I was a bit of an introvert and being artistic was a massive part of my identity. Surrealism Growing up, art was always my thing. As with all the images, surreal portraiture needs to make a statement, it needs to have a story and it must be attractive enough to grab the viewer’s notice among the plenty of selfies and different snapshots that are on all devices possible at this moment.

I bought a nice camera and learned all I could. I had an eye for composition and loved anything artistic. I took a graphic design course which in turn introduced me to Photoshop.I have used Photoshop for many artistic forms, but my favorite is retouching, specifically surreal retouching.If you know me, you likely do because of my Surreal Portraiture “Whimsy Waifs” series.I started out in Photography as most of us do.

We are continuously comparing ourselves to photographers we admire in the hopes of having a little taste of the success they have, but I have realized throughout my journey that the absolute best thing we can do as creatives, storytellers and photographers is to step outside of that box of expectation and create our own reality. One of the best things I have ever done for my mental health has been to create art for ME instead of focusing on what everyone else is doing or what I feel like I SHOULD be doing.As photographers, we constantly feel like we need to keep up with the Joneses. They are my therapy, my way of working through past trauma and honestly, my happy place. They are what I see in the mirror, in some form. I tell my stories through them. I have unapologetically shared them for years.

I create stories for me, and whoever chooses to come along on the ride can hop on board.