The Path

     

I’ve always been attracted to woodsy areas. Back when I was little my parents had a house in the woods of upstate New York, a secluded little place with miles between us and the nearest neighbor. I spent a lot of my formative years in those woods, either by myself or with my sister. I’ve grown to feel comfort in the sturdiness of nature, the delicateness, the constant state of change. Just as the seasons change, we change with them. Over time I’ve come to my own realizations about who I am.

During my first few semesters at Stony Brook, I spent a pretty large amount of time in the wooded path near to West Side Dining. I felt that old comfort, the empty space to think things over. In those woods I came to the realization that I was transgender, and I still hold fond memories for that walking path.

I like to think that I have a connection to nature, and I wanted to show this kind of connection through this series. The clothing, the colors, the hormones: the unnatural concepts of what we classify as gender-important objects contrasted with the unfitting backgrounds show how offputting trying to combat what nature gave me can be at times. In each picture I walk a little further down the path, one step at a time through the feelings of uncertainty and passing towards a growing confidence and potential. It can be difficult to take the world for what it is, but the path does go on, even if there are branches to it. I’m still trekking down my path, hoping to see a more vibrant backdrop as our seasons change together.