A Century Apart but a Timeless Creativity

The name Don Cravens may not be a household name, but his work and creative mind have changed the course of May Mei’s life. Mei, a sophomore at the George Washington University, is studying International Affairs and Photojournalism. Like Cravens, Mei’s eye has brought her around the world looking through the lens of her camera all in the name of building bridges of communication. The two share similar stories; Mei even found her love of photography in Cravens’ “Nervous Young Black Girl.” 

Despite being from Shanghai, Mei does not see the world within the bounds of Chinese culture. Raised in a family of Chinese intellectuals, she grew up surrounded by a creativity which, according to her, tends to be uncharacteristic of Chinese culture. Her father is an author and published writer who has always pushed the bounds of her creative writing skills, her mother an educator, and her aunt a Finnish businesswoman. She flourished in a creative home environment and international school environment, eventually turning to photography as a medium to communicate her passions. 

Born nearly a century before Mei, Don Cravens picked up a camera at 13 and knew it was meant to stay in his hands. Many of the iconic photographs featured on the History Channel, LIFE magazine, or textbooks were taken by Cravens. Lingering in the background of many defining moments of the 20th century, he captured them all with his camera. Among countless other events, he photographed D-Day, the Nuremberg Trials, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and even Elvis Presley on tour. 

Before Cravens was able to study photography in a formal setting, America went to war in Europe and he was conscripted into the army. Most people would see these as obstacles but his creativity shone through his circumstances. He landed in Normandy with a camera attached to his hip and photographed French president Charles de Gaulle standing next to Ernest Hemingway. 

While Mei was not drafted into a war, she did come from an environment that did not support her pursuit of photography or a concept as abstract as communication. The education system in China is much more rigid than in America. There is a college entrance exam much stricter than the SAT we grew up with in the U.S. In order to be admitted into a Chinese university, millions of Chinese students take the National College Entrance Examination, or the Gaokao. The test lasts a few days and covers a student’s 13 years of education in the school system. 

It is meant to even the playing field for students from different economic backgrounds and regions of the country. However, it also constraints students like Mei who thrive when pushing the boundaries of expectations. 

She expressed this discomfort through the best medium she knew; photography. “I would rather be an indifferent onlooker and develop my own personality than be assimilated,” May says. She decided to study photojournalism far from home, stating that “this is the best choice for me [being from] such a confined environment.”

Don Cravens was constantly torn between the different sides of the events he witnessed. He was even threatened with serious violence while taking pictures of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Cravens remembers being called ‘Whitey.’ He didn’t belong, but he didn’t need to. His pictures were able to capture a moment and show it to the world to create understanding where there wasn’t. Without Cravens’ pictures as proof, it would be hard to see the emotional toll felt by average citizens as a result of the Boycott. 

Mei hopes to follow in Cravens’ steps to promote understanding between people of different backgrounds through her photography. “I can tell it’s a big part of her life,” says Claudia Groeling, Mei’s friend at George Washington University. Groeling, a Chicago native, values Mei's presence in her life as a vastly different perspective than others around her. They discuss Chinese and American culture and politics together, teaching each other the intricacies interwoven in each. Mei is traveling to Chicago this summer and looks forward to the sights she’ll be able to capture while visiting Groeling this summer. 

Hailing from an international family, Mei has had the opportunity to travel frequently, with the shutter of her camera leading the way. Traveling to Denmark, Norway, Finland, Austria, and Sweden she has taken pictures the entire time. These travels have granted her a different perspective than most other 19-year-old Chinese students. “From an early stage she saw the world from a different lens that allowed her to question her reality,” says Omar Ricci. Ricci was Mei’s high school counselor who helped oversee her college application process and formation into the creative soul she embodies today. He remembers her inquisitiveness and curiosity for the world, “something sometimes difficult to find in mainland China.”

Mei and Cravens are two people born a century and half a world apart but share an inordinate amount of similarities. Books lined the shelves of her house, growing up with their ideas swirling around her head and opening up her mind. Mei’s camera has brought her around the world as a medium of finding meaning. Her photography crosses linguistic barriers and evokes feelings of emotions known by all. However, her journey into changing the world through communication has only just begun.