IMAGES

Images
By: Gloria J Bailey

Images are very strong. They internalize in your psyche. That internalization forms an opinion that enters our society in either positive or negative views. Something disturbing has been unfolding over the past decades where by our thoughts and actions are tied more to images rather than us making a judgement to influence the image. We see a digital picture and immediately go straight to a resolution without any reflection or discussion. That action limits our free thinking and creativity. When an artist paints, sculpts or draws a picture there is an ongoing conversation in the mind that catapults our view visually to the created material. The more we as a society are clogged with what we are told to see and think the less we create and that is not beneficial to our society. So take time to reflect, discuss and then act on positive images. I have been looking for images that reflect my brown skin and ethnicity and there is a void, a gap as if Black and Brown positive images do not exist. When images of skin color do exist it is in the context of a box or category that only defines a portion of who I am. Therefore, as we document human stories we must continue to project the overall reality of our population. Someone once said, "there is BEAUTY in DIFFERENCE", and I certainly agree.

Let your inner voice rise,
Gloria