Interview with Lauren Montgomery.

In my research i came across this interview with Lauren Montgomery a student who stayed clear of drugs although drugs have surrounded her throughout her life, she managed to stay clean and focus on her greatest passion, photography.

How did you become interested in photography?
I took a photography class my sophomore year in high school – after that, I was hooked. I took all the classes available my senior year and became really inspired by one of my teachers.

My goal in high school was to complete my portfolio – but as I’ve grown as an artist, my focus has changed. Now I want to express how I feel in a photograph and simply capture a moment of time.

Some of your art depicts struggles with drug abuse. Why did you choose to focus on this topic?
I was surrounded with people who had issues with drugs. My uncle struggled with drug problems, my aunt was addicted to Vicodin – even my ex-boyfriend developed an addiction after we started dating. I saw what drugs did to people close to me, and I was lucky enough to learn from their mistakes and to never want to use myself.

But don’t get me wrong, I was a regular, curious teen. I tried a few things here and there, but wasn’t very interested in any of it. I would go to parties sober and just watch everyone – a lot of them were out of control. By my senior year it became hard for me to cope, having friends hurting themselves with drugs. I started to separate myself from that group of people. I realized that drugs break people – they can become lost.

I started to use my art to demonstrate what I’ve seen, and how I think drugs can affect people’s lives. I want to help people.

My Uncle (Lauren Montgomery)		Self-Portrait in Mirror (Lauren Montgomery)

Chelsey (Lauren Montgomery)

Some artists believe that drugs can help inspire them to do great work. How do you feel about this?
I believe that it’s so important to live our lives in reality. On drugs, you’re not you – you become the drug. Your art becomes the drug and I don’t want this. I want to show people that you can be creative and produce beauty on your own, without the influence of substances.

What would you say is the ultimate goal for your art?
If my photographs inspired people in some way, I feel like I’ve done my job. I’m not sure if I have a huge, specific goal. I mean, if one of my photos was featured in some art magazine or somewhere where a lot of people could see it – that would be a pretty substantial moment for my career.

I want my art to be about my own experiences as well as others’. I’ve lived my own life, and seen so much – I have a lot to show to the world.