June 2023 Studio Reflection

Creek baptisms and extending roots into rich soil

I’ve been living in Marshall, North Carolina now for 6 months and somehow reaching that milestone seems to have produced a large internal shift to how I feel within this place. I find that I’ve crossed the threshold between feeling like a visitor here to being a resident, the rhythms of my life tying themselves into this place through the friends and community that I’ve found here.

Experiencing the transition into summer has given me a burst of energy. I adore the heat, as I’ve written about before, and North Carolina weather with its mountain breezes and cold rivers seem to be the perfect combination of sweltering heat and opportunities to cool off for my irregular nervous system.

This month was a blend of chaos, sweetness, and adventure. I’ve had multiple friends visit, went camping on the Chatooga (essay coming soon!), been working more, weathered through a tire repair, and of course have been caring for my body through it all. I’m preparing for my last New York trip for a while, a three week stretch of time where I’ll be doing some caregiving and then teaching intro to darkroom at a summer camp. 

For this New York trip I am also planning on doing some photographic work and family work. I’m archiving some documents and photographs from my mother’s side of the family, and am planning on doing more anecdotal research with my grandmother. I also have a small handful of photographs I’d like to make for Upheaval.

I’m coming close to being finished with photographing for Upheaval, and with each time I sit down with test prints from the project I get a little more understanding of how to frame the project. At the end of the day, I think I’m going to have to pick a way of explaining it and stick to it. I feel this project leading into another one that chases down the same vein of home seeking.