Ten years ago, I used the hashtag #HelpMadisonMeetPOTUS to pursue a dream that seemed impossible: photographing the President of the United States with professional credentials. That dream became reality. Now, ten years later, with the same determination and discipline, I introduce #HelpMadisonPhotographBTS, a three-month campaign to photograph or interview BTS during their Tampa tour stop. Throughout this campaign, I will show up daily, revisiting the drawings I created while waiting for their return and analyzing the music that inspired me to begin again.

When I first heard about BTS, it was through a solo performance streamed to my phone from Lollapalooza. That member was J-Hope. Watching him perform inspired me to pick my camera back up after years of abandoning photography. It felt as if he gave me permission to ignore society’s standards and begin again, this time pursuing concert photography. That moment happened in my small bedroom just a few miles from Tampa, Florida. I sat inches from my phone and watched the entire two-hour stream. In every song, his passion reignited my desire to create.

That moment felt ironic. A few miles from that same bedroom is where I first began my photography journey, chasing my earliest dream at eight years old: photographing the President of the United States, a dream that came true when I was nine. It was also there where I later gave up on my craft. I became consumed with what society told me I should do and stopped believing in the value of my art. I chose what felt more “stable” instead.

Before stepping away, I had set a goal to photograph Former President Barack Obama. I pursued it using the hashtag #HelpMadisonMeetPOTUS, and within a year I photographed him, along with Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, and others. But as my studies intensified, I convinced myself that art was not practical. That belief shifted the night I watched J-Hope perform. Something sparked. In the same place where I once began and later quit, I found the courage to dream again. All because of an artist from Korea, 7,000 miles away.

I picked my camera back up and began rebuilding my skills, only to learn that BTS would soon pause group activities due to mandatory military service in South Korea. I was devastated. I had just found the artists who reignited my dreams, and now I would have to wait. Even so, I chose to wait.

While waiting, I leaned into another passion: drawing. I decided to draw every single day until their return. Night after night, I sat at my dark wood desk racing against the clock. Through this challenge, my skills grew and I realized another dream of becoming a painter. At the same time, I returned to photography, shooting events ranging from soccer matches to Florida’s Reggae Rise Up festival. I continued writing for KidFash Magazine, where I began at nine years old, and interviewed the first hard of hearing K-Pop group, Big Ocean. I balanced dual enrollment coursework, art, photography, and deadlines, drawing every night before midnight. Through it all, I grew into the person I believed I was created to be.

Eventually, I graduated high school and took a 20-hour flight to South Korea to witness the end of my challenge. I saw BTS for the first time at Goyang Stadium in Seoul. J-Hope took the stage to close his solo tour while the other members sat across the arena. Watching him perform, I felt my dream reaffirmed. That night marked the culmination of over 500 days of waiting and dedication, drawing BTS every single day until their return. I cried, overwhelmed by how daily discipline carried me across the world to see the artists who inspired it all.

After the concert, the only food available was a cup of 사리곰탕, Sarigomtang. At one in the morning, I sat eating it and reflecting on my journey and what came next. Now, back in Florida months later, I write this post eating the same cup noodles, thinking about the same dreams, and taking another step toward them.

BTS has now released their world tour dates. Their third stop is my hometown, Tampa, Florida. A few miles from the stadium is the desk where I drew each member for over 550 days. A few miles away is where I picked up my camera at age three and started my business at seven. Across the street is a news station that interviewed me at nine and ten years old. In 2026, the artists who reignited my love for art will perform where my life began to unfold.

This felt like a sign. I decided to do what I have always done best: fight for the dream and show up every day while waiting.

This may seem impossible. But it once seemed impossible for a nine-year-old to photograph the President of the United States using a professional camera and press credentials. Yet that dream became reality. Now, ten years later, with the same determination and discipline, I introduce #HelpMadisonPhotographBTS, a three-month campaign to photograph or interview BTS during their Tampa tour stop. I will continue showing up daily, revisiting the drawings I created while waiting for their return, and analyzing their music in anticipation of what is to come.

I have done this before. And I am doing it again.