“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” –Anis Nin
My love affair with photography began when I was just nine years old. During high school, I spent every afternoon in a darkroom, I even had a part time job at a photo lab. My obsession continued through college, and in 2005, I received my BFA from The Savannah College of Art and Design. Shortly thereafter, I left Savannah, and headed to Hollywood.
Growing up, The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie. Hearing Dorothy say, “There’s no place like home” always calmed my worries. It wasn’t until I was living in Los Angeles, 3,000 miles away from family, that I realized the significance that movie had on my life. There is no place like home, and for me home is the South: the beautiful parts, the creepy places, the religious fanatics. My home is the places William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor wrote of, and for the past two years, I have collected memories and adventures and expressed them the best way I know how, using a camera.
I called this collection, Revival, because that is what it has become for me. Christian revival is a term that generally refers to a specific period of increased spiritual interest or renewal of life. Sometimes its easy to forget where you came from, and even easier to lose yourself, just ask Dorothy. And sometimes, when there’s no fairy godmother, you need a revival to help you blossom.
