As we move forward into spring, I can’t help but feel hopeful. I know that the world has changed dramatically, and the losses we have all endured over the last year are barely being understood, but I now feel that there is a future that may look a little like the one I had envisioned for myself pre-pandemic. I have had moments over the last year where I felt paralyzed and simultaneously pulled to photograph and document my life and the lives of others because this moment in history deserves to be understood in the future. I want my children and grandchildren to look at the photos I took over the last year and see that life marched forward, despite how heartbreaking it was. I have been spending a lot of time over the last year taking a long hard look at my life and what I really truly value.

How do I want to spend my days?

When I am old and looking back on my life, what will I have done, what will I be leaving behind?

I have been laying the groundwork over the last several months to begin to build back the small photography business that I very nearly abandoned last year and to hopefully do so in a way that is more meaningful, more fully realized. It has been emotional, to say the least.

I have also been so fortunate to be able to find classes, mentors, and resources to help me achieve my goals and begin to learn the pieces of running a business that I didn’t know I didn’t know. This is such a great privilege, I know this.

I am so pleased to announce that I am a recipient of a Maine Artist Resilience Grant which was funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

This grant came at a moment where I was considering closing my business entirely, I actually had the goodbye email drafted and was about to schedule it to send to all my clients when I was notified. It was a glimmer of hope and financial lifeline so that I can continue to learn more about business, further invest in equipment, learn as much as I can about creating opportunities for my work and begin to build back again. I am so grateful to have this support and I am really looking forward to the future.