
Title: The Well That Fills Me, photography.
I don’t need to be reminded that the waters of Lake Michigan are in me. Like a bird migrating along its shoreline, I return seasonally. When I am away, I crave its sound in my ears and its movement. My mind recreates its splendor. I look forward to when I can once again swim and float in its cool embrace. I know my time here - at the Lake, and in this life - is important to embrace. It is here that we move from one part of something to another. The Lake reminds me our time on this planet is finite, and we need to live fully. ©2025 Melissa May Metzler
In summer 2023, after I broke my ankle, I began creating new art that departed from my previous work.
I started taking frequent self-portrait photographs as a tool to try to understand myself. Sometimes, I obscure part of my face to represent the concept that I only partially comprehend who I am. Other times I want to be fully seen.
I also began recording much of my life using my cellphone camera. These images allow me to document and process significant events in my life.
In this new series, I have combined these sets of photographs - my self portraits with images from events - to contemplate and try to understand the circumstances and relationships of my life.
I do not use camera filters or manipulate color. I frame objects within the lens of my cellphone camera to challenge my own visual sense. In some instances, such as in these images, I crop and combine them and fade some back using basic tools on my laptop to create a narrative.