I was gifted my first digital camera at the age of twelve. My dad would always tell me I “have a good eye.” I love the irony in this statement given that I was born legally blind. This instilled a fear inside me. See, with photography at least I can use autofocus. But, when an image is moving, that’s a whole other story. It’s hard to have confidence in the images you produce when you can never fully trust your own eyes.

One of my high school teachers once told me I could probably never make it as a director of photography with my impaired vision. As disappointing it was to hear this, I shifted my focus, honed in on, and nurtured my skills in writing and directing.

I have also found that I learn more and more about myself the more I create art. Through my characters, I can apply and further process all the imperial knowledge I have gained throughout my years. Every piece I make is deeply personal, delicate in the way it handles human emotion, and most often focused on internal conflicts rather than large scale external forces. I’m making myself out to seem so wise, but the reality is: I haven’t been alive that many years. I’m still very young. I jokingly insist that I am still seventeen even though I am an adult about to start my career. This idea frightens me to pieces. I guess it’s probably why I prefer to tell coming of age stories. I write what I know and what I know are the intricacies of youth and the fear that comes with a loss of innocence.

Yes, the future is scary, but I won’t let it stop me from having wild aspirations of becoming a director for film and television