This is basically a life update, spawned by a recent epihany whilst talking with my friend Blake. Take everything with a grain of salt as some of it may sound a little far fetched, but this is just the prelimnary outline. Anyways, in a sense I have more or less found a direction for my life, something I have been woefully lacking until now. Below is outlined the general structure of that plan. Obviously since this whole concept is in its infancy there is much that is subject to change im sure

Really only in the past couple of hours things have really started to come together to form some semblance of a plan. Though it may sound somewhat like a pipe dream in some aspects, I think its actually more feasible than it might seem at first so bare with my while I divulge the general outline.

As you know ive long been conflicted about what I actually want to do, if college was going to be the catalyst for that path etc. We talked in some detail about that, and thus far I still have come to the same conclusion that I would (atleast for now) continue to build my own portfolio outside of college. The primary reason being the expense, the uncertainty that there would be any payoff and the state of the economy / country. The end point is still the same, one just involves formal education and the other involves self teaching. As far as the technical aspects of photography, I can handle that on my own, its more or less the lack of knowledge concerning how to implement those skills as a marketable trade that concerns me. However, I think by connecting with people in the field of photography and learning first hand from those in the field, rather than in the classroom, I can get that knowledge (and probably much more to boot!)

Currently im saving for better equipment as I have exhausted the capabilities of my current camera and need higher quality tools to accomplish my goal. The camera im currently saving for is the Canon 5DMkII (the one I rented for the roadtrip.) Until then im kind of at an impass, unable to really progress at the speed I know I would like to (or can.) Thats just the nature of the beast at the moment though and ill still continue to develop any other skills that arent equipment dependent.

This is the part that might sound more like a pipe dream than a feasible reality. As ive travled across the country, and subsequently as I start exploring more of the pacific northwest, its unlocked a kind of hunger. I've come to the conclusion that I dont want to really settle anywhere, and probably not till retirement. My goal is to build a portfolio, and then establish a career (this part is kind of vague). The career part is very open ended, but I would like to build one as a solo photographer, and eventually make my living off of selling prints, and selling my skills to institutions like Nat Geo or Discovery that need people to go out and capture places, people, and things for their productions. Like I said, that part is kind of vague but its going to be that way until I can get more insight and progress further up the chain towards that goal.

Back to the part about traveling and not settling though. The underlying idea is once I have established a career, ( and this step might even be part of establishing my career) to travel non stop, firstly all over U.S and North Amercia, and then the world, documenting, and shooting photos of everything from people to scenery. I basically want to forgo having an apartment or house, and live out of an expeditionary vehicle such as:

[link]

Obviously there would be considerable expense tied to such an investment, the models on that website start at 110k but it would be the catalyst to allow me to do what I want (there are also many cheaper models available elsewhere to start with) You can also see the larger model on that same website that would be more feasible to live out of. The advantage being that I would forgo paying rent, property tax, and all associated property related fees, the disadvantage being that I would then transfer some of those expenses to owning such a vehicle and traveling. Doing some of the math though I think forgoing a static home for a mobile one would still be more cost effective in the long run.

Ultimately the underlying idea is to fund the venture, WITH the venture if that makes any sense. I would basically be traveling, living out of this mobile living space and that would also be my "job" in a way.

Think of it as a reverse of what many people do upon retirement. Selling their home and putting most of their belongings in storage, purchasing an RV then traveling till the end of their days. I basically want to do that, in reverse forgoing ever owning a home unless changing circumstances dictate that as a best option. Instead of doing that as a retirement, I would be doing that as a career, and then maybe "retiring" to the house in NC someday if the circumstances allow.

I know this probably sounds crazy, and very much like a pipe dream, but I have been looking extensively into the feasibility of such a venture and if I can establish myself at an appropriate skill / career level and I can market the fruits of my travel as a reliable income  then I believe 100% that it is a venture that is attainable, and something I can feel 100% confident in setting my lifes goals on.

Working in the field of photography, and subsequently doing so while traveling thus far has really awakened a sense of direction, something I have been nearly devoid of up until now. I want my lifes ambition to be dedicated to that direction, to see everything that god has blessed this planet with, to document it and to show the rest of the world too. Moving and traveling has made me realize that I dont think I will ever be satisfied in one place, doing anything but photography.

The thing is, up until now I have used the future to escape the present. Living day by day thinking that if I just keep moving forward, things will come together, that if I make it to tomorrow maybe my dreams will come back to me. For so long I've been using the thought of the future to escape what I hated in the present that I never really lived in the present. I was living in a future that didn't even have a discernible form and not living in the present at all. That has changed though, for now the present holds the key to the future I have longed to obtain. With this camera in my hand I hold the one true arbiter for all my thoughts, my dreams, my love and ambition. Standing at the foot of some remote waterfall crafting an image and capturing a fraction of this world, freezing it in an instant of perfection is where I want to spend my life.

Ive always been fascinated by landscapes – places that are absolutely desolate, where I can stay one on one with nature. For me, the growing joy right before pressing the shutter button as well as the possibility of interacting with the world filled with inspiration is as important as the creative act itself. This initial fascination has rapidly grown into obsession that has taken control of my life

We are here to live our lives so well, that death will tremble to take us...