“What is love?” It’s a question whose answer is as fluid as feelings themselves. Most of us were introduced to the idea of love through our parents, then came the fairy tales we were read, teen heartbreak probably pursued in some form or another, and now most of us find ourselves in our 20s or 30s, likely to still be navigating just what the fuck love is.
Google throws up a couple of extremely simple definitions, that it’s 1. a strong feeling of affection. 2. a great interest and pleasure in something and/or 3. (verb) feel deep affection or sexual love for (someone). If you’ve ever been in love or even just near love, then you’ll know that it’s a little more complicated than Google wants us to believe.
21-year-old Jamaican-born, Atlanta-based photographer Julius High has been taking to the streets of Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles armed with a Polaroid camera and that very question for an ongoing project. Planning to hit more cities around the world in the pursuit of an answer, he explains, “I have proposed this question because I want to know how people from different intersections, such as class, race, gender, and sexuality define the concept... I like to know what they first think about when they hear the word.” And after hearing dozens of interpretations, what does love mean to High? “Love is a light.” Below he shares with us some of the people (and their answers) that he has met along the way.
Samia Hampstead, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Aw shit, love is... Love is... Love is comfort. Love is wanting to go home. That’s all I have for you.”
JAYCINA ALMOND, 21, ATLANTA, GA, JULY 2016
Jaycina Almond, Atlanta, GA, July 2016, July 2016Photography Julius High
“Choosing the same person over and over again, even when the butterflies have worn off and it seems like you've run out of things to talk about 'cause you can predict what they are thinking at this point. Yep, it's choosing the same person over and over no matter what.”
ASHIA BROWN, 22, ATLANTA, GA
Ashia Brown, Atlanta, GA, June 2016Photography Julius High
“Woah ... That's deep. Well, the first thing that popped into my mind is that love is the absence of all fear ... And an unfolding of all that is true.”
LIA VIALVA, 20, ATLANTA, GA
Lia Vialva, Atlanta, GA, July 2016Photography Julius High
“I honestly don't know what love is anymore. I don't know if it even exists.”
JABARI ANDERSON, 21, ATLANTA, GA
Jabari Anderson, Atlanta, GA, July 2016Photography Julius High
“I have a lot of love to give, not even necessarily the romantic type but not everybody deserves your love because they want to use it against you.”
DESIREE DECOTEAU, 30, NICOLE SULLIVAN, 22, ATLANTA, GA
Desiree DeCoteau and Nicole Sullivan, Atlanta, GA, June 2016Photography Julius High
Desiree Decoteau: “Love to me, is the total acceptance of ourselves and others. To love is to be without judgement, to truly accept someone for who they are. I love you!”
Nicole Sullivan: “My interpretation of love... Hmm, what’s yours? Mine is... if I could say one word I would say I don’t know. I feel people sometimes think love is something to be accomplished. Love is practice, practice that takes discipline. That was hard.”
T.SEARCY, 19, CAMERON TOBIAS, 23, ATLANTA, GA
T.Searcy and Cameron Tobias, Atlanta, GA, June 2016Photography Julius High
T.Searcy: “Fuck.. I don’t know, this is a hard question. It’s so obvious I feel. I feel like everyone is going to say a similar thing. I think it’s mostly about finding comfort. It’s allowing yourself to be vulnerable to people. Not people actually, but things in general. I never really understood how. Well, I mean I have a lot of love for my friends because I have never found that in my family, especially. I don’t believe that I love my mother, but I don't know. Is that all you need from me? I don’t always think that love is a good thing, positive in a way. I feel that so many people put themselves in situations where 'Love conquers all’ but I don’t think that's very practical. So fuck love.”
Cameron Tobias: "Love allows your inner child to continue to live. It's uncontrollable, yet freeing, and it's the most beautiful thing."
MIKAYLA RODRIQUEZ, 17, ATLANTA, GA
Mikayla Rodriquez, Atlanta, GA, July 2016Photography Julius High
“Love is something that you can’t see or touch, it’s what you feel. What you have in you every day, the way you speak, to the colour of your hair and your habits. Everything is made up of love somehow, even ourselves. When you know you love something, you just know.”
ELAYSIA ROBINSON, 19, AND RAVEN WHITE, 20, ATLANTA, GA
Elaysia Robinson and Raven White, Atlanta, GA, July 2016Photography Julius High
Elaysia Robinson: “Love is an action. It’s giving someone or something unconditional support no matter the circumstances.”
Raven White: “I would say it's an exchange of energy from two people that become one.”
GRIER SMITH, 19, ATLANTA, GA
Grier Smith, Atlanta, GA, July 2016Photography Julius High
“Love is... unfathomable. A feeling that cannot be expressed by words, it’s putting someone before yourself. It’s unconditional, it exists in a plethora of dimensions. It’s infinite.”
CAMILLE HANLAM, 18, AND ANAJAH HAMILTON, 18, NEW YORK, NY
Camille Hanlam and Anajah Hamilton, New York, NY, July 2016Photography Julius High
Camille Hanlam: “It's something more powerful than a feeling, more like a force. We all need it as soon as we are born and everyone craves love, it's what makes us people. Every good feeling you feel has something to do with love and if it's anything less then that just means it's not there. I realised that there's no such thing as hate but rather an absence of love and we need more of that.”
