the seventh subject story

In September of 2019 I bought a van, retrofitted it, and started my masters. The leap into van life was a scary step towards believing in myself as I journeyed towards an academic goal I was not entirely sure I was worthy of.

My masters was flying by while taking twice as long as it seemed. Between September of 2019 and Summer 2021, life had seemed to throw all it could my way.

By August of 2021 I was at the end of my rope. My father had been diagnosed with dementia, a close friend had died of suicide, the woman I loved had broken up with me, and my masters research project was well past due.

Life was complicated and I was in the throws of a depression I could have never contemplated.

In summer of 2021, I had bought a camera for the woman I loved as a gift. I never got a chance to give it to her. After a few months of grieving and healing, my therapist suggested I start to be creative. So in September of 2021 I picked up the camera I had stored in a box and started taking pictures.

The pictures that follow are a process of healing, a metaphor for seeing the world, examining myself, and hopefully an expression of the love and compassion I see in the world and that I am giving myself.

I am offering these pictures and words as an invitation to converse with others as they raise their lenses and wonder through a process of discovery. Whether the discovery of self, their past, their conceived future, reckoning with their current reality, or simply exploring their lived experiences, this art experiment is for all those who wish to engage. All who wish to look deeper and express themselves.

The seventh subject is my journey to see beyond the first thing I am drawn to. I am learning to go deeper, to love more vulnerably, to express more authentically, and to move further into discomfort as growth.

As terrifying as this is, it is also some of the most rewarding self work I have ever done.

Join me.

Kris - 7S