After the Muffling Fog isn’t about being healed or having all the answers. It’s about that first moment of connection, when you realize you’re still here, and maybe—just maybe—there’s something beautiful waiting if you reach for it.

The inspiration for this project sprang from countless drives through rural Illinois. There, I witnessed derelict homes standing like shadows of their former selves. Once vibrant with laughter and life, they now exist in a state of slow decline. I saw trees erupt through windowpanes and vines coiling around crumbling foundations, creating an eerie beauty that illustrated their enduring stories, as nature gradually reclaimed its territory. The neglected houses of Forgottonia