From day one we get a label – Mine happens to be Mary.
I climb, ski and paddle, yet I wouldn’t label myself as a climber, skier or paddler. I plan and execute micro-adventures, trips and expeditions, yet I wouldn’t label myself as an adventurer, explorer or expeditionist. Within 2018 I pursued an apprenticeship under an intensive dog sledding guiding service, learning to mush all over the Northeast, yet I don’t label myself as a musher. There’s more, but you get the point.
I pursue the outdoor lifestyle whole heartedly. I believe that the most challenging aspect in bringing back stories – through writing and photography – is conveying the story in a way that someone with no connection to the subject of the story will feel compelled enough to care. I want my work to tell a story with an outcome that causes people to understand, to become aware, and to inspire action.
Among my many pursuits, opportunities and experiences, I have traveled all over the United States and internationally and have always managed to bring along a camera, pen and paper. Finding new perspectives to view the world through is almost addictive, like a drug, yet I would also describe it as the most sobering of exercises. For this reason, I am constantly motivated to dive in to new field work, travel to new places and talk with more people. By being present in our connections with the people, the places and the culture – hometown or halfway across the world – there is a lot to learn about what we don’t know, and what we thought we knew.