my junk drawer
the sun is going to explode or jesus is going to return or something else, but no matter what, the bottom line: we’re all going to die.
i struggle to justify the meticulousness of vanity and the logistical challenges of curating beauty, when i could just happen upon it.
is this archival instinct a vestigial remnant of my berry-gathering matriline?
collecting and preserving volatile moments.
throwing snippets of space-time into a junk drawer.
i feel better about doing work that draws directly from the theater of life because it creates itself. whether anybody cares, whether you decide it matters, whether i agonize about ‘the point of it all,’ life keeps going, everywhere, always, without cease. and i just have to show up.
so i did, occasionally. *see wall for photo evidence.*
CLICK image to enlarge
About Leslie
hi.
leslie.
former ipad kid.
unfortunately, in my most formative years, i hardwired a strong affinity for my bed, for snacks, and for dopamine-drenched entertainment into my brain.
fortunately, starting with my first roll of 35mm film last summer, photography has become my license to pursue people, places, and experiences.
call me a documentary photographer, street photographer, voyeur, creep, whatever else you want, but what you see here today is just stuff i’ve happened to create—a natural consequence of my principal desires to synthesize fragments of life into symphonies, to test my limits, to exercise my perspective, and to take after the artists and art that inspire me.
i consider photography subservient rather than ultimate. a stepping stone, a gateway, a hobby, a conversation starter, a hard skill. never the chosen art form, the work I want to be known for, the craft I want to master, the vessel for my emotions, the medium for self-expression.
i’m just grateful to have found a steadfast outlet for my creative energy—a practice that fosters a more personal, active relationship with the art i consume, thus honing my own artistic sensibilities. i feel it unleashing my potential in new directions, or more so giving me the confidence to believe that these unforeseen paths are now real possibilities.
Presented by BKC & ASMP NY, The Bridge is a groundbreaking 16-week mentorship program for 18-26 year old emerging photographers and creative artists. To learn more about The Bridge, CLICK HERE.