What most surprised you once you started working on the project?

People’s willingness to be vulnerable and open with me about their experiences and emotions during COVID-19. The pandemic has, in general, made us all raw and forced humanity to live in an uncertain state of being, and that can deeply affect a person’s overall well-being, which typically means one retreats within and protects. Yet, in this instance, I found that even though people were in a very vulnerable state and overall protecting themselves and just trying to get through the day and survive, they were still willing to connect, open up, be vulnerable, and if only for a brief period, share the effects of the intense emotionality they were experiencing with me. And more to the point, they did all of that in front of a camera, which isn’t an easy feat. It has been a powerful, poignant and honored position for me as a photographer and as a fellow human being to hold and photograph this space for others.

What was a highlight of living and studying in New York City?

I haven’t been living in the city because the pandemic changed how my program conducts itself. It has all been virtual, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been highlights. The most influential highlight that comes to mind is the bond and support my cohort has forged, even through all the distance and lack of physicality. I am so grateful for them, their support and continued encouragement.

What is something you learned at SVA that you’ll always take with you?

I have learned to connect with my voice and my art practice in a foundational way. In a way I hadn’t before, I understand what I want to pursue, how I want to practice and produce my art and what I am trying to undertake with the works I do create. The Art Practice program has helped me to open up avenues of expression and career goals that hadn’t occurred to me before, and I am excited about what is to come.

Was there a teacher or course that was essential for you?

This is a difficult one to try and parse out. My initial answer is, all of it! The experience of being a graduate candidate in the Art Practice program at SVA has been profound; each course, professor and mentor has influenced me in some way or had me thinking about an aspect of my own voice as a photographer and visual artist from a different perspective. I have been able to grow and evolve in a way I didn’t expect to live through the pandemic because, essentially, the program and my cohorts provided me with a supportive space where I could delve into using my art and voice to process through it all.

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