Trial and Error with Self Portraiture

A little background story- I’ve been having my son film and edit some behind the scenes videos for me that I’ll be using in some upcoming materials I’m creating. Remember when I said I’m a shy introvert? Well being in a video = awkward!
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For those that don’t know, I use a dress form that happens to have a couple of wigs and a bear mask on it to take my place in a self-portrait so that I can grab my focus and set up my shot. 🐻 I’ll include a shot of it to give you a better idea. Just scroll to see.
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So as he began to film me, the head of the dress form with both wigs and the bear mask popped off and fell to the ground. As this was happening I bent over to save it when all of a sudden the entire dress form decided to fall and clobber me in the head/face. 😳😖🤣
So after much intense laughter exchanged between the two of us I was able to complete the self portraits all the while extremely happy that it was done and over with and having my fingers crossed that he got enough footage.
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He didn’t.
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So this self-portrait was from attempt #2, which went much smoother, where I tried to be much more present in the moment. 😅
I just wanted to share that it’s not all fairytales and magic. There’s a lot of trial and error, a lot of mishaps, but the process and experience is what it’s all about for me.
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What’s your favorite part? Where do you lose yourself and learn the most? Is it in the editing? Sharing? The actual shoot or the preparation before hand? Share in the comments below and earn bonus points for sharing a mishap 😂

My dress form that I use to grab my focus. Works like a charm.

A Creative Lull

Who are you right now in your art? What are you being called to create? Or are you being called to take a break and recharge? Could there possibly be something new you are interested in?
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I experienced a bit of a lull with creating art over the last year. I’m a multi-passionate person and I submersed myself in many different outlets from 2018-2019. I allowed myself the freedom to explore different interests.
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At some point I began to feel down on myself for not churning out new work as frequently as I had in the past. Instead, what I needed to do was be kind and gentle with myself. I understand and accept that people grow and change. Art is a process. It’s not made on demand. It comes from a feeling or emotion I want to express- a story I want to tell.
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In January 2019 I made the leap from Canon to Sony. Starting fresh with new equipment can feel daunting! My next few posts will feature new work that I created with my Sony a7r III. I’m currently limited to 1 lens with my Sony, but it’s an amazing lens. I do miss my Lensbaby lenses though! I am falling in love with this newfound freedom and the possibilities of creating with this amazing camera and lens.
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Now that it’s Spring here it’s time to wake up and come out of hibernation! What do you all have planned for the coming months? Leave a comment below and share ☺️

Intro- I'm Sharon Covert

I tend to forget that many of you are new followers and that you haven’t been following my journey all along. I thought I’d give you a little introduction.
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My name is Sharon Covert. Most of the work you see here is self-portraits aside from some still life from time to time and portraits of my daughter. My son is grown and in college now so he hasn’t made an appearance in quite some time. He does spend some time with me behind the scenes though. He’s in the process of putting together some BTS’s videos he filmed for me for my newsletter and an upcoming class I’m teaching. His major is video production. Lucky me 😉
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I began using self-portraiture as a way of self-expression about 6 years ago. I’m a shy introvert but thrive in expressing myself through words, art, and music. Before photography I taught piano lessons to children for many years. It was such a rewarding and challenging experience but I truly enjoyed working with children.
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I currently teach an online course, Expressive Self Portraiture, through The Define School. You could say it’s a dream come true. The women I have met online and worked with have left me speechless and in awe.
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I’m about to graduate from The Institute of Integrative Nutrition in a few short weeks. The year long program has been life-changing and the coaching skills I have learned there have begun to carry over into my photography class. I’m excited for what the future holds.
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I don’t composite or edit in photoshop. It’s not that I’m against it, I just haven’t put in the time and effort to learn the program. I really will one day, but I admit, I am completely intimidated by it! I enjoy the process of creating my self-portraits and finding ways to bring my ideas to life.
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If you’re curious about anything else, or if you’d like to tell me something about yourself, leave a comment below ⬇️! As always, thank you so very much for your support. It means so much to me! ♥️

