During my freshman year at Southern Methodist University, I took a foundational art course called "ASAG 1304: Spaces". We learned the property of space, what constitutes as space and how to use it in your artwork. In this gallery, there are pictures in chronological order from August to November documenting the progression of each class project.

All of these were created through Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and cellular applications.

Secrets make us sick.

I Want The Real is a social media platform created by Dana Giles (the beautiful woman in these photos) that is dedicated to shedding light on topics considered taboo in today’s society. Subjects such as depression and grief, eating disorders, and drug addiction, are available to all who visit www.iwantthereal.com. Also, make sure to subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

I am so incredibly fortunate to be an ambassador and a photographer for this amazing program. It really is such an honor.

Follow I Want The Real on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!: @iwantthereal

I had the opportunity to photograph these beautiful ladies for Rent the Runway! They are a clothing distribution company where you can rent amazing clothes for those special events you have! Be sure to check them out!

I was invited by Tho Le, the sister to the soon-to-be bride, to take photos for an official Vietnamese Engagement Ceremony. It was fabulous! It was so cool to experience the customs of a different culture. Thank you so much to Tho for the opportunity.

I had the incredible honor of being able to shoot my godbrother Joey proposing to his lovely fiance! I came in thinking that he had already proposed to her and I was taking engagement photos, but little did I know I was witnessing the actual proposal! I was almost as surprised as she was!

This project was an assignment for a course called, “Art in the World” during my time at SMU. The subject of the work was up to the individuals. The only exception was that at the end of the semester, the pieces of art that were created needed to be displayed in a public setting.

With that being said, the topic that I decided to cover was mental illness within the church. I was raised as a Christian for my entire life however, I also suffer from mental illness for as long as I can remember. I was never thought of as evil or inferior to my other peers or leaders within the church or school (they were intertwined). A large part of that was because I never shared that part of my life with them. Not because I was ashamed, there wasn’t a time or place where it needed to be brought up for conversation.

Jarrid Wilson, the main subject in this piece, was a youth pastor and mental health advocate for a large Christian organization. He was respected and loved within the church. There was nothing but praise from those who knew him. Jarrid was also a committed husband and father. During his speeches and on his personal online blog, Jarrid discussed his battle with depression. He spoke about how the Lord helped him through such a terrible time. He wanted everyone who suffered like he did to know that they were not alone.

On Monday, September 9th in 2019, Jarrid Wilson took his own life. The shock of the news and incident made the world standstill. At 3:01 pm, he tweeted an inspirational message about the extraordinary comfort Jesus Christ provides. At 7:30 pm, he watched his young son practice baseball. His wife Juli took a video of the beaming father playing and goofing with his child. At 11:45 pm, Jarrid was gone.

Why? What happened? What went wrong? We may never know the answers to those questions but it is a harsh reminder of the facade anyone can put on. Even a man who goes on the stage in front of hundreds every week, speaking of the wisdom, healing, warmth and comfort the Lord provides was suffering in silence. In his mind, which was infiltrated by a disease, putting an end to it all was his only solution for peace. Please listen when I say that that is not true. I wish I could have known Jarrid to tell him that. I don’t know if it would have helped but, maybe and just maybe, he could still be here today.

This is for him.

Follow his wife Juli Wilson on Instagram: @itsjuliwilson

She is the founder for Anthem of Hope. Check out their Instagram as well: @anthemofhope and their website www.anthemofhope.org

Jarrid’s blog: www.jarridwilson.com

In the summer of 2016, my mom and I took a girl’s trip to Washington! We explored Seattle and the town of Forks and it was incredible. Definitely will go back soon!

Here you will find the photographs that have similar characteristics to what society would call a "stalker". I just can't resist easing my lens up to my eye and snapping away at strangers being themselves, completely unaware that someone is capturing them in their natural form. Which, in my opinion, is the most excellent.