SOME PEOPLE’S ANSWERS:
“A man is a builder, helper and they help people.”
♂ (male), aged 8
“Being a man has nothing to do with age, status, or muscle. And everything to do with character.”
♂ (male), aged 73
“A man… Where to begin.? A friend told me she was ‘sick’ of men. Twenty minutes later she was at the bar kissing one. It seems to me, we go through phases, cycles even of hating and wanting men. The world wouldn’t exist without them. They, are annoying and stupid as they can be sometimes are the requirement of life. A devil and a blessing – Life givers !”
♀ (female), aged 26
“A man is like this page…
… Nothing but also everything.”
♀ (female), aged 31
“A man should arrive on time.”
♂ (male), aged 23
“A man should take action on what he believes is right.”
♂ (male), aged 62
WHAT IS A MAN ?
Welcome to the ‘notes on men’ project!
This project poses a question on masculinity, asking people to consider what is a man.
To answer this question, people of all ages and walks of life are encouraged to write down their answer by hand on a sheet of paper.
The question is very open; answers can be as brief as a word or as detailed as the page allows… Answers can be in the form of a picture, or the page can be left blank.
Please feel free to be as creative as you would like. There are no wrong answers. The responses are collected anonymously.
Thank you for taking part!
Sincerely,
from James,
the creator of this project.
THE STORY
Like many young boys growing up, the idea of a being a man and being seen as such was important to me. It shaped which sports to take part in, which career path to go for, and how to behave around others.
I had a definition of what a man should be. And I wanted to BE A MAN according to this definition.
But where do we get our definition from? It must come from somewhere… How did it make its way to me? And do we all think the same?
And so, this project began. February 2019, Dublin, in the middle of the night, my hands put together a booklet for people to write their answers into. The next day I shared it with my creative friend Dara, who was encouraging and supportive about the idea.
Since then, Dara and I have been meeting people and asking them if they would write their answer to the question “What is a man?“.
What about you, what do YOU think?
The variety of thoughts that people have shared has allowed my own definition and understanding of masculinity to grow and to change. Perhaps it will do the same for you…
My hopes for this project are that it will provide boys and men with an understanding of peoples’ perceptions of masculinity. I hope that this collection will be helpful for those who do not have a positive role model in their lives.
SUPPORTING THE PROJECT
If you like the project or think it is helpful for people, please consider supporting the project.
COMING SOON…
- Books to be published
- Exhibition in a local art space