Anajah Hamilton: “Love is a feeling that people feel when they genuinely care about you and have the best intentions for you. They see something in you that no one else, not even yourself, can see. They give you what you deserve and treat you the way they truly feel about you, with love and compassion.”
NASSIER HARVEY, 20, NEW YORK, NY
Nassier Harvey, New York, NY, July 2016Photography Julius High
“Love is knowing that you will always have my back. Love is protecting you from harm and wanting the best. Love is wanting to grow with you and die with you. Love is waking up next to someone and feeling a bond that you won't ever want to break. Love is wanting someone to ride and die with you. Love is putting them first. Love is so much.”
OLIVIA BAILEY, 17, NEW YORK, NY
Olivia Bailey, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Umm... Love is commitment; love is caring for somebody deeply. Love is an action. Love...is like I don't know, like what is love? I don't know what it is to be honest. It's kinda hard to describe.”
TAYLOR COWARD, 17, NEW YORK, NY
Taylor Coward, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Wow… umm, love… Damn. You caught me off guard, I was expecting something about life and shit. Love is appreciating someone for who they are no matter what their flaws are. You kinda like, just look past that and see the good in that person even if there's a lot of bad. The good overshadows that.”
GABRIELLE RICHARDSON, 21, NEW YORK, NY
Gabrielle Richardson, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Oooooh! I think love is just really... I don’t think it’s just loving. I think you can fall in love with multiple people. I love my friends and the people I’m in relationships with. I can love my friends just as much as I love the person I’m in a relationship with. I can love someone I just met. I can love someone just because they’re alive and thriving.”
B. JOLLY, 21, NEW YORK, NY
B. Jolly, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Hmm, like mutual understanding and support between you and another person, or at least romantic love is. Beyond the physical, it’s feeling totally yourself and being praised for it. I don’t know. Yeah.”
GISELLE HERNANDEZ, 21, NEW YORK, NY
Giselle Hernandez, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Umm, my personal interpretation of love is that it is the essence of all being. Like God is love, so love is God and since we’re made in the image and likeness of God, we are all love. And umm, you know, it just takes personal experience and journey to find that back out ‘cause we definitely know it, but we forget so you know. That’s what love is, it’s in all of us.”
SAGE ADAMS, 19, NEW YORK, NY
Sage Adams, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“I don’t know. Wanting to do something for people more than you want to do for yourself.”
CHRISTIAN DION, 19, NEW YORK, NY
Christian Dion, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Uhh, what, what? My interpretation of love. This is such a good one. Do you really wanna see this? I mean, I guess it’s not something you can force. It’s literally just a natural type of thing. You see, when you force it, it doesn’t really go well. I mean, I don’t know. No one knows how love looks, it just comes from within. Is that good enough?”
MEL RENEE, 26, NEW YORK, NY
Mel Renee, New York, NY. August 2016Photography Julius High
“My interpretation of love is two partners in life and in crime. Sharing a life and helping each other to grow, to learn, and to be happy. A relationship that doesn't involve those things isn't love.... just an illusion.”
QUINTESSA MEEKINS, 19, NEW YORK, NY
Quintessa Meekins, New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Well, when I think about love I think mostly about self-love and being able to have self-love. Then being able to look in the mirror and love yourself and transferring all of that admiration and respect to another person.”
ZIGGY MACK JOHNSON, 20, NEW YORK, NY
Ziggy Mack Johnson. New York, NY, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Um, my personal interpretation of love is that it is an unconditional feeling and no matter how mad, or angry, no matter how twisted your mind is about that person, you’re still going to love that person. Love does not stop a person from doing what is right. I feel that love is such a powerful thing, but it doesn’t make harmful things okay. God is love. I think anything about God is love. Love alternatively has such power, it’s hard to have a meaning for love. Damn, what was the question?”
ZOE MARTIN, 21, LOS ANGELES, CA
Zoe Martin, Los Angeles, CA, August 16Photography Julius High
“The love you have for yourself. It shines through in everything you do. For example, being able to dance in public shows that you love yourself. Or also, if you allow a person to disrespect you then that shows the love (or lack of) that you have for yourself. Honey, I love myself enough for two people.”
TYLOR HURD, 18, LOS ANGELES, CA
Tylor Hurd, Los Angeles, CA, August 2016Photography Julius High
“Love... Geez, I guess love is when... fuck, I don’t know... happiness like, having something or someone you can be around all day. Something you can do all day without being bored. You can spend all day with them sitting in silence. Love is joy – that’s all I got for you.”
JERROD LA RUE BATY, 21, LOS ANGELES, CA
Jerrod La Rue Baty, Los Angeles, CA, August 2016Photography Julius High
“For me, I think love is not something that is physical. I think that you can find it in anything and not just a person. Love is what I feel in colours, moods, and settings. It’s not something I necessarily feel from someone else. I don’t entirely believe in falling in love with someone. Feelings are temporary. It’s stronger in other aspects like the sun setting and the ocean, it’s always present in something that is always there. Not saying, I don’t believe in loving someone else, but there’s more things that you love without knowing, the little things.”
Follow High’s ongoing project as he travels the world asking about love, here
