Ian-securities

Ian Simmons-Francisco, a third-year psychology student from San Diego, California. Ian took inspiration from four different photographers: Barbara Krugar, Tracey Moffatt, Nan Goldin, and Polly Borland. Polly Borland liked to look at the different quirks in people and that is what his work is about, being their self and being a unique individual. Barbara Krugar used different words on her photos that touched upon controversial topics. Tracey Moffatt photographed “minor” things that were peoples’ insecurities. Lastly, Nan Goldin drew upon darker concepts of reality and that is what he wanted to do. Everybody has their insecurities and those inner demons that are in their head. It all just depends whether we accept them. From hating our body, to our noses, to our eyes; as human beings we knit pick the little things that make us who we are as an individual. Our insecurities are built up from our own selves; however, these insecurities originate from what others tell us. Ian explores the psychological perspective of insecurities of others and himself and put them into a polaroid. He wanted to take a raw image polaroid of one’s insecurity, have them write down a cruel jab that has been said about their insecurity, and then they destroy the polaroid as much as they can. The destroying of the polaroid symbolizes that we are stronger than the cruel words and the inner demons inside. Ian chose to use a polaroid, so my subject could destroy a physical copy. He also likes that you never know what you get from a polaroid until it fully develops. With the polaroid’s, his subjects and him found different ways we could destroy them. They never turned out perfectly and are one of a kind. The physicality of a polaroid is important to Ian’s work because it allowed his subjects to destroy the polaroid physically instead of editing a photo digitally. These photos are creepy and quirky, just like how life can be at times.