by Angela Tinarwo (she/her)

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I made a photo series in search of unearthing the jagged idealised perception of growth.

I spend so much time trying to measure my growth in a linear way but time and time again I’m forced to come to terms with the fact that growth isn’t one set path with some huge visible totem that is a marking of how far I’ve come.

I feel more open to identifying my most flawed moments as growth itself.

Flowers have this equally perceived linear path to growth. Which is to one day come into this world, be buried with dirt, and yet somehow make it out and give life to something greater than themselves.

It is in this seemingly simple lifecycle, I find interest in how we measure the stem of the flower as this marker of growth but never the endurance of possible terrain as the real testament of its willingness to grow. This ideal echoes throughout the way we view our own growth. It continues to be reinforced by the media as we celebrate the highs and sympathise with the lows as moments of downfall. These distinct moments should be equally rejoiced, much like a daisy, we may close off in the darkness of the night only to come in full bloom during the day.

This series is named “visions of women” because I think of women as more than a confining binary but as a metaphor for change. I tried to capture that in the shots I took to help amplify the idea of the daises and equally allow the subject to hopefully be seen as an embodiment of growth, pleasure and equally pain.

Growth doesn’t have to be in linear stages but rather in continuous phases that will be tragic yet euphoric.

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