Self Doubt

I quit 100 times a day. I quit and then I talk myself down and start once again. Every. Single. Day.
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What do I have to offer? I’m not qualified to do this. Maybe this is just an expensive hobby. Maybe I’m not meant to make a living from this. Maybe I’m missing the whole point. What is my purpose? Maybe I’m too busy trying to make this work that I’m actually missing out on enjoying my so-called “gift” to the fullest potential. Maybe I’ve lost sight of my passion and my true WHY as to why I actually do this.
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And just like that, for every negative I miraculously find a positive. This is my calling. This is my voice. Everything I’ve gone through has led me straight to this. There is nothing more fulfilling than creating, teaching, sharing what I know, supporting like-minded women, forging these intimate bonds in such a short period of time, inviting women to this safe space and earning their trust, supporting them, lifting them up, gathering in such a sacred space to let it all go and create with wild and reckless abandon. All of the masks fall away, the false beliefs and stories we convinced ourselves of no longer hold any truths, and we’re left with beautiful raw honesty in its purest form. In our vulnerability we find our strength.
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My most recent block of Expressive Self Portraiture is wrapping up this week. To all of the women who trusted in me past and present, I thank you, wholeheartedly. Thank for you showing up with open minds, open hearts, willing to do the work, in all of your brave fierceness and honesty. ♥️

Layers of Protection

These layers of protection, like an iron wall built to surround me. I must ask myself, who is it that I am really hiding from?
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Layers of Protection {Self-Portrait}

Expressive Self Portraiture

In our vulnerability we will find strength. Oftentimes I find that the scarier something is for me, the more I need to do it. Many of my self-portraits are proof of my scars. I used to hide in fear of judgment, but I have learned that the more I reveal and share my scars, the more it helps others and inspires them to do the same.
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Expressive Self Portraiture is open for registration through @thedefineschool. Classes begin 2/18/19. I keep my class size small to ensure feelings of safety, trust, and to provide a mentorship based experience for all students. I’m active and available throughout the entire 4 weeks and beyond.
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I truly hope you’ll join me! Feel free to email me with any questions. sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com

The link to learn more or sign up is HERE !

Registration is OPEN!!!

Wanted: Creative, emotional Artist seeking her tribe of like-minded Artists.
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My Belief: I believe in creating for self-love, self-awareness, self-discovery, self-reflection, self-guidance, self-healing and introspection. My core belief is that by practicing these things you will become a better person to serve those around you.
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Have you ever been moved by someone else’s art? Have you ever felt connected in some way to another’s magic?
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We, as Artists, are healers.
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My 4 week interactive mentorship based course, Expressive Self Portraiture, through The Define School is now OPEN for registration! We will spend 4 weeks online together learning and practicing the tools I give you for creating art for yourself. You will learn how to think outside the box and bring your inner stories to life in a healing and expressive way. In this course I share everything. I hold nothing back.
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Answer the call and join me by clicking the link in my bio. 
I’m so damn excited for this! ♥️
Class begins February 18, 2019!
https://www.thedefineschool.com/…/expressive-self-portrait…/

I See You

I see you.
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To the woman who just turned her camera around onto herself for the first time today.
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I see you.
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To the woman who uses self-portraiture as a way to feel good about herself.
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I see you.
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To the one who is too scared to begin but can feel a small fire brewing inside of her ready to spread like wildfire when given the chance.
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I see you.
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To the one who feels lost. To the one who feels newly found. To the one who needs to heal. To the one who needs to come to terms with her body and accept herself for who she is. To the one who needs to forgive herself. To the one who needs to let go of the past in order to move forward. To the one who longs to feel empowered. To the one who abused herself. To the one who was abused by someone else. To the one who feels like a lost child inside. To the one who feels proud. To the one who thinks it’s her fault. To the one who worked so hard.
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I see you. I see you all and I witness your courage and honor your perseverance.

The Many Masks We Wear

“Before domestication, we don’t care what we are or what we look like. We never pretend to be what we are not. After domestication, we try to be good enough for everybody else, but we are no longer good enough for ourselves because we can never live up to our image of perfection.” - don Miguel Ruiz
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From a very young age we create these masks that we wear. It’s not just one mask, but many. We spend most of our time trying to be someone we are not-trying to live up to the expectations that we feel others put on us.
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We long to fit in and be accepted. We seek approval. What if everything you’ve been told is a lie? What if all of the negative things you believe about yourself don’t actually exist?
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Deep inside of you lies your authentic self, dormant, waiting to be free once again. Truth be told, you have within you the power right now to rewrite your story. It’s yours and you have full control of how it reads.
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The Many Masks We Wear

Oh Dear!

