I have been working so much I recently had a bit of a meltdown…. I had reached the point where I wanted to just walk away from work. I was unmotivated, uninspired, and just unwilling to push through. I had well exceeded my PTO accrual, and was actively losing vacation days as well (go figure). It was time for me to take a solid week off.

Problem is, the thought of using vacation time to be at home where I work, made me sick. I was already depressed, and there was no way I’d lug myself out of the house JUST to lug myself out of the house.

I needed a real kick in the ass.

At the behest of my amazing wife, we dove straight into photography getaways. Something to KEEP me out of the house, and force a change of scenery. We landed on the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee (a long time desire for me). Gatlinburg to be specific. This meant 2 days of driving at an average of 11hrs, or 660 miles per day.

In attempts to keep the days relatively even, and prevent seeing the same stretches of road, I’d hit New Orleans for the first night and Little Rock for the return trip, just to mix it up a bit.

The drive to NOLA was beautiful, yet uneventful. I arrived at the hotel in time for dinner, so I set out for some street photography and some food. My typical M.O. when I am away from the house and something that usually cheers me up.

On this particular outing it was not the photography that cheered me up. Instead, it was a lovely encounter with a random gentleman as I was giving up for the night. He was doing a project interviewing random people as an attempt to be more social and outgoing. I said why not, we spoke for a few minutes, and that really left my spirits a bit more lifted after a poor photo-walk. (I’ll post the link to his video if I get it)

The next day was an absolute struggle. I was tired, and the drive was long and worst of all… SLOW. As a born and raised Texan the hardest part of out-of-state road trips is the crazy slow speed limits everywhere else, IMO.

This was the longest day and I didn’t arrive in Gatlinburg until nearly 7pm where a black bear promptly prohibited me from taking any shots at the overlook I had parked at, for what turned out to be a dull sunset either way.

Over the course of the next few days, I drove through a big portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hiking an average of 10-12 miles per day, without so much as a single thought about work. I was completely lost in photography, and completely lost in nature.

For nearly 4 days, all I heard was the sound of rushing water, and the ground beneath my feet as I traipsed around aimlessly, shooting everything in sight. I had no cell service, and aside from emergency equipment, the only electronics I had were my cameras. There were few people when I did see them. It was truly just a man, his camera, and the freedom to explore and create images.

It was bliss.

Every stream and waterfall along the way washed away a little bit more stress, and really helped me realize how much I had neglected self-care. Despite being physically exhausted every day, I felt more awake, more in the moment, and just… happy again.

My mind finally felt at ease for a while. I was feeling more creative. I was BEING more creative. I finally felt a little bit like me again.

On my last day, I hiked 10 miles to Indian Flat Falls, pictured above, where I just sat there for hours by myself, pondering all these things in my head.

Was it the exercise? Not really, I get plenty of that at home…

Was it the new scenery? Maybe…

Was it the photography? Also maybe, that was the point after all…

But I ended up landing on a combination of the last two. I think it was the CREATIVITY that did it. The actual process of photography. Taking it in. Being in the moment. Looking for compositions, adjusting them, and trying new things to create different images and being almost entirely immersed in the process of creativity, regardless of the outcome.

It gave me a better appreciation for the creative process as not only something fun to do, but also as something that can be healing. Something I need to prioritize moving forward, and I will.

I left Tennessee physically tired, but motivated and inspired and I seem to have been rewarded for it. As I was leaving, for the first time the entire trip, the clouds caught a little bit of light and I snapped this shot above just inside Pigeon Forge. Maybe one of my favorites of the trip.

But I was also in for one last surprise in Little Rock as I was going to bed.

A rather dull sky turned a beautiful ombre color, boats were clearing the lake, and a train was slowly crossing the bridge to the other side of town making for one last great photo for the trip, and giving me one good sunrise, and one good sunset after all.

The only thing left to do was head home to the only things I’d been missing this entire time. My wife, and my doggos.

And to make a plan to introduce more time to be creative…

See you in the next one….