January 2015:

New year, new goals and one more obligation. Right after the
holidays, I went back to SCAD to finish an Art History Elective last class. The
class was called Photography and Modernity aka photographs from the modern
world. We would look at images and analyze it from the outside world including
what type of camera did they use, what was going on in the world at that time
socially, politically, and economically for the community and the photographer
themselves. With more free time for the first time ever, I started networking
with local artists , practicing  dj techniques,
and enjoying social events. I also threw a house party for my 23rd
birthday and started the final season of the radio show “Harmony: Where the
stars don’t lie” on SCAD Radio.

February 2015:

This month was a continuation of January attending social
events, learning new things in class, picking up dj gigs, and planning for life
after college. I also invested in my first pair of 1000w Thump Speakers so my
versatility expanded due to the growth of my resources. I received honorable
mention for a double exposure 4x5 image I entered to Photographer’s Forum and
it was published in a book. The radio show and church were being attended on a
weekly basis and I did a studio photo shoot for a female entrepreneur. I also participated
in the inspire workshop for motion media design where we completed a video for
a new app which was entered into “The One Show”, a prestigious awards
competition for advertising and design.

March 2015:

“Grind mode” is the synopsis for this month. Not only did I
have to figure out my living arrangements for after school, I also had to
figure what I was going to do in regards to grad school versus career goals.
Since I had invested in new speakers in February, all of my belongings couldn’t
fit my car in one trip so I decided to find a place off campus in Savannah to
live life and discover my purpose. I picked up a graphic design project,
continued attending social events, completing reading assignments for class,
and concluded our final season of Harmony on SCAD Radio, which was a zodiac
radio show on interpersonal relationships based off the stars along with
awesome hip hop, pop, and r&b. For spring break, a group of friends and I
road tripped to Panama City Beach, Florida for a week, and when I came back to
Savannah an entry level job for Waffle House fell into my lap. Not the first
place you would expect a fresh college student to end up at, but I was excited
to be starting from the bottom to learn about the independent life.

April 2015:

No Life is the synopsis for this month. After the first
couple of days for training at Waffle House, I got put to work investing 41
hours my first work week. It was overwhelming to me because working meant I had
less time to socialize, work on personal projects, and hit the gym. Despite
that I was still able to squeeze in a graduation photoshoot, attend bible
study, help other colleagues on their school projects, and DJ at a new venue
called Paddy O’sheas. I also started learning how to keep a balanced diet since
having a meal plan in school had me spoiled up until the very last day of
classes. Luckily by working so much, I mostly had the luxury to eat at work but
on off days I started exploring my options.

May 2015:

Essence of Time would be the description of this month, or
learning how to balance work with hobbies and social life. First day of the
month,  I started out djing a birthday
party. That same weekend I went to see the movie Avengers, and began networking
with local musicians. This is also the month I was introduced to two new venues
for dj’n including Hip Hop Nite at the Jinx and Wobble Wednesday at Treehouse, one
of the hottest clubs in the city of Downtown Savannah.  During the middle of the month, I was able to
squeeze in a quick trip home to Atlanta where it was my first time catching up
with family since January. While up there I purchased a new pair of turntables
introducing me to a new program, and I had the opportunity to photograph Ga
state’s reading recovery graduation event. The next day a friend of mine
graduated from Clark Atlanta with a grad party and after that it was back to
Savannah. A few days later another job interview as a hostess fell into my lap
for an Italian Seafood restaurant called Garibaldi’s and then within the week I
was introduced to the life of doubles. Despite all of that I completed an
artist promo photoshoot and worked with GradImages for SCAD’s Graduation.
Afterwards I celebrated and enjoyed the company of my new graduate friends
before they had to leave and go back to their hometowns. After this month is
when I realized it was time to really buckle down and focus on my future plans
for life.

