Distant Living is about animal people living in a world similar to that of the year 2020. However, despite living in a chaotic world, these funky animals still find ways to safely connect with each other and live rich solitary lives as well. The Covid-19 pandemic really took its toll on me, specifically in the metal health department. Aside from my country burning down around me (both literally and figuratively), I really missed my friends, my family, and the communities that I was a part of before the pandemic. Distant Living is a form of wish-fulfillment/escapism. A wish to be able to physically interact with the people I miss the most, without putting them in danger. A wish to be able to thrive, despite being apart from things that helped me to do so. 

My process for this project was similar to that of Shadowville, however I didn’t rely on the ambiguity provided by shadowy areas of contrast this time. Rather I pushed myself to try and illustrate on some of my more well-lit photos. Since I want this set of pieces to have an otherworldly feel, I made sure to push my color editing as well. Lastly, rather than have fully designed monsters/creatures, I went for more of a stick figure approach. I did this for two reasons: simplicity and movement. Since the main focus for this project is community and living, I wanted to show many of these animal characters as possible, doing a variety of different things. Therefore, I opted for a simpler style that would better lend itself to this goal. 
My favorite piece in this series is Rainbow Connection. I specifically love the center chase scene between the rabbit and the cat and the failed card game scene on the left.

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