Travel, Travel, Travel

Ever since I was a kid I found solitude and happiness when over the road or in the sky traveling to a new or favorite location. I enjoyed it so much that I found myself in the airlines several years later and moving into different positions in different locations. But times change and I grow tired of working for little to nothing and still required to put in the endless hours or being on-call when it is convenient for upper management.

I left it all behind to pursue a career as a travel writer and use my hobby as a photographer to help sell travel to any location. But competition is high and pay, honestly, isn't that great. I do not enjoy writing pitches to editors and definitely not a fan of the response of "we'll give you free exposure" and no pay for the work. Then I decided to turn my hobby into a career and be a full-time photographer. Well, the free exposure comments were even more common and the industry even harder to push through.

Then COVID hit and a blessing for me because it forced me to sit down and actually figure it out. I love taking photos but I love traveling even more so how can I do both things? I re-invented myself to be a travel content creator and work for myself. As of May 2nd, 2021, I re-launched my Patreon page. Patreon is a website that is specifically designed for content creators and artists of all venues. People can pay a monthly fee to enjoy my blogs, photography, and videos of various places to check out in the country.

I'm currently focused on my home state of Wisconsin as well as our neighbor Minnesota. The best part is, I get to take Aria, my sheltie, with me on all of my travels. Because there is one thing a lot of my content has in common and that is dog-friendly locations, more specifically, state and local parks. I love the outdoors, hiking, and walking, and if you're still hesitant because of COVID I even include scenic drives. These drives allow you to get out of the house, enjoy the state, and still be safe in the comforts of your car.

In the short time that I've started this website, I've learned that it takes a lot of time and effort to get the content ready for launch. Travel alone can take a full day and a couple of hours at each park to ensure I get the best photos, videos, and hit the key points of the park. Then comes the editing, videos alone, can take two hours per location to edit, and then there are the photos.

Photo editing is a full 8 to 10-hour project then dividing it up between Patreon, social media, and discarding those that just didn't come out; you can't edit a bad photo. I'm working between 10 and 12 hours/day and I'm not a bit angry about it because I'm finally working for myself.

I'm my own boss, I get to call my hours, take a break, or a day off when I need to. But the best part? I get to travel wherever, whenever I desire with my favorite co-pilot. I get to spend as much or as little time as I want at any given location. If a spot doesn't feel or look right, I'm gone. If there is a spot on the way to my next location that catches my eye, I'm pulling over to check it out. I'm on my schedule and that feels 100% amazing.

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