QUANDO VEDO LA FOTO DI ME STESSA DA BAMBINA
When I see a photo of myself as a child,
I want to make the young me proud, safe, happy, and at home.
I want to make the young me proud, safe, happy, and at home.
It matters to me to give my inner child a daily dose of attention. As a child, I loved writing and making plans for the future. I think of the girl who enjoyed writing in primary school; of the teenager who cried over literature and, at the same time, dreamed of becoming a photographer; of the years when trendy writing exercises on YouTube slowly drained my desire to write; and of who I am now, rediscovering words and finding my way back to the house of language I built long ago.
Growing up with a parent whose background was different from that of most people around me taught me early how powerful language can be. Like many Afro-descendant people born in predominantly white countries, I learned that belonging often feels like something you must constantly prove. Small things - speaking “correctly,” choosing the right words - can turn into an obsession. Over time, that obsession became something close to a wound, one I carried with me for years, and felt again when I had to relearn how to express myself in another language after moving to Paris in 2022. Yet something beautiful came from it: my deep love for writing.
The blank page has always felt like a safe place. Telling my story through writing has never frightened me; if anything, it has often been my first way of facing the world - even before photography. Maybe it is a form of retreat, but it is also where I find clarity and comfort.
These lines mark the beginning of my project: not a rigid path, but an open diary waiting to be filled. Pages for personal reflections, ideas, research, and critical thoughts. Art and photography, what moves me most, will certainly remain at the center, but here I want to allow myself freedom, without forcing a single direction.
I hope that anyone who reads this will spend a meaningful moment here, feel moved or entertained, or discover something new. And if a doubt or a thought arises, I hope they will come to me and share it.
Amy, January 2026
