A Lonesome Snow Walk

This past holiday season, my job as a professional actor took me to the picturesque Sun Valley, Idaho. I was to appear in a stage play, a production of the recently published holiday hit, Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley. You know, the old Austen-ian story of high-class British folks running around a mansion - being in love, falling in love, and fighting off love. Feminist-forward, family-friendly fare. A perfect holiday story for this small, yet affluent mountain town. Though the process of building and performing this play was a fun one, it forced me to travel many hours from my home - away from my family, my people, my comforts. Additionally: on a "snow day" I couldn't travel more than a half-mile from my lodging, it was 12 degrees or below most nights, and I was housed in the childhood home of the famous(ly antisemitic) poet, Ezra Pound, which is currently inhabited by at least one ghost (who visited me my third night there, glowing and screaming at me at the foot of the bed, like a menacing and luminescent banshee). All these factors combined made for a bittersweet gumbo of isolation and cabin fever at times. Drinking to calm the nerves was a must most nights, if I'm being real honest.

One of the most effective ways for me to combat these feelings was afternoon, pre-show snow hikes. They were half walking, half shot-snapping. All therapeutic. Dulling the edges just enough, in the moment.

Perhaps the submitted photo isn't my clear-cut favorite from these chilly solitude walks, but as I revisit the archived album, it certainly holds great (and it would seem, fully-intentional) symbolism for me. Here was my process for capturing it (on my "ancient" iPhone 6s), in a nutshell...

What first caught my eye about this image, in real time, was the cloud lingering gently over the hill peak, followed closely by the innocently arresting verbiage of the trailhead signage. I always start by "autocorrecting" my photos, whether I keep to them or not, just to see what my technology has to say about the raw product. Next up:

<< -Max the 'Brilliance' -Enhance the 'Shadows' -Up the 'Brightness' only slightly -Up the 'Vibrance' only slightly -Punch the 'Warmth' up -Give a hint of 'Tint' -Bring the 'Sharpness' & 'Definition' all the way up -And finally, hit you with just a touch of negative 'Vignette', to brighten the edges a tad. >>

Within this process, the subtle and natural golds in the taken photo were amped up, which I feel radiantly captures the setting of the sun behind me. Additionally and intentionally, I chose to introduce some purple hues into the beautiful blueness of the original [seen below] - stirring both my own blood into the mix (which was constantly seeking warmth amid the mountain freeze), as well as that of my favorite artistic influence: PRINCE. A man who I have missed, mourned, and celebrated ever since his passing several years back, and whose catalog of artistry and philosophy I have looked to as a lodestar, as I progress in my own life as an artist, educator, and social justice advocate within my community.

Now that I'm back home, roughly 10 hours from Sun Valley, I feel whole once again. Not only am I free of the ghost, and surrounded by my circle of (living) people once again, but I am also officially a substitute teacher in Portland (OR) area schools -- and it's hard to truly be alone when you're immersed in constant youth-power energy. Educating the next generation of leaders stirs a feeling of immeasurable gratitude. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Nor would I take back my time in Sun Valley, ID, "dark night of the soul" as it was at times. It's all learning, it's all growing, it's all being thankful for the privileges we are given and can/should pass on to others who need them. Plus, I got this sweet photo out of the deal. I hope it resonates with you, too.

"Dearly Beloved -- we are gathered here today to get through this thing called LIFE..."