Some of you know that I firmly believe that regardless of how driven you are in your art and or business you need to have something that resembles a personal and satisfying life. I am blessed beyond belief that I have a: wife, lover, girlfriend, sandbox playmate, adventure buddy, best friend, confidante and good time gun shootin’ and beer drinking dude all wrapped into the same person. Makes things a whole lot easier! (Fewer lies to tell that’s fer sure!)
Well not only am I a visual explorer of the human experience but in the same manner am a “Bon Vivant”. I prefer not to use other terms such a “gourmand”, “foodie”, “sensualist” or worse yet “hedonist”. Rather I try to enjoy what life has to offer within the reason that a mature yet fun loving and curious person has. I have long since stopped doing things that would potentially end in carrier ending or at least modifying outcomes. So no more free solo rock climbing, illegal car racing, bar fights, gun running … you know that sort of thing. But folks I gotta tell ya, there are so many ways to get out and enjoy what you have that are simple, wonderful and good for yer soul. A few weeks ago I did a shoot at Upslope Brewing, a local and pretty darned fine brewing establishment not that far from my home, and noted that they had a “Tuesday all day Happy Hour” deal going on.
She-zam! My wife, as mentioned above, had recently made the transition from Creative Director at a local marketing company to doing her own freelance writing deal. She was rather bothered and confuzzed over the prospect of her spending the rest of her life working from her new office; which is what others would call the space we set up in the library at home. Granted working in your pajamas with the commute to the office being about eleven feet from the bedroom is pretty enticing but then I digress. I had explained to her that, given her skill set, she could go anywhere and if armed with her laptop she was essentially “at the office” and being productive. Now Upslope is one of her favorite local breweries, too many to mention in this area – sorry everyone who doesn’t live here! As a result Tuesdays when I don’t have assignments have become what I would refer to as “Remote Office Day”. With the mobile web and a our laptops we head to the Upslope tap room, grab a pint and one of their artesianal cheese paring plates and take care of biz. Yes it doesn’t suck. Today she was finishing up the editing job of a 300+ page novel and I got some marketing stuff done.
Tomorrow and the next few days will be pretty jammed with shoots and all the stuff that goes with it but today it’s pretty cool to sit here and not be under the gun. Watching the sun set on the Rocky Mountains outside with a darned tasty cold one in muh-hand and the woman of my dreams next to me is more than I would have hoped for when I decided long ago to form my professional life here. It’s all about balance.
