2016: I was getting back in to a new rhythm in NY. The best thing I did for myself was surround myself with other artists and travel. I was living with a friend/stylist in Brooklyn and we were shooting nonstop. Our personalities couldn’t be more opposite, but we were both good at what we did and respected each others work ethic. We both liked talking about the zeitgeist from our different but overlapping worlds. She helped me restore a lot of the confidence I lost from bouncing around and I’d give her spiritual advice. Everything was coming together again. My confidence was coming back better than ever. My casting shifted from solely agency models to anyone with a vibe and some potential. I mostly used IG to cast. This meant influencers, actors, regular people, etc... I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted to work with people who understood my work and was inspiring somehow. I still worked with some really established models, but I pushed harder to shoot editorial with lesser known talent, niche talent, people doing interesting things, regular people, etc.. I signed with an agent. The agent, like the last, fumbled a few projects. They weren’t getting me any new meetings/jobs and was just waiting for me to pull in work so they could take their commission. He was messing up relationships I had with existing clients and never introduced me to anyone new. I was getting disappointed and, after 5 months, we had a heated argument. He dropped me the next day. I remember sitting in a cafe crying because I thought I made a huge mistake. The following day a friend told me that the agency terminated his employment. A month later the agency closed their photo department altogether. I felt validated that I wasn’t crazy, I was just not finding the right help. Stylistically, I focused on the drama. I wanted images to have a punch wherever I could. Finally, prob my fav move of all time: I joined an art collective to use as an office at the end of the year. This will have a big impact on 2017, and I’ll get in to that tomorrow.