What do you see when you look in the mirror?

The March 2018 issue of Artefact Magazine carries the theme ‘Reflection’, referring both to the thought or the contemplation and to the image, the impression.

We asked people something that connected both meanings: What do they see when they look at themselves in the mirror? These were our favourite answers!

Ella, BA Public Relations student: “I see a youthful face. When I look at the mirror I quite often think that I’m a happy person and that I’m fortunate to be like that. Even when I’m feeling sad I think ‘I’m gonna get over this.’”
Bill, MA Interaction Design Communication student: “I see stress and I hope to see more stress in the future because I feel like stress and pressure is the only way you can improve as an artist.”
Anna, BA Journalism student: “I have recently started to see that I can be beautiful without makeup. When I was younger I always pretended to be a different person and now I try to feel comfortable with who I am. It is important what light you bring to this world. You are beautiful not because of your features but because there is something interesting inside of you.“
Don, BA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography student: “I see a very tired, overworked, young person because I live in London and you have to work a lot to live in London. I see someone who is doing what they need to do at the moment to try and fulfil happiness. I’m young and learning to prioritise.”
Lilly, MA Interaction Design Communication student: “Sometimes I see an outspoken person, sometimes I see someone for whom it’s harder so socialise... And I use the mirror to put makeup on depending on how I feel.”
Nathan, security guard: “I see different shades of me, characters, depending on how I feel and on my environment. I like my working character. I always got to keep it professional and nothing can get me down: always smiling. Genuinely smiling because I’m happy. I like the creativity here, it keeps me going.”
Marie, MA Fine Art student: “I see a brunette with glasses or without glasses, without makeup most of the times. I’m someone that’s quite chilled and you can see that in the mirror. I haven’t changed in ages and I’ve got used to how I look. In a year time, for example, I’ll just look a bit older. A few details will have changed, but I’ll still be the same.”
Theresa, Head of Academic Support: “‘Oh my god, who’s that person?’, because I still think of myself as being twenty-five and then I look in the mirror and see that I’m not.”
Tom, BA Photography student: “I see a photographer who is usually tired. I don’t really see the past or the future, I’m tired but quite happy with who I am in the present. I see that things are all right.”
Valentina, BA Journalism student: “Sometimes when I look in the mirror I think of what I have achieved, how I have changed... I see how I change: I know I’m gonna look different in a year, in a few days or maybe even in a few hours. Sometimes I look in the mirror in the morning and then in the evening I see a different person.”