Here’s what I’ve experienced over the last thirty-days on Youtube.

This was a very educational year, because failure is one of the best teachers. I had many failures this year. And no, I’m not talking about personal or moral failures. I’m talking about creative failures. There were things I wanted to do this year, and despite the effort, failed at doing.

I’m going to jump into the list of those who inspire me, in no particular order. If you follow the links, you may even see their influence on my work - from their compositions to their edits.

I’ve been really uninspired for a while, now. In fact, I’m probably in one of my longest seasons of personal drought. I’m aware of the things that are hampering my creativity, which is honestly one of the hardest things to identify.

Let’s start with the obvious. There are many film simulations out there, especially on your smart phone. If you’re looking for a quick and convenient way to snap some film pics, I’d recommend going that route. But if you want to dive deeper into your editing style, some tricks for a bit of that nostalgic or filmic look, and grow as an artist, then these thoughts are for you.

The following blog was one I wrote a few years ago, but I wanted to bring it home to this website rather than where it was first published. Before I jump into it, some context may be needed.

I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot. There seems to be this mindset that your success comes at the expense of others. There certainly is truth to this mindset in some industries and some circumstances in life.

Traveling can be incredibly exciting and life giving. You get to see new things, expand your experiences, and if done well, rest and recharge. That said, travel can be pretty stressful as well.

Late last summer, I bought a Vanagon from a guy in Santa Cruz. I had been looking for one for several years, but hadn’t found anything that was a good fit. I was looking for something mostly mechanically sound (as I’m no mechanic), and something that was ready to be renovated.

This post is about culture. Not culture in terms of society, but culture as in the culture in which I conduct myself. Did you know that we all have cultural values we live out every day? Our decisions are guided by them. As you live them out, even your impulses become guided by them.

I love meeting new creatives, and I recently got to hang with an incredible photographer from Sacramento named David Thuman. Check out his work here. My friend Jacob and I headed to Monterey to meet up with David, and the three of us went down into Big Sur.

I was super stoked to be invited to shoot the Onewheel Racing League in San Jose this past weekend.

I use to be kind-of fat, depending on who you ask. If you asked me, yeah… I was fat.

I have been writing for most of my adult life. I use to journal…publicly. Anyone remember Xanga?

And as someone with diverse creative endeavors, I’ve leveraged everything in my abilities to travel. Let me share an example.