Everyday, I woke up sad. Every. Single. Day. This is not me. I am not sad. I am never depressed. Even during the hardest times in my life, there was never an overwhelming cloud of doom descending every morning when my conscious brain would start to revive. But every morning, as wake glimmered, pushing sleep […]
The cat meowed next to me, tired of being in the carrying case, tired of riding in the car. The meowing became more and more intense. He threw his body against the door of the crate, clawed at his sheepskin pad, howled at the top of his little cat lungs. His crate was perched on […]
Since before 2001, I’ve wanted to be a photographer. After September 11, 2001 — hours after– I went to photograph Ground Zero. Those photos launched my career. But careers don’t happen overnight. Even with some magazine covers under my belt, I had to think hard about how I’d leverage this new found obsession. That’s what […]
Las Vegas was hot. The sun beat down on my rental van as I pulled in front of the Mandalay Bay convention center glass doors. I had about 400 lbs of equipment in the back of the SUV, and the hike from the door, past the aquarium, up the little grade, to either elevator or […]
Chapter 3 “It only takes a spark, to get a fire going/ and soon all those around / will warm up in it’s glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love, blah blah blah blah blah, pass it on.” I am not a religious person; in fact, my beliefs venture into Bill Maher territory. That […]
Chapter 2 When one door closes, another door opens. I just didn’t expect that door to be under my feet. I fell through the trap door, sliding into a depression that was foreign. An isolation I’ve never experienced. A time when it seemed like the forces of darkness were overwhelming the light. Star Wars level […]
I continue our discussion about art and creativity with one of my favorite people: my Aunt, Jean LaVelle. A Baltimore folk artist, Aunt Jean sees the world differently, and through her art, brings her joyous visions to life. During a time when COVID is rampaging, and many face the holidays in isolation — Aunt Jean’s […]
Chapter 1 I stood in front of the baggage carousel, luggage dropped and spun around, but mine are always last. Not because I’m a glass half full kind of guy, but because my cases are huge and require special handling. If they even come out on the regular belt. Often, they drop across the vast […]
It was an exclusive executive party in Orlando, Fl. An early spring had sprung, and big, puffy clouds scooted overhead. The brick courtyard stretched in back of the five-star hotel; French doors spilled participants onto a manicured garden. High top tables with tiny tea candles and long white cloths dotted the patio, and a portable […]
