A Different Kind of Human
The White Sands National Park in New Mexico is one of the most beautiful and ethereal places I've ever been to on Earth. It's actually one of my absolute favorite spots in the US. The vast waves of pure white sand make you feel like you've left this world behind. I feel truly honored to have experienced one of the most transformative moments of my life in this extraordinary place.
In 2021, I found myself in a dark place, still grappling with the effects the pandemic had on my life and the lives of my loved ones. I felt lost, stuck, and incredibly alone. To cope with these emotions, I turned to music. Music has always played a crucial role in my life, carrying me through both the lowest and highest moments of my life. One song, "A Different Kind of Human," by Norwegian artist Aurora, struck a deep chord with me. It etched an image in my mind—a vision of a woman standing alone in a vast, deserted, and otherworldly white space. That image was on a loop in my head, and the song was all I wanted to listen to. The image reflected how I felt in that period of my life and I knew that I owed it to myself to find a way to bring it to life. Photography has always been the medium I used to process and explore difficult emotions.
I was determined to find the perfect location. I scoured the internet for options in North Texas, but nothing quite matched my vision. I decided to broaden my search beyond Texas, and that's when I stumbled upon the White Sands National Park. Looking at photos of the park, something just clicked—it felt right, like the ideal place for my shoot. I reached out to an acquaintance I had only met once. Although we had never worked together before, they had the perfect look I needed for my concept. So, despite my nerves, I asked them to join me on this road trip, and to my delight, the talented model and photographer, Erykah Franklin, agreed. A few days later, we hit the road.
Our journey was filled with songs by Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne, and conversations about TV shows, video games, passions, love, and mental health. I talked to Erykah about the struggles I went through with my mental health, and it was very similar to her own experiences. We became close friends during this trip, and I'm still so glad I chose her to be the model for the concept.
When we finally arrived at the park, the sight before us was breathtaking—it was like stepping onto an alien planet. Our evening was spent scouting locations, and once we had pinpointed the areas we wanted to shoot in, we just had fun. We took so many pictures of each other running, doing cartwheels, and drawing in the sand. The next day, although tired and exhausted, we got up before the sun to capture the perfect shots. And let me tell you, what we captured was beyond my wildest imagination.
Those photos reminded me of why I picked up a camera as a teenager—to share human stories, stories of isolation, loneliness, and depression. I felt incredibly honored to communicate these themes through our work.
To our surprise, those images went far beyond our expectations. They found their way into art galleries, adorned the walls of the Dallas Mayor's office, and even became popular NFTs featured on the homepage of Opensea (an NFT marketplace). Capturing these images was an incredible journey, and I’m just getting started.
