My dear friend Marsha invited me to photograph in an old house. She being a realtor had access to it and thought we could do something fun inside. The event grew until there were at least a dozen of us shooting around the house one lazy Sunday, and it was a lot of fun. I found myself hiding though, wanting, or maybe, needing to be alone with my thoughts. I’ve been like that a lot lately. I’ve been craving the intimacy that creating something new and personal can warrant. So I hid in a bathroom for a while as I gathered myself. True Brooke fashion.

I brought a mask with me. I was in Connecticut the weekend before teaching a workshop (an extremely fun one, at that – thank you New Britain Museum of Art for having me!) and one of the attendees showed me a picture of the mask. I immediately starting making a big fuss over how beautiful it was, and the next day it was in my hands as a gift! Thank you Connie! I will never forget that!

I had my sister-in-law with me to photograph, which was really nice because she brought a sense of calm and patience to the day, and a willingness to do anything. I photographed many things that day, from buttons to bathtubs, but at the end of it, this was the only image that really stood out as being close to my heart. I will still edit the others one day, but until then, this one speaks to me.

I have always been a dreamer. And I am so grateful to have had parents that told me to pursue my dreams. When I was five I thought I flew, and my mom told me I did. And I believed her wholeheartedly. When I was a little older we saw a hot air balloon, and my mom chased it in the car for an hour just so we could feel like we were on an adventure, until we saw it land in a field. When I wanted to be a filmmaker my parents never told me to spend my money on an education that would yield a higher pay bracket. They said good luck and I was off to pursue my dream. When I wanted to quit my job and begin photography, never did they say it was a bad idea.

Other people did…but not them.

From dreams to nightmares and everything in between my life has been utterly filled with nonsense and magic – some scary, some whimsical, and all amazing. In many ways, I see myself in this image. I see myself as a different character everyday with the same soul. I see myself as the great crescent moon that sings to the stars until they come close enough to light my way.