Guaranteed if you’re a creative you have run into the dreaded creative block. I was deep, lost as to what direction I was headed in my photography, why I did it at all and what do I do next. So, I decided to take a break with my family and disappear. I chose to head to Hawaii to have a break with my family and try and disconnect from all those niggling questions regarding my photo career.
No expectations, no pressure to create or even shoot, just quality time with my wife and 2 young kids. I soon began to realise that photography had consumed the most part of my brain for so long and I struggled hard to allow myself to enjoy a new place. I had this feeling like I was wasting an opportunity to create. All this pressure I had created in my mind for so long had ruined the art of Travel and experiencing a new culture. Then something happened. I stopped giving a shit and just went right back to where it all began. Fun.
I surfed nearly every day, explored and just enjoyed the moments I had with my wife and kids. I fell in love with the place, the people and the experience of something different without taking a photo. In doing this my urge for shooting photos came back, I had taken my housing setup and was at a point where I felt like I wanted to get in the water and create again. Only drama was my Aquatech housing had taken a knock in transport and wasn’t seeling correctly. I thought it was all over. I came to Hawaii to break a creative block and had blown it. I sent an email to Phil at Aquatech and within 24hrs they had me ready to jump back in the water. I was stoked, I felt as though I had been given a second chance to start all over again, and I did.
I jumped back in the water in 8ft Keiki and just got my ass handed to me. The North Shore is insane. You can easily see why people return year after year. Warm water, beautiful beaches and great people. It is a place that I have watched from a distance my whole life and my experience in Hawaii was beyond what I could have imagined. From seeing and shooting Pipe for the first time, to watching the masters comp go down to the final heat was epic. The best thing was I wasn’t there for any other reason but for the experience. To have my little family with me made it even better. I may not be a rich man but the experiences I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy are priceless.