28. a year further from birth
Apr-August
Prepping the van
I had been considering for some months the idea of hitting the road to explore national parks, teach meditation, and film some conversations with creatives/thinkers. I spent much of April dabbling with the idea (I had purchased a 2015 Honda Odyssey as the vehicle), but didn’t take the project head on until the end of May. At the end of May, I got a burst of clarity and energy and began executing the plan.
The first step was starting to focus on the gear necessary to live out of my van. I knew that I was going to stay at campsites that allowed for car camping; I didn’t need to install a bathroom in the van or anything like that. I arranged for a hard, leveled floor to be installed in Denver in August. In the meantime, I just had to get all of my gear together.
Humanize the Human Eyes
The next step was putting together the show I was going to film/record on the road. I have had a name idea of “Humanize the Human Eyes” for a few years now; I decided to use it for this project. I liked the idea of having formality-less conversations about what makes us most human. I wouldn’t say there was much that made this show unique…but it was a muscle that I was interested in exercising. I became obsessed with getting the highest quality video/audio as possible for this project. Not much bothers me more than having to listen to content that contains difficult to listen to audio. There’s too much content out there to have to put up with that.
In the meantime, I wanted to get a ton of Detroit conversations and concerts filmed and recorded. It was important for me to work out the kinks of the process. At the time, I had someone mastering my audio post-recording, but it really was a one-person production (in terms of setup, teardown, editing). I had friends that I collaborated with outside of the recording days though, and with their help, was really able to take the quality of the shower to a higher realm. I conducted 15+ Detroit sessions before hitting the road (The show is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcast).
August-September
I hit the road…YAY!
Chicago, IL
Jackson, MN
Badlands National Park
Denver, CO+ Boulder, CO
Grand Tetons/ Eastern Idaho
Portland, OR
The fires began to spread through Portland and much of the West Coast simultaneously with some inspiration I was having for some new shows. I decided to put the van trip on hold (as it was focused on the West Coast), and drove back to Michigan for a couple of weeks. Ultimately, I decided on a move to Nashville to establish a home studio setup, aimed at cultivating these show ideas and setting up a high quality medium for delivering virtual meditation experiences.
October-Dec
Move to Nashville
I moved to Nashville in early October and began putting together the home studio. Simultaneously, I became infatuated with absurdist comedy and the idea of not trying to be funny, rather doing and saying things that may appear to be out of place. I loved the idea of locating different characters within my being and giving them each a spotlight to shine. Andy Kaufman’s work became a huge inspiration. I especially became interested in the idea of my work not being 100% loved by any given person. I liked this idea of an audience having discretion, and of my work being disparate enough for it to not be universally loved or hated.
January
Launched WiseMindGentleSoul Show
I had been filming quick hit one-minute videos on philosophy, meditation, and psychology for a few years. I longed for a platform to extend those soliloquies just a bit. I launched the WiseMindGentleSoul Show, a once weekly video and audio show exploring the topics mentioned above. The show can be subscribed to and experienced on YouTube, Spotify, And Apple Podcast.
Virtual Meditation Community
I run a meditation coaching business called WiseMindGentleSoul. I had been giving virtual sessions a try since March and they were much more well received than I thought they would be. Thus, I launched a monthly subscription based virtual meditation community. Each community member has access to three meditation sessions a week (Sundays @ 12pm EST, Sundays @ 9pm EST, and Wednesdays @ 8pm EST). Each session is an hour in length and consists of contemplative journaling, guided meditation, and group conversation. The community is continuing to grow and provides a space for accountability, practice, and vulnerability for those looking to cultivate a regular meditation practice. I am offering a 14-day free trial for anyone looking to give the community a whirl.
February
I fell into a bit of a depression this month. There was much less action going on.
Mountain biking
I picked up mountain biking! Each time that I hop on the bike, I notice an increase in the flow of ideas. I have learned a lot about momentum. I am better off on the bike when I trust the bike rather than letting my mind be too engaged. Biking has helped me to consider the parallels to creativity and not letting the mind contrive reasons to halt the execution of ideas.
Austin, TX
As a means of getting out of the depression and creating some action, I drove to Austin, TX. Not much to note here. I really loved the town. I got some mountain biking in and swam in the Barton Springs Pool.
March
Launched Conscious Analysis: The Live Philosophical Variety Show
This show is really the result of a lot of alone time in Nashville. This show is the product of my infatuation with absurdist comedy. The aim was to take different characters within myself and give them a stage. Each episode begins with my serious, introspective self that loves to philosophically pontificate. The episodes then devolve into absurdity with oddball sketches. I loved the idea of creating a show that devolved in real time. I am so fortunate to have a team of friends that I work with on this project, too, for pre-production and sketch writing. The show can be subscribed to and experienced on YouTube.
Drove to Charleston
I began considering where I wanted to live next and was considering some of the East Coast beach towns. I had lived in Long Beach, NY and loved living on a beach. Charleston was super rad — I visited a bunch of the beaches there. There just wasn’t enough entertainment based vitality in city center for me to make a move there.
April
Move Back to Michigan
I ultimately decided to make moves back to Michigan. I really longed for the creative communities I had there. I also missed both my friends and family. And I really liked the idea of teaching meditation outdoors back in Michigan. I have plans in motion to start leading outdoor camping/meditation retreats this summer. Well, all that said, I am now back in Michigan as of a week ago!
One year further from birth…28 total. Yay!
