“Enjoy being a kid while you can” is a warning I was given as a child. As I neared my 18th birthday, I realized that adulthood was just around the corner and the dread of losing my childhood began to creep in. However, I’ve since realized that the carefree, innocent, and imaginative nature of my youth is not something I have to leave behind. Through my lens, I channel the most sacred values I had as a kid: to have fun, be creative, and try new things. I mesh a variety of creative outlets such as collaging, painting, and sewing which I’ve learned throughout the years into my process. I was no stranger to dressing up in costume acting out different scenarios in my own make-believe world. It’s why I’ve now garnered a likeness for self-portraiture. It’s my way of enveloping myself into the joyous, playful world I construct in my photographs.