Artist Statement:

My work is inspired by my childhood imagination. When I was younger, I would use my imagination to dream up stories and worlds to escape from my insecurities and the other problems I faced. I was always reading fairy tales or immersing myself in the fantasy lands of the many video games I played. This helped me so much and has inspired me to create work that reflects the magical, whimsical, and light-hearted ideas that fueled my imagination and brought me happiness. Negative memories and feelings have no place in my work, as I feel there’s already far too much of that in the world as it is.

 I capture these memories and feelings through my photography. With my camera, I can capture memories and they’ll last for much longer than they normally would have. I like to experiment with shutter speed and aperture to create various effects in my work that help to add to the magical aspects that I like to portray. I use both digital and film, but enjoy using film more. When I develop film, I always have this sense of anticipation, and I’m always eager to see what I captured. When I make a print in the darkroom using that film, it almost feels magical as I watch the image form on the paper as it floats in the developer. The process is a bit more complicated than making an inkjet print, but the satisfaction I get from making a successful photograph makes everything worth it.