Through the In My Driveway project, I’m photographing the beautiful, emotional, and fleeting moments that occur in one of the most mundane, ordinary places in my life–my driveway. My children play in our driveway almost every day, in almost every atmospheric condition. Sometimes they play well together; sometimes they don’t. As a mother, I often hear people tell me to treasure this time, that it goes so fast. I know they are right; this time, however, can also be challenging, isolating, and monotonous for a parent. At the same time, parents today feel a lot of pressure to provide their children with enrichment and experiences; our days are increasingly overscheduled. In this project, I distill the small moments that happen when children are self-directed and examine them more closely in a context that would otherwise be easily overlooked. Our driveway has become a metaphor for their play and relationships together; it’s also a single piece of asphalt that connects me, literally, to the rest of the world.
I use black and white straight photography to tell the story of my driveway. By focusing on the toys and activities that American children have engaged in for generations, I’m emphasizing how our experiences relate to others. In many of the images, the driveway itself serves as a prominent feature, representing how these moments and this experience connect me to other parents. Through the inclusion of atmospheric conditions, I’m highlighting the importance of time outside and how children grow and learn in their unstructured moments.