy struggling with the fear of being "found out". The bird cage over my head shows that the fear is largely internal and mostly irrelevant to the outside world. The black frigate bird is swooping in to remove the cage and fee me and represents the friend who guided me in the coming out process.
The white over-the-knee socks do not represent anything, I just love the feel and aesthetics!