Ruth Sawyer said: "To be a good storyteller, one must be gloriously alive. It is not possible to kindle fresh fires from burned-out embers. The best of the traditional storytellers are those who live close to the heart of things—to the earth, sea, wind, and weather. They have known solitude, silence. They have been given unbroken time in which to feel deeply, to reach constantly for understanding."
The yearning, nomadic nature of that quote describes me perfectly. I don’t subscribe to labels, and I certainly don’t live in any boxes. In fact, I wouldn’t say I live in any one place. My life has seen me all over this country and my images are little glimpses of that.
I’ve always been the type of person to pick up my boots and gear and get going wherever the urge takes me. It’s not that I’m an erratically spontaneous person though; in fact I am an INFJ- a critical thinker. I’m fundamentally organized but I see the value in an intuition-led life: following opportunity. Saying Yes more than No and allowing the “what if” of any given situation to play out. Ahimsa guides me (no harm to others) to be a generous listener and to meet others where they are.
This philosophy has led me to pastures of cowboys and horses and urban neighborhoods filled with hardship; to naked, unsexualized men; and to curate a controversial art show. (Wylde Women: A celebration of the female figure in a very conservative Texas town.)
My mindset led me to a dream: spending 18 months campaigning to go on tour with the enigma that is Josh Groban. I had won a media pass to one of his shows. After watching his magnetic performance where an arena of 18,000 people went completely still, I saw music in a visual form. I spent several years shooting live music and learning the art form. During the course of this time, I was pretty sure I knew what Josh Groban was up to next (maybe because we share the same birthday). I campaigned for 18 months on social media. I even made a video that garnered 50k views. Alas he did not hear me….and so I moved on.
You could say my experience has been tapas-style. And I thrive off of this project-based system I’ve created for myself. All this isn’t to say I see myself as some worldly, pretentious jackass. The people & creatures I’ve met have painted me with compassion.
It is simply impossible to hate what you understand and I’ve come to know many stories. The purpose of my photos is to help someone learn those tales, to touch their emotions and bring them where I was that day. I ask them to join me in a shared empathetic experience.
Photo by Jim Edmondson