I recently moved to a new country, and had to find out how to show my work to the local community and build relationships in the area.

My latest project is concerned with gender equality in relation to motherhood. It's based on my personal experience, and is touching on broader issues of domesticity and gender roles. The ideas and expectations around motherhood impact all women, whether they have children or not. Women may be granted normative freedom as individuals, but they are constrained as mothers. As Ann Crittenden said, 'raising children may be the most important job in the world, but you can't put it on a resume'. Through my project I'm hoping to advocate for changing the status of mothers; gaining real recognition for their work.

I spent about one year researching the local artistic and cultural institutions, together with women’ groups and organisations and reaching out for collaborations. It was a quiet year in many respects, and I had to be persistent and see the change as an opportunity. Going out and talking to complete strangers about my work felt against my nature at first. But I had to remind myself why I made the work in the first place, if not to be shared. As I was able to confidently say 'This is my story', it felt both liberating and empowering. Talking about inequality might make people feel uncomfortable. I learned that when you are passionate and believe in your message, the audience connects to your thoughts and emotions. Sharing my experience and being true to myself helped me reaffirm my identity and what I believe in.

Recently, I got involved with a women's organisation and started to run my own photography workshop. I had been offered more chances to talk about my work at various public events and got lots of positive feedback. That made me think it's vital that women are encouraged to speak openly about the issues they face in their lives. Progress does not happen in our comfort zone. Even if I'm dealing with a sensitive topic, I believe it's important to find common ground in our differences and create a space for dialogue.