Last week I shared with you guys how lost I’d been feeling lately.  It seems, that when you reach a certain age ( gulp! ), staying true to yourself, who you are and who you long to be becomes a matter of the utmost importance.  You’re no longer that young person trying on personas for size.  This series of illustrations by Paris designer Leslie David, done for Please! magazine called out to the feeling that had been haunting me, that denial of my own self.

For this series, David reinterpreted a series of photos from issue 11 of the magazine, painting over the faces of models in colorful, textured splotches.

No matter how you may glam it up, denial of who we are in our core destroys us.  It may begin innocently enough, but over time that mask that we’re wearing eventually overcomes us and overtakes us so that we can no longer see who we used to be.

Stay true to who you are, dear Artsies!  Whatever your vision, whatever your passion, stay your course.  Pursuits true to the soul are never wasted.

Want to see more work from this artist?  Check out Leslie David’s website and don’t miss her postcard series!  She also has some really lovely prints for sale in her shop.

All images via the artist’s website.