I don’t know very many people all that well. Sure lots of acquaintances, but the experience of really knowing someone is incredibly rare for me. There are many obstacles, but one that seems common is we feel a need to project a version of ourselves that we think other people find more palatable or likable. Often I wish I could see someone as they are without the facades we put up and the lies we tell others, or for that matter the lies we tell ourselves. I favor uncomfortable authenticity over a placating smile, and the cold hard truth versus white lies. Sure there is always a balance; you don’t want to needlessly hurt peoples’ feelings. I want to know the whole person, as agonizing as that might be for both involved. I want to be seen in my entirety, good and bad, and I hope I can do the same, accepting people as they are.
Concerning the image above, it is my usual motif of taking a photo and then doing style transfer (I’m going to post about the process soon). For those that are curious, it comes from the below photo. This is a picture of Lake Garda taken from Riva del Garda in Italy. I wish I could go back there!
