How Do You Know Your Memories Aren't Part of Your Imagination?

As an artist, much of my work has been based on exploring memory and imagination, and that thin, blurry line that separates them.

I like to think of memories as mutable. When we remember, we're strongly influenced not only by how we felt at the moment of the memory but also by how we feel now. Over time, our brain eliminates what it considers superficial, preserving the most significant aspects. We remember with the intensity and sensation of the last time we thought about it, as if we were rewriting our own memory over and over again.

I believe we've all doubted our own memory at some point. A happy memory can become clouded with details we discover later. Sometimes, we even believe we remember things that may have never happened.

For instance, since I was very young, I've seen a photo of myself at two years old, sticking my finger through my grandmother's birdcage. I've always believed I remembered that day, imagining that one of the birds pecked at my finger. However, I sometimes wonder if it's not a memory I fabricated from seeing the family album so many times.

What about you? Do you have any memories you doubt? How do you distinguish between memory and imagination?