A Spectacular Failure

Entering a high-pressure MFA program immediately following undergraduate studies resulted in a state of profound creative paralysis. This series documents a period of "productive failure," where the act of making became a form of self-imposed penance. I began by layering cut white paper onto white canvas. This was a monotonous stacking of nothingness, which I then dragged through the streets of New York City and photographed. This objected acted as a sponge for the city's grime, absorbing the filth of the streets, stoops, and interiors I was beginning to know. The project culminated in a ritual of destruction: printing the resulting images at a large scale - only to physically tear them apart with my feet. This remained unpublished for 9 years, serving just as a reminder of the importance of pushing through creative blocks.