Root system is a photographic series that explores the way that nature and humanity intersect, highlighting the connection between humans and the natural world. Nature exists as a grounding space, where we are able to go and find balance in the rhythms of the natural world, escaping the harsh emotional weight of existing as an individual in the complexity of modern western society.  The images in this series are meant to depict a harmonious relationship of figures and the natural landscapes they abide in, showing the figure dissolving into the vast environment around them as they mimic, intersect, and play inside the landscape. I have always been fascinated by how the kindred spirit of the human and its landscape can be portrayed visually, almost like a perfect metaphor for our rooted connection. The way our bodies mimic the earth's curves, the textures of our hair as tree bark, the softness of our skin as a leaf or a flower. By following these visual connections, I aimed to create a sense of submission of the figure to the landscape. Nature as a space where you can lay yourself down and recognize your smallness. The earth inhabits a spirit that is just as alive and thoughtful as we are. Engulfed in its powerful beauty, we become merely a vessel of flesh holding what we believe to be a significantly larger amount of emotion compared to other species that live before us. We can sit near a body of water, rest our form on a tree,lay our bodies down in a field of grass and understand we are, at our core, just another root connecting everything on earth to the boundless cycle that is life and living.  In a society where individuality can often breed isolation, this project seeks to bridge that gap between the self and the collective, using nature as a grounding point. As unique as we feel we all are, our personal experiences eventually become just another part of our humanity, and another part of the world. The throughline of our existence circles back to simply being creatures that are moving through life in unity with all other living things on earth. Through a deep and submissive relationship with nature, we are able to connect better to our land, our community, and ourselves. The cycles of the land and of human nature are intertwined. It is our root system.