"I went to high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I am one of a handful of graduates from my class to go to college, let alone leave the state. I never wanted to leave, I wanted to stay home and do drugs with my buddies. I got my first camera when I turned 16. I started taking pictures of my friends which is how this project was conceived. Due to the encouragement from my high school photography teacher and the fear I felt when people around me started dying, I left and went to college. I realize now I was really just running away. Mine is not a unique story and I think I deserve a lot worse than I got." 'I Love It Here, I Hate It Here' is a photographic diary of the last 5 or so years of my life focused primarily on the difficulty I had leaving my hometown Chattanooga, Tennessee. Over the years, I would reconnect with old friends, photograph them, and write on the experience. These photographs and writings were combined with photographs and mementos from my high school years to form an imperfect portrait of my experience. The work is personal in its approach and utilizes both photographs and text. The work is transparent, yet is shaped by personal perception and bias.