I grew up in a small town in the much drier and agriculturally inclined eastern side of Washington State. But growing up in a small academic town never offered enough for me, so a few months after I graduated high school I packed my duffle bag and moved to Australia.

That time in Australia moved me towards a trip to the Middle East, and for a month and a half I struggled and found myself with a people I had never before paid attention to. I shyly photographed smiling children and pained mothers in refugee camps, heard stories that were beforehand unfathomable, and processed through the most intense culture shock (with a side of walking pneumonia). I discovered the person I once knew was now the one suffering alongside a people long oppressed. That season abroad radically shaped my life, my perspective, my politics, my relationships and my art.

Afterwards, I landed back in the Pacific Northwest and poked my head into a handful of things, one of which being a photography school in Hawaii.

I attended the school in early 2008, and from Hawaii I moved to New Orleans to volunteer with disaster relief work. Six months later I surprisingly found myself back in Washington, amongst the endearing embrace of rolling hills. I spent some much needed time at home before relocating to Seattle, and then Portland Oregon for two years. My time in Portland was full of growth but lacking in relationship, so I moved back to Eastern Washington to be back home and near extended family again.

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A sanctuary and a kingdom.

Time for something new.

Outside is more inspiring than inside.

Eastern Gateway to the North Cascades.