Self-portrait Glynnis Forsberg

text and photography by Glynnis Forsberg

My story begins when I was adopted from the Philippines at the age of two with my biological sisters, Gladys and Grace.

I was raised by a strong woman that puts her children first. I was surrounded with unconditional love by a father. My sisters and my mother fought. As the youngest, art became my therapeutic remedy for trouble at home.

As I neared high school graduation, I wrote a poem that talked about my past. Some verses were easier to understand between the lines, while others hid behind a wall. As a photographer, I saw this as an opportunity to create a personal work. In a photograph, you can express a thousand words simply through lighting, expression, posture, environment, and color.

This personal work shows glimpses of pivotal periods in my life that have shaped me. I used a mix of soft and hard lighting, which shifts moods between reflection and truth. The result reveals imperfections and fortitude.

I have been described as sensitive. I am afraid of rejection. I am vulnerable. I long believed that being strong is cold, and doesn’t show that I’m about to break. As I enter a new chapter in my life, having graduated from school, I have re-evaluated my past, present, and future. I am peeling back the layers.