POTS is my second published photo book. This book was created to give a window into my perspective as a person who lives with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). I have had chronic illness for nearly half of my life. This gives a unique introspective perspective on both abled and disabled persons’ perspectives and assumptions.
P O T S
PART 01
Things I Can’t Do
My nervous system cannot tolerate standing. Small adaptations and unassumed movements like wearing a hair tie on my wrist, looking over my shoulders, and putting my hands on my head, drastically affect me and trigger my body into shock. I performed these movements on camera. The subtlety of these movements intends to challenge assumptions we make about one another.
PART 02
Things I See Differently
This chapter consists of made and appropriated images that discuss the topic of perspective. The images consist of things that I see differently due to my disability. Appropriated images include crowds of people, standing in lines, and staircases: concepts that are widely accepted and unquestioned by most. Made images include the inside of my comforter, floor of my shower (above), and salt: things that I personally encounter daily due to my disabled perspective.
PART 03
The Aftermath
This chapter was not intended originally. I knew that performing the “Things I Can’t Do” would make me faint. When I began experiencing symptoms, I continued making photos. It was intriguing to look back at them afterwards and see a perspective of myself I have not previously experienced. This chapter speaks to how strong perspective is on our perception of life and contextualizes my everyday experiences in a way that I have never been seen before.