I have always had a gravitational pull toward the arts, more, now than ever, after realizing my own potential. I was always fascinated by the artists and artworks from the Renaissance, Neoclassicism, Symbolism, and Impressionism periods. I appreciate ancient Greek sculptures and the way expression was portrayed that gave each one feeling. I admired anyone who contributed to the arts.  To me, it was the most gratifying feeling to see someone else create something. I always enjoyed gazing over these works and talking about them; what I saw in them, what they meant to me, what I felt for them.

I tried my hand at drawing, and to my surprise, I was slightly good at it, especially still life and perspectives. I also tried music, learning to play the piano, and again, to my surprise I was really good at it. I never pursued either of these things, though, even if the people teaching them told me I should do so. In a way, I guess it was because of my cultural upbringing. I actually wanted to go to college for photography but my family had said, as had many others, “You can’t pick a career where money is an uncertainty.” I never mentioned it to them at the time, but just listened to them and chose to study something else.

On Christmas of 2015, I received a Nikon camera as a gift. I was told, "You have a good eye for imagery, and you should explore photography." Wether that statement was true or not, it had embarked me on a new path to self discovery. It wasn't until late spring of 2016 that I actually started learning about photography and getting out of my comfort zone and capturing images. I started reading about lighting, composition, and all the basics of photography. I even thought of taking a class but I never did. In some ways, I didn’t feel like I needed to. Above all, I learned photography mostly through trial and error, capturing what I felt when I looked at a train rushing past me. Finding beauty in the everyday sights of the city. Capturing how people really are in their everyday moments, and ultimately sharing these experiences. In some ways, I felt like photography was something I was supposed to know. Something that I knew, yet I didn’t bring it out.

Since then, photography has been a huge part of my everyday life. It was solely my way of expression, interpretation of feelings, my way of thought and the way I see beauty. I carried my camera everywhere with me. I wouldn’t leave it home and bear the thought of potentially missing out on some beautiful sights of my city, New York City, and the simple moments between me and friends and the people around me.

I am grateful that I was introduced to photography because someone else saw something in me. Some potential that I did not even realize I had. A potential that I perhaps suppressed for so long.

When I look back, I now realize why I loved the impressionist and symbolic periods in art history so much. It is simply because combined, they make up what I capture. Photographs that capture a moment I see; a moment I envision, to represent a feeling, a thought, an idea. However, this golden period of discovery and enjoyment only lasted no more than two years, in part I gave up on it because of life experiences. I guess it will be a story for another day…