On November 11th, 2008, I woke up in a box, same as every other day. It was a boring life, just sitting in a box day in and day out. I couldn’t see anything it was so dark in there. I wished something interesting would happen, and it would have been nice if someone told me who I was.

But later that day, something finally happened! I was in my box as usual, but all of a sudden it felt like I was being moved. I could hear voices and laughter. Then a while later it was all quiet. I could hear only one voice, the voice of someone who was really happy. I could hear my box being opened, but I still couldn’t see. I thought I was blind! I could feel someone touching me, putting something in me, and then I heard a “click.” I could see! It was bright at first, but then I focused and could see that I was in a room. I saw someone looking at me; he was smiling, which made me smile and then his face brightened up. I could see many things around me, and that made me smile even more. A while later I went blind again. I was scared, but instead of the blackness that I expected, I could see images of what I saw earlier. I learned that I have an excellent memory, to remember exactly what I saw. I even remembered some “moving memories”, in which I could play back exactly what had happened. I was excited to know that no longer would I have to succumb to the darkness, because I would always have something to look back on.

For the next few days, I could see other people, apparently friends and family of my friend, the man who controls what I see. I felt safe in his hands, and I seemed to bring him much joy. Every time I looked at someone, they smiled, and that brought me much joy. At the end of each day I sat and reflected upon the day, but sometimes I never saw anything, and that made me worry, but sooner or later I could see again.

Before long I was seeing something else, something called the outdoors. I could see many things that were more interesting than the indoors. It was beautiful. I could see things called trees, birds, sky, grass, and clouds. But there was much more than just that. Every day I saw something new. I now knew what my home looked like, inside an out.

One day during the summer I woke up and I was somewhere I’ve never been before. I was scared, had someone taken me? No, I could see some familiar faces, but where was I? I later learned that it was the Farm. It’s a lovely place. Every time we go there, I get excited. It’s a place where gatherings are held and memories are made. It seems as if nothing bed ever happens there, it’s always beautiful, that’s why I have some wonderful memories from there. And it was on a trip there one cold, January day that I decided what I like to see more than anything else was something called the grand landscape. It was just a series of memorable snapshots, but they were beautiful. The sun was at the perfect angle, bursting through an opening in the clouds. The snow was glistening in the sun, with the cherry trees frozen in time. It was the most beautiful sunset I ever saw.

I soon realized that every winter, around the same time, I see a place that is very different than my home. It’s called Florida. I find it weird that it’s warm there while my home is freezing cold. I have wonderful memories of bright, shiny nights, aglow with neon lights, and the sound of the surf on a warm winter’s night. But even with all of that, plus palm trees, in the end I’m glad to come home.

My most wonderful series of memories came with a trip that happened this summer. It started out like any other camping trip I’ve been on. But once I saw the Mackinac Bridge, I knew something exciting was going to happen. Once we crossed the bridge, we entered a world to which reverence is owed. It’s a wondrous place, where, if you look in the right places, you’ll find something amazing. I saw so many things I’ve never seen before. I never knew a place like this existed. There were waterfalls everywhere, towering castles of rock, and water so clear, you can see a grain of sand in water 40ft deep. Though we stayed for only a week, when we left, I had a mind full of memories that I couldn’t wait to share with the world. And I would like to someday return to this land, and when I do, I’ll scream “I’m a Yooper!” loud and proud.

Memorable moments aren’t just from the farm, Florida, or Yooperland. There are memorable moments close to home as well. Whether it’s a memory of my friend at Homecoming, or a group of friends at a football game, it’s all something that I want to remember. And I think my friend is thankful that I’m there to capture a memorable snapshot of life.

You may think that, from what I’ve told you, I live worry free. Well I don’t. The one thing I dread, and it’s something that always has happened and most likely will happen again. It’s when I forget. I originally thought that I could remember everything, and that I would be able to cherish these memories forever. But after having these memories for a long time, they disappear. I remember the first time it happened to me. I was in absolute shock and horror one day when I couldn’t remember something. I could no longer see it in my mind. It was gone forever. I don’t know why it happens. Some memories I can hold on to longer than others. Some are here for months, and some are gone in an instant. Now, I can still remember my whole trip to the Upper Peninsula, and it’s been a while since it happened, so I’m worried that someday soon I’ll wake up one day and find that I no longer remember anything from that week in July.

After nearly three years of being with my friend, I still hadn’t figured out exactly who I was. I knew that I made people happy and could retain clear, vivid memories, but I just couldn’t figure out why I could do that. It’s puzzled me for a long time and I decided that I had to get a good look at myself. And that opportunity came for me not to long ago. One day my friend took me into a room and I looked at the wall. I could see him, and he was smiling, and I could see something in his hand, it was…me.

My name is Canon, and I am an artist. I have a beautiful eye that gives me and the beholder the ability to paint with light. With my friend, I turn what people see into works of art. I make people realize how beautiful the world around them really is. I capture moments before their gone forever. I take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. I make people think. I make people appreciate. I make people wonder. I make photographs, for I am the ghost in the machine.