I come from a family of Clouds.

Cloud is my mother’s maiden name and she helped me take these photos—which, if you know me, is kind of a big deal. Not because she isn’t generous with her time—quite the opposite. She’s reliably helpful. It’s just that when it comes to anything I’m doing, she has a lot of opinions 👀 And on this particular day, no one else was available.

Someone told me I should tell people that I don’t tether my camera. When I take self-portraits, I set up the shot, let the shutter run, and have no idea what I’ve captured until I get home and plug the SD card into my computer. This means that as much as I try to work forward, leading with concept, most of the time I’m working back, letting the pictures tell me what they mean.

So it’s fitting that going to the studio with no plan, bags of fabric, and my mom, I emerged with photos that reveal what look like clouds all around me… Are they thoughts, memories, dreams? Who knows. I just like how they keep me floating, even while my feet stay on the ground.

P.S. My mom was the perfect assistant. I’d certainly recommend her if you ever need a hand.