When I first started this project, I was just trying to make something I thought would be fun that looked cool. I built the mask for a fun halloween costume, but it looked so great I felt like I’d be letting it go to waste if I didn’t try to do more with it like this. At first that’s all it was, I brought up the mask to the professor and classmates because I thought it might be a fun project to collaborate on.

The longer it went on the more developed it got, thanks to other people’s input and help it became something more meaningful. It went from just photography in a cool costume to becoming its own character with a story to tell. With Carson’s input we decided to name it R3X, a nod to one of my own characters that inspired it, but a unique name to keep it separate, its own entity.

Growing up I’ve dealt with a lot of isolation in my life, and that inspired some of the intent behind the photography. Specifically shots of the character alone, sometimes in what would usually be a crowded public setting, yet no one else is around. Being alone in a place where most people come together. The mask itself ended up having more symbolism than I initially intended as well, I’m sure plenty of people can relate to the idea, having a mask to disguise your emotions, to let everything deflect off it. No one knows what you’re thinking, for better or worse. The secondary symbolism would be literal masking, growing up unaware of my autism I was masking for most of my life without realizing it, something I’m still working to reverse. I was subconsciously hiding pieces of who I am, the pieces people found weird or annoying, trying to fit in. It never really worked, but that couldn’t discourage me from something I wasn’t aware I was doing in the first place.

Some of the pieces definitely carry both intentions, just cool looking shots in an alien-like robotic mask. I like the eerie feeling some of these shots give. I think there’s one photo I really want to talk about though, the one with the brightest atmosphere, with the light taking up most of the scene. That’s a really important piece for me. I’m unsure what Sebastian’s intentions were when taking it, but I can at least say what emotion it evokes for me. Hope. I can’t say all of that isolation was completely in my past, I’ve still dealt with it to some extent recently, but the emotion that photo gives off, it reminds me of something. For me this project captured a moment in time, emotions I felt at their strongest, but I think having this one shot give off such a different energy reminds me that moment is in the past. Things aren’t going to stay that way forever, even in my own life things have changed since I started working on this project.

I think that’s a really good way to end this, something I’m going to take away from it. Despite what life might put you through, it’s all temporary. Things will get better eventually. You just have to be patient, even if it takes a long time, one day that moment will arrive. Don’t give up on that. Whatever it takes to remind yourself, it’s worth waiting for.