Adventuring for Other Dreams
I was out of a rehearsal just waiting for my next class. I was innocently scrolling through my Instagram feed when I came across a photo. The photo was beautiful, but seeing that caption changed my life.
The dream for me is to be become a professional dancer but that is not the only dream that I want to chase. This blog is about chasing many dreams in my life, but mainly dance. Photography and adventure are two dreams I also want to chase in my lifetime. My biggest inspiration for adventure and photography is Chris Burkard.
Well that Instagram post was from Chris Burkard saying that he was having a free presentation in Seattle. I freaked! My biggest inspiration is in the same city as me, I can see his latest stuff, ask him questions, and meet him. SIGN ME UP.
After a long day of ballet, I went over to the shop that was hosting the event a little before 7pm. The place was packed out. So they told us to come back because they added another showing at 8pm. I came back and the line was huge, but I made it in. The presentation was all about Chris Burkard's latest trip to the Faroe Islands. He tells stories about the culture and the challenges of the trip. They then show a 30 minute movie/documentary on the trip created by filmmaker Ben Weiland who was also at the presentation. Seeing this exotic place was absolutely inspiring. It is crazy to think that there are rock formations like the ones in the Faroe Islands that actually exist on earth. I am so used to skyscrapers, but there is amazing, natural beauty on this earth. A Q+A session began after the film. People began to leave but not me. I wanted to meet this guy. This may be my only opportunity in my life to meet him, so I wasn't going to leave until I did.
He was signing books after the presentation. I got in line. I was second to last in line. Great... this guy won't want to talk to me. It is a 11pm. No. This man took 5 minutes to talk to me. He talked to me longer than anyone else and I was honored! I asked him a few questions and his answers were prolific. I introduced myself as a ballet dancer and I told him about how I am trying to make my next step in my career. I asked him how did he make his next step in his career.
“I didn’t chase girls or party, I just wanted to learn. See, a lot of people say they want to chase their passion but their “passion” is really 10th on their line of importance. ”
Read that quotation above a few more times. That shattered my mind. As I walked out the door, I thought about where my dreams are in terms of importance in my life. Would they really be considered passions. Woah.
Chris Burkard is a self-taught photographer. He had to endure a lot of hardship to make it to where he is today. I respect him a lot and his insight is priceless as a fellow artist. This is an experience that I will never forget. All of this happened because I scrolled through my Instagram on a random Thursday afternoon.
In the middle of the North Atlantic, a cluster of 18 jagged islands comprises the Faroe Islands. Dane Gudauskas, Justin Quintal, Sam Hammer, Tyler Warren, Chris Burkard, and Ben Weiland attempt to unravel a coastline of dramatic fjords and plunging waterfalls in search of perfect waves. They spend two weeks hopping between the islands, living in seaside cottages and becoming acquainted with the strange and ancient customs of a nation founded by vikings.