From June 2020 to September of 2023 my partner and I traveled the continental U.S. in a van that we converted into a tiny house.

When I started getting serious about photography and filmmaking back in 2010 I was heavily driven by how others would perceive my work.

How it compared to relevant work of the time, which “rules” it followed, and ultimately, how it would perform on various social media channels.

On one hand, this constant comparing and anxiety-fueled approach to creativity pushed me to grow and learn in a number of ways. But it also restricted me…led me to have an unhealthy relationship with art, and was never coming from a true place of self.

Contrary to authenticity, it was created with the perception of others at the forefront. An underlying feeling that I was creating for others enjoyment as opposed to for myself. Making art with a need for validation…ahhh!!

fast forward to ✨queerness✨

Prior to being open about my sexuality, gender identity, and neurodiversity, I was living a contrived life of what I thought people wanted to see.

Living my day to day with the constant perception of others in mind.

The fear of being perceived as anything but a “normal straight man” led to changes in what language I used, what clothes I wore, how I stood, how I sat, and even the art I created. Whack.

The work in this project is the process of me dismantling that — ultimately leading to an antithesis of my creative roots.

There are visuals in this project that are the unrecognizable innards of National Parks as opposed to the vistas.

Moments captured because they felt like they needed to be…or more accurately…I felt like I needed to document them.

Captured with introspection and intuition, this project is essentially a bunch of moments that moved me.