A year ago I started my Advanced Course at Through The Lens Collective. My initial intention was to challenge myself to see if I could seriously work towards a solid body of work, as I hadn’t photographed seriously in a very long time. I learned a lot about how important it is to surround yourself with other artists.  In class, not only did I get feedback from my mentors, I received incredible feedback from my classmates as well. What stood out for me was that photography is one’s own personal investigation, and we’d often get assignments to challenge and help us with new ways of looking at how we create. I’d encourage anyone studying or thinking of studying at TTL to trust your mentors and do the assessments, as it will benefit you in the long term. Another major takeaway is the importance of being intentional, constantly asking yourself why, and writing a lot. I now own four journals thanks to TTL!!