Several months ago, I stepped out of my East Village apartment onto First Avenue when I saw this inspiring message ”Become Your Dream” written in chalk. My immediate thought was, “that would make an awesome greeting card”. I kept the photo on file for a while until one day I see an ad for the the Reyataz 2006 “Fight HIV Your Way” Photography Contest sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
The contest was recognizing the many ways to fight HIV with the words and images of those who do it every day. I thought this was the perfect place to present such a photo. In 50 words or less, you had to explain what the image said to you. I stated “Pursue your dreams now because just like a message written in chalk, they could be gone tomorrow. Time is one of our most precious assets.” Fortunately, I do not suffer from the virus, but being an active member of the gay community, I felt this was my way of contributing to the awareness.
My photo was chosen as one of the fifty first place winners and was featured in a traveling exhibit that kicked of at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station. This exhibit gave visitors the opportunity to experience the fight against HIV through someone else’s eyes. The exhibit then traveled to Washington, D.C., South Beach, F.L., Venice Beach, C.A. And San Francisco, C.A. The photo will be one of the 101 that were selected to be printed in a full-color, hard cover book.
You can get more information on the contest by visiting www.reyatazphotocontest.com
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