These two self-portraits, made in my studio, are an attempt to depict something intimate without being explicit. I wanted to express the fondness I feel for my body, with its quirks and early signs of ageing, but also imply difficult emotions — loneliness, guilt, inadequacy — and a feeling of vulnerability. The project began as an exploration of the concept of artistic constraint. At first I photographed myself posing to fill the photographic frame but later realised that leaving some space around the body made it appear more constrained. The project was really an exploration of self-imposed constraints; a desire to portray limitations that are imagined yet shape things into what they are. Looking at these images now I see a creature that is strange and awkward, but also intriguing – an object of curiosity whose purpose is unknown. While free to move, the creature remains bound and unable to unfold into its own being. It can never get out of its box.