Artist Statement:

In March 2020, as COVID-19 swept through Minnesota and the rest of the United States, we entered a mandatory lockdown. The order restricted us to our homes, except for essential trips to the grocery store or work. The isolation, uncertainty, and anxiety of living through a pandemic were overwhelming, and I sought to process those emotions through my photography.

This series was created during a single day when I intentionally wandered into the forest with no map or plan. The act of getting physically lost mirrored the emotional disorientation I felt throughout the pandemic. The photographs aim to translate those feelings—of being untethered and overwhelmed—into a visual language.

Through stark landscapes and fragmented details, Disoriented explores the connection between the external environment and the inner turmoil of navigating an unprecedented moment in history. This project is both a reflection of my own experience and an invitation for viewers to find resonance in the shared sense of uncertainty that defined this time.