A Body Like Roses in Bloom

From a very young age, change has always frightened me. Knowing that things will be different but not being able to understand when, why, or how often left me worrying about the future. Now in my young adult life I try to embrace the uncertainty of change. It still scares me, but I strive to work with it and accept it, rather than fight against it, in order to live life as my authentic self. 

Being a young queer non-binary person, I find myself constantly changing. By reckoning with the past, present, and future versions of myself, I explore the arc of my identity as it continues to be affected through my own self-actualization. In large part, the act of waiting for and experiencing these transformations manifests as self-reflection, self-inspection, and self-interrogation. I am continually on watch, waiting for signs of change; large and small, interior and exterior. 

What does it feel like to finally be changing in the ways I desire, yet still have to battle the self-doubt inflicted by a world that does not want me to become my authentic self? A Body Like Roses in Bloom seeks to answer this question. Through my photographs I explore the physical and emotional aspects of my changing body and identity, creating a visual representation of my lived experience of inner turmoil, self-acceptance, and well-deserved queer joy.