June 2015:

The halfway mark of the year. All aspects of social life,
working both jobs, and dj’n were in heavy rotation. I entered a new image into
another photo contest (PDN Faces) but unfortunately this time it didn’t receive
any recognition. The social events slowed down a bit since most people left for
summer break and I participated in a community expo to market myself as a
neighborhood artist. This month is also when I started getting back in shape
with a co worker/ personal trainer from Garibaldi. No matter what my health
comes first and I felt like I needed to get back on eating as clean as possible
even with a full workload. By the end of the month, I was able to squeeze in
another quick weekend to Atlanta for a pool party and family rejuvenation
topped off with a lovely photo shoot of my niece by my good friend Victoria.

July 2015:

Summertime Fine would be the synopsis of this month. Waffle
House became my part time job working there every three weeks while Garibaldi
became my full time job dressing up on a daily to be presentable for guests.
Every Wednesday I was getting a slot to dj at Treehouse and I joined the local
library to start studying for the GRE which is the Graduate Record Exam. During
this time, I was sold I would be going to school for Computer Science at UCLA
but I was still struggling with what I wanted to research so throughout the
month this was the prominent topic in the back of my mind. This was also the
first month my family planned a family reunion so being the artist in the
family, I created the family slide show and  met up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a
great weekend of food, laughter, and catching up. It was a very short gathering
but very well needed and much appreciated! The remainder of the month consisted
of work, dj, reading, church, and gym.

August 2015:

Grind Mode part two would be the synopsis of this month. If
I wasn’t at work, I was at the gym, or dj’n an event, or out on the town to
unwind. This was the month my resume grew where I played music for a first
family reunion and department store, and I adopted a cat from my friend who was
going to give him away. I am more of a dog person but I figured it would be fun
to see what it was like to have a cat. A few summers ago I started making
bracelets but had been receiving many compliments on them so I invested in a
few packs and started making them again. This month I also jumped on my first
track in the studio adding ad-libs to a song my friend made about her ex. It
was definitely a good time and I realized that as a dj, I enjoy the studio and
need to expand my expertise with music. Other than that it was back on the
clock and studying to prepare on when to take the GRE.

September 2015:

Expansion would be the term for this month. Dj’n, networking
and relaxing with kitty were the main events but I also was able to take a week
off and travel to Baltimore with my friend Victoria’s hometown. Her family was
very hospitable to me and Victoria being a photographer herself took me out in
the city to explore. We rode the train into Washington DC to go to the
Smithsonian museums and we visited friends and family throughout Maryland. It
was very refreshing to be away from work and in a new city meeting new people.
Upon returning to Savannah, it was back to work mode and since SCAD classes
started back up not too long after, you could find me in their computer lab
somewhere sorting thru job apps and old emails. In my free time, I was on the
beach soaking up the sun or out being a socialite downtown. This month I also
started going to the chiropractor to help realign my spine from a car accident
the previous year and to improve my posture from standing up on my feet so
much.

October 2015:

Revelation would be the term used to describe this month. The
month started with a quick two day trip home to Atlanta to drop some things off
and then back to Savannah where I was invited to be a judge for an artist
showcase. Dj’n, reading and working were my most prominent activities but I
still needed to figure out what I was going to do about Grad School. I found a
self help book entitled “Finding your Element” and I started attending
counseling sessions with a church member who really wanted to help me complete
my grad school application. During the middle of the month, I received the
opportunity to photograph a technology conference called “Geekend” which was a
very beneficial event knowledge wise and I got back into the gym to crank back
up my fit regiment. I also went on my first trolley tour to show someone new to
the city around and I was introduced to my beauty consultant for Mary Kay which
has great products by the way.  By the
end of the month thanks to the help of Miss Lorrie( church member) I was able
to finally see the light! I had the epiphany that I want to go to grad school
for nutrition and within the next two weeks, I quit my job at Garibaldi and
locked in my date to take the GRE.

