For the past seven months or so, I've felt more unsure about my place in the world than I ever have before. On a LITERAL daily basis I've mulled over my current career, my current city, my current state and even my current country. Although I love them all, I've never felt more okay with leaving them behind for a new chapter and a new adventure. In addition to, and possibly in conjunction with the thought of relocating, I'm finding myself exhausted by this consumerist society, and have therefore not only become increasingly conscious of what I purchase (and why I do), but have also begun to let go of many of my possessions. You wouldn't believe the items I've found in my closet that I haven't used, seen or even thought about since I moved into my place 6+ years ago. It makes me a little sad to think that I've traded some of my precious time on this earth to earn money in order to buy things that just end up sitting in a box somewhere. I suspect that even my most prized possessions will mean nothing to me on my death bed. The process of shedding possessions has already been extremely therapeutic for me, and I feel it leading me towards more clarity in my life. And while I'm just getting started, I am insanely motivated to learn as much as I can from the experience, and hopefully pass some of it along to others throughout the process. I guarantee this will not be the last time I bring up this topic, but I'll leave it here for now.
"The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything." -Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club)
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This is a drone shot I took at one of my favorite places near Mount Lassen. The late storms we got this year brought fairly significant amounts of water which cascaded down the mountains and eventually passed through this pretty little valley. As you can see, it created a few really interesting channels of water throughout the meadow, which was beautiful enough from the ground, but even more striking from the air. A perfect spring day to wander and to wonder, to be calm and to be quiet.
"When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest." -Ernest Hemingway This is a different angle from a previous photo I shared, and will likely conclude my "winter scene" obsession for this year. The season has changed, and perhaps it's time that I do as well. And to be honest, my life sort of feels like it's going through a season change of it's own. I'm looking much more closely at where I spend my time, my energy, my money and my happiness. And am considering a massive overhaul, in many different parts of my life. I'm going to leave it at that for now, but I'll likely be sharing more of my thoughts with you before too long.
"In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety." -Abraham Maslow I'm really enjoying this winter series I've been working on lately. For most of my photographic career I have fallen very short with regards to winter scenes; I simply didn't have many photos to work with. And certainly none that I would consider worthy enough to hang on someone's wall as a print. But I feel like that finally changed this year thanks to a few very fortunate days in Tahoe and Lassen. I'm becoming really proud of the photos I've been sharing lately, and I hope you are too.
"If you love your work, you’ll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and pretty soon everybody around will catch the passion from you – like a fever." -Sam Walton |
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