Thank you for taking the time to read this. I want to share where I am in my work and why I am opening this fundraiser.

I am living in Paris on the FrANCE talents passport which is an Artist’s Visa -renewable every year for 4 years after which i can apply for residency in france. One of the requirements of maintaining this visa is that all of my income must come from creative practices -especially photography. It is a rare opportunity but it also places real limits on what I can do. I cannot take on ordinary work such as an account manager at a brand showroom for example. Everything I build has to be connected to art.

when I first arrived in paris in june 2022 i was on the long term tourist visa and i had a long time retainer client jakett new york (since 2019) but in january 2024 they felt like my presence in france was not of use to them any longer. i could have kept this client if i would have moved back to the us permanently, but I didn’t want to move back which meant i was in france on a tourist visa without any means to work whatsoever not in art or anything. so i returned to the usA in january 2025 to obtain this artist visa so that i could move back to france.

this artist visa is considered somewhat prestigious if you’re a fan of france like i am. I had to provide the us french consulate with my art / photography portfolio, multiple references in france and the us as well as proof that i earned money with photography in the us and press clippings showing my work. i was awarded the visa in march 2025 and i moved back to paris in april 2025.
so I am committed to making this artist’s path sustainable.

As I prepare for my upcoming visa renewal, I need to present a clear and completed artistic project. In the last week I met with madara ulme who is a publisher from Snap Collective, a publishing group that specializes in photography books. Together we discussed a collaboration for me to make my own book which snap collective who will pay to publish my book, after which they collect commission on books sold both online and at local book stores. This book would be produced in collaboration with them and would be a central piece of my professional dossier for the French authorities.

i am still deciding details but i think i want to make it music related since i’ve shot many musicians over the past 5 or so years. musicians i’ve photographed over the past years include the cure, tess parks, z berg, john maus, ian svEnonious and others. once my book is published, i will pitch a small exhibit idea to ofr and analogue club.

Alongside this, I am continuing to build my work on TikTok which i only started pursuing this last june 2025. It has become an important part of my career which i dedicate hours to every day on fashion, tarot and art research, video creation and marketing strategies for the near future. it is a very promising avenue for revenue. I have already had my first round of pending sponsorship by major fashion houses including dries van noten, Louis Vuitton, Marni, Swarovski, Balmain and Balenciaga who have chosen some of my tik tok content for ‘ad authorization’, which means i will eventually be paid by these brands for my content. it’s something that will continue to take time to build. With the right support, I can continue to grow this platform in a way that strengthens my artistic practice and helps create financial stability in france. To do this, I need to invest in basic marketing and production costs that allow my page to keep expanding.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to support both the creation of the photography book with Snap Collective and the continued development of my online work. The funds will go toward book production expenses and the costs connected to building my platform in a professional way. This support directly impacts my ability to stay in France, continue creating here and publish this photo book.

i need to raise 10k minimum to cover: creative production, marketing growth on tik tok and visa renewal preparation.

Your contribution will go towards support of me as an artist in a pivotal moment, building a foundation that will shape the next chapter of my life/career. Any amount helps and I am sincerely grateful to anyone who chooses to help me move this work forward.

Thank you for taking the time to read this :)