Vocal
How Much Can You Earn As A Freelancer?
I know many freelancers and although this does not mean it is a rule, they are all annoyed when they hear these questions:
Adrian CrucePublished about 2 hours ago in Journal- Supported By: Untamed Photographer
In It Together
View print sizes for In It Together by Melissa Groo: Story Behind the Photograph: In It Together The Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland, straddling the borders of Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia--with Brazil containing the lion's share. This tropical wetland soaks up the rainfall of the rainy season, turning from a purely terrestrial setting into a snaking waterway dotted with land masses. The dry season takes this overfilled-sponge of land and provides water when the rains are long gone, slowly using up and eventually squeezing just about all the water out of the land. The Pantanal’s biodiversity is vast; the bird diversity alone of the Pantanal is staggering: 700 species.
Melissa GrooPublished about 16 hours ago in Earth
- Supported By: Untamed Photographer
Chiquibul Macaws at Dawn
View print sizes for Chiquibul Macaws at Dawn by Tony Rath: Story Behind the Photograph: Chiquibul Macaws at Dawn For me, the Chiquibul forest is always best before dawn.
Distance is a Fallacy
TRANSMISSION 53 We've finally done it. After months of sitting alone in this tiny remote outpost - has it just been months? It truly feels like it's been five years since I was sent to this isolated shed on the frontiers of oblivion - I finally have something substantive to report. I have received communication from a non-terrestrial source and, after many rounds of analysis, I can confirm with a <0.01% margin of error that the transmission was from an intelligent source. I have already broadcast the preplanned welcome message and am eagerly awaiting the response, which I will of course pass along to headquarters promptly as I receive it.
Andrew JohnstonPublished about 17 hours ago in FuturismThe Colors of Love
Black obscured my vision of the world for longer than I cared A cloud followed close behind as it had been tied to my shoes
Josh MallerneePublished about 17 hours ago in Poets- Supported By: Untamed Photographer
Misunderstood Predators
View print sizes for Misunderstood Predators by Brian Moghari: Story Behind the Photograph: Misunderstood Predators I grew up surfing at a beach notoriously known for having sharks and lots of them. New Smyrna Beach Florida is best known for being the shark bite capitol of the world and knowing sharks like Great Hammerheads were just beneath the surface petrified me. There was not a day that I surfed there and did not see a shark in the water. Spinners. Black tips. But back then, the idea of intentionally diving with sharks was out of the question, that was until I began to understand their role as the oceans’ top apex predators. Sharks remove the dead, the dying, and the diseased. They are key to cleaning our oceans, making them stronger and healthier, yet humans continue decimating shark populations. As a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, my responsibility is to accurately illustrate wild animals and the ecological issues they face, including sharks. To fulfill this responsibility I needed to become more comfortable with them and overcome my childhood fear.
Brian MoghariPublished about 17 hours ago in Earth Gen-X Teen Alone in the Wild World
The year was 1987, my excitement could easily be seen by anyone who cared to notice that I was officially, at least in my mind, grown-up; a 'teen-ager' at last. Teen years are when childish innocence seems to be naturally abandoned for more important things such as social interactions and a budding awareness of more than the personal space around one's self. These years are when one becomes aware of the world and the inconsistencies with all the innocent and simple rules children learn; be nice to others and always - always treat others as you'd like to be treated - "The Golden Rule".
Meko KaprelianPublished about 17 hours ago in Beat- Supported By: Untamed Photographer
Among Asters
View print sizes for Among Asters by April Bencze: Story Behind the Photograph: Among Asters The ocean reaches many arms to embrace the land. Long, graceful fingers of saltwater stretch to meet fresh, flowing rivers. River and ocean mingle to make brackish water. Ocean breathes the tide in, and out, in, and out. Hiding and then revealing the shore’s secrets with each ebb and flood. We call these places estuaries.
