Before I ever picked up a camera, I spent a lot of time in front of one. I grew up performing with an opera company, got my Associates degree in piano performance, and spent several years touring as a dancer and workshop instructor. Then the pandemic happened. With the majority of live performances drying up virtually overnight, all of my creative energy started to bubble up, mostly into my kitchen (I make a mean curry), but eventually overflowing into what has become a whole other artistic passion and career.
I've always had a strong connection to the natural world, so when I dove into photography that's what I found myself being drawn to. Birds, bugs, people, lizards, weird little flowers. Anything with a personality, and therefore a story. I discovered that I can create the same cathartic experience for people by creating images that I can as a singer, dancer, or teacher. Objects also carry stories, and I have an embarassingly extensive collection of antique jewelry from Southeast Asia and the Middle-East to prove it.
Capturing those stores and conveying them through photography is absolutely intoxicating for me, and is the driving force that makes me reach for my camera.
