Thatās a WRAP! Aside from photography achievements here are some highlights & major life events of 2025!
- Finally got diagnosed for a health thing Iāve had going on. Turns out I have partial seizures triggered by drops in hormones which makes me fully aware of my surroundings but my brain goes blank for a few seconds & I get sleepy after. Some of you may even experienced me go through this at a gig & Iām working towards healthy habits! Glad to be have a better understanding of my body and how to care for it.
- My budgie Loroco passed away in July, my partners grandparents found him outside in their yard 5 years ago and I took him in. He was so shy at first then 6 months later he became so social and was always flying and on our heads/shoulders. So grateful for the 5 years we had with him.
- Celebrated a year of being father free (huge win iykyk)
- I painted my room green and blue / decorated it after not being able to express myself in my previous spaces for 6 years.
- @yefri_henao dyed my hair blue!
- I went to Mexico to celebrate @rramirezmazaheri & @cerahmazaheri love! My first wedding ever & queer one at that! Of two wonderful humans like how lucky am I!
- I scuba dived up close and personal with sharks! I fed a deer! Pet some capybaras and held an owl!
- I climbed up to the worldās highest natural light house with @ariannadiazcelon and ziplined from it!
Thank you for being a part of my year, whether that be through booking me, hanging out with me or exchanging hugs/smiles when weāve crossing paths. Thank you for a lovely year! Thankful to have you here in this life with me. See you in 2026!
Thank you to my continuing connections: @necatboston@yourpurespark@fenwaycommunitycenter@artsinboston@masscultural@thetriennial@barrfdn@edvestors@bps_ae@companyoneboston@northeasterncps@huntingtontheatre@jbbbs@kidsintechorg@fieldscorner@foundationbaa@bostonartsacademy@bostonchs@hearth_inc@fenwayculture@fenwayporchfest@neighborhealthofficial@the_academy_group@bostondanceall
& thank you to my new connections! Tagged in the post Iāve reached the caption limit apparently š LOVE YALL!
Modified template by: @slidechef
To my sweet mama! Thank you for being the light in my life. The steady and the joyful energy in my every breath with you. Every day I hope to be more like you!! I love the way you take life so lightly how you carry joy through your youthful spirit any time and any place. Whether weāre dancing down the aisles of the grocery store, singing songs in all the wrong ways, or doing something completely fearless but once was something to swore you would never do if I would mention it (like jumping out of a plane, riding a horse or feeding a lion) but beyond any of that that you show me what it means to live with courage and joy through life all around.
Thank you for being a mother who loves me for who I am and for who I am becoming. For always supporting me artistically always showing up to my theatre shows, my graduations, my gallery openings, and even tagging along on some of my photo jobs in the community. Your support means more than words can say.
Thank you for grabbing my hand and dancing the good dance. For holding me when Iām emotional even when you donāt always understand it but I know you try.. and that means everything. Youāre not just my mom - youāre my cheerleader, my anchor, my favorite dance partner and the reason Iām constantly inspired to thrive not just for me but for us. Thank you for supporting me believing in me and being the kind of mother whose love doesnāt ask me to be anything but exactly who I am. Thank you for being the best parent I could ever ask for. You are the reason I believe in myself. To know you as my mother is a gift but to have you as my friend is a blessing.
Happy Motherās Day!!
This month moved gently. I biked through the bloom of early spring, took slow walks with my cat and mama - my life companions embracing more time with me and nature.
This month I started a new partnership for photo work with @peaceinstitute - rooting into community healing and love in ways that feel both new and deeply familiar.
āØLoroco, my sweet old bird sadly is showing signs of time - heās sick and not his usual self but still finds pleasure in flight around the house and the crispy crunch of lettuce from our home garden. I want to fill every moment he has from here on with all the things he loves most.
āØIām learning how to care with more patience and more presence. For the last few months, plants have filled my home office - stretching and waiting. It was time to give them space. I knelt beside mama, hands in soil, digging into the earth with stiff stubborn soil and shovels. So grateful for the our landlord who offered help without hesitation.
This month I fed my inner child like wild - with blind bags, a good ole scrape of the side of my ankle from slipping off my bike, a build a bear visit with my lover, following the fishes in the pet store with my fingers to the glass, nostalgic music, and the freedom and the privilege to rest when needed.. to simply be.
And I fed my now self just as much - with good spicy food, time with friends and my partner, watching plays that left me in reflection, picking up my camera for me as much as it is for everyone else, attending photography lectures before bookings, and finding art for my walls that mirrors who I am as I slowly decorate my room into something that feels like home. And actually feeling āhomeā a feeling I havenāt felt in over a decade but a feeling thatās been filling me up so often now.
