JC Cichoskikelly
Monster Under the Bridge
Film Photography
Nature is beautiful, and steadfastly welcomes us as we are. It serves as a space for healing, offering us experience, inspiration, and an opportunity to feel passionate for environmental conservation. Armed with these intangible benefits, our “monsters” might exit the woods smaller than when they entered.
Artist Statement
Sometimes I feel “bad”, like “really bad”, like most of us do. However I have the privilege to turn to outdoor areas to recreate when I feel “bad”. Mostly for me this is hiking and backpacking or in the winter skiing and snowboarding. Going outdoors has saved so many different parts of me by just essentially walking for hours out in the natural world. Unfortunately for the majority of the time I am feeling “bad” until usually the end of my trip where that feeling magically disappears. When I am out in nature I often feel like that monster because I feel “bad”. I want to start recreating more in nature when I feel positive emotions, it feels unfair to the natural world around me for me to be glumly stumping through their trails. I believe this piece directly connects with the RESNR mission by displaying the beautiful nature above and how I sometimes feel in nature, but at the end of the day being outdoors heals me. I hope to inspire people to get outside especially when they are feeling “bad” because for me it has helped me feel a strong passion, empathy, and connection for the environment around me, driving me to be so passionate about environmentalism.