Self Portrait.

Left panel: representations of my long-standing struggle with my body, in constant quest to lose weight. Photos of myself as a child, with labels "lose the belly" represent my first conscious memory at 8 years old of wanting to change my body, beginning with the consciousness of my belly. Beside those photos is a photo of me at 20 years old, with the body I always desired. I look at that photo now and say "that's me?!" There are also snippets of my diet plan, workout plan, and email threads with my bodybuilding coach that represent the rigidity and reliance on his word I deemed supreme. The Pop Tarts box is an ode to my "breaking point." I hadn't received word from my coach on what my diet would be for the following week so I allowed myself to "cheat." While binging on Pop Tarts, I stopped and thought "what am I doing?" This was the door that opened me up to mindful eating and later, body liberation which is represented on the right panel. 

Right panel: representations of my journey to understanding the power and wisdom of my body, "harnessing the healing power of the body." Photos that represent this becoming, embracing nature and self, understanding my story as the key to my healing. Angel card of divine guidance signals the role embracing spirituality played in this journey, understanding the work is an "inside job." Bright colors, rivers of crystals representing the throat chakra (blue), heart chakra (green), sacral chakra (orange), signaling these parts of myself I embraced: truth, wisdom, love, forgiveness, acceptance, creativity, femininity. Joydust (my own line of biodegradable glitter) is sprinkled throughout, a call to the embrace of play, celebration, and expression.

At the center is many small mirrors forming one large mirror. This represents all the pieces of self that make up the whole being--the varying parts of the journey that have made me me. "The future of fitness" below the mirror is a call to action that the future of fitness, the future of well-being is up to the one standing in the mirror, to define what fitness and well-being means to them.