Raleigh. or Rah(hh)-ley depending on who you ask.

The capital city of North Carolina. A place full of oak trees and grey architecture, yet bursting with opportunity. It’s within this city that I spent four defining years of my life. Leaving the classrooms in Fuquay-Varina, to attend Southeast Raleigh Magnet High. This section of town was roughly a ten minute drive from Downtown Raleigh, the place depicted in these pictures. As a teenager I had no desire to test the sidewalks of Downtown; but as I come to understand who I am, I must remember that where I come from has a significant role in that. Returning to Raleigh with a different outlook on life allowed me to visualize a city that I had never noticed. How the city of Raleigh is in fact one branching Oak tree and Downtown is the trunk of it all. 

As I continue to explore my other hometown, I am curiously drawn to the love that individuals share for their city. The streets of Raleigh aren’t filled with the hustle like other cities, yet still having a relaxing aura rushing through its branches. It’s the influence of the Southern culture that has turned Raleigh into a hub of art and technology. Deep within the alleyways, underneath all the blue ties and cigarettes abandoned on lunch break lies an art community that is brewing. Slowly, this vine is finding its way up the trunk into the city and with that will bring forth the leaves that will decorate the rest of the world.