Grateful to see another year; 41 plants me firmly in my Unc era and I'm not mad at it. I've been busy, at work and in community, with Good Trouble. And since I am who I am, seeking curiosity, compassion and community, I have three asks today:
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Being vegan is one of the most foundational and highest impact things we can do for a better world. Thank you for considering all living beings in your work!
1. I'm not familiar with your work (rectifying that with a follow), but the photo in your post hit me hard. My favorite bird, and I see beauty & defiance in that incredible shot.
2. Not as much as I wish I could, but donation made.
What a gorgeous photo of a gorgeous bird! I was just at the botanical garden enjoying the presence of some wading birds and this duck guarding a bridge. Luckily I did not have to answer any riddles to pass.
1. Share a meaningful moment you've had with me, my work, or my art. Creatives tap into these stories to pull ourselves free of the quicksand of trying times. If we don't have one yet, ask a question - I've lived a truly uncommon life, and enjoy sharing some of those tales
I explored your linktree in response to this&find my breath taken away at the Heartforward and Light Before We Land photos. I've always been sort of a...bird skeptic? Or something. My parents are really into them and they've never particularly stirred my heart. But looking at these images, I GET it.
That's so amazingly kind 😭 I totally know what you mean though, and those are two just incredibly special encounters - there's a virtuous cycle of capturing moments, learning more about the birds, and coming back to deepen the relationship that has been really vital to my thinking lately
Detroit! It shaped me in an innumerable number of ways, some negative and many positive. Birding helped transmute a lot of hypervigilance I carried even after leaving the city. There's a dynamism to It's diaspora, the ability to find/make a way, and comfort with being the underdog that I deeply love
I'm grateful for the care & honesty with which you communicate on here, & our brief but good exchange about working with people who don't seem caught up! If you feel like answering a question: what are some lessons you love from your mentors or teachers?
2a. Support the organizations I've poured love into; I hold hope that the terror we're living through in this regime highlights the importance, moral clarity and correctness of the Care Based Safety model https://www.carebasedsafety.com
2b. @avalonhousing.bsky.social is making a dent in the crisis of homelessness in our area, and I'm proud of the homes we've provided for neighbors and the services we deliver, focusing on unmet needs; a lot of that is at risk with the loss of funding, and they could use more support
3. Spend a little time outside if you're able; soak in the sounds of our feathered friends, and grant yourself some space for wonder. Spend a little time inside yourself, stirring up dreams of a future better than what we're promised by eugenicists, segregationists and fascists.
As Detroit's own Grace Lee Boggs taught us, “You don’t choose the times you live in. But you do choose who you want to be, and you do choose how you want to think.”
Hard to feel celebratory, here in the Turbulent Era, but I'm proud of the way I've chosen to live regardless ✌🏾
Happy birthday! Your guide to local nonprofits is a beautifully and thoughtfully designed document -- thank you for creating it.
This afternoon, I'm volunteering to pack orders of baby native trees and shrubs for folks to pick up at tomorrow's Washtenaw County Conservation District sale 🌲🌳
happy birthday!! I think you were the first bird photographer I found here and then was delighted to learn we share similar politics as well. thanks for making the world 41 years sweeter, kinder, and more beautiful
My kid saw birds in our backyard last week and said she wanted to go birdwatching. She’s been trying to take photos of the birds in our yard every evening since then. I shared some of your photos with her, which I think was pretty exciting.
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2. Not as much as I wish I could, but donation made.
3. I absolutely will get outside today.
Happy birthday, Ryan!
Hard to feel celebratory, here in the Turbulent Era, but I'm proud of the way I've chosen to live regardless ✌🏾
This afternoon, I'm volunteering to pack orders of baby native trees and shrubs for folks to pick up at tomorrow's Washtenaw County Conservation District sale 🌲🌳
🥳🎂💜
My kid saw birds in our backyard last week and said she wanted to go birdwatching. She’s been trying to take photos of the birds in our yard every evening since then. I shared some of your photos with her, which I think was pretty exciting.