“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”



Ansel Adams

 

I’m a writer and artist living in the Pacific Northwest. I live with complex chronic illness and autism, experiences that profoundly shape how I move through life. My faith is central to the way I live, guiding my choices, grounding my family, and informing how I approach both work and creativity.


A few long-standing fascinations run through the majority of my work.


I am drawn to simplicity and value many older ways of living. I enjoy solitude and love to spend time outdoors observing animals and plants. This relationship with the natural world shapes the way I think about being human, including both the challenges and the beauty of life, and how resilience and balance take shape.


Food has been a constant for me, and I have felt at home in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. I enjoy not only to cooking itself, but the cultural roots, history, and traditions behind it as well. I prefer working from scratch and using traditional methods whenever I can, with a particular fondness for sourdough baking. I strongly believe food can nourish both our bodies and our relationships, connecting people in ways that feel both personal and universal.


I am also deeply interested in storytelling, world-building, and the craft of language, with a particular love for Tolkien’s writing. I am drawn to myth and fantasy, but also intimate memoir, especially stories that turn lived experience into meaning and connection.


Another significant thread in my life is the study of how the body and mind connect. I often read in the areas of neuropsychology, endocrinology, and immunology, with a focus on chronic illness and neurodivergence. I am fascinated by how stress and trauma influence development and long-term health, and how biology and experience shape one another.

 

 

Explore my work


Writing


My words take form in lyrical essay and memoir, reflecting on nature, grief, home, healing, and the quiet ache and wonder of being human. I explore the deep connection we have with the natural world and how it shapes the way we live, feel, and find meaning.

 

 

Visual Art


Photography


My work is rooted in stillness and observation, an attempt to honor the stories told through light, land, and season. I’m drawn to the spaces where beauty and impermanence meet: a vibrant sunrise over the lake, a mushroom melting in soft decay, the first frost catching on the ground. I see the camera as a way of listening. Each image holds how the world felt in that fleeting moment, capturing the raw, restorative beauty of the outdoors and the simple rituals that root us.

 

Contact Joanna

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