Issues of autonomy & free will dominate my thoughts and permeate my life & my work as an image maker, curator, activist & educator.

If i were a philosopher, i’d be Sarte. Telling the world that they all doomed to be free.
If i were a painter i’d be George Grosz, with a high art education drawing social ills + politics and giving them away
If i were a photographer i’d be Gene Smith, faithfully & fearlessly documenting stories, even if it meant going broke

i’m none of these people. But have been guided by their lives to use my experience to help stop an unknown civil war & try to put a new nation on the world map.

With a Peace Studies degree after going AWOL from the US Army just months before 9/11 – i was very well aligned to run projects in the Kachin rebel capital just 11 miles from the attacking Burmese army.

I do this cause i believe….
in the transformative power of the image,
that important history is taking place and needs to be both accurately & artistically documented
this 70 year civil war must end in my lifetime
that this independent nation can be added to the world map
‘peace maker’ should not sound like an odd profession.

Libre: “Being free of restraints, being available ( to help ) being free-form, being unable to be bought.”

All of my projects are self-designed & funded through innovative ways that keep the projects independent
Ex running a photo festival by auctioning prints donated by artists.