In popular psychology, a quarter-life crisis is an existential crisis involving anxiety and sorrow over the direction and quality of one’s life which is most commonly experienced in a period ranging from a person’s early twenties up to their mid-thirties. It is defined by clinical psychologist Alex Fowke as “a period of insecurity, doubt and disappointment surrounding your career, relationships and financial situation”.
This photography project is about searching for who you are as a person in your twenties. This time period is what most people call the quarter life crisis. My photos show a journey through different countries, driving in cars and trains, going through storms and clear skies. At the same time, it’s a journey through feelings, thoughts, songs and dreams. For me, the landscape is the biggest metaphor for life. It changes with the seasons, it has to recover from bad weather and it will shine after being taken care of.
The biggest purpose of photography is understanding myself, which makes me able to understand others. I hope viewers will find comfort and recognition in my work to make them feel seen and understood. We all have the same thoughts and feelings, people just don’t like to talk about them. Our society is hyper focused on showing off everything that’s shiny and perfect and our generation needs to succeed in everything. Online we’re thriving, traveling and falling in love. Online we’re not having FOMO or panic attacks or feel sick because of heartbreak. But in real life we do. I hope this will help people to open up.
It may look like I figured it out but honestly I am still here, in search of everything.
– Rikkie