When I got to college at University of Houston in 2008, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. Who really does at 18, right?
But I had a camera in my hand so I shot.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had this curiosity about people and different cultures. I wanted to see and experience how others lived.
That year in the city of Houston, TX 3rd ward became my muse.
Walking through the neighborhoods of 3rd ward for 4/5 years, I was captivated by the every day lives of the residents there. I documented the rhythms of a community so rich and full life.
Whispers of change
After living in Houston for 7 years, I left in 2013 to travel and explore other opportunities. It would be at least 10 years before I made my way back. In those 10 years, Third Ward has undergone a ton of gentrification. Restaurants that my friends and I used to frequent no longer exist, names of street have changed, high rises stand towering over historic shot gun houses. I went back in 2022 to experience it for myself. It was a surreal feeling. It no longer felt like home. Gentrification is not a new concept, it just hits different when a place has held such a special place in your heart for so long.
If felt different, I felt removed and detached from a place that once held a special place in my heart. I didn't know how to engage with it. When I look at these images, I can tell that my heart is no longer there. there were parts that felt and looked like nothing has changed but then there are blocks where there are whsipers of change is upon us. It’ll be interesting to see where 3rd Ward (new name) will look like in the next 10 years.
