Tell us a little about yourself and what you do. 

I’m a 25 year old photographer documenting the fringes of America. Often drifting through Appalachia.

How were you introduced to the medium that you work with?

I’ve always had an interest in photographing things for as long as I can remember. When I was young I’d ask my mom to get me disposable cameras and I’d take them everywhere.

Are there any influences that are core to your work?

I would say Sally Mann‘s and Lisa Elmaleh’s work always seems to stick with me.

When needed, where do you look for inspiration? How have these sources changed over time?

I’ve always sought out inspiration in music. I listen to it and build a little world in my head.

The older I get, the more inspiration I find on the road. When I feel stuck, I just drive; sometimes it’s five miles, sometimes I drive through the night.

Who are the artists/musicians/creatives that you’re interested in currently?

Ian Noe, Mallory Barry, Miles Cleveland Goodwin and Pia Guilmoth.

What is currently driving or haunting your practice?

Being sober. For so long I suppressed every thing in my brain getting high and now I have a thousand ideas and a healthy body to achieve them. I won’t act like that temptation ain’t there but that draw towards my own self inflicted misery can be just as strong of a driving force in my work.

What does portraiture and photography offer you over other mediums and thematic approaches?

I enjoy portraiture because it’s intimate and I can capture someone’s essence. I think there are some things that can’t be replicated, only captured in photographs.

What influence has living and working in the Appalachias had on your work?

To grow up in a place so beautiful yet so ravaged by the greed of man has greatly influenced my work. I think a lot of my attraction to texture and darker aesthetics stems from being surrounded by these rusted decaying relics of the coal industry my whole life.

What is your current workspace or studio like? (Feel free to share images!) Do you have any rituals to settle into the space?

I ain’t got no fancy studio, hell I ain’t even really got a place to call my own. I work outta my truck mostly or I’ll go to a friend’s house and dump a box of photos on the floor and get to it. Right now my workspace is a dining room table in a old farm house. The ceiling leaks pretty bad, but there is a good view of the field. I been turkey hunting from the window while I scan negatives.

What makes a good collaborator or artistic partner, in your experience?

Be a woman. I really have no interest in working with men these days. I find I work best with other women who have grow up or live in rural places.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories in the captions of your photographs. How does your writing intersect with and differ from your visual work?

They go hand in hand. Most of these writings are journal entries I’ve made after I’ve photographed something or someone. My writing is merely a record of an interaction.

What do you want a viewer to walk away with after experiencing your work?

I want to transport people into my world even for a brief second.

What are some recent, upcoming, or current projects that you are working on?

I’m currently working on two projects that intersect each other. The first is a documentation of the years I spent without a camera, traveling America as a young drug addicted prostitute. The second is a look a at the world inside my head, imaginary places that haunt me in my sleep.

What do you collect?

Oil lamps, squirrel tails and doilies.

Interviewed by Seth Nguyen. Artist portrait by Emma Toma.