Gone To Sea. @gonetosea - Tumblr Blog

"The likelihood that your acts of resistance cannot stop the injustice does not exempt you from acting in what you sincerely and reflectively hold to be the best interests of your community.”

- Susan Sontag

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Phillip Lewitski & Joshua Odjick

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“Subject: the second birth of the self

Shedding the past—exile—”

— Susan Sontag, from As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks, 1964-1980; October 3, 1964

Chasing waterfalls in Jones Gap State Park

(Raven Cliff Falls, Hospital Rock Trail, Jones Gap Trail)

#Jones Gap #Waterfalls #Hiking

It’s odd to have had such a great birthday. 21 years is a long time to live and I am grateful for the time that has been given to me.

#birthday

This Tumblr thing still feels wrong in some way. There’s no way to download your posts or to archive what you’ve created. If, by freak accident, Tumblr were to delete this account, I’ll lose everything that’s posted. That’s absolutely terrifying.

Yet, currently, I’m in terrible need of a place to write. I need a backbone, some area where I can be part of a community. A place that I can move forward in a way. These last 6 months have felt like a sinkhole. No creative energy has been expressed online.

As a creator, I feel like my art is lost. So much is so terribly lost. Every moment is escaping out of my hands like sand and I can’t create fast enough to contain it. Tumblr may be my next bastion while I try to reconcile these last few months.

The photos above are of my friend Zoë, the day after we met. We explored Charleston and took a lot of pictures. She captured her environments, I just took a lot of pictures of her. Gah, it’s exciting to meet people who are so full of life.

#writing

Last weekend I went out with Cory for a hike. We spent the entire day climbing waterfalls and exploring Jones Gap State Park. It was such an ethereal experience to hang out with him.

When we were climbing our down from the first falls (on Hospital Rock Trail), I stepped on a salamander. I’m not sure who jumped more, the poor creature or me. For a few moments, I thought that I had just stepped on a snake. All the hairs on my back stuck out.

By the time we finished the first trail, we were somewhat exhausted. The trails out there are steep and, even on a cool day, make you sweat your ass off. As we started the most popular trail (Rainbow Falls Trail), we kept passing strangers who seemed to be completely exhausted.

Don’t get me wrong, Rainbow Falls is quite a climb. However, it’s only around a mile and a half and takes about an hour-ish to climb. It was odd seeing people so tired from such a short hike.

When we reached the waterfall, Cory slowed down from what I imagine was glee and amazement. The temperature seemed to drop 20 degrees and the falls are huge. Online, I read that the water drops 100 ft and it forms into another waterfall. It’s quite a sight!

We spent a long time resting on the massive rocks at the base of the falls. Hikers came and left, taking their instagram picture and leaving. Cory and I just lay there in some bliss.

The happiness felt weird at first, it shocked me. It was like "Oh! You’re really happy!”. It was as if I had just noticed, for the first time, what it was like to feel that way. The feeling felt foreign, like an odd surprise. It was almost casual. As if the happiness had been there the whole time and I had just realized it.

Time passed and eventually another hiker asked if we wanted our photo taken in front of Rainbow Falls. Thus, the second picture above was done. Unfortunately we didn’t get any pictures together with Jones Gap Falls or the other waterfalls we found.

Overall, the hike was a fun experience and a great way to spend a 3-day weekend. We drove 4 hours to see what the State Park offered and I was definitely satisfied with what we got to see. Next up on the list is Raven Cliff Falls on the other side of Jones Gap!

#writing #travel #hiking #Jones Gap #State Parks

It’s so strange to be writing on Tumblr rather than reblogging. This is such an unusual place to be creating because this site has become the icon of stolen media. Artists have their art taken and posted by others regularly here but yet, this place feels like home. It’s natural to extend myself here.

Which brings me to why I’m writing in the first place.

For the first time in a few years, I decided to do yoga. Not following a video or other instructions. Rather, learning poses and comfortably sinking into them. I relearned sun salutation and spent a great deal of time repeating the motions.

Over time, my breath synchronized with the movements and I became very conscious of my body and the space it occupies. My feet suddenly had volume, texture, and I could feel it.

In the mix of emotions, I had a realization that I’ve been extending myself too far. Between my five blogs and numerous other projects, I’ve been categorizing myself. The Anatomy of a Dreamer is for artists, while my personal blog focuses on adventures and experiences I have in my day-to-day life.

Each site focuses on a different part of who I am. Yet, when I separate them and show them to select groups of people, I’m ignoring and manipulating my image. To my military friends, I come across as one way. To my artist friends, I’m a different person.

It shouldn’t be that way. Who I am should be consistent with my entire life. My personality shouldn’t change based on the people that I’m around. The image should remain consistent with everyone.

However, being totally authentic is difficult because you have to deal with rejection. Some people won’t like you for who you are. It’s difficult because you can’t please everyone. Yet, it’s so easy to create an image that is pliable to different social standards.

My goal this week is to remain true across all aspects of my life. Being authentic takes time, of course, but it’s something I want to start working on now.

P.S. I don’t know how often I’m going to use this Tumblr. I would like to write here regularly but I don’t know how I want to communicate myself currently. Maybe one day I’ll figure this stuff out.

#writing #beginning #start #image #conformity #rapport #manipulation #blog