Hieroglyphics Trail | Hiking in the Arizona Desert

Two winters ago, my brother, Tim, and I went on a hike in the Superstition Mountains. Hiking with Tim is always great because we both love taking photos for fun and usually keep the same pace with all our photo taking. This time I decided to take some video and challenge myself to create a project outside of my norm. It was really fun to put together, but when it came time to share it I froze! Was this on brand with my style? What would it show future collaborators about the value of my work? Blah blah blah. A bunch of boring, little thoughts that get in the way. The great thing about discovering a project from a while back is that you have a new perspective. This definitely shows my love for the outdoors, for challenging myself, and for working in an intimate setting.

Hieroglyphics Trail is a pretty easy, non technical hike and gives you a beautiful view of the desert once you’ve reached the top. Roundtrip it’s less than 3 miles, so it can be a shorter hike. Or if you are like Tim and me, then you can take your time snapping photos and exploring the top without worrying about making it back to the car in time. You gain almost 600 feet in elevation, which I barely remembering noticing in the low desert since I’d been living at 7,000 ft, but Tim teased me that he could feel more of a difference. The trail is also a great place for families and dogs (if kept on a leash). If you come during the right seasons there will be wildflowers along the way and even small pools and a waterfall at the end of the trail.

When you get to the top there are petroglyphs you can look at, take photos of, or even sketch, but of course don’t touch the petroglyphs! Bears Ears Education Center has some great suggestions on how to visit places with respect. It’s important to respect the land for future visitors and just as important to remember we might consider this public land for everyone, but often these are archeological sites of indigenous people and there are laws about cultural artifacts. These places aren’t just objects of history or science, but a connection to people.

If you get the chance, check out Hieroglyphics Trail or the surrounding Superstition Mountains. It’s a gorgeous desert area that will give you appreciation for dusty browns and faded greens. Check out my video below for some desert views!

Following Glaciers: A New Understanding of "Naturalist" | Wrangell St. Elias National Park Photography

Years ago I had hit a dead end. I continued to do the same work without growth. There were pockets of new opportunities in between the monotony, but I couldn’t give myself to those chances fully. I was stifled in parts of my life and it seemed to be seeping into every aspect of my life! I’d work in ways to push myself even in the monotony, but it wasn’t enough. I knew it was possible to grow exactly where I was and yet I really needed space from everything I knew to truly stretch in a new way. That’s when I decided it was time to really push myself. So, I applied to work as a media intern at Wrangell St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Alaska for four months. There, I was able to fulfill my personal and career goals working in visual communications, documenting science and research, cultural events, and history in the nation’s largest park through photography and video!

Wrangell St. Elias National Park & Preserve is home to the largest glacial system in the country. The glaciers within its borders are the headwaters for many of the river systems that flow through the park and towards Alaska’s seas. Along this journey from glacier to ocean, these rivers shape the land as well as the living communities, connecting people, animals, and plants. My work followed the flow of these watersheds, from interviewing scientists who study the evolving glaciers and their effects on the environment, to the people who rely on the rivers to provide nourishing salmon for their families, to the communities whose histories are forever intertwined with the ancient landforms. In a place where people and nature are so clearly tied together, it’s more obvious to me than ever before that conservation is not simply about land, but history, culture, and people as well.

After my four months there, it’s still my first media assignment that drove this message home with the most power. On a trip to the southern coast of the park, during a visit to a site that was historically significant to the Yakutat Tlingit, I met many new faces and heard many new stories. Oral histories passed around campfires from elders to youth to connect new generations to their ancestors and their personal identities. One elder, while reflecting on his personal reasons for providing this opportunity to the youth, told me of the time he learned his grandfather had been a guide for naturalist and “Father of the National Parks”, John Muir. He told me before learning about his grandfather he wasn’t very confident, but knowing who his grandfather was gave him pride. From then on he learned as much as he could about his grandfather and his culture, modeling his life after his ancestor’s philosophy. This conversation made me realize how important inclusivity is in conservation.

