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I had been
interested in writing from an early age and when the time came, I began
studying journalism, specifically magazine writing, at the UGA. I had
high aspirations of following through with my childhood dreams of
becoming a (professional) writer. Initially, I was very passionate
about journalistic writing, but it wasn’t until after I was diagnosed
with Crohn’s Disease and hospitalized for a colon resection surgery at
the end of my sophomore year that I began to see and know the power
behind photographs. I spent several weeks in a hospital room, and many
weeks recuperating – the time was very isolating, lonely, and
depressing. Because of the side effects of pain and immunosuppressive
medications, it was very difficult to concentrate in order to read a
written piece, much less write one. I found that I could not follow
television shows and programs, or movies for entertainment. It was hard
to maintain relationships because of the stigma and sometimes
inconvenience of “disease” - I can remember upsetting friends because I
missed an important date due to another hospitalization, and friends
and family being horrified and embarrassed by the bruises on my arms
due to being stuck and re-stuck with IV needles. What are those? What
happened? Geez, you look like a drug addict. The inability to relate to
others opened the door wide for a state of solidarity to
enter.
I hate to admit this, but out of a sense of boredom and frustration
with others, I came to know photography and I began to look at still
photographs, rather than simply glancing at them or associating the
imagery as only supportive to the text. This period of my life was very
solitary, but its memories are precious to me. It caused a movement
within the way I viewed the world and what I wanted for myself in such
a way that I felt this urge to use photography as a means of
storytelling, and in many ways, to connect with others, to understand,
and to have compassion in all circumstances, instead of pity or
judgment, which is what I experienced during this initial introduction
to living with an illness. When I returned to college, I enrolled in
photojournalism courses, subsequently received my ABJ in 2004 (Bachelor
of Journalism, with a focus on magazine writing and photojournalism),
and went on to have a short-lived career as a newspaper photographer or
photojournalist, whichever you want to call it, before really
committing myself to my education within photography.
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