Getting my degree in Fine Arts at Sonoma State University I discovered a love of self expression through art. As time went on I truly found my voice. I work with my medium, photography and video, to express how I have navigated the world I’ve found myself in. Something that is incredibly important to me is expressing authenticity and creating a sense of community.
I try my best to encapsulate those ideals within my work. Starting with the series Dare to Hair (2018), I depicted how femme presenting folks do not have to follow the “typical girly girl” standards the world has put onto us. Being hairless as one of them. I reached out to those who intentionally grow out their hair as a way to express themselves and rebel against those gendered standards. The next piece to highlight is Chapter 1: The Vulva (2019), I put the word out that I was looking to make a project about vaginas. I had many volunteers who let me photograph and interview them. During the process I interviewed folks of varied genders and ages, talking about their relationships with their vaginas and how they feel about them and how they have felt about them. People were very physically and emotionally open and vulnerable; each person bringing a unique perspective about their vulvas. After the showing of this work, many people in the community came to me and expressed their gratitude to the project; folks expressed how they always felt their vagina as “weird” or “different” and seeing the wide variety of vulvas helped them embrace their own.
I also have a deep love from film photography, where I focus on capturing the direct world and experience of day to day life. Through my film I capture a true depiction of the world around me, from people to environment. I love how film aids in storytelling, through the depth of the colors and contrast; as well as the rawness film gives to each image. It aids in authenticity and opens the subject to being vulnerable, its not as easy to edit out the “ugly” parts of life with film, it allows you to let go on control. Once the photo is taken you don’t truly know what it will look like until its processed. The stories we can tell the best is that of our own. Expressing our internal and external world to create a cohesive documentation of one’s life is the ultimate artistic expression. I use drawing as well to aid in how I authentically express my story. I create dynamic and varied self portraits to express my inner world. I am also commonly behind the camera, so I use my drawings to also show how my personal appearance changes as I change and develop over time.
Some may call it diaristic, feminist, street, candid, queer, brown, trans art. The labels don’t matter at the end of the day, creating a sense of community and making an emotional impact on others while exploring my relationship with myself and the world around me is my main intentions when working within the fine art world.