For the third time in my life, I find myself without any permanent home. No harbor in which to anchor—I suppose.

While, at times, this can feel stressful and destabilizing, there are some unique benefits as well.

First, I find I am compelled to do more things. More of life. More of everything. There is no option to sit at home and work for months on end because no home ever lasts for months on end. I haven’t even been in the same country for more than three months over the last year. This means every routine, whether comforting or frustrating, is temporary. So, whether I like it or not—before too long—I will not be able to visit my favorite shops or drink the perfect latte at the cafe down the road. But, I also will no longer have to dodge that one uppity homeless dog that lurks outside my condo. In short order, everything changes.

However, that knowledge, that itch in the back of my mind that’s always reminding me I’ll be moving on soon, has the benefit of compelling me. It compels me not only to seek out new experiences but also to appreciate more fully the ones I already have. Not that I have perfected this; it’s an ongoing endeavor. But when traveling, I find it easier—for whatever reason.

The second benefit is that I find I am generally more productive. Moving around from place to place means I often do not have any friends in close proximity. And while this is a substantial downside to life on the road, there is a silver lining. Most of my time is my own. Once the work is done, there isn’t much else to occupy me except whatever projects or activities I choose to take on. As a result, I write more, read more, draw more, photograph more, and exercise more. That kind of thing.

And lastly, I almost always lose weight while travelling. I think in part because I leave behind the standard American diet. And in part because I don’t have a car. So I walk. Everywhere.

Traveling At Home

Anyway, with my Thailand visa expiring it was time to head back to the USA for a while. However, with no fixed location to return to, my truck is now the closest thing I have to a house. And so, my circumstances conspired to send me on a road trip across the US, driving across the American Southwest for two months.

I decided to use this opportunity to practice my video/cinematography skills a bit, as I find they are quite lacking in comparison to my photographic abilities. You would think the two mediums would be quite similar, but I don’t find that is the case.

I am proud of this video. It was the first time I committed to filming something this big and then completed it. Usually, I become too stressed and burdened with the difficulty of setting up cameras, moving them, re-shooting scenes, managing multiple terabytes of footage, etc… But, this time, I kept at it.

This is a silent film. Basically, it documents my summer. Enjoy.