“My parents think I quit smoking.”
For most artists, you’ve got to pay them if you want to own a piece of their work. But illustrator and art director Terence Eduarte will create a portrait of you for free—with one caveat. In exchange for a stylish digital image of yourself, you’ve got to let Eduarte in on one of your secrets. It’s part of his 100 day project aptly called 100 Days of Secrets, and it has his friends and total strangers spilling “silly secrets and unexpected confessions” to him.
Each of Eduarte’s illustrations are done with respect of privacy to his subjects. The images are colorful yet vague, and they never reveal the defining features of someone’s face. Sometimes, the folks hold an animal or are wearing glasses, but that’s about as specific as Eduarte is willing to get. And, it’s easy to see why; some of the secrets are incredibly sad—like the person who confessed, “Half of my friends are people I wish I never met.”
Others are less tragic, and they reflect just how much social media rules our lives: “I don’t like the taste of coffee,” a woman tells Eduarte. “I can’t even stand hot coffee. But sometimes I buy it anyway just so I can take a picture of it.”
UPDATE: Eduarte has completed the 100 Days of Secrets series. It will be on exhibit at ASPACE Greenbelt in Makati City, Philippines starting September 10, 2017.
Terence Eduarte’s 100 day project called 100 Days of Secrets has a simple-yet-alluring premise: tell him a secret and he’ll create a picture of you for free. Read the confessions he received below.
“I love dogs, but sometimes I worry I’ll end up an old dog lady.”
“I secretly dream of being a porn star.”
“I catfish guys on random dating sites. I enjoy pretending to be someone who I’m not.”
“I secretly hide behind my humor. I can be seething in anger and tell jokes five minutes later.”
“My first kiss was with my high school best friend. I was in an all-boys high school.”
“I want to ask my half-sister if our estranged dad ever touched her back when they were living under the same roof. Or was I his only victim?”
“I dated my professor back in college. I was 23, she was 37.”
“I wish I could be like my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. She’s very beautiful and confident. Unlike me, jealous and insecure.”
“I secretly get aroused whenever I see supercars.”
“Five years ago, I caught my third girlfriend cheating on me. That was the time I decided to have a boyfriend instead.”
“I have a crippling fear of abandonment. I use machismo to hide it because I feel like it makes me weak.”
“I don’t like the taste of coffee. I can’t even stand hot coffee. But sometimes I buy it anyway just so I can take a picture of it.”
“Half of my friends are people I wish I never met.”
“I created an imaginary friend as a coping mechanism for my depression. Now I want to make her disappear but she keeps coming back.”
“I bought my bras from a lady near a church. They’re really nice.”
“I always check if my friends are doing well, but people rarely ask how I am.”
“I wear heels and dress to the nines whenever my head is in a dark space.”
“I was 19 when I found out that I have a genetic disease that usually affects post-menopausal women. There’s a big possibility that I can’t have children someday and there is no way to prevent it.”
“All I’ve ever wanted is to end my life, but I’m a coward so I hurt myself in places people wouldn’t see.”
“I like playing with other people’s feelings because I’m unsure about mine.”
“My daughter doesn’t know that her lost cat is home. He is buried in our backyard”
Terence Eduarte: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Terence Eduarte.
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