Maribeth Mills helps her dream of photography come to life by winning contest

Ever try and explain life through your love of a craft, a craft that you absolutely adore with a fiery passion? Capturing life and everything within it comes naturally to junior Maribeth Mills, through a Lens.

Mills entered the Texas PTA Reflections Contest with a photograph called The world would be a better place if, Eve never ate the apple and with it she made it to state.

For the contest, participants had to portray a specific meaning and feeling.

“We had to finish the sentence “the world would be a better place if…” and portray our answer in the artwork,” Mills said. “My answer was the world would be a better place if Eve never ate the apple.”

There are three levels to the contest: regional, state and national. Mills was ecstatic to discover she made it to state.

“I knew there was a chance of me making it this far since not everyone entered with photography, but I didn’t know I was going to make it to state.” Mills said. “I feel so excited about this accomplishment! I feel like my whole photography learning experience has led up to a moment like this.”

Photography is something Mills realized she had a passion for about two years ago.

“I picked up photography because it’s become a way to show the world how I see things,” Mills said. “I know that sounds totally cliché but it is true. What made me start though, was all the art I saw done by others on social media. It caused me to get completely inspired by the beauty around me.”

Mills uses photography to express her devotion to her religion.

“In my photo I wanted to show the temptation that Eve felt in the Garden of Eden when Satan, in the form of a snake, told her that if she ate the apple she would become more like God,” Mills said.

Mills uses her image, to show what she believes would cause the world to be perfect if Eve did not eat the apple.

“If you don’t know the story, in the end, Eve eventually ate the apple and this was not in God’s plan. This is what made the fall of the earth. If Eve never ate the apple then we would live in a perfect world.”