This is a high res scanned of a silver gelatin print of a photograph taken one week following the NPC Emerald Cup. I think of bodybuilding as molding my body and creating what I believe to be an idealistic aesthetic of myself at a point in time. The art of sculpting clay and concrete and the art of carving muscle actually mirror one another. Great sculptors sweat and labor in the daily ritually, adding and subtracting materials to create what they believe to be the ultimate aesthetic that expresses their ideals. This isn't too different from the work of dedicated bodybuilders, many of us spend hours on end to form our own veiny, chiseled bods that convey, in our minds, the most beautiful versions of ourselves at a set point in time; that one hour on the stage where we hit our peak. The process is a sort of formalism. When I do a lat pulldown I know exactly the points I have to squeeze and bend. When I press and pull slowly, I know where to target; I know if it's not feeling right. This image captures the blood and bone and sinew of a year of intensely focused effort, of heartbreak, hard work, failure, and redemption. I minted this exclusively for you. Take in acceptance, encouragement, and strength which emanates from my eyes to yours.
