“In the most core-shaking moments of my life, I learned to return to these places to move beyond this physical form and ground my spiritual self.”

Self-portraiture is the way I navigate myself back to my body. For years, my body did not feel like it belonged to me until I started photographing myself in the vast landscapes of California. Running barefoot, jumping into frame with seconds to spare, and waiting for that sharp click of my film camera made me feel alive. Physically touching the earth revealed an undeniable connection between my spirit and that of Nature. The mystical wisdom of the Universe unraveled once I was among Earth’s trees, mountains, deserts, and waters. In the most core-shaking moments of my life, I learned to return to these places to move beyond this physical form and ground my spiritual self. This routine would be the medicine I used during my mother’s battle with cancer, the pandemic, and the uncertainty of the future in 2020.