Two weeks into my time in Hawaii, my boss said get ready were sending you to Maui. I don’t know what I had in mind for how that trip would go. But when I thought of Maui I didn’t expect to hike 20 miles through a volcano crater in two days. Or to get blood blisters and do labor intensive service projects everyday. Or to camp the entire trip. I didn’t expect to eat ramen for breakfast. Or to shower in fresh water springs. I’m glad for the unexpected. I wouldn’t trade those memories for the world.
Did you know the most diverse square mile in America is in Georgia? I didn’t. There is a refugee resettlement I was fortunate enough to spend time living in. Actually this group of kids inspired me to start shooting. They are so unique and dynamic I didn’t have a vocabulary suitable to explain them to people when I came home. I needed a way to share their sweetness with you all. I hope it will help you reconstruct your idea of refugee.
What do you know about Native America? I didn’t know anything before I met Beth. One of my best friends grew up on the Yakima reservation in Washington. I was humbled by the opportunity to go learn about the Yakima nation. The contrast between Washington’s beauty and the reservation’s painful history was staggering.
My Sister in Law, Ann Claire (AC) & I started Sway Design Studio together. a few years ago I let her take over and make it her full time gig. There were lots of things we designed and created. it was quite an adventure, you can read more here.
