Five years ago I was asked a simple question, “What would you like to accomplish in five years?” Out of that question came my idea to create Keptabsorbed. At the time, I did not know if my passion for photography was strong enough to help me develop and create Keptabsorbed. Since 1999, I have been working hard to gather a collection of photos that I took between 1998 and 2004. I wanted my photos to be a gateway for the viewer to look into my world and experience what I witnessed through my involvement in hip hop, street, and youth culture as well as my community, political, and social activism. A piece of my dream became very real when I made Keptabsorbed. I now know that photography is my passion, and that my passion will take me on many more journeys near and far so that I can continue to communicate to the world what I see, experience, and witness. With the help and support of my family, friends, and community, I present Keptabsorbed, a collection of photos inspired by life and made real because of my dream.