During my time at Civitella in October 2025, I immersed myself in developing new photographs for my ongoing project Rise, which reimagines Indigenous resistance and survival through cinematic storytelling. The quiet rhythms of the castle and surrounding landscape allowed me to refine my visual language—balancing research, writing, and long walks that shaped new ideas. The time and space to focus without interruption reminded me how deeply environment influences creative process, and how dialogue with other Fellows can expand one’s artistic vocabulary in unexpected ways.