Creative Autoethnography:
this is being, whole

What is Creative Autoethnography?

Autoethnography is examining lived experiences and connecting them to cultural, political, and social experiences. We consider our own memories, understanding, and sense of meaning in the context of historical events, social sensibilities, and cultural beliefs. We do so to recover what’s forgotten and unknown, and to add perspective to our lived experience.

The outcome is (re)claiming a sense of self that starts from within. It is fully our own through our own efforts. Many go through this self-reclaiming process through reading and writing.

Creative Autoethnography is autoethnography through multi-sensory creative activities. Activities like photography tap into what is hard to express through words. It can help us step back and critically examine how we see and what we see. Taking photographs reveals what is important to us. And makes what is just out of our conscious perception feel tangible. Once real and perceptible, then we can critically examine how these feelings, thoughts and ideas have come to be within us.

Images + words is a powerful discovery tool. Examining what we photograph, why and how, is an approachable place to start if feeling unsure or hesitant about our “art” skills. As we learn more about our self and grow more comfortable with the uncertainty, branching out into other means of creative expression feels more possible.

(RE)CLAIM YOUR SENSE OF SELF

Buried under identity. Free your sense of self.

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Who am I?

We expend so much energy trying to figure out who we are, our identity. Because having an identity feels stabilizing, comforting. Identity signals where we fit in the world. And feels like belonging. Identity can also hold us back, keeping us stuck and out of touch with our deeper selves. Our self can be buried under an identity that is likely not something we actively or consciously chose.

Identity fixed by circumstance, by others, by culture and society… becomes a role, a small facet of you. Inflexible and static, identity fractures and buries the multitudes you contain. It buries your full self, the sense of you that comes from deep within. And prevents growth by assuming who you are is how you will always be. Identity hides the choices you can make, the role you can have, your agency in the life-long process of becoming you.

or. . . How have I come to be?

Under pressure to identify as something, play a role to fit in, it’s easy to lose sight of how you are. How do you take in and process the world? How have life experiences impacted you, mentally, emotionally, and physically? What works best for you? What is your way of being? And what will bring you sustained joy? Creative autoethnography can help you recover your self. And choose how you want to be.

Photography reflects our internal world, how we perceive and experience the world around us. Critically examining the images you create reveals insights into your deeper self. Reflecting on your lived experiences and connecting to broader social, political, and cultural phenomena will separate what is you from what has been internalized. And help you transform the present into a future you can love. We start here.

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