Growing up, my brother Tim and I spent the majority of our time in the Woods of the Columbia River Gorge. A hollow cedar tree five minutes from our house was one of our favorite destinations. This morning as the first snow of a winter storm fell, my brother and I ventured into the woods.
I think it's important to take inspiration from diverse sources. I look to Sergio Leone movies for fashion inspiration, essays and books by Ernest Thompson Seton for lifestyle inspiration, Travis Parker for inspiration for snowboarding, Jacques Henri Lartigue for photograph inspiration, and well, hippies for hygiene. This may sounds weird considering hippies are often regarded as unclean and gross, but at the heart of their ethos is a multipurpose hygiene product called Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.
Known for their cluttered packaging and all organic and fair trade ingredients, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap boasts 18 uses ranging from shampoo to tooth paste. The multiple applications of Dr. Bronner's makes it perfect for light traveling and minimalism, both motifs that I aspire to. Instead of bringing shampoo, tooth paste, soap, shaving cream, and face wash with me wherever i go, i just bring a bottle of Dr. Bronner's.
Obama's is incredibly effective at conveying his story. Its value donned on me when my roommate quickly sketched it on our whiteboard on our door. Any one who saw the drawing immediately recognized the red, white and blue stripes and sunrise. Needless to say, my roommate is no graphic artist but the crude drawing on our door was unmistakable. The ability to easily recreate a logo while retaining its message consecrates its effectivness.
Here is a two part interview with Sol Sender (who names their kid that?), a creative director at VSA Partners, describing the development of the Hope Logo.
Today, I went to a beach in Madison Connecticut. The lighting and the winter colors along with weathered boardwalks and shacks were amazing. Here are some photos from today…
Here are some self portraits... 
I left my job in New York in the summer of 2011 and moved into a camper. Since then, I have driven 100,000 miles around the west, surfing and camping. During the summer of 2014, I set up a home base in the Columbia River Gorge. These are some of my stories and photos.
