Artist Statement
I am obsessed with knowing how other people think. The idea that I will never be able to experience someone else’s life through their eyes perplexes me. Like an exponential graph, I can only get closer and closer, but never touch- never be able to understand their experiences fully. I will never feel what they felt, but as an empath I can only imagine.
This photo-series focuses on what people are burdened by in their every-day life. For some, the biggest stressor that they have is school. For others it could be sexuality, being a woman, past traumas, etc. Between all of us however, we are haunted by something- sometimes even our own passions.
I asked each individual subject to think about things that they are burdened by and bring them to the table- literally. I also spent 10-15 minutes conversing with each subject before shooting to let them talk about their experience with the shoot. It is one step closer for me to try and understand, but is only a fraction of what they know and feel.
We often forget to try and understand other people, and that we are all human.
Lighting done by Emmett Bright.
-Esther
-Emmett
-Vee
-Arina
-Aisha
-Ashley
