I am afraid, 2010
Acrylic and ink on paper
18 x 22 inches
Robi Smith
Vancouver, BC
I use social media to share my work with collectors, fans, and all those anonymous people who find me through Google searches. I post to Facebook regularly, update my blog each week, and send out a monthly e-newsletter to close to 400 subscribers. Each communication asks me to reveal myself in different ways and, while I’m always truthful, I do edit myself. I don’t share details about my family life. I talk about what I’m creating and feedback I’ve received, but not how I spend my time every day or my worries. I don’t talk about my fears. I still have secrets. I have a private life I don’t expose to the world. The images of myself that I use on-line are polished, almost guarded. The self-portraits that I’m painting are intended to be more immediate, more raw. Question: should I post them?
