My creative practice incorporates photography and historical cinema to explore the psychology behind the human connection and our affinity with our environments. Through my implementation of different still imagery techniques, I am influenced by the bold experimentation of color by William Eggleston while conjuring the serenity of Buddhist teachings. I am drawn to Christian Boltanski’s use of shadow play and his incorporation of the overall impact of a particular piece. Rather than directly representing my subject, I refrain from a documentation approach and photograph my subjects using less conventional environmental factors. 

      At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I studied Cinematography and Lighting in Film Production, which developed my interest and exploration of Environments and their psychological impact on the human psyche. While attending the University of Memphis, I continued to explore these concepts and blend cinema techniques and vernacular into still imagery by concentrating on Content, Color, Composition, and Light. My interest in the human connection to environmental surroundings drives my creative practice. It enables my work to be an individualized experience based on the viewer’s life experience and the emotions they project onto the image. 

      With my current series, The Self is A Home and Memphis Noir, I fuse my influences with knowledge in Art Theory to discuss the correlation between Prospect-Refuge Theory and Biophilia Design Theory using a Sociological Interactionist Perspective. I am examining and documenting the human need for self-expression as shown by the distinct features in a specific location or dwelling. My ambition is to continue exploring these concepts while reintroducing moving imagery to blend these conventions of image-making into a cohesive creative practice. 

     My goal for graduate study is to continue my lifelong learning of the photographic medium and expand my research on the psychological impact of our surrounding environment while implementing the research-based methodology of art theory into the core of my practice. As a student in the Master of Fine Arts program, my approach to experimental display and exhibiting of my work will continue to be an ongoing dialogue driven by my motivation for the highest impact of my work on the viewer. This will help and prepare me to continue my creative practice after graduate school and ensure sustainability in my art.