Most nights, I spend an hour or so searching for entertainment on the internet or on YouTube. A few days ago, I came across a video on a former Disney Channel star. Cole Sprouse is now playing Jughead Jones on the CW show "Riverdale."

Sprouse is not only known for his acting but his phenomenal photography skills. He mostly shoots landscapes, and he went into great detail about how photography isn’t only a hobby for him but an escape from the outside world when life gets overwhelming. Sprouse said he was in a very dark and sad place when he threw himself into photography. He used it as an escape from the world when things were too much. He was able to create something from his emotions and he used that as a way to pull through and ultimately develop his own style of photography. For anyone who suffers from depression, it’s a constant battle. The battle to live and want to be a part of the world. It’s finding something that gives you the strength to feel human again. The strength to see the beauty in the world again. Photography is something that I am incredibly passionate about and seeing this video reminded me of why I love it so much.

Photography isn’t simply a way to cope. It’s a way to deal with everything directly and make the imaginary real. Nicolas Bruno is a photographer who has suffered from sleep paralysis since his early teen years. Sleep Paralysis happens when your body is coming out or going into the REM sleep cycle. However, when you wake up your body is unable to move but you are aware. Many people are known to suffer from terrifying nightmares in sleep paralysis. Bruno suffered from terrifying hallucinations. He was so scared that he would try to stay up for days to avoid sleeping. He finally began to tell his parents and a teacher at school who advised him to sketch what he was seeing. Bruno began to realize that this was a great outlet for his photography. He began to photograph these scenes in real life. This was a way to give him control over these hallucinations. He still has this condition but learning to photograph these scenes made it easier to maintain.

I have my own struggle with depression and anxiety. I got my first camera my junior year of high school. I immediately began hiking and spending time with people, always bringing my camera along. Photography gave me a sense of accomplishment and confidence. By capturing human emotions in a picture, I was able to feel alive. Spending time with people for the purpose of taking pictures gave me a place to escape from what was going on around me. I was able to solely focus on creating. It reminded me that life is about living in the moment. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Photography and writing taught me how to deal with things that I couldn’t have otherwise. It brings me a sense of success and that brought me to see what I was meant to do. I am meant to be a storyteller. I am meant to connect with people and experience the world with a pencil, notebook, and camera in my hand. Photography gave me that.