“RUNAWAY”

 

It is human to run from things. 

We run from conflict. From discomfort. From other people. From ourselves. 

And in that act of running away, we are deemed cowardice.

But what if we ran from it all with the intent to gather + return…and return better than we left, thanks to all we have collected? 

 

Over the past few years, I have practiced this ritual in a way that can only be described as the work of a “runaway.” When I forget myself, I flee. I run from the chaos of the city and seek shelter in primal spaces. Mountainous echo-chambers. Anywhere I can feel the air at altitude. These are the places where perspective finds me quicker than anywhere else…and where I rediscover myself with ease over and over again. 

 

This past summer, I escaped in a way that was different from my usual, solo trips to Appalachia. My two friends and I meticulously planned a 100+ mile hike through the European alps which we completed in July 2024. This body of work is made up of everything I gathered during my time hiking Tour du Mont Blanc. These pieces play with cool tones highlighted by gentle white marks, and their palette is a reflection of being immersed in nothing but blue and green for 10 days straight. Most of all, this series is a love letter to stepping away from where you are planted and acknowledging your smallness in a vast landscape.

 

So if you are wondering, “should I run?” 

My answer is yes. 

Run somewhere new,

Absorb with deep intention,

And may you come back fuller each time.