Tom Fox Shea

Tom Fox Shea is a self-taught photographer from Syracuse, Utah. Tom has spent his life in pursuit of creative endeavours from drawing, painting, videography and photography. He, very often, goes to great lengths to capture his creative visions, with rich inspiration coming from the ever-changing landscape he grew up in, as well as his favorite photographers and other visual artists. He purchased his first camera in 2005, though didn’t realize his true love of photography until later in 2015 after purchasing his current model and he hasn’t put it down since. Tom has been noticed for his achievements in videography work, being nominated Vine artist of the year at the Shorty Awards in New York in 2015 as well as being interviewed for his unique video work by Vice Creators. Tom’s photography work has been published in the online magazines Velvet Eyes and Phroom and has been published in print for Noice Magazine. Tom’s work has also been recognized and showcased in a creators spotlight for the VSCO app.

Allie, don’t let me disappear

I’ve always preferred the dark and quiet world at night. I began waking in the dark hours of the morning to run almost twenty years ago as a way to combat clinical depression and anxiety. I’ve always noticed, however, that it’s quite a task to wake your body in those hours. You have to, in a way, trick your brain into lifting yourself up on to your legs, dress yourself and get out the door before any serious doubt creeps into your mind. Almost as if…over the years, I began believing that I am, in fact, a different person in the morning and I have to, in actuality, overcome myself in order to heal myself. Then, I began taking my camera with me running and shooting those things I felt captured the contrasting thoughts and emotion we can have as human individuals struggling with…ourselves.

From the seemingly mundane and foolish to the obvious beauty, this series, shot over a period of many months, deals with the different people I feel we can become, not just throughout our lives but at different times of the day. Many of us, especially those of us who deal with depression and anxiety, can find themselves fighting through many doubts and weaknesses.

The title of the series comes from my favorite novel “Catcher in the Rye”, near the point at which the book’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield seems to be having a form of anxiety attack while walking down a New York street and speaking aloud to his non-present and deceased brother, repeating “Allie, don’t let me disappear.”

To view more of Tom’s work please visit his website.