The photographic diptych Work by Sarah Charlesworth changed my life and set me on a specific path. It was the first time I had seen a photographic image that was conceptually challenging, like a puzzle. The camera was being used to ask questions, inviting participation in the construction of meaning.

I remained fascinated with this photograph for years. When I learned that Sarah Charelsworth was teaching at the School of Visual Arts, I quit my job in San Francisco and moved to New York City. For our final thesis class, Sarah invited us to her studio in Brooklyn. As I entered, I saw the diptych hanging casually on a brick wall above a sink. The planets aligned, my small life crystallized in one powerful moment. I felt like I'd completed an important circle.

In my two years at SVA I had the great fortune of studying with Shelly Silver, Collier Schorr, Joel Sternfeld, Ed Bowes and Charles Traub - artists who continue to influence and inspire me. My late mentor Diane Buckler also had an enormous impact on my path to becoming an artist. Feeling supported and inspired plays a huge role in development and fuels my dedication to the practice of art.

At SVA I was given the freedom to experiment with a wide range of media. I employed video for my thesis, designed Web sites, built sculptures. But I always return to photography. There is something so simple and compelling in a photograph, and as I push myself to better control the light and compose the frame, I find it more and more rewarding to make pictures.

Since graduating in 2000, I have worked as a video editor, integrated producer and photographer, while continuing to create and exhibit artwork.