Catherine Smet
Van Nhi Nguyen
Catherine:
"Intimacy is all about being vulnerable and about who you choose to be vulnerable with.
I immediately thought of the words 'skin hunger'. The meaning behind it is ofcourse a longing for intimacy, a longing for touch and feeling close to someone. For some this means lust, for others it has a deeper meaning on an emotional level.
Intimacy is hard to come by these days if you're not in a solid relationship. I for example am not. Normally dating takes a back seat in my life but the moment you're actually on your own in a pandemic it's quite confronting. I wonder how it is for you?
As a highly affectionate person i'm having a rough time having to keep a distance from everyone. If we're not just talking about being intimate as an expression of lust. I try to get a lot out of hugging, holding people that i love to release some stress and to forget about being alone.
I still have doubts about the image i made so you'll have to check it out this weekend."
"Intimacy is all about being vulnerable and about who you choose to be vulnerable with.
I immediately thought of the words 'skin hunger'. The meaning behind it is ofcourse a longing for intimacy, a longing for touch and feeling close to someone. For some this means lust, for others it has a deeper meaning on an emotional level.
Intimacy is hard to come by these days if you're not in a solid relationship. I for example am not. Normally dating takes a back seat in my life but the moment you're actually on your own in a pandemic it's quite confronting. I wonder how it is for you?
As a highly affectionate person i'm having a rough time having to keep a distance from everyone. If we're not just talking about being intimate as an expression of lust. I try to get a lot out of hugging, holding people that i love to release some stress and to forget about being alone.
I still have doubts about the image i made so you'll have to check it out this weekend."
Van:
"I agree, with everything that’s been going on, physical touch has become something so special. Intimacy can be expressed through different languages. We’re on the same boat to be honest, because I’ve never really paid attention to dating until now, since the pandemic is making everyone hyper fixate on how intimate one can get with another person. You have to be extra mindful, become more aware and as well as craving more physical touch than before.
For me I have been struggling to become intimate in new relationships, and its hard for me to truly open up. Of course it’s because of personal traumas and problems within my own romantic/ personal life that have barred me from being too vulnerable to new people coming into my life, however I do try to overcome that. Intimacy is something that goes beyond physical touch for me, it’s being able to understand one another, etc. Once this brief moment of feeling wanted, the adrenaline of meeting someone new phase away I often pull myself away from that person, from becoming more open towards them.
When people think of intimacy it’s often that they think of sex almost immediately. I think that getting to that is fairly easy but once it’s done, you’re left with this void. In a way, emotional intimacy is something everyone wants but not everyone can achieve.
I documented my own struggle with others as a self portrait (again, since I am the subject that I know best). This was pictured right after a casual hookup date. The minute they’re gone it’s just me and my thoughts and regrets. At the end of the day it’s just me alone in my apartment. I think the ending to Ari Lennox’s song “New Apartment” is what describes it the best haha:
“And then I just started thinking about life like I’m lonely, (...) And then it’s just like, all the furniture you get does not keep you warm at night (...)
And then I realized, oh my god, I need people”."
"I agree, with everything that’s been going on, physical touch has become something so special. Intimacy can be expressed through different languages. We’re on the same boat to be honest, because I’ve never really paid attention to dating until now, since the pandemic is making everyone hyper fixate on how intimate one can get with another person. You have to be extra mindful, become more aware and as well as craving more physical touch than before.
For me I have been struggling to become intimate in new relationships, and its hard for me to truly open up. Of course it’s because of personal traumas and problems within my own romantic/ personal life that have barred me from being too vulnerable to new people coming into my life, however I do try to overcome that. Intimacy is something that goes beyond physical touch for me, it’s being able to understand one another, etc. Once this brief moment of feeling wanted, the adrenaline of meeting someone new phase away I often pull myself away from that person, from becoming more open towards them.
When people think of intimacy it’s often that they think of sex almost immediately. I think that getting to that is fairly easy but once it’s done, you’re left with this void. In a way, emotional intimacy is something everyone wants but not everyone can achieve.
I documented my own struggle with others as a self portrait (again, since I am the subject that I know best). This was pictured right after a casual hookup date. The minute they’re gone it’s just me and my thoughts and regrets. At the end of the day it’s just me alone in my apartment. I think the ending to Ari Lennox’s song “New Apartment” is what describes it the best haha:
“And then I just started thinking about life like I’m lonely, (...) And then it’s just like, all the furniture you get does not keep you warm at night (...)
And then I realized, oh my god, I need people”."