Our conversation also began my search for naturalists and conservationists outside of the white faces we’re already familiar with. John Muir, Aldo Leopold, even my beloved Jane Goodall. While providing lots of important ideas and thoughts to ponder, they still only provide a limited view.  There are so many more important perspectives we’re missing when we don’t broaden our ideas of nature writing. So, if you too are looking to see the landscapes you love through fresh eyes with new experiences different from your own, then feel free to use these suggestions as a jumping off point:

• The Colors of Nature: This collection explores the relationship between culture and place through many different authors from various backgrounds, so it’s a great place to discover more writers (like Jamaica Kincaid, who’s A Small Place always pulls me back, Robin Wall Kimmerer, or Lauret Savoy).

• Camille Dungy’s Black Nature: an anthology of nature writing by African American poets.

• Carolyn Finney’s Black Faces, White Spaces: an examination of the natural environment and how it is represented by black and white Americans.

 After all, we’re not just protecting land for future generations, but protecting history, culture, and identity as well. The more people and ideas included in conservation efforts, the more that can be achieved. Feel free to share some of your favorite “nature” writings with me in the comments as well!

The Space Where Growth Happens | Road Trip from Arizona to Alaska

There are times in life I feel rather behind. My friends are with their life partners, buying homes, starting families, and moving up in their jobs. Then here I am living with a revolving door of roommates, my closest companion is my cat, and I somehow freelanced my way from Phoenix to Flagstaff, which was a completely unplanned move. It seemed to happen by chance when the world decided to align in the right places. Then I somehow landed in Alaska. The biggest thing I’m working on at all times is my confidence. I’m not worried about getting a house, finding the perfect job, meeting the right person to spend my life with. I just want to be self-assured and true to who I am and then watch how that manifests in the various aspects of my life, whether work or dating or friendships. However, when I stop and notice the contrast between my friends’ lives and mine, self doubt creeps in. I have to wonder if I’m actually behind everyone else… Should I have already found this confidence? Should I have moved on to more important things at this point? Would these things make my life feel more complete? Do I need to focus more on settling rather than an idea of self value?

In comparison to my friends, my life seems untidy. No part of it is arranged perfectly. I choose seasonal and inconsistent jobs that I’m passionate about over the option of stability. I’ve moved about once a year for the last several years because my needs change with the different seasons of my life. While the longest relationship I’ve had is a ten year one…  It’s with my cat. And I’m mostly certain that’s lasted so long because he doesn’t know where else to get food. Nothing in my life seems to fit into a category or align with a pre-planned path. I’m sort of floundering around between spaces seeing where I fit. For the most part it seems like I fit nowhere.

While it would be nice to ignore any comparison (I know, I know) it can be hard when your family and friends still ask when you’re getting a “real job” or when you’re going to start dating again because they’re excited for you to have kids. These questions really add pressure to “settle down” and live a certain kind of life. At times I find myself caving into this pressure and looking for more stability, whether in a job or housing. Whenever I do this though, I begin to feel very overwhelmed. Almost to the point where I want to just shut down. So I have to pause and rethink. What does being unsettled really mean?

There’s an idea that being unsettled means you lack stability. Anyone living an unsettled life is aimless, directionless, or without a purpose. However, living unsettled can actually represent ever changing ideas, openness, and the opportunity to still be decided. It means a work in progress! My life seems like floundering, but really it’s freedom. The wandering about, letting things come and go, creates extra room in my world. This is the space where growth happens.

Instead of meaningless meandering, I realize I’m actually allowing myself to have the option to figure everything out as I go, rather than trying to have my life pinned down and stable as soon as possible. This room lets me make very intentional and meaningful decisions. And I’ve really discovered a lot! I’ve learned what I care for in this world, where my passions lie, how I deserve to be treated, and how I want to treat others. It’s been so liberating to give myself the opportunity to change, whether my beliefs or interests or career. I’m not limited to one particular path. Instead I have the chance to expand in any direction I chose.

