One may utter a long list or a single point, when asked about the essence of the self, or about the naked self, or the projection of self. And, just like in singing and speaking one hears not what the room acoustically gives but rather how one owns body lets one hear, one may ask what is it that one sees, intends, aims to be reflected as, or detaches intrinsically from self, when one creates a self portrait.
It might spring easily from many given lips that one is what one thinks. I doubt it springs as easily to express the being as self.
Sila Blume 