My name is Olivia Cook and I am an MS/PhD student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro studying Human Development and Family Studies.  Although my primary job is as a developmental scientist, I continue to pursue my work as an artist mainly through freelance photography.  After receiving a certificate in studio art from the University of Wisconsin, I have continued to build my identity as an artist through my experiences in the social science realm.

     When I take portraits of families and individuals, I am able to capture a precious moment in their development—whether it's a significant life event, or simply a time in their life they would like to remember.  Part of my research in family science centers around family processes of meaning-making and the celebration of the mundane.  My process as an artist echoes this: photography is the preservation of the everyday, because the “everyday” is often forgotten.  My joy as a photographer comes from when I get to help clients capture and celebrate this everyday magic.