I love art that makes you see the familiar in a different way—a portrait of a stranger that makes you aware of your shared humanity, or a still life that's so juicy you can taste, or a landscape so verdant it makes you want to hug a tree. Whether it's documentary photographs or multi-layered photo collages, I want everyone to take the time to look and look again and to think about that image the next day and the next week.

My work considers photography and film as forms of memory recognition rather than documentation. Photographic images are not neutral records but constructed frames that determine what is visible and what is left out. In this way, they mirror the editing processes of the brain/mind, where experience is continually being revised, condensed, and reshaped into something that feels true, almost like a dream, but real.

My artistic practice includes collaborative artmaking—building relationships with people and landscapes. With $25,000, I would expand my work beyond photography into painting, film, and multimedia installation. The funds would support materials and studio time, while also allowing me to share resources with individuals and organizations connected to my work. I'd like to pay-it-forward to land conservation groups, mental health organizations, and after-school programs.