Art has been a constant source of solace since I was very young. When I was 11 years old, I discovered the ability that art (specifically film) had to “transport” me. Film has a natural ability to take its viewers away from their problems. When I was 15, it finally dawned on me that there is a deeper meaning to film. Everything that happens onscreen is a direct result of choices made on behalf of a director, producer, writer, etc. In the past 5 years, as I have been writing and filming my own material, film has become a way for me to navigate issues that are difficult for me to process. Struggles with religion, politics, romance, death (just to name a few) become less scary and less confusing through an artistic lens. Taking a world of chaos and ordering it in a way that makes sense to me provides a therapeutic outlet, gives me a certain sense of peace, and lets others get a better grasp on who I am as a person and as an artist.