but I knew I wanted to make art with it. I wanted to tell stories, I wanted to create whimsical worlds, I wanted to create my own style of imagery. In the photography world, it's very common for photographers to manipulate images with Photoshop. I decided against it because I wanted my work to be raw. So, I made it a general rule as a photographer: I created images using illusions and distortion with common objects like plexiglass, vaseline, theatre makeup and paint. It became my signature, in a way. It's funny because we often think that artists thrive when there's a lack of constraints, but it's been my experience that constraints actually fuel creativity. All I really needed were the people to make it happen. I needed to find my creatives, my muses, my circus clowns and acrobats. So, I moved to Montreal in 2013, and that's when my art photography really took off. I was able to work with some of the most creative people I'd ever met in my life. Since my work was rooted in emotion and expression, I sought out people who were dancers, actors, singers, and circus artists. They became my muses and models. We understood each other, and they brought my work to life. My work revolved around finding the beauty in the grotesque, finding love in pain, finding stillness in storms.

The bulk of my work was divided between fine art work with models and creative self-portraiture. I used my selfportraits to express my own voice, but also to test concepts for art series. This allowed me to completely relate to my models, as they could rest assured that whatever new

Tardigrade life (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=Yv8Se5K0MHQ)

Zygote Quarterly 28 | vol 2 | 2020 | ISSN 1927-8314 | Pg 33 of 140