Do you inspire?

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I grew up having to be tough. Learning at an early age that life isn’t fair and that bad things do happen to good people. I experienced loss, pain, depression and first hand what being homeless was like. Losing everything you own to fire devastation on more than one occasion, teaches you not to rely on the ‘things’ of the world. Losing two immediate family members the same week, teaches you that life is precious and moments are to be cherished and not abused. Helping to raise your younger sister when your parents can’t because they don’t know how to cope with grief over loss, teaches you that sometimes others have to come before yourself. And growing up in a small down with less than 3,000 citizens teaches you that you have to make your own opportunites and sieze the chances you are given.

At 22 years old, I’ve battled loss, depression, homelessness, alcoholism and extreme failure. I earned by ticket out of nothingness and blew it on a bottle and a good time. Only to learn that life is about lessons. And some of the greatest lessons are taught through failure. I overcame my distrust in people when I met my husband. A man that has weathered his own personal hell in life, and picked himself up. I have overcome grief, depression and loneliness through words and images. Teaching myself how to articulate what I’m feeling on paper and how to capture what I don’t want to miss with a photo. I’ve lost too many of lifes moments to the effects of time to let another one slip by.

I feel like I inspire people because people can connect to what I’ve felt. People understand what pain is and the can empathize and overcome by following my journey. I try to live life intentionally, not taking a single moment for granted because I’ve seen them disappear before my very eyes. I seek to inspire through my actions and through my words…offering encouragement and hope that you can overcome anything. You can dig yourself out of the painful trenches that you’ve been put in. You can do anything you want to. Because I am. I’ve always dreamed of making a difference in the lives of people, and by discovering my passion for photography, I am able to give people a piece of time. A glimpse a moment that they never want to forget. I can capture that. This workshop would provide me with an opportunity to hone the skills I have and allow me learn things that I haven’t even thought about yet.

I’m only just beginning in my journey to becoming a photographer, and this workshop would provide me with knowledge that I can only dream of. This workshop would give me the chance to challenge myself and my own personal limits and discover what I’m capable of. It’s my goal as a photographer to emit the life lessons I’ve learned-importance of family & cherishing the moments you are given-onto film for others to cherish as well. Life is but a moment, and I want to capture it. This workshop, will allow me to do just that.