I keep coming back to this idea that there are two sides to every coin. In this time of global pandemic, masks hold a duality of both safety and fear.
I’m now used to wearing a mask when out in public, but the metaphor is not lost upon me. Wearing a mask can feel securing in a strange way, providing protection from outside forces, while also giving me permission to move through the world with anonymity. I don’t have to share myself with others, which means I can protect my vulnerability when I feel like a mess.
Existing at the exact same time, beneath the mask, lies my fear. Fear of the unknown future, fear for my best friend in New York who’s on the front lines, fear that this will never end, fear of not being seen, and ultimately at the essence of it all…. the fear of being alone with myself.
There are many variables in the air for a lot of us. Stable anchors we once held on to have now been uprooted. Sensitivity can be a gift, but when it’s difficult adjusting to the new reality we all share, it can be emotionally flooding.
This collage represents me – UNMASKED.