10 Mile Radius

On May 4th, 2013, I found a lump in my right breast. Ten days later I was diagnosed with Triple Negative breast cancer. Living with cancer is a confining experience; doctor's appointments, a rigorous treatment schedule, recuperation, and doing what you can to keep things somewhat normal. With my immune system compromised I had to avoid travel and crowded places, which kept me on a short leash. So I mapped it out - my life in Cancerland was roughly about a 10-mile radius. In order to survive this ordeal I needed the courage to say yes to it all. This meant sitting with my mortality, difficult side effects, and every other uncertainty being thrown my way. Surrendering to this reality I strove to balance it with a daily practice of joyful purpose. So I decided to use my iPhone and seek out images that would connect me to gratitude. A simple task that’s actually challenging - how do you find beauty and meaning in the most ordinary things when your life is being pulled away from you by the most extraordinary circumstances? The images in 10 Mile Radius are intimate moments I happened upon, and immeasurable markers along my path. As the scope of my own life shrank I was forced to look even closer and realized this kind of thoughtfulness allowed an inner expansiveness that transcended many of the fear-based boundaries I had ever imposed upon myself. I didn't set out to make an art project about my experience with cancer, but over time I realized my visual gratitude practice was a conceptual way to show a journey back to wellness, and ultimately back to one's self. By being proactive and utilizing the integrative therapeutic aspect of storytelling, I was opening myself up to my own healing. This project created an opportunity to witness my life and share it with others resulting in authentic bonds and connections to many things beyond myself.