Over the past several years, I’ve let myself walk along many paths that often fork off into different directions. When I graduated film school, I could have stayed at my internship for another semester, or found an internship out in Los Angeles like a lot of my friends, but neither of these choices seemed right. I was proud of the skills I gained with my film degrees, but my heart felt compelled to do more with those talents than work on a set or in an editing house. I decided to register for a Bachelor’s in Non Profit Management and Leadership instead. While I did have a college advisor who repeatedly asked me why I didn’t just go get a marketing job, I felt there was more to be found while getting a second degree. There’s nothing like a group assignment to show you the parts of yourself you don’t love and teach you to stay calm, patient, and kind! During my time back at school, a classmate asked if I would be interested in a media job at a nonprofit summer camp. I was reminded how much I love working with youth and value working in the outdoors. From there an environmental education camp asked if I could come work with them to create their very own media department and this is where I discovered a passion for conservation and environmentalism. I learned how important it is to be a steward of the land and how much I cared about passing my passion on to students. It’s what led me to search for media positions in conservation and that search landed me in Alaska working with the National Park Service. I feel so much more fulfilled now that I ever did working a set or editing in a post house for 12 or more hours a day and who knows how long it would have taken me to find the things that bring me joy if I had felt the need to stay on a rigid path!

I hear a lot from others that they’re not sure they could handle the stress they assume comes with the instability in my life. I get that. Yet, it’s this unsettledness that allows for change and personal growth, which is the kind of stability I’m really looking for. I want my security to come from within me rather than any external force. The funny thing is (it’s actually not funny as a lot of my friends would point out, but I like this word… If you have any suggestions for new adjectives, please share) when I start to worry about getting settled there’s no space for confidence in my life. I start doing things untrue to myself. I feel disconnected and unable to honor the sincerest part of myself, so my confidence has no footing. It completely loses balance and falls so far below I can’t even see it! When I let myself remain unsettled that’s when something beautiful happens. Being unsettled allows me to be very intentional with my choices! I make meaningful decisions based on what’s most important to me and not necessarily what I think others will see as wrong or right.

I’ve spent the last year, grasping around for what feels “normal”, but it wasn’t until I accepted an offer to relocate across the country, in a new, unknown terrain, because it would offer me an experience I knew I really wanted, that I felt normal again. My life is untidy. I don’t know where I’ll be living in a few months and I have to part from friends for longer than I’d like. Yet, my life is full of so much meaning and growth. Friendships in far away corners of the world show me they’re built on deeper connections than just proximity. Uncertainty in living spaces let me see all the possibilities a little more clearly. I’m grateful for all the opportunities that come up in my unsettled life.

Share More, Consume Less

Share more, consume less is a motto that can be implemented in many parts of our lives, in ways we might not really consider at first. Let's knock out the biggest and probably scariest way right now!

If you just take a glance at the slideshow or photos below you are probably thinking, "How can one person be so beautiful/precious/adorable/glow-y?" To which I would say, "You don't even know the half of it!!!" Sometimes I hear people say their friends are sunshine personified and I don't know what they mean. Are they friendly? Is their smile blinding? Do they have a really high fever that maybe needs medical attention?

After getting to know Saleena I understood the saying a little more. Although, I prefer to describe her as a sunbeam straight to your face (you cannot ignore the presence of Saleena and I wouldn't want to). I wish I was capable of pinpointing exactly what it is about Saleena the Sunbeam that makes her so, but I never could figure it out. Until, I saw the little slogan stuck to every stranded, yellow Ofo bike in Tempe, "Share More, Consume Less". The Ofo bike slogan is talking about commercialism and transportation, but I don't think it's magic has to just stop there.

Saleena is constantly sharing herself, who she really is, with everyone around her. This was what drew me to her. She doesn’t make it hard to get to know her or to be able to relate to her; she puts it all out there. There’s no hiding her personality or trying to be anything other than herself. You can take the time to get to know more about her life or her thoughts, but you don’t have to try and dig up her personality. Which, I think is something that a lot of us don’t do. We either hide to protect ourselves or try to deflect in a way so we can feel cooler and more important around others.

