HUMANITY THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

My passion is for people, not their governments, stereotypical narratives and corny media portrayals. My role is to talk, discuss, listen and share our journeys from all walks of life and to reveal commonality. Focusing on the minorities, unfamiliar, tribal, indigenous, and general citizens around the world.

My theme to this exposition is international peace, and unity – because the opposite is out there vying to defeat us. These photographs are my most memorable, sincere and genuine interactions and portraits from some of my travels and represent beauty, wisdom, diversity and dignity.

Looking at global perception, judgment and stereotypes, digging deep into preconceived judgments, and the acceptance of cultural differences. Exploring the fact there is more that unites us than separates us, taking you on a journey without judgment and enlightening a new perspective on humanity around the world. Asking where we get our perspectives from and how they are formed.

The freedom and ability to travel is new, and a privilege.

I have spent ten years backpacking around the world alone focusing on immersing myself in unfamiliar cultures and communities, remaining unapologetically open-minded. Striving to find and capture the bizarre, organic and authentic experiences, whilst daring to scratch beneath the surface to gain more of an insight into the reality of others around the world. Seeing for myself how other people live, think and behave and allowing exploration of our shared life experiences and universal values no matter our label.

Our perception of others can be confusing and misleading. Baffled to understand how we can judge someone without even knowing them.

Please turn your brightness up and read ahead.

The country you were born into, the melatonin in your skin and the language you speak, does not give you a right to judge or to be judged. Our behaviours, beliefs, ideas, fears and concerns are imposed onto us throughout our lives. With over ten thousand ethnicities scattered across every part of land; knowing this allows me to question and contextualise my own.

Due to the rapid growth globalisation, destruction of the environment, conflict on race and religion, we are losing critical insight into the understanding of people around the world. It is 2023 and we are still dealing with a crisis of racism, hatred and separation, and we need to ask why.

With endless love and beauty, kindness and care I have experienced in every part of the world. Experiencing the upmost amount of welcome, support, help and acts of kindness, additionally I have been met with a world full of fear.

‘Preconceived’ - Is a noun meaning a formed opinion beforehand without adequate evidence. 

Holding these opinions create numerous obstacles to effective problem-solving. Any one of which can put you on the wrong path to resolution. Holding on to what you believe to be ‘true’ is that they can lead us to negative and critical beliefs that can affect our behaviours towards people.

I remind the reader that characterising people in one way or another is a way of stereotypical thinking.

One move a country makes does not represent its people. One individual from a country can not represent your understanding of the entire nation.

It is increasingly challenging to truly think for ourselves and to live authentically in a world that is trying to tell us how to live socially and culturally. 

The family you are born into, the wealth or lack of you have been given, difficulties you were landed with, the way you were spoken to as a child and all the things we see or hear, along with our DNA, hormones, chemicals, neurones and social structures, are what makes us who we are. Each with our own upbringings, with little choice on what, where and when we were born. We are a melting pot of personalities and experiences, stories and feelings, values and understandings, beliefs and ideas - immersed in culture and love.

Talking different languages or behaving abnormally to you? But when do you tell yourself it's 'wrong'?

What your answer is will be, is as unique as the next, and your reasons why are too.

When you let your lens focus on what you are drawn to, then that is what you will capture.

We are all entitled to an opinion, but when it comes from unreliable sources or propaganda, it can be poisonous to spread these opinions in a world where we already have many.

Able to hear how the country I was born in, the UK, has some of the strangest misconceptions further confirmed my experiences of the judgments made on all those we are unfamiliar with. 

Many people discouragingly warned me against traveling to many locations and sought to imply that I was foolhardy to go, especially alone. They were doubtless well-meaning but sharing their own subconsciously biased fear and opinions. I have received more worry, doubt, skepticism and fear pushed onto my life choices to travel as a young woman than I have had shared excitement and encouragement. Yet, I am here ten years later, ready to do it at all again. With the most unforgettable stories and experiences I can only dream of again.

Most, don’t have the chance to travel far and wide. For the lucky, we get to experience glimpses of other places and cultures and interact with a variety of weird and wonderful people and places. Yet those who get to travel can often go with preconceived fears from subconscious information that they assimilate throughout their lives.

Now, the world is becoming active and busy. We are seeing, more than ever before, from the palms of our hands what is happening globally in real-time. Social media is a great tool for information and for connection, but it has also has been infiltrated by fake news, propaganda, full of bias, orchestrated news hand-picked to fuel our fears and desires, infecting our minds, carefully crafted for each individual. Of course the Internet via factual media, Netflix, documentaries and YouTube are allowing us to see and understand more. Yet whilst this gives us new insights, nevertheless, it can also lead to a narrow viewpoint on events, and people, we know very little about in reality.

Where do you get your news from?

Facebook? BBC? Your neighborhood? Netflix? Twitter? New York Times? Youtube?

What is your source and what do you believe?

When do you choose someone else's perception and who to trust?