Artist statement

Call me an artist, if you must; I am now at peace with it. But know that the primary instinct in all of these photographs I have made has always been about creating proof that, whatever happened, I was there.

I can’t always be right; I am deeply flawed, on top of being human. However, as a photographer, I’ve made a series of promises to myself: I am only here to document, as tastefully as possible, while dignifying life.

The primary purpose of my personal work is to rule over the past: to observe and absorb it. Doing so creates a secondary purpose: giving the present a chance of survival in the future.

I have been amazed by this every day, and I will continue to be amazed every time: all of this is also my profession. People ask me how I do it. I don't have a good answer to that. I am simply odd, consistent, and dependable.

I am almost always curious about the right thing, and I secretly believe this is how a good picture is made. I have never worked hard, but I have always done my research and spent time in my room as long as possible. And this way, when I stepped outside, I never needed to run.

Nobody told me to do any of this; I did it all because I had nothing else to do. Picking up the right camera, building a punchy website, maintaining an active Instagram account, going out to meet people, and making all those mistakes gracefully. You, my contemporary reading this: this is a list of what you also must do.

These things take time, and other things will take even more time. I was a cartoon character falling down, rolling on the ground, only to find myself magically walking again. I couldn't afford to sit still, so I worked; then, I didn't want to work, so I took photos... with no purpose, guidance, or goal.

I am very irreligious, and I quite possibly believe in fewer things than the average person. Inspiration is one of them. It's still a word I use (how can you not, when you spend so much time among so many clueless, pompous art people), but I rely on taming my taste. Forget all of what I've said except this: I'm just a man with taste.

I love photography more than life itself. I also love surreal paintings, horror cinema, escapist books, and obscure music. I am awfully polite, mostly unguarded (but with rhino skin), picky about words, and so on. Wherever I go, my bold tattoos come with me, as I can't just turn them off. What I'm trying to point out is that it's a miracle that I connect with so many people in life, but I do; because I am always there.

17 August 2026 04:01—05:27

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