Through the landscapes of the American Rust Belt, Chasing a Fleeting Stillness both inspects and embodies my interdependent relationships with mental health and place. Characterized by deindustrialization and population loss, the Rust Belt is my home region, filled with lonely, melancholy spaces I feel a particular kinship with. Depression is a loyal companion of mine; I often feel grief-stricken, isolated, and out of control. By photographing these landscapes, by placing a temporary, mathematical order upon their structure, I gain back a sense of purpose and control. I am comforted with their familiarity, both because they are my home and because I see myself in them. Chasing the landscapes of the Rust Belt has become an obsession - in them, all of the unrest in me hones into something affirmative, absolute. The turbulence of my mind finally stills.
