The Inside Dog Barks The Loudest

During a casual conversation, a friend once used a phrase I had never heard, but couldn’t forget: “The inside dog barks the loudest.” The idea of the inside dog intrigues because it’s both obvious and elusive. How can I be myself while standing outside myself looking in? Why don’t I understand more about the person I know best, myself? This series—photographs, small sculptures, and installations—explores inner voice, why that voice punishes and rewards, pushes me forward and pulls me back. The inside dog can’t be fully known, even though the beast is me. These images act as self-portraits without showing my body or face, just as the inside dog is hidden.

I selected items to photograph that have a personal meaning but are also ordinary objects and tools. These different items work as metaphors for making or changing or entertaining or transforming. The raw material a person is born with is shaped by genetics and environment, but we also create ourselves to some extent. The struggle inherent in trying to become something or someone specific gives rise to this friction and duality. A subset of images in this series were created by including Fuji Instax prints in still life photos. I ejected some of the film from the camera after covering the lens, which renders the picture white, as there was no exposure. Other pieces of film were overexposed to the point of blackness, so that there is no tangible subject. These pictures within pictures are created in seconds right before the eyes, yet they keep their secrets.