Mia Cross shares the story behind her photograph Escape.

Life can be terrifying, it can be busy and stressful and you can feel like it’s consuming you. I struggle a lot, I often feel like the world is caving in on me and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. The pressure we’re put under as young people can be extremely overwhelming. Sometimes all you want to do is escape, feel what it’s like to be free of all the stresses in the world.

For a moment I felt that while standing here overlooking this view. 

Wales is a beautiful place, there’s so much free land, you can drive around the hills for hours just witnessing some of the most spectacular scenery. Me and my family went on a holiday there during the summer of 2020. Covid had just taken over our lives but restrictions were lifted and we were able to step away from our house that we’d been trapped in for so long. It was so amazing to be somewhere different, somewhere so mesmerizing. It was nature that really produced my love for the place. We stayed on a farm where we were surrounded by nothing but land, and the friendliest animals - that adored all the attention we were giving them. 

We went for a drive around the hills and stepped out for a while to admire the beauty. For a few minutes I felt so free, the wind in my hair, no buildings to be seen for miles, no reminder of the real world, just me, my family, and the cows. That’s when one cow decided they wanted to pose for a picture, it was the most surreal thing. It walked all the way up to us and perched itself on the peak of the hill, staying there for a few minutes like it was on top of the world, to let me take my perfect picture. I will never forget that moment, it was my escape. 

I’m now back in the real world, stressed and wishing for that freedom again. But sometimes it’s important to realise that life will never be easy, it will always be throwing obstacles at you; but you have to overcome them and maybe, just maybe you’ll feel that sweet release once again somewhere down the line. 

- Mia Cross