Plenty of ups. A few downs. But it was all enough. Even more than enough.
All pics (minus second one) and even the first fish video taken on @lapse !
Hi! Sharing some personal life things which is something I get so nervous about but itās a part of me as a human and makes me who I am even as a photographer. In February I only had 3 gigs compared to some months where I have the average of 8 or up to 15 (wild summers)! Being a slow month I did fall into some deep sad feels and just allowed it to stay. But there were other moments that I assured the looming dread wasnāt welcome. And March is feeling better already. There is more love Iām allowing in my corners. There is also more drive. There are also doctor appointments (which is a big deal to me) and there are more pets I love to sit too. There are new organizations I never worked with and will meet soon. And my first lesbian/queer/indigenous wedding celebration I photographed this past week. There is more to look forward to everyday that goes by. Hereās some random moments that made me happy from February and cheers to more of this in March. My cat, plants, my partner and my mother grounded me extra. Photos 2-5 taken on @lapse
Ending the month of January with @porshaolayiwola farewell reading at the MFA - I say this often but the love I feel at so many events I photograph is strong but this is the one you feel into your chest and down to your toes strong. And Im blessed to get to hold some of that love beyond these moments and beyond these frames. Thankful to be in connection with the city of Boston @artsinboston photographing for many teams in their department as well.
Rest in Peace to poet Danielle Legros Georges in the last slide. Grateful to have listened to your words one last time. šļøā¤ļø
January went a little like this! Kicking off the year with photographing my second Winteractive with @downtownbostonalliance ! Words cannot express the fun I had doing photo work that felt so similar to how I began photography. Walking around the city with my camera in a candid / documentary style way but this time with an art purpose which I deeply enjoyed. Also such thrill of seeing my work in some publications like the Smithsonian Magazine, The Boston Globe and a few others was the extra treat!
Be sure to check out all this Winteractive art thats up until March 30th :)
āNot everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.ā
-James Baldwin
1.5.24
The little & not so little gallery reflection. I always say Iām not the best with words as I spend too long trying to understand them. But Iāll try :)
The little:
The last post is our local CBS segment that aired yesterday.. my photo shows up for a second & .. wow! Iām so thankful these images that wouldnāt exist outside of my hard drive now have space to create reflection & remind us of what we become distracted from. Even if we do not see it, even if itās not our lives. It is still happening. Its not one life, itās thousands & beyond that. & these photos are to remind us, reflect in us, make real to those who only believe in elsewhere & āthe otherā & call us in.
Not so little:
Hello new year. Hello new fear. Hello new & old photos & new and old faces & new and old places. This gallery came by surprise to me in so many ways. Being reached out to submit & to revisiting work that isnāt given time of day just anywhere I had to spend a lot of time with it. Beyond the gaze, seen far from the crop of my frame. Beyond the bleed of my ink. I think of every moment that got me here. I remember being outside & begging my mom to join me at a protest for Trayvon. I remember so much of the physical too. The shoving & the falling & bodies that followed my mother down with a leg stuck at the edge of the sidewalk. I remember the rubber bullet, the countless macing, lady liberty smashing a thick and murderous blue line flag pole into my camera. But I remember the love that kept us there too. Sandwich making with community in Copley, the chant & song & laughter of my comrades. Gifted roses before a march. (Still my profile pic since forever). Hugs we didnāt know we needed. Tears that took too long to drop. I realize its all beyond me. Its all around me. My community is so strong & so supportive. & I was reminded of that once again this week. What a difference it was.. to have just my mom & partner at this gallery a year ago/no one at an artist talk in another space. This did so much for my heart you donāt even understand.
Cont. in comments!
Catch me at your local bus stop and train station!!!! TWO TIMES IN ONE WEEK LIKE THAT?! :0 You know I had to surprise mama with this one. My world! The root of so much of me in my craft and beyond the reason for my being. Also huge shout out to my photo mama @lolamillz5 for always being there for me and for sharing that my work was around the city with all the excitement and love before I even knew š„¹š«¶š¼. I can cry all over again fr. It might be something light to some folks but this is the first time Iāve seen my work out in public this way and itās made my days so much brighter. Thankful isnāt even the word.
Also while youāre here pls check out these events/artists my work was used to promote!!
October 7th - Continuum Dance Project. 11AM @ Auntie Kay & Uncle Frank Chin Park
October 9th - Opening Our Doors 10am-4pm all over the Fenway Cultural District (check out the schedule for where things are happening)
Much love š„°
