Cake and Cupcake, present varying scenarios of my 50th birthday, a practice I employed throughout making this work. Cake is a joyful celebration with friends, while Cupcake presents a lonelier view. I don’t remember the specific celebrations for that occasion, but I have great recall of the time I took for myself that day.
Although I had originally intended the big 5-0 to cap a dramatic end to this series, in that quiet moment I realized that the events, ideas and emotions that gave life to each self-portrait were part of a larger, unfinished picture. They would appear in different forms – new faces, new challenges and new perspectives – and continue to inform and shape my identity.
The midlife crisis anxiety was no longer palpable even though the issues remained unresolved. I knew my story would continue. I was enjoying the process and reveling in this project, and realized the adventure would not stop on this day.