Christina Kotsiras

Christina is native to Massachusetts but always seems to find herself somewhere in-between. She is currently attending the Savannah College of Art & Design studying photography. Christina’s photographs capture the fleeting moments of youth, femininity, nostalgia, and the peculiarity of every day. Her curiosity of humankind and how we interact with our surroundings fuels her creative thinking process. Other than taking pictures, Christina enjoys a perfect cup of English breakfast tea, sunsets, and long walks on the beach.

The Grass Isn’t Always Greener

In a world where we view everything through an illuminated rectangle, it always may seem as though the grass is always greener on the other side. However, after an eye-opening trip to Niagara Falls, I realized this wasn’t the case. When I turned 20, I had this itching desire to travel. I made a pact with myself to try and leave the U.S at least once every year during my 20s. Just weeks away from my 22nd year, I realized I hadn’t fulfilled my travel requirement. Since I’m currently living in Massachusetts, Canada seemed like the obvious choice. I soon discovered that Niagara Falls is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, and I felt almost embarrassed that I had not yet visited this wonder only hours away from me.

When I had Googled “Niagara Falls,” I would get overwhelmed with how spectacular our earth truly is. I imagined driving through back roads of rolling fields covered in green grass, with the end of the road leading to this massive waterfall of my imagination.

Well, when I ACTUALLY arrived in Niagara Falls one evening back in September, I was taken aback by these strange, colorful, LED-lit falls. Long story short, it wasn’t what I had dreamt of, at all. It was this massive thing of water, surrounded by casinos, selfie sticks, hotels, and all you can eat breakfast buffets. I had imagined the falls to be more secluded, more preserved, fewer signs of human existence! Being a human myself, I found myself getting sucked into the tourist traps. Riding the Maid of The Mist to get as close to the falls as humanly possible, and taking pictures on Snapchat to show my friends who weren’t able to experience the spectacular view with me.

Although I enjoyed my first trip to the falls very much, I kept thinking to myself, how do we break this vicious cycle? What would Niagara Falls look like WITHOUT humans butting in? With “The Grass Isn’t Always Greener”, I ask you to enjoy the view, but also take in the realization of what we tend to do to our lovely planet earth. For a place that calls itself “the honeymoon capital of the world” and “the place for romantic getaways,” I quickly discovered, the greener grass lives on in my imagination, not at the Falls.

To view more of Christina’s work please visit her website.