But get this: when we try to appear cooler or get the approval of other people, we're actually consuming! We want to take in and consume the acceptance of others; we need their attention. I find myself doing this at times and it always feels kind of off.  Have you ever noticed yourself doing this?  Doesn’t it feel weird?! I can’t really enjoy the company I’m in when I’m so focused and concerned about how I’m presenting myself.  I think it’s rather taxing when we set out to consume attention or approval from others because let’s be truthful, once you get approval, it’s not enough. You have to keep going.

If instead we are being honest, allowing our true selves to show, then we shift to sharing! Which in turn opens up those around us to share who they really are too. Sure, there will probably be someone thinking, “Wow, this person is too much, what a dork.” But, I’m going to go ahead and guess they are a consumer. If they were a sharer they would either A) just be stoked that someone else was out here being open and honest too or B) think, “Cool, I know who that person is and they’re not really my cup of tea” and move on their way!  Can you imagine what life would be like if we were all sharers? It’s sounds pretty nice to me! This kind of sharing ourselves takes vulnerability though, which can be a little intimidating at first, so if you’re needing a bit of encouragement or some small steps to take, here are a few suggestions:

• Be Present! First things first, shake off the consumerism. When you focus on the present moment you can take note of what you do out of seeking acceptance. When you start to notice the little actions you take to gain other’s approval, then you can begin to put a stop to them! They’ve probably become habits, so you’ll need to be mindful, but once you start to undo these behaviors you’ll be a little more open to sharing.
• Share Your Feelings! And I mean all of them, not just the happy ones. There is a lot of talk about negativity and cutting out those negative, toxic friends, but let’s not confuse darker emotions for pessimism. Negativity is when someone is constantly tearing something down, telling you other people, ideas, or hobbies are lame and dumb. Being sad, angry, or lonely is not negativity! Those are normal human emotions, which can even be shared in positive ways. Make a joke about being irritated or just let out a big sigh and exclaim your irritation. Either way, you’re letting yourself be more vulnerable and sharing yourself with others. If people are allowing themselves to be vulnerable back, then they are probably going to be able to relate with your feelings and... Ta-da, you know have both shared a little bit!
• Ask TRUE questions! Yes, sharing is not just about you, you, you. Sometimes sharing yourself means sharing your ability to listen! This is a big one for me and I'm still figuring out how to tackle it. During conversations we often like to respond with our own experience or anecdote, but sometimes it’s nice to stay focused on the other person. Ask them questions to further learn more about their story instead of rushing into your own points. There's a couple people in my life who will text me a link to an article or event that they think I would enjoy after a conversation we have and even that makes me feel so heard. Showcase the side of you that is a great listener (I'm looking at you, Ali)! 

So, let’s all take a page from Saleena’s book and embrace the idea of “Share More, Consume Less” in a new way.  How will you start to share more in your life?

xx Ali

Hello 2017!

New year, new website!

One of my favorite things about the new year is all the goal setting. Admittedly, I am constantly making new goals through out the year, especially when it comes to business, but the new year is a nice time to pause and reflect on previous goals and accomplishments while thinking about new goals for the future.

Each new year, I enjoy talking about goals with my family and friends and finding ways to be supportive of what those around me envision for themselves. I really like everyone to dream big, so I like to give big encouragement, as well as big ideas as to how they can accomplish their goals.

Looking back at 2016 I'm very proud of my accomplishments. I completed my Bachelor's in Non Profit Leadership & Management and set out to focus more on my professional work now that I had the extra time to dedicate. I gained new clients and partnerships and ended up moving to northern Arizona! Thinking about all the people who put their support, encouragement, and trust in me makes me so grateful for everyone I have in my life. However, with all these new professional changes I decided it was time for a new website too. And here it is! My previous site was a place for me to push myself to share my creativity since I had been nervous to do so before. We'll see where 2017 takes this site... I hope you enjoy.