Artist Statement

This book series, An Incomplete Set, challenges the hypocritical patriarchal and heteronormative expectations our society has for men and women ranging from careers and hobbies to even love lives. The dominant design element in this series of covers is self portrait photography. The photographs depict activities that women are traditionally discouraged from doing, like going for a night out, sharing their opinions, or being romantically and sexually attracted to other women. The photographs and other design elements used include symbolic representations of expectations for women in various arenas, and the cover’s typography responds to and interacts with the imagery to draw attention to specific elements within the design. The inspiration for this series of books and the choice of self-portrait comes from my own life, focusing on aspects of my own life that I enjoy and want to pursue that often put me at odds with our society’s historical and even contemporary standards.