POW! WOW! SCHOOL
OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Attending the first ever Pow! Wow! School of Photography in July 2019 as a student was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done for myself.

I applied to the program on a whim after seeing a post about it on Ja Tecson’s Instagram one day and just thought, “Well, why not?” A lot of people I looked up to and trusted in the creative world were already a part of the program, like Ja, Due and Jeremy, which just made me want to blindly jump into the experience more.

Most of 2019 for me was spent in a fog of depression after the loss of my mother.

I didn’t feel passion for anything or anyone, I was emotionally unavailable and I just didn’t care. I was already doing everything you’re supposed to do when you’re depressed; I pursued hobbies, I exercised, ate well, went to therapy and connected with my friends and family.

Pushing myself to be open and develop a new skill as way to express myself, however, was so good for me and my mental state in the long run. Thank you to everyone who supported me to pursue this program with Pow! Wow! Long Beach; it saved me.

Vanessa Tam is a photographer, writer and digital marketer based in Vancouver, Canada that’s currently open to new projects. Hit her up with your ideas; let’s work together!