“Waking up just where you want to be…whether it be in your own bed, on a beach someplace quiet, or next to your favorite person…nothing starts a day better than that feeling…Immediately followed by a good cup of coffee of course! One of my favorite mornings still traces back to Formentera…when the sun was ablaze and the water was just right…” – Megan Southerland 054/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“I was in Bajawa, Indonesia, looking to explore the indigenous interior of Flores. I met a local who knew of a harvest festival at a remote village. We picked up a German tourist en route, then spent three hours trekking by motorbike past the jungle covered valleys, looming volcanoes, and wild rivers of Flores… We arrived to find the young men in a field surrounded by an enthralled crowd, but we immediately became the main attraction. I learned through my guide that we were the first westerners to visit the town. The men were boxing with a sacred object made from a sharply notched rope block dipped in sacrificed pigs blood, one blow from which easily broke skin… While I opted not to partake in this passage of manhood, enough rounds of palm “wine” and prodding by the locals was beginning to work up my courage. Fortunately, the festival wound down and I was invited by the chief to feast with the men on the rare delicacy of pork stew…” – Steve Cohen 053/100 …
The journey from 25 to 50 days of confessions was a spirited test of endurance. The continuous momentum I was able to gather at the beginning of my challenge with lining up subject after subject, who readily respected deadlines and the collaborative creative process, vanquished and I was left stuck and muddled in a path that only seemed to lead to frustration. I agonized about whether my questions were engaging enough…I wondered if I was too passive or assertive with follow-ups…I pondered about whether I was crazy for taking this task on in the first place… Yet, every time I questioned whether my project was effective with my initial intent of connecting, inspiring and redefining cultural norms through shared travel experiences, I was reminded of its significance via little nudges in the form of a kind note of appreciation from one of my subjects, inbox inquiries from strangers wanting to be part of the project and general enthusiasm over the idea popping up in water-cooler conversations. It became apparent that I didn’t have a choice …
“Experiencing the indigenous cuisines of the places I travel have unlocked the secrets behind Time Travel…My first bite is the teleportation device immediately taking me to the remote time, place, conditions that must have manifested to create the complexities in the flavors, textures and presentation of the foods I am eating or drinking…As a Chef, this always brings a renewed sense of appreciation for the place, people, and culture…” – Michael Elegbede // @michael.elegbede 052/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“My time spent in Kenya, Africa as a volunteer changed the way I perceive the world in all aspects of life. A small group of us traveled to the Maasai Mara with Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner that believes in a world where all children are free to achieve their fullest potential, to lend a hand and hopefully create more opportunities for the youth by building a classroom at a local school. During our time there, we also had the pleasure of connecting with the students through activities and sports, as well as some mothers by joining them on their water walks. This was an incredibly inspiring trip and destination for me…it opened my eyes to what is truly important in life – family and friends…” – Guillaume Viau // @guillaumeviau 051/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“I was always very hungry to experience the world. As a teenager, I was backpacking through Europe with a friend and we somehow ended up in Africa. That imperishable moment when I stood at the edge of the Sahara was carved in my memory. I looked into the endless vastness, the giant space and the beauty of light and space. I wanted to cross the Sahara, and I did. One year later, I started from Timbuktu and went on this long journey alone across the desert in a caravan. This shaped my life. I started to take photographs on this journey. I experienced extreme opposites in a short span of time such as light & darkness, heat & cold, silence & noise, these are the basic components of our lives. We reached “the other side” but this moment didn’t really matter. Looking back now it becomes all very clear. My photography was born there, my use of light and space. The essence of my experiences made during my many trips gave me another perspective and …
“This time last year, I had a fantastic job in NYC (somewhat living ‘the dream’) but I felt like something was missing and that thing was Spain. Thinking about it retrospectively, it has always been where I feel like I was destined to be. Since my early teenage years, I’d been infatuated with the Spanish language and culture although I was born and raised in NYC all my life. My interest continued throughout college and I made the decision to study abroad my junior year. It was a life-changing experience that solidified my desire to come back and live long-term. I didn’t know how or when, but I always had a feeling that it would happen… Fast-forward about three years later and I’m happily sitting on my balcony, drinking coffee in the South of Spain. I decided to make the move allowing me to follow my dreams and live a life that I truly love. Since moving back, the idea of community has been extremely important to me, especially through finding and supporting other female …
“Lately, I have been itching to just get on an airplane, sit, drink wine and go somewhere…It’s like when I’m in the air, I just have this feeling of excitement and anxiousness…the whole experience and process I enjoy…Being in the clouds…seeing the world that’s beneath you and how small yet so big it seems…I think also because I’m going somewhere far…Does everyone else feel this way?” – Joel Álvarez // @joel_a 048/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“On the road, my brainwaves explode. …In a good way, of course!” – Larry Smith //@sixwords 047/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“The first thing impacting me when I arrive in a new country are people…how they look, how they speak, how they are dressed, how they live together. I go generally to cities. The countryside bores me. I can still be moved by a landscape, but one day is enough for me. About a city and its livings, when I like it, I can stay watching it as long as possible… Tokyo is my favorite place. After my first visit I have returned 6 times the following years and I will go back again. I love its places, its people, its fashion and lifestyles. The first time in Tokyo, I was shooting everything. I wanted to bring back with me to Paris as many memories as possible…people in streets, subways, bars, parks… During my second trip in Tokyo, I was contacted by email by a Japanese guy, just a coincidence, he didn’t know I was in Tokyo. He was the director of the Diesel Art Gallery and he proposed I have a solo show at his space. The …
