This self portrait represents a state of being shared between the real and the imagined, the present and somewhere outside of time. Visually, the painting presents organic forms painted loosely and expressively that are stopped abruptly in hard contrast with an inorganic solid, bright yellow. Both spaces are occupied at once by one figure, painted as if simultaneously well grounded and transient. While the nature in the background alludes to the real - a place the viewer can situate - the phone acts as an anchor in time. Although the phone sets the painting in modern day, even our present moment, it represents distraction and escapism. The phone is like a separate place. I painted this self portrait to express the tension and dissonance I feel when considering my identity that’s constantly shared between the real and imagined, the present and somewhere outside of time. As an artist; a woman; a human being seeking connection, where do I go to feel seen; to share with others; to be myself? Painting and self-portraiture have become a means to self-discovery and building identity in the present where it feels harder and harder to be present.