They say "A picture is worth a thousand words", and I could not agree more with that statement.

When I was only 12 years old, I received a gift from my grandmother. It was a special gift, and I could tell as soon as I saw it because my Nana was always so creative when it came to gift-wrapping, and this one was over the top. In a box about as large as a normal 12-year-old young girl, there were multiple boxes within each other, to tease me but also make the original gift all that more special. When I got to the last final, smallest box, I could barely contain my excitement. As I ripped up the Santa Clause wrapping paper and tore the tape off, the most beautiful thing appeared- a camera.

This may not sound too exciting to some people, but to me, it meant the world. Ever since I was introduced to cameras and photography, I have been intrigued. Now, wherever I go, I cannot leave without taking a photo. Some may say things such as "why do you take so many pictures?" "why don't you just live in the moment?" "why are you always on your phone?" And it is because I love the idea of being able to capture something beautiful, that will last forever, with just one simple click. I am not a "live in the moment" type of person, and that is something I am okay with admitting. Because instead of only experiencing something once, you could take a picture or video, and that one picture, or that one video, will last a lifetime.

You may be wondering why I chose the title that I did. And it is for many reasons. Battling depression can be extremely difficult, no one that has it will deny that. But when I got my camera out, and started snapping pictures, and then take them to my computer and edit them and make them even more beautiful than the original, it awakens my soul. It is something that makes my heart skip a beat, it is what I am passionate about. It is what wakes me up when I am feeling down. It is my muse. And I believe that everyone should have a muse. Whether it be photography, writing, running, painting, anything. Even miming. Everyone struggles with something, but the way that they express it is mesmerizing, and it can tell a lot about that person.

You learn a lot about someone when they show you their passion. You can also read people very easily when you pay attention to what they are passionate about and how they express it. But it is something that everyone should appreciate, because for some, their passion is the only thing that is keeping them going every day.

Photography is my muse, so what is yours? But no matter what it is, express it. Be proud of it. Own it. Because you are not the only one that is afraid, sad, or even as happy as can be. It is something that you should be proud of, so why not show it off? For many years I did not want to share my photos, because some of them reflected negatively upon me. But what I learned, and what I hope everyone takes from this, is that it is okay if people do not like your work. It's how you perceive your work to be. No one else matters when it comes to passion. Take your ability, and run with it. But most importantly, never give up.