Author’s Note: One of my photos was recently accepted & exhibited in a show featuring artists from all over the state of Florida. Because art that pushes the envelope is generally overlooked & condemned to obscurity in the conservative southeast, this show aimed to offer an opportunity for more subversive work to be displayed & hopefully even appreciated
I started writing stories when I was six, but I was given my first point & shoot camera the day I turned nine. This show marks a milestone which I’m feeling truly proud of, because—despite experimenting with photography for a large part of my life—I’ve never experienced the thrill of seeing my work hanging alongside that of other talented artists (besides when I was a child)… It’s only been recently, to be honest, that I’ve begun to consider myself anything more than an amateur or started treating my art thusly… So I’m not sure I could be any more excited for this event—when I get to be both the artist & audience…
Before that happens, there are some folks I need to thank for making such a joyful moment in my journey possible: For their encouragement & ready advice, my friends & fellow makers have been indispensable. For patience with me & generosity with their time, I owe a debt to [[Sam Romero]] & [[Sara Savannah Jones]] that I don’t know how to repay… For all of the above (plus a thousand other ways of lifting me higher until I feel like I can fly), I owe my love [[Sean Hults]] the moon & I’m going to stop myself before this starts sounding any more like an acceptance speech, but I’m a bag of emotions…
I wish I could share the image in question (not just a description of it) with those of you who can’t make an appearance. Once the show is down, I will be sharing it with paid subscribers on Substack. In the meantime, here’s an array of photos taken while hanging the piece at the venue, as well as various other self-portraits taken in bathrooms. The last two photographs (included below) are the first two in the series that lead to the more polished piece, which was accepted into the show—so consider those a teaser—but you’ll have to come to the exhibit (running from June 24 to July 14) in Florida to see the real deal!
Glass Mirror
Author’s Note: One of my photos was recently accepted & exhibited in a show featuring artists from all over the state of Florida. Because art that pushes the envelope is generally overlooked & condemned to obscurity in the conservative south, this show aimed to offer an opportunity for more subversive work to be displayed—hopefully even appreciated—locally.