When I was younger, I thought I was desperate to fit in. Now I know that what I actually wanted was NOT to stand out. It’s just a natural part of growing up . With that, life inevitably presents opportunities to branch away from the pack and start your own journey. If you’re lucky, you get to have a support system at home that encourages you to break away and find yourself too. I was one of the lucky ones, but the thought of being myself was still horrifying.
I eventually got there. I followed my curiosity which led me to new people and to new experiences. I dabbled in this, and then tried a little of that. Started out over here and ended up over there.
All the trial, error and experimentation built a set of skills that makes what I do doable. But what exactly do I do? And why is it so tricky to answer the question, “So, what do you do?”
Gabe and I knew a bunch of the same people before meeting, and we were eventually connected by one of those mutual friends. We followed each other on instagram, and after a while, I reached out to invite Gabe to collaborate with me on this project.
We have a lot in common. We’re both of similar age and both in the fatherhood stages of our life. Gabe and I have backgrounds in the professional creative space, and I believe we bonded over the fact that neither of us are where we started and we both tend to have long answers to that question, “What do you do?”
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Q&A
Rick: Tell me about your go-to coffee drink at the moment
Gabe: I’ve been back and forth on this many times. It depends on the season, and in general, how I feel. Right now I’m drinking a cold brew with a Topo Chico sidecar from Mythical. But recently I’ve just been on an americano kick — most often from Pair Cupworks.
Rick: Describe who you are in a single sentence.
Gabe: I’m an imperfect person who’s working toward no longer seeking perfection.
Rick: You're headlining a sold out concert. Who do you have as your opening act and who do you bring on stage for a duet?
Gabe: Gregory Alan Isakov would open for us and Courtney Marie Andrew’s would come on stage for a duet
Rick: What are you really good at?
Gabe: Disarming folks during their portrait session to get them out of their heads.
Rick: Tell me about a quality you admire in others
Gabe: Integrity. Someone who does the right thing even if they come out at a disadvantage.
Rick: What do you wish people knew about you?
Gabe: In 2001 I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury due to a long boarding accident in New London, WI. The accident that shaped my future and changed my life forever.
Rick: Here’s a time machine, but it’s stuck in reverse. So you can only go back in time, and once you set the date, that’s it! That’s the only day you can visit. You can travel back and forth between that date and the present as many times as you want. What day do you set and why?
Gabe: July, 9 2019. The day that Paige and I spent in Paris exploring from the back of a scooter — meeting forever friends.
Being the person that’s always pouring out support to those around you can sometimes leave you dry. And although Gabe says he’s truly the kind of person that draws energy from passionately supporting his friends and clients, he also looks to writing and performing music for renewed inspiration, exploration, and reflection.
Gabe: Big Light is a song that came in October 2019, when my wife Paige and I were returning to Arizona from a good friends wedding in Huntsville, Utah. We had stopped through Park City to visit my cousins and found ourselves closer to the Sundance Mountain Resort tucked away in the Utah mountains. (This is where the Sundance Film Festival was founded and hosted by Robert Redford before moving it to Park City.)
We decided to check it out with some of Paige’s friends who were camping nearby. After catching up over midday drinks by the fire at one of the resorts restaurants, we stopped by the main office on a whim to see if there were any rooms available for the night. Turns out we got the last room at the resort for the weekend.
The room was a cozy, private cabin overlooking the rest of the property. It was the perfect setting to unplug and enjoy the bright mountain air.
After wandering the property, we ended up sitting down at a communal fire pit and just sat there enjoying each other’s company. Being there together, I felt so grateful for her and experiencing life and adventures outside of the typical mundane.
We got home a few days later and I was standing in the studio rehearsing. It was easy to find inspiration in the blue and gray map that was hanging opposite the studio mic.
The theme of the song rests on the fact that Paige has been and continues to be an inspiration in my life. Always pushing me forward and over and beyond some of my own walls.
“She’s sending me out to the stars to bring back the big light in sealed jars”
Like everything during the pandemic, the release and final recording of this song has been delayed (along with several others) but it’s just as important that the song came into existence in my head as it is to record and release for the rest of the world to hear.
Jack of all trades, musician, photographer, brand strategist, community builder, supporter of people... friend. Thanks Gabe. r / m
This was the 4th frame of the roll and I knew this was going to be the shot the moment I snapped the shutter. I didn’t even finish the rest of the roll.