When I began the series, Motherhood, the goal was two-fold: 1) to question the visual portrayal of motherhood, and 2) to encourage a community conversation about the myths and realities of motherhood. Every day for one year I made, edited, and uploaded a photograph for discussion to my website. By committing to this rigid, demanding photographic schedule, I mimic the rigid, demanding schedule of motherhood, allowing me to document a year of complex thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
First, I wanted to reclaim my visual definition of motherhood in contrast to an archetypal symbol of eternal patience and satisfaction through the care of others. Second, I wanted to create a visual reminder that both hardship and joy are valid, and to make space for more complex experience.
The photographs in this body of work approach motherhood through ideas, feelings, stereotypes, and documentation. I hope the vulnerability that comes from using my own life and family as a backdrop results in photographs that become less about the individual experience and more about something greater and universal.