The masks I use are a form of symbolism and often represent different characters in my story.
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This one is the first one I ever purchased. It still remains an important piece of what I do. Masks have been a transformative and pivotal element in my art.
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Credit to artist @tumblingup for sculpting such amazing masks 🎭 🐰

Come Back to Self

Sometimes, oftentimes these days, my mind is a blur. Everything is whizzing by and I’ve come to realize I need to slow down, practice saying “No”, and prioritize better.
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I began this journey to Self about a year ago now, and I’ve become aware that somewhere along the way my attention began focusing outward again instead of inward.
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So here I am once again, ready to commit to myself and complete the tasks that I take on along the way. I don’t want to lose sight of creating for ME in the process.
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Here is a self-portrait I made yesterday. I’ve always loved out of focus images. They stay with me longer, like a memory or dream. They are a feeling, a time, a place.
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What does an out of focus image represent to you? How do they make you feel? I know some struggle with them because they are technically incorrect and flawed. I think the flaws are what make an image unique, just like us.

Surrender | Self-Portrait

Making this type of art feels so natural to me. It’s become a part of who I am. I tend to forget that for many, it’s not what they would consider normal.
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It’s easy to fall into the trap of being small to avoid the judgement from others. We (I) have to remember to be unapologetic about who we are (who I am).
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Making this self-portrait today felt so damn good. While there are certainly times I wish I had someone else to create with, share ideas with, someone to have this experience with- I also find myself feeling energized and excited to have this time with myself. Today was no exception.
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Introvert much? 
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Here’s what I did with some of my alone time today. I put on a nude colored body suit, went into my backyard, lit a smoke bomb, covered myself with a vintage bridal veil, and put myself in all sorts of odd poses.... and it felt great to express myself in this way once again.
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Do you prefer to create alone or would you rather have a partner in crime?

Calling All Creatives

Wanted: Creative, emotional Artist seeking her tribe of like-minded Artists.
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My Belief: I believe in creating for self-love, self-awareness, self-discovery, self-reflection, self-guidance, self-healing and introspection. My core belief is that by practicing these things you will become a better person to serve those around you.
🔍
Have you ever been moved by someone else’s art? Have you ever felt connected in some way to another’s magic?
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We, as Artists, are healers.
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My 4 week interactive Expressive Self Portraiture course through The Define School is now OPEN for registration! We will spend 4 weeks online together learning and practicing the tools I give you for creating art for yourself. You will learn how to think outside the box and bring your inner stories to life in a healing and expressive way. In this course I share everything. I hold nothing back.
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Answer the call and join me by clicking THIS LINK for more information. 
I’m so damn excited for this! ♥️

Class beings September 10th! 

Out of the Darkness

My self-portraiture was born out of a dark place, but over time, has evolved just as we all do.
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As I’m sure you can tell, I’m most drawn to mysterious, dark, dreamlike, and oftentimes weird/creepy imagery. I have an active imagination and I enjoy the process of trying to bring it all to life.
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Did you know I don’t use Photoshop to edit my images?
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I truly enjoy the process of bringing my weird ideas to life. Sometimes it comes with its challenges since I can’t easily add in something during post processing.
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This self-portrait was taken in my backyard. I used a smoke bomb in the woods and wore a vintage dress and hat I found at a local thrift store. I kept my face shadowed to add to the mystery of this ghost-like woman in the woods.
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As an introvert I much prefer shooting my self-portraits in my house or on my property, although I do have a funny story or two about shooting in public places!
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Now that I shared a little about my process, what’s yours like? Do you live for the shoot or the editing process? Does your image come to life before or after editing? Or is it a combination of both? Do you prefer to be out in public or hidden?
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Share in the comments below. Also, I’ll make a post soon for those bloopers I’ve experienced out in public!

