the Roam

I’m going to walk from New York City to Los Angeles starting in June. I’ll be using this blog to share photos, stories and thoughts from the road!

I quit my job. Friday, May 2, is my last day of employment. I’m excited. I’m afraid. But I’m emboldened by the opportunity to make something of myself.

I never had to overcome anything drastic growing up. I applied to one college, was accepted, and attended it without having to worry about finances thanks to my generous parents, grandparents and academic scholarships. I got an internship after graduation and it turned into a job. I’ve often looked back on my life and thought ‘Huh, everything seems to just work out for me.’ I let luck guide me and that was ok for a long time.

Then things changed. The job I once enjoyed (shooting and editing video with people I really liked) gradually changed into content and data management position. I had less day-to-day involvement in crafting anything narrative and I mainly churned out short videos, made to run as many ads for various banks and credit cards as frequently as possible. My growing dissatisfaction and lack of motivation made me realize I had not fulfilled any of my creative desires since college.

I felt like I was creating nothing of worth.

I had to make a positive change−and interesting change. I want to tell interesting stories, share interesting visions, and be interesting myself. My whole life I’ve loved exploring and walking. The time when I’m alone and on my feet is when I have my best ideas. Last summer I got a Fitbit, a wearable device that tracks my activity, and since then have averaged six miles a day. In the last few months I’ve upped it to 14+ miles daily.

Why not use this natural predilection to better my life?

That’s why I’m walking. I need my own epic journey to help me find a direction for my life. before I become entrenched in a lifestyle that makes me feel like a worthless cog.  I need to slow down, meet people − listen to them, and listen to myself to find happiness.

The prospect of building a body of work spanning the continent … in a very narrow meandering strip … excites me. The prospect of intimately knowing a path across the nation through circa 150 days of 3 mph scanning enthralls me. I’ve tried to learn New York City by walking 10-15 miles every day through her streets, while working a full-time job. During these walks I’ve begun to recognize people and to think of them as beings with lives all their own instead of passing bit part characters in my life. There are eight million lives in New York City occurring around me full of more problems and triumphs than my own.

As I travel across America, from my home here in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn to the Santa Monica Pier in California, I hope I get glimpses into the lives of people I encounter along the way. I pray the scale of the landscape and my experience will alter my perception of self and help me find a better/more fulfilling way to exist.

Now for the first time I’m going to take a leap that requires me to have faith in myself, a concept with which I’m not very familiar.