The year 2024 has been in full-swing for close to three whole months, but its not too late for me to take steps toward more intention as it pertains to my site, my work, and my creativity for the remainder of the year. One area that was high on my “to do” list has been new business cards, seeing that certain information has changed. One thing that persisted and carried over from last year was real estate agents, brokers, and general contractors asking for business cards while on site of properties. These request always gave me the jitters; my cards always seemed inappropriate because they have always been just a means to discuss future creative or art-related projects. I had nothing specific to real estate, construction, aerial, or interior design work that I’m available for. Well, here they are and I’m quite please with them! Here’s to generating more buzz, marketing myself better, and being better prepared for future opportunities.

About 25 years or so ago I was an independent contractor for a successful air courier service providing time-sensitive pick up and delivery logistics for the entertainment, corporate, financial, and legal industries. The variety of materials I either picked up or delivered is simply amazing when I look back on it: A bicycle for actor Charles Bronson delivered at Christmas to his New Hampshire farm, in deep, fresh snow requiring snow shoes no less; the animated feature film “The Prince of Egypt” kept secure and screened for clergy and press pre-release; cheesecakes from New York to Los Angeles hand-carried aboard a redeye flight; hamburger buns from a family-owned bakery in Los Angeles for hand delivery to Phoenix, Arizona; stereo speakers for the actor Robert Wagner; financial documents delivered to a bank in Basel, Switzerland at 2am. How cool, eh? 

I loved the variety and uncertainty of what the day would bring. I clocked hundreds of miles each day in and around Los Angeles, and destinations from San Diego to Santa Barbara to Fresno to Las Vegas, occasionally interrupted with a hastily-arranged flight to some destination the customer had a need to get their urgent material there securely and as soon as humanly possible. What fun that was, and what a flexible way to pay the bills while pursuing other dreams and goals. Somewhere around 1998 I began to keep a travel journal of sorts; however, photography had yet to become the expression of my artistic voice. What a shame too, it would have surely added a visual record of my travels and adventures. One can only imagine capturing the Malibu hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean during the golden hour, or documenting a wildfire literally a few dozen feet from your vehicle while driving north on the 101 Freeway near San Luis Obispo. Golden hour, blue hour, rush hour; the creative content afforded a natural curiosity can’t be overstated, and gives a sense of urgency to the phrase, “Never leave home without your camera!”

And now here I am, 25 plus years later, retired early from the automotive industry, still insatiably curious, and back driving around making deliveries. Except, now I’m driving around Southeast Michigan and points beyond delivering medical supplies, prescriptions, automotive parts, surgical equipment, and even weekly ads for a large supermarket chain in the wee hours of the morning come rain, sleet, or blizzard conditions. How somethings change, while other things just morph into a variation of the same theme. For me, that variation now comes with complimentary tools to capture whatever I have the curiosity to point my lens at and use creative license to create a series or just document my travels. How cool is that?! Look for more in this series if for no other reason than live vicariously through the delivery courier’s lens. Hope you enjoy!

And it begins. I took the time today, a day off for sloth I may add, to merge the two sites I stupidly keep online serving no real purpose. Except, that is, parking a domain on one, and not updating the other with current work. If nothing else, here I am at another beginning. Trying to take my knowledge and art serious enough to contribute to its nurturing with regularity.

All website owners have a few higher aspirational goals when they set out to build a site. You want to convey a message, speak truth to power, or reveal an artistic voice that have laid dormant for too long. It may be an attempt to obtain an audience of visitors who by chance, you hope, dig what they find when your site’s URL is typed in, or your name is searched on Google. I’m still working on what this blog should actually be about. But, you have to start someplace and let your motivation, inspiration, and perspiration find a focus point.

I still consider myself humbly amateur as an photographer. Its difficult for me to accept that I may have something to say, at the very least when it comes to my own experiences. We’re experts on our own experiences, and that’s how I’ve learned; I visited thousands of sites, viewed millions of pages, and learned from the people who were just like me at the beginnings of their journeys. I love to teach what I know; I love being a subject-matter expert and always have throughout my professional careers. I posses an eclectic mix of job experiences, positions small and grand, and and acquired many skill sets, including adult attention deficit disorder. I proudly proclaim that I am indeed insatiably curious, and this simple truth has launched me on many goals and resulted in many journeys. 

So, with that said, here we go again. Time to contribute to my art by utilizing this tool called a website. To display and speak my own voice authentically without the filter of social media, and seeking no mass following. Just a simple online journal of my artistic journey through the art and form of photography. Wish me luck!

Peeping pixels can be seen and read here.