Nature nominee

These images were taken during a workshop in Capitol Reef last summer. Going into the trip, I was struggling mentally, dealing with a chronic illness and OCD. During one of the drives, my professor mentioned that when faced with extreme stress, trees shed external branches to conserve energy and water. This is called abscission and is often a survival mechanism. The ability to survive, not by pushing through, but by recognizing limits, connected with me. Those with mental or chronic illnesses know that every day is like a balancing act. I often feel like those trees, in a revolving state of stress, trying to survive. Until this trip, my constant battle to conserve energy had felt like a negative, indicating I was less capable than those around me. Yet the twisted trees in the reef changed my perspective. They seemed fragile, but with observation, they emerged as strong, alive, and connected to everything. I spent the rest of my time focusing on letting go of control and placing energy where I felt happiest, and came out with a series of images that reflect this. Abscission is about awareness. It's about connection. It's about permission to exist without perfection.