So digging in, as I thought about how I wanted to become involved in the #BlackLivesMatter movement, I tried to dissect where I thought the biggest problems lied -- ignorance. Not just any ignorance...but almost a self-created ignorance. From my experience, many of us (especially those of us who have had easier upbringings) try to add narratives to compliment our rose-colored view of the world; because acknowledging that the world is broken and our people are suffering at the hands of our own people...is painful at best. So when videos and stories are shared of people in Minnesota and Florida and New York, it's easy for people here to make the excuse that 'it only happens there'; "that's a Minnesota problem, not an Iowa problem...". When the truth is, it's an everywhere problem. So I want to show that racism is everywhere, even in our own back yards, we just don't always see it.


My vision is to photograph local black residents with a story to tell. I don't want this to just be a headshot and description, I want the image to be thought provoking with a background story that helps create context and connection with the subject. The part of a person's story that we can't see from the outside. I want this to both test my skills as an artist, as well as open the eyes of people who are in the same mental place that I was. I want to tell the story in a way that is REAL. Something people can both relate to and not make excuses for. I want to make people uncomfortable, not because anyone is telling them they have to think one thing or another, but rather just giving them the facts, and allowing the emotional response to promote a change in their thinking...much like the one I experienced.


That being said, I'd love your help in finding local black individuals who have a story to tell and are comfortable with putting themselves out there / being featured on my blog (potentially being submitted to other forms of publication). If you are somebody, or know somebody, who would like to learn more, I have put together a small form (see button below) where people can submit their info, along with a few questions that I thought would help with creating some dialog, however, these to not need to be answered to submit. Just fill out the top half and I will contact you. Otherwise, you can email me at nichole@nicholediehmphotography.com or call/text at 319.448.0279.


I don't know that I'm going to put a deadline on this as of yet because I want to see where it goes. My goal is to really focus on capturing motion and emotion, so rather than one big blog, I want to do a series of features to focus on one person at a time, which I think will make a greater impact than multiple people at a time.


Let me know if you have any questions. <3


Nichole