I’m from Pennsylvania, but I just recently moved to Los Angeles! I’ve also lived in Rhode Island, Paris (France), and Sweden.

I actually grew up on a sheep farm! It’s funny because a lot of people don’t believe me when I say that and I usually have to prove it with pictures. I also grew up really close to my family. Not just my immediate family, but most of my extended family as well — and there’s a lot of us!

‍

‍

I was funny, I think. It’s not like I was a comedian, but I think my presence was just comical. I always wanted to experiment with things and I needed to be the centre of attention at all times. My family always tells me stories from when I was younger like when we were on a road trip and I interjected normal conversation with “wanna hear me count to a thousand!?” And then proceeded to do just that. As an adolescent, I was your typical dorky teen. I didn’t party or do anything super crazy. I was involved in theatre and dance and I was definitely not “popular.”

I don’t think there is a “before.” One of my earliest memories is from my 3rd or 4th birthday and I got a SpinArt as a gift. Basically a spinning machine you would pour paint on and it would make neat pictures. My parents nicknamed it “the paint flinger.”

‍

‍

My mom is an artist. She’s a really talented painter, among other things, and she definitely played a key part in forming me into the creative person that I am today. I dabbled in painting and drawing, and still do, but I gravitated more towards the old cameras that she had since her days in high school.

I don’t think I’m inspired to create, per se. I’d say that’s more genetic programming than anything. I think creators are born that way. But I am definitely inspired to improve my creations every day. In terms of that, I’m inspired by everything. My phone pretty much never leaves my hand because there are so many incredible things to capture just in everyday life. My audience also inspires me to put out the best content that I can. While there’s no such thing as bad art, there is such a thing as a bad photograph and I don’t want to put my name on anything that I’m not proud of. Those people hit the follow button for a reason and I want to live up to their expectations.

‍

‍

I love collaborating with anyone. It’s so fun to walk around with someone shooting photos. They will always see something that you don’t, or they’ll see something from a different angle, and it’s inspiring to watch their process.

Every time I travel to a new place it becomes my favourite. I’ll never say no to a trip to Paris though.

‍

Work with @cholpak