Finding the Path Forward – August 19th 2025

"How are you, Andrew? You seem distant."

That’s the question my own mind has been asking me the past few days. Truthfully, it’s been asking me that for months.
And for the longest time, I didn’t really have an answer.

I’ve felt lost.
Not in the dramatic, falling-into-darkness kind of way—but in that quiet, unsettling way where you’re still moving forward, yet unsure if the ground you’re walking on even belongs to you anymore.
I didn’t feel like I was travelling down the right path with my photography.
Something felt… off. Misaligned.

So I stepped back.
I reflected—honestly.
I asked myself some harder questions. I searched. I sifted. I tried to refine what exactly it is that lights me up and what I actually want to explore.

And I think (…I hope) that I’ve found a better-aligned path.

I’ve decided to explore the creation of a magazine.

Nothing flashy. Nothing loud or bold.
I don’t want to chase trends or build something designed for mass appeal or financial gain.
I want to build something honest. Something pure.
Something emotional, artistic, exploratory—and intentionally crafted for a smaller circle of people who feel art as much as they see it.

I want to make something that ties together those invisible threads between creativity and emotion.
Something that reminds us how deeply connected creative people really are—even in all our shining differences.

More than anything, I want to become a herald of creative voices.
Not just a mirror that reflects what others make, but a storyteller that carries their work forward… with care, with context, and with reverence.

And since deciding to take that first step—it’s like a spark reignited.
That old creative flow came rushing back.
My mind has felt alive again—buzzing with ideas, organizing thoughts, creating structure where before there was just fog.

I’ve gone from “I feel lost” to “I wonder where this will go.”

That shift didn’t happen overnight. That lost feeling lingered for months. It bled into my photography journey—almost to the point of me stepping away entirely.
But what I’ve already learned is this:

It’s okay to come to the end of a path.
If passion alone isn’t enough to keep it going… it’s okay to double back.
It’s okay to rest.
It’s okay to walk in circles and zigzags until you refine the way forward.

Some days I wish I could see into the future—just to know if the choice I’m making will be the “right” one. But then I remember that even if something doesn’t work out, it still teaches you something.
And often, that “something” becomes the very thing that strengthens the next path you take.

I can’t properly measure how much I’ve learned through photography over the years.
The people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve had, the knowledge I’ve gathered—it feels like enough to fill a lifetime.

So now, as I begin walking this new path—as a creator, photographer, writer, storyteller, and (most importantly) a personal pathfinder—I hope that I can answer my own mind’s question soon.

“How are you, Andrew?”

I’m good. I’m happy. I feel confident in this direction. And I’m forging ahead until the trail ends or shifts again.

This feels right.

— A.H.