WHAT IS CHEECHED COLLECTIONS

CHEECHED COLLECTIONS is a year-long project running from January to December 2025, where I curate and share themed collections of photographs each month. The themes often explore life’s unanswerable questions, for example: which path should I take? What is love?

Each collection of photos is printed and paired with poems and written reflections that add to the story. Then, they are lovingly assembled and sent to you via snail mail.

What is the purpose?

CHEECHED COLLECTIONS is a way to challenge myself creatively while exploring the deeper questions of life. Through this project, I aim to:

  • Curate art that makes people think

  • Push my photography practice by shooting with intention

  • Refine my writing skills

  • Make art tangible again

  • Engage with life’s big questions by using art as a way to process and convey the struggles of understanding them

  • Connect with and celebrate artists

  • Inspire others to see, think, and create in new ways

Why mail?

Great question! Ideally, each collection would be presented in a format that best tells its story, whether that’s a traditional gallery show, a photo book, a short film, or a zine. But right now, time and resources make that dream a little out of reach. So, in the meantime, I’m focusing on honing the my skills: writing, curating, communicating, researching, and photography.

As I thought about how to practice these skills while also engaging with others, a mail club felt like the perfect fit. I’ve subscribed to a few in the past and always loved receiving tangible pieces of art, each one carrying a message that makes me stop and think.

The more I played with the idea, the more I realized how much I enjoy creating something physical. In a world where most of my communication happens through screens, putting together something tangible is refreshing. And unlike digital work, where things can be endlessly tweaked and refined, mail has a finality to it, once I send it out, it’s complete.

And I just really love mail.

Why monthly?

I structured this as a 12-month project with a published collection each month to hold myself accountable. Like everyone, I have plenty of ideas, but following through is the hard part. By committing to a monthly release—and having the amazing people in the COLLECTORS CLUB expecting something every month, it pushes me to actually make it happen.

Beyond that, the monthly rhythm keeps me in a constant state of creating and thinking. It forces me to come make decisions and move forward. I am training my creative neural pathways through repetition.

WHO ARE YOU TO INSPIRE PEOPLE?

Ha! I ask myself this every day. But I don’t see these collections as a way to tell anyone how to live or to offer definitive answers to the unanswerable questions I explore. Instead, they’re a way for me to think through these ideas, an attempt to understand them, and life, a little better. And I’ve found that when you share your thoughts, it naturally sparks something in others, encouraging them to reflect in their own way.