Sitting on my mother’s bed, watching her press an eyeglass to a sheet full of tiny photographs was my first exposure to photography. Black and white prints spread all over her mattress, picking out the imperfections, preparing for her next critique. I was nine when my mom took her first (and last) photography course, but that small introduction made an impression on me and started the path I would take for the rest of my life. I now have a Bachelor’s degree in both Art Studio (photography) and German Language/Literature, have been in 7 shows, including one solo, and work as a freelance and fine art photographer.
My work often wavers between narrative and documentary photography, falling at a blurred line in the middle. Having had many friends who battled depression and anxiety during college influenced me to explore the effects the baggage of higher education has on young adults in America, thus prompting my series, BLUE. Additionally, as the daughter of a professor and an elementary teacher in a small working-class town, criticizing the state of education and socioeconomic inequality in America within my work seemed crucial. My most recent (untitled) series delved into a different direction; driven by my extended family’s disturbing views on women’s sexuality, it examined the violence or discomfort caused by those who have a similar mindset as them.
I draw a lot of intellectual inspiration from literature, specifically science fiction. Classic books such as Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Orwell’s 1984 were influential as I worked with my first concept-driven series during my undergraduate career. I was drawn to the dystopic, imaginary worlds created through literature which were able to speak of real world issues so blatantly, yet concealed by the “sci-fi” genre. I discovered authors like Kurt Vonnegut and Ursula K. Le Guin who needed this genre label in order to critique American politics without disturbing the status quo during the Cold War. I am inspired by these writers, always trying to accomplish work that speaks on its own without being didactic, but still effectively conveying my concept.