I experienced a new insight inspired by the photographs of Vivian Maier. Even though I had previously studied Jacques Lacan’s mirror philosophy, I had never seen it from this perspective before. I believe that any new experience can be instructive. Whether it’s in the university environment or in the workplace, one can learn from their experiences. Inspired by Vivian Maier’s reflective images, I captured a moment that was pure and wonderful. While I happened to be in the corner of a hardware store, I noticed a mirror that was identical to one of the mirrors Vivian had used in her picture. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought about what Vivian Maier herself must have thought 60 years ago when she took that picture. It was an experience I still carry with me.

According to Jacques Lacan’s definition, the imaginary is the human ability to identify with images and fragments that form a coherent picture. An example is a child’s self-awareness when it sees itself in the mirror, or when it mirrors itself in other people’s reactions. (Jacques Marie Lacan, 2020) Lacan says, “What I have called the ‘mirror stage’… shows the affective dynamics in which the subject primarily identifies with the visual form of his own body.” (The Psychology of the Mirrored Image – Huxley-Parlour Gallery, 2021)

Link to original photo