Rejection

Have you ever been rejected?
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It doesn’t feel good, I know.
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But what if you used that rejection to fuel your fire🔥 and become even more amazing?
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Instead of allowing it to bring you down, let it motivate you.
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I’ve been checking my email for weeks in hopes of an acceptance email. You usually can tell by the header. “Congratulations!”
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Today the email came, except it was a rejection email.
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For a brief moment I let the sting set in and bring me down. The questions began circling through my mind. How? Why? What could I have done different?
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I quickly put a stop to it and decided I would continue submitting to them. After all, what’s the worst thing that can happen?
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So many people share their successes and leave out their failures. I’ve been guilty of doing that myself ✋🏼. I think many of us have feelings of shame in rejection and failure. It’s embarrassing.
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Have you been rejected recently? Or have you had a recent success? Either way, I’d love to hear about it! Comment below and let’s lift each other up and inspire one another.

The Story Behind the Image

I used a long exposure to create this self-portrait in September of 2016.
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I had reached a point in my life where I almost felt I was in two places at once.
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Part of me was coming out of this dark place I had been in for what felt like so long.
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I could separate myself from that place and look back at that version of me, and to be quite honest, I wasn’t sure what this newer version of me was all about yet.
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As humans we tend to stay with what feels safe, even if that “safe” isn’t good for us.
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I almost felt as if I were turning my back on myself, which is what led to the concept of this self-portrait.
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You guys, there is one thing I will attest to and that is this-
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Art heals.
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My hope and wish for you is that you allow yourselves the freedom to explore, play, create, make mistakes and know that it’s completely fine.
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Let go of any judgments you have towards your work or yourself. That’s only going to weigh you down and hold you back from all of the greatness that is YOU.

What Lights You Up?

Teaching has been a part of my life since I was 17 years old.

I started teaching piano lessons to children when I was straight out of high school. It was such a fun and rewarding time.

When I had my son at 22 I remember some of the parents would ask me to bring him to the lessons so they could hold him and play with him.

Shortly after my daughter arrived I set piano lessons aside and picked up a camera. I quickly developed a passion to learn more and be a photographer.

It took me YEARS to say aloud that I was a photographer. Piano teacher was all I knew. Who was I to call myself a photographer yet alone an artist?!
Now, my teaching continues. I made my dream come true and I teach at The Define School.

But here’s the thing....those children that I taught piano lessons to? They taught me just as much.

The women who have taken my Expressive Self Portraiture class? They have taught me just as much.

Not only that, but they have touched my heart and left an impact on me that’s almost indescribable.

Teaching lights me up. What lights you up?

Self-Care

In September 2017 I decided to make a commitment to myself. Up until then I poured my heart and soul into my photography.

Leading up to this past year I felt I needed to create almost as much as I needed air, but then I felt a shift.

Even though I have dedicated so much time to art, I felt like I wasn’t giving myself everything I needed to thrive.

I made a commitment to myself. I wasn’t going to allow guilt to creep in, as we all know it tries to so hard.

I began a daily yoga practice, meditation, journaling, and reading as much I can. I blocked off time in my mornings and hoped the people in my life would understand.

I’m not going to lie. Change scares people! It was an adjustment. It was also one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Do you set aside time for you? For the things you love? The things that call to your soul?

I wholeheartedly believe that you will be so much closer to the best version of you if you allow time for yourself.

Guilt free time.

What is it that your heart longs to do that you put off because there just doesn’t seem to be enough time?

When you invest in yourself, not only do you benefit from it, but the people around you and in your life do as well.

Hi! I'm Sharon Covert

Hi, I’m Sharon Covert! For years I lived under this false belief that you could get to know me through my art alone.

I allowed fear to control what I shared.

I allowed fear to censor my words, my truth.

Fear of judgment. Fear of not being understood. Fear of not being liked.

I hesitated on sharing the good things that have come my way. The things I have worked hard for, all in fear that you would think I’m bragging or being show-offy. I made that word up, but it fits.

I held back my WHY, my reason why I began experimenting with self-portraiture.

All in fear.

This year the one sentence that has come up the most for me in my journal is this-

Lead by example.

It’s small yet profound, and I plan to do just that, for me, my children, my family and friends, and you. I can’t possibly be the only one who has experienced these feelings.
And while I may be writing more for YOU to get to know ME better, I also want to get to know you better. Has anyone else experienced similar thoughts and feelings when it comes to your art and social media?

If you made it this far, thank you, and it’s nice to meet you!