Do you ever feel a certain presence surrounding you when walking through a woods or forest? Un-wanting to be seen or heard by those passing by... the sense of the magic vibrates and emanates. For it’s the dryads hiding amongst the foliage, spying, searching, playing, and scouting. They don’t become beknown to us as we are to them as they are sure of how we’ll react. No place can be so magical in our world of logic and science – no room for the uncertainty of the physiology that make up... them. Created and spawned by the mighty gods themselves to love and protect the very things we need to live; oh, how desirable it would become to take and control more of what we do not own. As a human, the intrinsic greed and always a need for wanting more consumes us. Dryads know this of us, stay away from us... and for good reason.
Protectors and nurturers of our woodlands, their very existence relies on the trees, as do the trees rely on them. The bond between dryad and tree sacred in a way that blood relation is sacred to humans. In Greek mythology, they have been said to be quite shy, timid, and quiet creatures, considered to be loyal to Artemis - the Goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wildlife, nature, vegetation, and of chastity and childbirth. Their power linked intrinsically to that of the trees, plants, and wood. They can manipulate the movement and shapes of the forest and can call on the energy of the trees that are even dead. Being so in tune and connected to the evergreens around them, the dryads and the Gods would punish any mortal who harmed or disrupted the trees if they didn’t first appease them before. I wanted to show some of that rage and punishing in my images, experimenting how a male dryad could possibly become if upset or angered. It’s different to a shy and timid approach by that of a female but a male could possibly become more of a danger if riled by wrong doings. We forget, as we grow into adulthood, the magic that surrounds us as a child. Our imaginations cut down and moulded into what only is, never what could be. The harshness of reality keeps us caged and tied down, and our existential breakdowns show just that – our want and need to have our minds freed from what society has us experiencing. With these images, I wanted to create a world in which we can become whatever we want. You ask a child what they want to be when they ‘grow up’, and they express only that of what makes them glow! Knowing they want to be whatever it is, gives them a purpose in life and reason for the actions they take. Growing up and going through processes which pull and push you down, diminishes that light and the glow inside. The light that gives you reason for being excited about the future and the life you want to live. It's important to create a space where you have that ability to glow. I’ve always been someone who wants to believe in another place, where more is possible, and magic does exist. I struggle to find any faith in humanity and in our reality. It’s rare moments when I do feel a flicker of hope for the planet we live on and for us a species. However, I really struggle to read the news and listen to people about what’s going on because the destruction and greed is forever on going. I read a lot of make believe because it is a safe place for me to go and forget, distraction of sorts that takes me out of reality. Some would say this is childish, foolish even because it makes me naive and possibly ignorant, but this doesn’t mean I’m closed minded. I do want to learn, and I don’t like being clueless about the world we live in, but creating my own world through photography has been an eye-opening experience and one that I look forward to expanding.