April BenczePublished about 17 hours ago in Earth 
The Last Josh
I've been in a coma for the last six months. I was fortunate, they say. The semi-truck that hit my car killed my mother and my fiancee but spared me. Well, not spared, I guess. I had two broken legs, a shattered collar bone, and I was in a persistent vegetative state for six months, three weeks, and two days. I awoke on April twenty-sixth, two thousand twenty-one.
Joshua CampbellPublished about 17 hours ago in Horror- Supported By: Untamed Photographer
Everest
View print sizes for Everest by Arati Kumar-Rao: Story Behind the Photograph: Everest I was heading due west, from the kingdom of Bhutan in the Indian subcontinent to the capital of India, New Delhi. Having made sure I had an “F” window seat on the plane, away from the wing, camera at the ready, I prayed for clear skies (and a clear window pane) and kept my eyes peeled. From the moment we took off till we begin to descend two-and-a-half hours later, the Great Himalayan range unfolded in front of my eyes.
Arati Kumar-RaoPublished about 17 hours ago in Earth
Teen Angst Playlist
Share a playlist of your favorite angsty teenage songs, and tell us why they were an important part of your adolescence.
$1,000 Grand Prize3 days leftColor is Pride: True Colors
Supported by: MoleskineWrite a poem about something that makes you unique, inspired by the idea of color.
$2,000 Grand Prize8 days leftWave Makers
Share how you plan to help reduce your carbon footprint and further protect our oceans.
$2,500 Grand Prize17 days left
Creators We’re Loving
Meet the people in your communities creating extraordinary things.
Creator Spotlight: People! Just say Something!
People! Just say Something! is a quirky, collaborative writing project created by writers, artists, and partners Dawid (David) Wiczynski and Atlas. The driven Londoners cover a wide variety of topics on Vocal, such as art, history, travel, and life in general. Their collective's name lends itself perfectly to their subject matter; because, as long as they continue creating, they stay on-brand. With over 70 stories published in under a year, it's safe to say David and Atlas practice what they preach.
Vocal SpotlightPublished 8 days ago in Resources
Approaching Re-Entry
Generally speaking, April is a month with a good reputation. It represents the spring holidays, the weather getting nicer, and calculating your tax refund. April is featured in soft ballads evocative of springtime warmth like “April Come She Will” and “April in Paris.” April is even the name of the most hallowed of pop culture figures, a beloved sitcom character.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished 21 days ago in Resources
Creator Spotlight: Laquesha Bailey
Laquesha Bailey is an expressive, kind-hearted soul currently based out of Ottawa, Canada. Being nearly 2,600 miles from her birthplace of Trinidad and Tobago, she continues to widen her worldview as she perseveres through undergraduate Global and International studies with a specialization in Latin American and Caribbean studies.
Vocal SpotlightPublished 22 days ago in Resources
If This, Then That Challenge Winners
Together with our partners at Decider, we asked our entire community to get inspired and create stories that shared the perfect formula to help viewers decide what to watch next by taking a show or movie that most people know and love, and making recommendations for fellow fans from there. After much deliberation, our sponsor and our judges have spoken.
Vocal TeamPublished 28 days ago in Resources
Creator Spotlight: Little Black Book Challenge Winner - Jess Sambuco
Jessica Sambuco, a.k.a. the first-place-winning creator of the Vocal+ exclusive Little Black Book Challenge (Created with Moleskine), spoke with admirable humility when we asked her about the largest win in Vocal Challenge history. Not to mention, she did it on her first try. That's right—one submission, one win, $20k in the bank.
Vocal SpotlightPublished about a month ago in Resources
Listen, Learn, Grow
This edition of Verified finds us on the cusp of April, and in the Greater New York area where we are, Spring has certainly sprung. As much as we would love to take the optimistic tone of the chirping birds, crocus buds, and increased accessibility to the vaccine, that would be disingenuous of us. The fact that a gradual return to "normal life" in the U.S. has lead to the return of mass shootings is impossible to ignore, as is the frighteningly pervasive problem of anti-Asian violence.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a month ago in Resources
