In Closer, I explore the profound significance of human connection and intimacy, serving as my visual diary to hold onto those I love most dear. I am collecting moments of tenderness that surround me within my friendships and relationships as a method of cherishing them deeply. I have been drawn to connection and tenderness since I was young, as I spent many years alone and sick due to chronic illness in middle and high school. Since regaining my health and body and entering into friendships and relationships in college, I developed an intense desire to experience every facet of human connection I can, and to photograph these connections as documentation for myself and others of the love we are all capable of. The drive to become closer is not just in regards to physical proximity, but it is also about emotional and spiritual closeness. Closer explores the depths of relationships themselves, from familial to friendships to romantic connections and intimate partnerships. The photographs seek to portray the essence of what makes these connections so vital to the human experience.

The project celebrates how lucky we are to experience connection and love. It highlights the need for touch, for vulnerability, something I believe we must allow ourselves to be brave enough to feel. I am keenly aware of my fleeting time in this current community, and the transient nature of the moments I get to spend in this place, at this time. I know that in time, we will move cities, move on; and yet, I am drawn to these people like a moth to a flame. I know the love they hold in their hearts and I feel lucky each moment I am able to experience being human with them. There will never be enough moments to feel and experience deeply, to get as close as I can to my loved ones. I am driven by the act of becoming Closer.