November 2015:

Crunch time is the synopsis for this month. Knowing that
deadlines were coming up and since the epiphany happened so late in the year, I
started to focus heavily on prepping for the GRE and good nutritional programs
to apply to. Even though I was able to quit my job, dj’n was still picking up
but getting paid more to work less allowed me to manage my time effectively
including gym sessions when possible and finding topics to research for grad
school. GradImages kept my information from working SCAD’s graduation in May
and invited me back to photograph the Savannah Rock n Roll Marathon with
MarathonFoto. That was truly a fun event and wouldn’t mind doing it again! The
rest of the month was study time in various locations including the beach and
the library. Studio time with a new artist and my friend Moriah was spent to
crank up a new radio show and lastly a week in Atlanta was spent for
thanksgiving, which was my first time being home that long for the whole year.
My niece and nephew were majority of my time and I was able to link up with a
few scad and high school friends in the meantime. Despite the leisure time,
completing grad school applications by Dec 1 was the main focus and so I did
what needed to be done hitting all my deadlines in time!! Thank goodness!!!

Dec 2015:

Catch up is this months word. The whole purpose of staying
in Savannah was to find myself as an artist and prepare my future goals for
grad school. This year went by SO fast but looking through my pictures I can
truly say it was a great year! I’m so grateful to have been able to live the
independent life and still do things I enjoy.  Working entry level jobs allowed me to learn
my likes and dislikes in a job environment and I learned how important it is to
communicate with loved ones (friends and family).  This month I was officially hired by
GradImages and had the luxury to work Ga Southern and Armstrong’s
graduation.  I was invited to two
Christmas parties for Garibaldi and Treehouse, and I also dj’d at Treehouse 2-3
nights a week. To end the year out with a cushion, I picked up a few holiday
hours at Waffle House, and have found my way back home to Atlanta to celebrate
Christmas (and Aunty Dale flew in from London this year!) . As I finish out
2015, it is a bittersweet feeling knowing that I will have to pack up my things
once again to embark on a new journey, but it is also exciting to know that the
opportunities are endless and I can truly live a happy successful life doing
what I love and sharing it with the people that love and respect me also.  2016 will be the year of the come up and new
adventures so stay tuned! 

Prior to SCAD, I had no idea that real photographers set up lights to get a well exposed portrait. After doing this assignment, I learned and since then have grown a lot but I still decided to show what my first real portraiture lighting looked like <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/michellemnm/albums/72157662043374641”> HERE</a>

In my young 23 years of living if there is anything I have learned its that family is an important component to understanding who you are as a person.  Even though I am a first generation American, my family instilled many Guyanese customs into my lifestyle. My father was one of 10 kids each having 2 or more kids which all migrated along the east coast of the U.S. Because of that we don’t see each other as often as we would like to but when we do link up we always pick up where we left off at. This summer was the first time that we linked up on behalf of being together as a family instead of it being a special occasion (holiday, birthday, wedding, funeral, etc), and we had a blast! A weekend was spent in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where we just enjoyed each others company and gave an update on where we are in life. Although the time was very short spent, here are a few images from a very loving weekend of laughs, food, and music.  NURSE FAMILY REUNION ALBUM

Growing up as a kid I always went to summer camp while school was out because my mom didn’t trust leaving me home by myself everyday lol. When I was too old to actually attend camp, I decided to apply as a camp counselor so that I could start making money during the summer instead. After one summer I learned that taking care of other peoples kids isn’t exactly what I want to do in life but I did meet a lot of bright kids who will always have a special part of my heart. I hope I was able to spread positivity into them just like my counselors did when I was their age. I didn’t bring my camera too often (summer camp and cameras don’t exactly mix) but I did get a chance to document one of our field trips to the zoo! You can check out the full album here.

Experimenting with strobe lights for my controlled lighting class, Bri came over to be my muse for the day. We played around with colored gels, body poses, and dragging the shutter. Even though a lot of images didn’t get put to use for a series, I decided to release them to be seen because they still look pretty awesome! The final image from the shoot is apart of my “personal work” under the photography section but the rest of the images can be viewed here.