Self-Portrait — “28 to Make”
28 to make is a creativity challenge from CreativeLive. Participants create and share a quick sketch every day for 28 days. I’m doing the same but with words.
Each day in February, I’ll set a timer for 20 minutes and write a “sketch” inspired by the prompt for the day.
Day 10: Self-portrait
A few words about my face starting at the top.
My Hair has been buzzed, shaved, long, gelled up, side-parted with greasy pomade that had to be washed out with dish soap, and even dyed emo black.
My eyebrows grow together in a unibrow like Frida Kahlo’s if I don’t do anything about them.
My eyes have wrinkled prematurely from the sea and the sun. I used to hate having freckles, now they’re the last young thing about my face.
My nose has a little notch in it from a surfing accident. It’s also been punched in. Getting punched in the face remains one of the most transformative and edifying experiences of my life so far. The guy who did it is one of the only people from high school I still talk to.
My teeth represent my dual nationality and the way I feel stuck between two cultures sometimes: They’re white and straight by Irish standards but not that white and not that straight by American standards. I’m torn between getting Invisalign or just moving somewhere where I have nice teeth relative to the locals.
My jawline… Someone who was very mad at me once said that’s one of the only things she still liked about me, my jawline and that I hate American football.
