I’m a few days late on this one, but here’s a message I penned for Earth Day:
Happy Earth Day 2020, friends. This day holds special meaning for me, and this year I’ll be focusing on interconnectedness. We are living through an unprecedented time right now, with sudden and drastic changes imposed on every aspect of our lives. If there is one thing that humans fear most, it is change. We become comfortable in our routines with little desire to stray outside that zone because unfamiliarity begets anxiety and fear of the unknown but change, however we try to resist, is inevitable. Not only is it inevitable, it is also essential and can be every bit as opportunistic as it is devastating.
Seven years ago today, on a sunny morning, I literally sifted through the ashes of what was my life, trying to find meaning in a tragedy. A fire destroyed my home and most everything I owned, including nearly every piece of film I had ever exposed – luckily I scanned my best images and had a spare hard drive with those scans as well as my digital photos stored at my neighbors’ house for precaution. The biggest loss, however, was my beloved cat, Spike. One week later I had his paw print tattooed on my shoulder as a permanent tribute to my best friend.
In the days that followed I chose to trust my emotions and the belief that somehow the loss would ultimately lead to opportunity. It is worth noting that one item was completely intact after the fire - my passport. It took a while for this symbolism to sink in but once it did I subsequently spent half of the following year overseas. I explored Southeast Asia and India with a good friend where we had the opportunity to photography Bengal tigers, a spotted leopard, and more. I carried Spike’s ashes with me until we saw our first tiger and left them in a nearby watering hole, setting his spirit free in the land of big cats.
The following winter I spent touring both islands of New Zealand, traveling by bus and staying at various farms as a guest worker. Those experiences, the images I captured and the plethora of adventures that have followed since are a direct result of a tumultuous event that turned my life upside down and more importantly, how I chose to interpret the situation. I paid attention to the lessons and found inspiration in a wave of emotions that put me onto a path more aligned with my purpose. The same holds true for humanity in this very moment. There are many lessons to be learned from this collective experience and we can come out of this better for it, stronger and wiser, if we choose.
If you’d like to read the full story “From Ashes to Adventure, One Year in this Big Giant Life” please follow this link: https://www.colintyler.com/…/from-ashes-to-adventure-one-ye…
Thank you for reading this far and have a great day out there. I am off to explore a new (to me) location, which has become an annual tradition on this date. As always, stay safe and thank you for following along.
Colin
Spotted leopard. Bandhavgarh National Park, India.
Gray langur. Ranthambore National Park, India.
Bengal tiger. Bandhavgarh National Park, India.