I was mistaken when I said that the letter J would be purely (or mostly) visual. After exploring the word juxtaposition, which I’ve heard many times before in reference to art or photography, the primary meaning I found was “the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.”
My image seems to fit this bill, but it looked way too literal to not use words. I thought long and hard about this because I really wanted to go out exploring with my camera and see if I could come up with something more complicated (and profound), but I decided that – with a little explanation – this one could work.
I think the idea that came to me was reality vs. illusion. The top image was taken from Pixabay, and it portrays what appears to be a ‘normal’ girl, in front of a colorful background.
My version is more of a cartoon, or a caricature (that’s not overly exaggerated) of this girl, but I saved most of the background because I really liked it.
For me, personally, this is a perfect juxtaposition of my inner-self. There’s ME, as the normal… safe… and somewhat predictable woman who is a little lazy and has never truly reached her potential because of her own fears and erroneous beliefs about her inabilities or capabilities.
Below this is the OTHER me, the ME that can do anything… even grow wings!
I mean, no, this image is not ME, but it’s a representation of me. Of my different sides. I’m sure there are more, but that was enough to explore the idea and the word juxtaposition. And I know that we all have these juxtaposed sides, so I figured it was a relatable subject.
Going back to reality vs. illusion, however, the question that I keep having is… which is which?? Are we who the world sees, or are we the cartoon who lives on the inside? If that’s the case, then no one ever really knows us, because the illusion is literally what they see, and the reality is what we keep inside.
Wow. That’s a lot of thinking for the letter J, but it was worth it. It’s an exploration of both art and psychology. And I know that there is a lot more meaning to the word juxtaposition when it comes to art and even writing, so I may explore this word more in the future – once I’m done “blogging through the alphabet.”
Well, I guess that’s it for now. Thanks for reading/viewing… I hope you enjoyed something here!
I’ll see you around soon for the letter K!
“I am one powerful self made up of so many selves that sometimes I throw myself a get-acquainted party.” -Eric Maisel
a sprinkle of faith 
Leave a Comment