SEASONS I (2025)
As artists, we are all too familiar with the feeling of burnout. We put countless hours into our work, bare our souls for the world to see, and yet we’re often left with the feeling that it’s still not enough. Our art is not enough. We’re not enough. When I began this project, that’s exactly where I was at. I was burnt out, pursuing projects that left me uninspired. I became lost in my artistry, but to my surprise, I was being redirected to a project I didn’t know I needed.
I decided to start simple. The traditional process of cyanotypes would center my project, and from there, my photography would be guided by a stream of consciousness. I just needed the freedom to express myself. As I went into nature and simply captured the world around me, I began to reflect on countless things. The seasons were changing, and so was my life. I began this year unable to eat, trapped in my mind, and sitting in the ER waiting for a psychiatric evaluation.
Everything was dark, but I can’t say this was a unique experience. I’ve dealt with this since I was 15, and my depression became a part of my identity. But something changed this year. I am not the person I was a year ago, nor the person I was 6 months ago. I have evolved just like the environments around me, and thank god I did. For some reason, I slowly let go of that part of me, realizing it doesn’t have to define me. It’s simply just a part of my journey. Rekindling my passion for photography has significantly contributed to this growth.
Through this process, I created Seasons I, an unexpected therapeutic narrative comprised of ten cyanotype prints, utilizing both digital negatives and positives to demonstrate the reflection and peace that this project provided me.