a bad native

On January 1, 2016 I met a new friend who sparked my desire to become a better Colorado native. After New Year's Eve, my friends and I peeled ourselves out of bed and went to brunch. A guy at the restaurant had a puppy. Of course, I had to go introduce myself to her.

Just look at little Lucy Mae.

Enter Cory - Lucy Mae's human. Cory is from South Carolina and at the time had only been in Colorado a few months, yet already explored so much more of my state than I had in 23 years. Since that day, I've made a huge effort to check items off my Colorado bucket list. 

In the process of going through that bucket list, I discovered a love of capturing and editing photo and video content. 

Many of my most meaningful memories over the years have involved music. A few times live music has even brought me to tears because of the overwhelming joy I felt radiating from my chest. These moments and this feeling used to be rare. Nothing else had given me this feeling like live music. Until I made my first short video. 

A friend invited me on a 5 day river rafting trip that spring and I was hesitant to go. Thanks to the fire Cory lit, I decided to go. I bought an absurd amount of extra batteries and a few extra MicroSD cards for my GoPro. I was fully prepared to annoy my comrades with a camera all week long. I coerced my friends into providing good footage by telling them to say “hey GoPro” and provide an update on our current conditions every time I pointed the lens at them. Thus, “Hey GoPro” was born. 

After the trip, I was hooked on editing the hours and hours of GoPro footage I captured. There were several nights I came home from work, sat down at my desk, and didn't move from my chair until it was time to get ready for work in the morning. I would bring my computer and external hard drive to the office and hit Starbucks on my lunch break to edit. I couldn't get enough.

I finished a 6 minute short about the week spent on the San Juan River and there were a few happy tears the first time I watched it all the way through.

I caught the feeling I had been chasing.

My eye and editing skills have definitely changed and improved since the iMovie creation of this short video.

You've seen the videos, posts, and the letters urging young people and millennials to put down the phones, cameras, and recording devices. They urge us to enjoy the moment and push the notion that not everything needs to be documented or shared. While I agree social media and the desire to overshare and even show off has taken over in some ways, it isn't all negative. 

People create and share in an effort to recreate feelings. To savor moments. To share feelings with loved ones. To harness the joy and happiness.

I have made a very conscious effort to discern what needs to be captured from which moments should be relished in without technology. I don't feel that recording and capturing detaches me from enjoying the moments I choose to document. In fact, it often does the opposite and engages me more. I pay attention to little details I may have otherwise missed. I work to find new creative angles.

New perspectives and ways of looking at life - literally and metaphorically.  

I've been chasing all sorts of Colorado adventures and preserving them. Holding on to and reliving those feelings again and again after they've come and gone. 

Everyone you meet has something to bring to the table and something to teach you.

Thanks Cory (and Lucy Mae) for igniting a wildfire.