When I was 22 years old, I found myself at a crossroads.

I had two choices.

Either followed a safe path laid out for me, like go to college, get a practical degree,

and find a lifelong J-O-B that provides security, Or, on the other hand, take a much less certain route, the route of pursuing my passions and my personal creativity.

Turns out that what I saw in that moment was how traditional employment was being increasingly burdened by a rapidly changing culture and

a very dynamic and evolving economy. I saw student debt, the eroding of efficacy of college degrees,

and a future were the jobs that I wanted and how I wanted to spend my life's work,

how all that was influencing my thinking.

That was when I began to see the classically safe path as increasingly risky.

And as such, I chose differently in that moment.

I chose to become a photographer, and I never looked back.

Now, I don't want to sugarcoat this thing because it wasn't always easy.

You know, I walked away from the careers that my parents, that my friends and those career counselors in high school and college wanted for me,

the professional soccer, medical school, a PhD in philosophy. But I promise, walking away felt

right deep in my heart, in my soul, I knew it was the right thing. In fact, just as I found

myself starting to break through and making

enough money as a freelance photographer to survive, I discovered something that was every bit

as life affirming as my own wants and needs. I discovered the creative community. There's a world full of other makers and doers and builders, creators, entrepreneurs.

It was a huge, massive motivator to know that there were other people out there who shared

similar interests and saw a future rich with possibility.

To that end, I started sharing as much as I could, putting

so much energy, as much energy as I was putting into my commercial photo shoots, I was putting

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