SAD GURLZ is a collaborative project between myself and photographer, Sam Lichtenstein. We began this project after getting tired of being told to smile and look happy. Why do girls always have to look happy? Why do we always have to be smiling? What if we're not happy? We began to photograph portraits and still lives using colored backgrounds, aiming to represent how we felt. We quickly gained traction throughout New York City, and began photographing a vast array of girls. Each participant picked their own theme that they felt represented them and designed their own still lives.