FIVE FOR FRIDAY: MYSELF

Oh, Hey There.

So when trying to come up with an idea for another post I thought, "maybe people would like to know a little bit about myself (that isn't already on the Tidbits About Me section of my website)."  People like that kind of stuff right? The inside scoop?

So here's a list of 5 things that maybe most people don't know about me already.

#1:  What is Your Greatest Accomplishment?

I think probably my greatest accomplishment was being able to go to college and graduate with a bachelor's degree.  I know, I know, thousands of students do that each year, why am I so special right?  Well I'm not, but for my experience it wasn't easy.  While going to school I was also helping raise our first child (Clark) while my wife (Angela) was near the end of her pregnancy with our second child (Gwen) and I was also balancing two retail jobs, while trying to launch a photography business.  I was often tired and quite honestly just wanted to say, "forget this!" about school, but I knew it would soon be over and I needed to just push through and stay focused.  Did school take me the normal 4 years?  Not even close.  With some other variables in the mix I ended up extending my learning to 8 years.  I'd like to say it took me way too long to graduate.  But everyone is different.  Life has it's course for each individual and it's not cookie cutter. The most important thing for me was to not give up and I encourage others to just keep going when it's something you're passionate about.

#2:  What is Your Life Motto?

I went back and forth on this one between two options.  So here's two instead.

"Work Hard and Be Nice to People" - Anthony Burrill
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you'll be criticized anyway." - Eleanor Roosevelt

I really don't know what more I could say about these.  They kind of speak for themselves.

#3:  What is Your Favorite Thing About Your Career?

Definitely meeting new people or even reconnecting with familiar faces.  There's something incredibly special to me that works well with photography (film too) that allows me to show that I've met and created something with so many awesome people that I otherwise would probably never have met if it wasn't for this particular field.  Building these connections just feels right to me.

#4:  Do You Do Anything Weird That Maybe You'd Be Embarrassed to Talk About?

I may have two weird things about me (who am I kidding? I have countless others).  I have this strange interest in paper.  I tend to enjoy drawing and writing, but if I have a notebook or pad of paper with something already printed on it, I will avoid using it for as long as possible because I don't want to damage the integrity of the notebook or whatever print is already on it.  It's kind of hard to explain that one.  The other thing is that sometimes when I'm driving alone (most often at night) and there isn't much on the radio I tend to practice different accents or voices, but it gets worse, those accents then tend to turn into conversations, but not just regular conversations I've already had.  In fact, they're actually conversations I haven't had yet (and probably never will) and if they ever were to come up how I'd handle them?  Please, please, tell me I'm not alone.

#5:  If You Could Only Keep 5 Possessions What Would they Be?

Camera, Computer, Clothing, Wedding Ring, Smartphone (in no particular order)

The technology ones may be a typical answer for most people, but those more specifically because they are the tools that help connect me to the rest of the world (more likely my own little world).  I NEED my camera as it's part of my livelihood, but unfortunately without the computer it's kind of impossible to do what I need to do with the images from the camera.  The smartphone is another one of those tools that helps me connect with others, but allows me to make phone calls and video chat as well, which are kind of important (by phone calls I mean, 20% phone calls, 80% text messages, It's the 21st century people!).  My wedding ring because after making that promise in June 2009, there's really no reason for me to be parted with it.  Lastly of course clothing, not a lot, just enough to stay clothed on the daily.