Broken

My project reflects the experiences I went through growing up with a father who treated my family poorly, and how I’ve looked to nature for the stability I craved as a child. The energy in my household was chaotic and broken. My dad worked as a police officer and brought all his hatred and anger home to take it out on my mom, my brother, and me. I found my safe space in natural environments, where the energy was quiet and peaceful. 

The photos in this series combine metaphors from memories of my dad and natural objects that form a toxic yet bittersweet relationship with one another. The memories include allusions to him being a policeman and specific experiences I went through as a kid. The traumatic and intimidating behavior from the memories of my dad disrupts the photos, while the different aspects of nature quiet down the trauma.