Until now I was at a loss when deciding what to write for this week’s entry. This happens more often than you’d think. I go through my day, and as the thought comes up I push it away and focus again on what I was doing. Eventually, though, I must sit down and face the blank page. So here I am.
This project started after I was inspired by Corey Rich’s book, Stories Behind the Images, which is heavily focused on the pictures themselves (which makes sense given Corey is a prolific adventure photographer), so my mindset went in the same direction at first. I wanted to tell stories about particular images from my life/career. I don’t have 25+ years of incredible images to pull from, but I do have a Google Photos timeline with thousands of random moments from the last 5+ years of my life. On days like this, when inspiration doesn’t strike of its own accord, I browse through that timeline. In it, I see my professional photography and videos, I see short video clips I’ve taken over the years, and I see random photos from random moments I’ve since forgotten.
No doubt there is a story behind each and every one. I could pick one at random, connect the dots to the context of the my life at that time, flesh out a story, and send it out to you. But I also feel a responsibility through this newsletter to offer a bit more depth if I am able. Maybe it’s some sort of lesson learned, or a bit of truth, or a sense of change and growth. The truth is that these moments, these images, these stories, have all changed me in some way. Some more than others.
I came to a realization earlier this week. There are a little over 50 people currently on this email list, and in the past few weeks, roughly 40% open these emails consistently. That’s about 20. Of those 20, I made the assumption that maybe 5 of them end up reading the full story or most of it.
The number alone sounds small, but when I did this simple calculation, it hit me like a brick. 5 people, who have thousands of stories of their own, sat with me this week and opened themselves up to what I have to offer. They let my story change them in some small way, even if just for a moment. That’s heavy, and it’s already more than I had hoped to get out of this whole experiment.
This week isn’t much of a story but an update, or a touch point 29 weeks into this journey. I thought I would share with you what this moment calls for in my eyes, and that is some candid reflection. And so the image above is one I took just a few minutes ago while I was writing this to you.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for sticking with me and reading this. I don’t take your attention for granted and I’m humbled by your openness to take in what I have to offer you. I look forward to continuing to grow through this process, if 2020 doesn’t kill me first.
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