Tick tock like a clock, sitting in the corner, slowly getting to where it needs to be, exactly when it needs to be there.

Our meandering, the big, the small, mimic the continuous motion of the clock, tick-tock. A journey made of the most modest steps, relentless momentum, unseen effort, overlooked actions, and uncelebrated success combine to become the highlights of this life journey.

We may look different; we may come from other worlds and have different destinies. This may be true, but I have to admit that there is something about you that feels ever so familiar.

I don’t know if it is that curious look in your eyes that I also view the world through? Especially when my young gaze fell on an older male, questioning if he was a friend or foe.

I am different from you: my thoughts, my beliefs, my outward display of the truth. But I can still hear you. The question I ask is can you hear me?

Are our differences the only things that unite us?

It may seem like an odd thing to ask, but with every passing day, it is something I am starting to believe more.

In many ways, it makes no sense.

United by difference.

Have you ever tried to chase a cloud, a dream you've always wished for, a gift that seems forever beyond your fingertips? As if lost in the mist of what's thought to be correct, believed to be helping.

I have been chasing a cloud.

I find it alluringly compelling how my mind can turn from dark, I mean pure black, to light in what seems like the blink of an eye.

It feels like a feat to behold, yet also feels somewhat worrying. The truth is that sometimes I feel like I go looking for the dark. I have no idea what I am searching for, but I go there.

I first met Marc in a small production company in Australia, and I have to say that the first encounter was, at best, typical. Two mildly insecure directors scoping each other out from across the room. You know the familiar concept in an environment where success is only measured in duality.

But the truth is I never met Marc until a few months later when we both took the time to sit, talk and share. I quickly discovered that we share a passion for film, yet I have to say Marc is a purist, and I am far more of a commercial animal. At that moment, with common ground found, I knew that Marc would become a friend that I grow with for life.

I sometimes find myself questioning my motivations. Am I truly doing what I want, for the reasons I voice aloud? Or am I living an existence of illusion for my EGO, for adulation, for significance?

The truth is that the answer to this simple question can only be found at the end of an interesting story.

Not knowing the outcome is the very essence of an adventurous life. A life lived not in the moment but in the ever-present now. A life that actively searches for connection and proves through experience that deep down, we are the same; we share everyday needs, desires, and hopes.

For me, an adventurous life is a life lived in the rich vein of pure existence. In the quiet moments, we share when we cease trying to explain ourselves, surrendering to a connection beyond words, a place of true self, united by heart and hope. A space where our energy arcs, igniting a lifelong bond in a blinding instant.

Is what you see the truth? Or just your truth?

Optimism Vs reality, my truth Vs your truth seems like a deluded exploration of a story with no end. Just the wearing cycle of life, endlessly repeated, with no tangible outcome.  

Being caught in this constant struggle, there seems to be no middle ground. No seeming safety of a no man's land, which can offer an eerie escape from the constant fatigue of battle. You are either labeled and accepted as optimistic or shunned for the fear of the fragile reality you expose and labeled a realist.

Matt Byway is what I would call a mate. Although Matt is a newish friend, he was generous and brave enough to be the first cab-off-the-rank for my new photography project, “The Truth About Friends.”

From the moment I met Matt at a beachside cafe in Sanur, I found that his open attitude, generous thoughts, and honest insights allowed me to feel instantly connected. Sure, Matt is a good-looking, confident young man, but as always, there is a lot more to discover than what meets the eye.

When morals waver to support the desired truth, when deaf ears, closed eyes and raised voices are all that is seen and heard. We will decline together to a saddening depth no one saw coming.

Nobody wins tonight; we all lose.

We all lose the battle to be the smartest, the most informed, the most open-minded. We all lose when the truth of the situation is far more disturbing, far wider-reaching, far more dangerous than we realise now.

My friendship with Piotr has been burning slowly for a while. The truth is, we have acted like two Alpha males, circling each other, seeing what the other has to offer and if the friendship will be rewarding. I am glad to say that the primitive lizard brain that we share has also allowed us to mark our turf while uniting in a friendship that continues to grow and surprise.

The life I embrace is not for all.

It’s a simple life, like you may desire, talk about, search for. Yet, it’s a life of hard work and sacrifice.

The tools of my trade live and breathe just as I do. We eat, drink and grow under the same sun, grounded to the same earth, forging an existence together, for better or worse.

I do not know!

What a beautiful statement. 

A simple, elegant truth that I wished I heard more often.

I do not know!

Imagine what the world would be like if we heard this phrase admitted every day. Imagine how peaceful it would be to live in a world where the term “I do not know" was met with a smile and congratulations. Imagine if this simple sentence was seen as Living A Brave Life. A truthful search for the answers you seek, instead of being seen as a weakness that can be used against you.

When I look into this man's eyes, I see a sullen reflection of myself. I see a man that has toiled his entire life to become the very best he can be with his god-given talents.

An unexpected turn in the busy city of Istanbul lead me to his modest door. A humble store where this gentleman has hand-crafted shoes for longer than he cares to remember. 

I can choose to be hard,

choose to be soft.

I can choose to inspire,

choose to destroy.

On the surface, it seems like a simple question. 

Are you a hostage to your thoughts?

I can’t answer this question for you, nor would I ever try. But this simple question has been a companion for my entire life. 

And maybe just like you, it is a question that I have considered, only to push away with confident disdain. As if confronting the truth may open a gulf of emotional pain that could never be crossed.

But the reality may be very different.

Forget what you were taught;

What you think you know;

What you need to share.

Forget your corner office;

Your fast car;

Your big house.

Our truth is just that.

It's an experience of life that has led to a set of self-imposed rules governing how we see everything and treat everyone.

But our truths, the unexplored rules, guides, morals, could be far more limiting then beneficial.

Just like you, there was a time where my experience of life lead to closely held beliefs. Beliefs that served me well protected me from all I feared. Yet slowly but surely, it began to dawn on me that the same set of beliefs were, in fact, holding me back.

If I stand in silence and feel the warm kiss of the setting sun and the cooling breeze of the world that surrounds me…

Will you appear, will you embrace me, will you never leave my side?

If I listen with a quiet mind, a whole heart, and no expectation, what will my lesson be?

Will you show me the future, explain the past, or will we enjoy the now?

If we talk and I don't understand, will you judge me, discard me? Or will you hold me close until I find the space to comprehend your simple message that you've told me time and time again?

If I still don't trust me, will you?