What is the nature of your photographic study?
In my series of photographs I am trying to compare my life in Jamestown, NY to what my life would be if I still lived in Scotland.

What was your initial source of interest in this line of inquiry?
For ten years I have lived in Jamestown NY and for the majority of that time I have found myself struggling with living in another country. I wanted to find similarities and differences in the two places I have lived. I wanted to do this so I could have reasons for liking Scotland more than the United States.

What is the point/purpose?
The point my project is to show that even though I am in a different country and a lot of things are different there are some similarities in the two places.

Were there any specific people or circumstances from which you found inspiration or guidance?
I found a lot of inspiration from my mountain climbing experience. While we were up north I really enjoyed the scenery. While I was looking at the scenery I noticed how different, yet similar, it was to the scenery here. In Scotland there are a lot of beautiful mountains. However, I realized that the scenery around Jamestown is beautiful too. A lot of people take for granted the lake. I also was inspired by my cousins who played soccer the whole time I was there. It doesn't matter how old you are, in Scotland everyone plays soccer. In the United States there is a variety of sports that people enjoy.

How did the visiting artist guide your project? How did it change or evolve from beginning to end?
Cathy was a great help to me. She gave me some ideas of what to photograph before I went to Scotland. When i got back she guided me and suggest some things to compare. In the beginning I anticipated that my project would be very noticeable comparisons. Now I realize that the differences aren't all that big.

What have you learned? How has your opinion/belief/outlook changed?
I have learned that even though Scotland and Jamestown seem like two totally different places in reality the everyday life in both places is similar. My outlook has changed a lot. In the beginning I had anticipated on showing how Scotland is so much better that life here. However, now i know that my life is very similar here to what it would be in Scotland.

What happens next?
Next I would like to pair a picture of my cousins playing soccer to a picture of some kids playing baseball or football. I would also like to get a picture of the lake to match with some of the pictures from mountain climbing.