+wo :: V!S!0N

My vision..I can't really describe it, nor do I really put that much thought into what I want people to think about while viewing my work. My work isn't for an audience, it's for me. It's an expression of myself. I am my vision, the way I think and the way I believe is my vision. The way I see things is what comes out of what I create. And I think it's beautiful. Other people can think what they want of it. I predominantly photo document people, I enjoy indulging in cultures I'm not a part of and don't know a lot about. I'm interested in people in third world countries, because of the way I've seen them work so beautifully and peacefully together. I rarely ever set up photos. They're a glimpse at something going on around me. They're what's happening, right at that moment. They present themselves. And , thorough my work of exposing poverty and whatnot, one may think I am doing it for an audience, for a reaction, but what I put out there is what I put out there no matter what. People will take from it whatever they want. It's always about what I'm getting out of it. Other people don't really concern me.

A lot of my work is not planned, it occurs by accident or through circumstances that present themselves. What I do in order to work is prepare myself for random presentation; I'm always ready for something to present itself. You have to realize these things, otherwise they'll slip by. In any case, I work through my personality. I'm extremely curious. I ask too many questions, I often get in the way. But people tend to be charmed by curiosity.

My beliefs are pretty simple. My spirituality goes hand in hand with my political beliefs. Through my work, I'm trying to show what I don't believe the world takes enough time to think about. Broken people. Beautiful human beings beaten down by poverty. Animals with not much more time to thrive before the depletion of their species' existence. Anything that needs more help or attention than it's getting. And in some cases, at the point that some of these people or animals are at, it doesn't matter how much more help they get. They're pretty much screwed. But the things I have seen and can tell people through stories or journals or photos will stay with them forever. And that's good enough for me. Appreciation, knowledge, sympathy. Any sort of reaction that shows they are thinking about what I've seen other people go through is good enough.

I enjoy art that says something powerful and meaningful, but then again, the art I'm thinking of has said something powerful and meaningful to ME. I have no idea what it's said to anyone else. In some cases I know the artists intentions were to express something powerful and meaningful, but that doesn't mean they're going to reach everyone in that way. That's the most beautiful thing about art; it is what it is, no matter what anyone feels when they're under the impression of it. It's why the audience doesn't concern me with my work. Because you'll never be able to make every single person that sees some form of art feel the exact same way. You just have to put out there whatever it is you're feeling, and wish for the best. I don't believe in censorship. I'm far too obsessed with self expression to be able to agree to restricting anyone's beliefs.

There is no point to art, art is the basis of thought and expression. My ideas vary greatly on what art is. I believe it's too complicated to say. But I'll try... Art. Art. Art. Art. Art.

Art. Is craziness. It's absolutely any creative way for any individual to express themselves. Whether it be what they're thinking at the time, what they believe, something they want others to think. It's a way to open our minds at how we look at the world, how we look at each other and ourselves. It is beautiful and rich, vibrant and alive.

Art does not judge.

Art should not censor.

Art is there to set fire to your brain.

0N3 :: The Girl with the Balloons

Well hello there. My name's Kate. And I suppose this is my first (sadly late) entry about, well, myself. I was born and raised in Queens, New York, twenty minutes outside of the city. I went from a run-down spot in the very Irish area of Woodside, to where my family currently lives, Douglaston. I never liked the suburbs. I was always going into the city with my parents and began to adventure there on my own when I was about 11. I loved the bright lights, the crazy, uninhibited people, the culture.

I was always artistic, but have only developed a true passion for photography over the past few years. About that, from the age of 15 until I was 17 I was trapped in Provo, Utah, for reasons I'd rather explain to people personally. But when I was there I managed to grab two wonderful opportunities.

I went to Nicaragua in September 2007 to work with people in poverty. It was the second most wonderful

time in my life. Difficult, both physically and emotionally, excruciatingly hot, and over

all pretty upsetting. But it has made me a much stronger person. I was there for a month, living in Ocatal with a wonderful family. I am still terrible at Spanish. Every morning at dawn we would go to some field and hoe out the entire place, plant trees, move trees, build houses.

I met a little boy named Carlo. He was, like many, many of the children there, homeless, left to fend for himself. He began to follow me and he loved learning English from me. I bought him icecream and shoes. We spent so much time together. He looked like he was 7, maybe 8 years old. Turns out he was almost 13. He was emaciated and always so dirty. I'll never forget, the day I was leaving and he helped me put my bags into the truck, begging for me to take him with me. I would have if I'd been able to, in a heartbeat. The place was inspiring. I've never seen such broken, beautiful people in my entire life. And I thought I never would again. Until I went to Thailand.

I stayed in Phuket, Thailand for a month in February 2008. It was the most wonderful experience of my life. Here I worked with people in poverty as well as endangered Gibbon apes and elephants. The culture of Thailand has really stuck with me. I'm extremely interested in Buddhism, and relate to it more than any other religion, as I'm spiritual, not religious. I know a little bit of Thai, and am working on learning more. I'd love to live there for a while.

The work in Thailand was more intense than that in Nicaragua. We were building cages in the last protected rainforest on the island of Phuket. It was rigorous. We had to cut out steps into the jungle floor and cement over them. Cement we had made ourselves and lugged up through the disheveled forest. It was hot, work days were long, and my hand got very badly injured by a Gibbon named Sam who hated women because of the abuse they'd put him through before he'd been rescued by the Gibbon Rehabilitation Program (GRP). I had to get stitches in my hand, (the video of which is on facebook if you're interested), and just putting it out there, Thai doctors in the medical shacks of the jungle have never heard of anesthetics. Our English translator told me I'd just have to "man up." That was interesting.

In Thailand I met people who, once we were on a communicative level (they absolutely loved learning English), told me about being in National Geographic. I'd always loved that magazine, and never in my life did I think I'd be in a place, surrounded by people who, many times over, had been the topic of it. The stories I have from and photos I took in Thailand and Nicaragua are the core of my portfolio that got me in to SVA, as well as the basis of my passion for photo journalism. I aspire more than anything to be someone who gives these people I've spent time with help and hope and comfort and companionship.

On a lighter note, I've been out of Utah and back in New York for a little over a year now. My mangled life has been put back together.

Fall in New York is my absolute favorite time of year. I love being outside and am kind of a hippie at heart. Music is my inspiratio

n for almost everything in life. I play the guitar, sing, and write music and lyrics. I'm in a band, Crazy James. We play in New York so maybe you'll come see us sometime. We're pretty good, not gonna lie. I listen to a lot of different types of music. A lot of alternative, ambient, electronic, rock, but most that doesn't fit any sort of genre. I work a lot (at Dempseys bar on 2nd avenue between 3rd and 4th street), so if I have time to read it's mostly memoirs. And some of my favorites in general are The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Only Revolutions, Fight Club, The Lovely Bones, and Naked Lunch.

xo