This is Appalachia, and We are home.

I've been stressing for a while about graduate school applications... and mine aren't even due for another year. 

I guess dreaming about being accepted to an art school that only welcomes 7 out of 200 applicants per year to its graduate photography program will do that to you. 

I keep wondering what I'm best at. 

Another stress has been my Senior recital, also a year away. 

Like most artists, I find that I'm best with what is familiar to me, with what I enjoy, with what comes naturally. 

I love Appalachia, everything about it. The culture, the dirt, the rust, the hippies of Asheville, the rednecks of Greene County, the mountain-man beards in Hot Springs,

the smelly hikers, weary travelers, muddy boots, and worn-in Chacos. 

All of those things are so beautiful to me, so I'm going to use them. They will be my subjects for an on-going project between now, and next Spring. 

I will take pictures of them, and I will sing about them, and on that one night that is all about me, I will combine the two actions under one title:

This Is Appalachia, and We Are Home.