Meet Danielle Rackowski

We were lucky to catch up with Danielle Rackowski recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Finding my purpose was not an easy journey. I have Complex Trauma or Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). I grew up in a household where I endured toxic narcissistic abuse along with emotional and verbal abuse. That type of abuse continued into my early twenties in the form of toxic abusive relationships. I was very lost in my early twenties. I did not know who I was as a person. My identity was fragmented. My inner reality was wrestling with sadness and yearning for liberation.

C-PTSD can wreak havoc on the mind, body, and soul connection. I suffered from a dysregulated nervous system due to chronic stress, which brought on debilitating anxiety, depression, depersonalization, dissociation, and hypervigilance. Every moment I felt the melancholy associated with C-PTSD, I always managed to pull myself out of it. But self-portraiture within the photo-based medium allowed me to overcome it. Self-portraiture became my therapy. It became my healing. And it became my purpose.

I did not know that self-portraiture existed as an art form or genre until I took a History of Photography course at a New Jersey Community College about seven years ago. It clicked for me. It became my outlet, my visual diary, and my therapeutic tool. As I continued my studies at a four year New Jersey College for Photography and Lens-Based Art, I developed my artistic voice and my style evolved. I no longer used long-exposures and slow shutter speeds to blur out my face or parts of my figure (my sense of self). My self-portraits no longer expressed the dark sensations of grieving the loss of one’s self, or the distortion in confronting my innermost fears. My self-portraits took on a new life full of light and love.

I entered a new stage of heightened creativity with the use of digital photography and digital photo manipulation. I have created many digital fine art images fueled by clarity, healing, and the joy that comes from spiritual transformation. Today, bright colors transcend and empower my artworks into deeper narratives of self-reflection and observation. By compositing, layering, and abstracting digital imagery (i.e. harmonizing colors with nature and florals) through a painterly aesthetic, I undergo a series of metamorphoses.

I still struggle with the emotions from my past. However, my studio practice and photographic process with self-portraiture brings attention to the healing nature of confronting my own introspective and intuitive gaze before the gaze of the camera. It helps me to transform that pain into beauty. It helps me build my emotional and spiritual foundation. Despite my past emotional history, self-portraiture reminds me that there is authenticity in owning my vulnerability.

Pursuing the genre of self-portraiture, has led me to formulate Self Portraits On Fire – the first online gallery and platform that supports photographers and photo-based artists working in self-portraiture through the curation of various online opportunities. The role of both self-portraitist and curator has allowed me to build healthy relationships, foster meaningful connections, and face my fears with faith. My core purpose began with creating self-portraiture to support my own healing. Now, my core purpose extends into supporting artists who also engage in the art of self-portraiture. Connecting with self-portraitists within the photo-based medium has empowered Self Portraits On Fire through the resonance and inspiration of others.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am focused on balancing both my art practice with my online gallery.

My self-portraits visualize the intangibility of emotion, which can serve as a tangible and powerful force for change. It is my hope that the spiritual messages instilled in my artworks, offer healing, knowledge, awareness, and hope for survivors of narcissistic abuse. Through art, we are not alone. Self-portraiture can serve as a creative catalyst for catharsis; to look deep within and find one’s voice. Expression of one’s voice is loving one’s self. That creates resilience.

My artwork has been exhibited in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Miami, and California. My artwork has been featured in prestigious online publications and international art magazines, such as the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine. I have also been exhibited by numerous international online art platforms and galleries. As part of Era Contemporary’s The New Pre-Raphaelite’s: Illumination 2021-2022 Virtual Exhibition and The Legends of the Moon 2022-2023 In-Person Exhibition, my artworks will be digitally exhibited, catalogued, and launched to the moon in the Lunar Codex: Polaris Mission time capsule in the fall of 2023-2024! It is my goal to keep creating, and to find new ways to display and connect my art with broader audiences.

I am also the Founder, Curator, and Gallery Director of Self Portraits On Fire – The First and Only International Online Self-Portrait Photo-Based Gallery that Specializes in Contemporary Fine Art Self-Portraiture. I am proud to curate and support many photo-based artists working in self-portraiture through various initiatives that foster community and creativity within the self-portrait medium.

I am excited to expand how I create self-portraits with artist collaborations (with self-portraitists that I have met through Self Portraits On Fire).

I plan to expand Self Portraits On Fire by offering additional services:

-A Self-Portrait E-Commerce store to sell fine art edition prints from curated collections and artist series.
-Meeting more artists through casual conversations and interviews on Instagram Live.
-Creating a self-portrait forum or community, artist directory, and online/digital residency to support self-portraitists in new and meaningful ways.
-Connecting with artist-run platforms to spread the message of Self Portraits On Fire, and to share my personal story about my healing journey through self-portraiture.

Ideas always pop in my head when I work on a new self-portrait series. I also form ideas when I work with the self-portraitists that I have met and connected with when curating online exhibitions.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, the three aspects that were the most impactful in my journey were:

1. Knowledge: Becoming holistically aware of what needs to change in one’s life for self-improvement and well-being, is learning about one’s self. It creates trust and empathy in one’s abilities.

2. Research: If you have a creative idea for a project, goal, or larger mission, research steps on how to get there. Put in the work at your own pace. If you believe in it, it’s worth the effort. The reward comes from navigating through mistakes and finding ways to overcome obstacles or resolve challenges.

3. Patience: Resilience comes from failing and getting back up, and learning as you go. Through practice and repetition, facing your fears gets easier; connecting with others in your field or who share your passion, leads to opportunities for self-growth and building a sense of community.

My advice for those who are in the early stages of their healing journey or creative endeavors, is to keep going. Keep moving forward – one step, one moment, and one day at a time. It only takes one small actionable step to improve how you feel. Things may feel overwhelming in the process, but remember to be proud of the strong person you are, and of how far you have come. It’s about progress, not perfection. It’s about the journey, not the destination. If you find a connection to a community that brings you meaning and builds support, that cultivates purpose and joy.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

As a self-portraitist and gallerist, I am always discovering new ways to expand my creativity as an artist and challenge myself as a curator.

As a self-portraitist, I would love to collaborate with photographers and photo-based artists working in self-portraiture where technology, traditional photographic methods, and digital/lens-based applications intersect. I’m also open to commissioned self-portraits.

To collaborate, reach out at this link: https://www.selfportraitsonfire.com/danielle-rackowski

As a gallerist and curator, I would love to work with additional artists and platforms to curate new exhibition themes and formats for displaying and showcasing artistic talents.

To collaborate, reach out at this link: https://www.selfportraitsonfire.com/

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.selfportraitsonfire.com/
• Instagram: @selfportraits_on_fire

Image Credits

©Danielle Rackowski