Have you ever noticed utility box art while walking through a city? In Roswell, GA, these painted boxes turn ordinary street corners into little bursts of creativity and charm, a delightful example of street art brightening everyday life.

I love talking about art — the kind that inspires, that stays with you, that carries meaning.

Contemporary art, though? I’m still figuring it out. I’ve walked through modern art museums, even MOMA in New York, trying to connect. Sometimes I see a square within a square with eloquently phrased paragraphs of explanation beside it, and… nothing. No matter how many words, it doesn’t click. But isn’t that part of the point? Art is deeply personal. We don’t have to love everything, we just have to find the pieces that resonate with us, the ones that light something inside.

As a former art student, I feel a responsibility to stay open-minded. But the truth is, I’ve always been drawn to realism, the kind of art you want to reach out and touch just to confirm it isn’t a photograph. Maybe that’s why, as a photographer myself, I love capturing real moments: a smile, a wildflower (like the photo print Top View), the light in late afternoon (like Sunset Glow).

But art isn’t only about what’s on the canvas. It’s also about where it shows up.