08/27/2026
Over the last couple of days, I’ve found myself holding back from posting anything.
Partly because I’ve been working, but mostly because I just needed a little time to take in the loss of two people I absolutely adored — Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.
I grew up with Dolly. My mama loved Dolly, and I loved her too. Her music, her story, her incredible talent — but most of all, the way she treated people. She came from very little and became this incredible shining light in the world, never losing her kindness along the way. She taught so many of us that you can be successful, you can be great, and you can still be kind.
And then there’s Tim Curry. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was such a huge part of my adolescence. Friday nights meant midnight showings, and Tim was unforgettable. What an incredible actor, entertainer and, from everything I’ve seen and heard about him, a genuinely kind and funny human being.
Both of them, in their own ways, taught me something that I’ve tried to carry with me throughout my life: be kind. Do for others. Work hard. Use whatever gifts you’ve been given to make someone else’s life a little better.
Maybe that’s why this morning I felt like sharing a little bit of what I’ve been doing lately.
I don’t usually share the work I do with Explore Cabarrus. I let them share it. I don’t usually post about the things I get to do for our county either. Again, I let the organizations I work with tell those stories.
But this morning, I just felt like sharing a little piece of what makes me happy.
I am incredibly thankful that I get to do what I love — photography, art, storytelling — right here in the community that I love. And I’m even more thankful that Dylan and I are given the opportunity to use what we do to give something back to the people and places that mean so much to us.
There is already more than enough negativity in this world. There is too much division, too much anger, and too many reasons for people to forget that we’re all just trying to find our way.
A long time ago, my mama taught me something pretty simple: Be kind to people. Do the best you can. Work hard. And when you have the opportunity to do something for somebody else, do it.
That’s what I try to put into my work.
Every photograph, every story, every project is another opportunity to celebrate people, celebrate this place, and hopefully leave a little more light behind than I found.
So, today, I just want to say thank you.
Thank you to everyone in this community who has trusted me, supported me, worked alongside me, and given Dylan and me the opportunity to do what we love.
I hope through our work and our art, we’re able to share even a little bit of the love we have for all of you and for this incredible community we’re lucky enough to call home.
Thank you, Dolly.
Thank you, Tim.
And thank you to everyone who continues to remind me why kindness, creativity and community matter.
❤️📸
