Pom Poms is a series of photographs of DIY music scenes between 2016–2021. By observing relationships in the crowd, this work deviates from traditional music photography; showing something much more personal. While growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, I was constantly surrounded by musicians. At twenty-two, I immersed myself in the underground music scene, and committed to developing my own visual language. The resulting body of work offers a distinct viewpoint of youth culture in America. Pom Poms Vol. 1 shows a vibrant Nashville, from 2016–2018, guided by nostalgia and a sense of romanticism. That mood is juxtaposed by the naturalism found in Vol. 2, where the black and white images of Philadelphia underscore a more grounded point of view.
        Balanced by its parts, Pom Poms shows a vast and voracious embrace of experience. It unfolds within the mode of “biographical narrative”; revealing my life at a range of concerts. A variety of bands and DJ’s appear throughout the series, and the people they draw out to their shows are met with an empathetic eye. Concert-goers are intriguing to me, and I’m curious why music brings people together. These photographs are a brush of life, unrestricted from a linear story, and laid out in a musical sequence. They were created to remember a youthful world that might otherwise be forgotten. With this work, I want to exhibit audiences close together, to suggest a unique perspective of the human condition.