Identity has never come easily to me. It’s felt like a moving target. Up until recently, my self-perception shifted constantly; I’d thrown myself into relationships, wrestled with bouts of depression, and find absurd ways to quiet the noise in search of respite. All to return back to nothing.

I wish I could pin it on upbringing, but that doesn’t work; it’s too easy. I think I was just born this way. This was my journey to take. Prattle explores this battle through photography and prose. It captures my journey home and the constant pull between love, the authenticity of youth, and the structures that shape us and, therefore, me. All in all, it is an attempt to find myself through the world around me and one that leads me back home. It’s heavy, yes, but I do find levity in those moments, and I do hope I haven’t exhausted you already.

“Prattle” is defined as “to utter meaningless sounds suggestive of children’s chatter,” and it feels oddly fitting for this project.