If you are doing what everyone else is doing, you are doing it wrong.
- Casey Neistat
I’ve been through major fails, successes, and mental breakthroughs in climbing. Not going to lie, there have been a few times where I questioned my place in climbing, as well as my progress. I would compare myself to others and be disappointed in myself trying to make sense why other fellow climbers were making progress in a shorter amount of time. It was agitating for the longest time.
Photo captured by Carlo Traversi
An important figure in my life expressed to me that I have to do something different, think more creatively, well to quote, really they told me “don’t be afraid to look stupid.”
When climbing, the human anatomy of the body is so captivating; the body being put through intense strenuous positioning, flexing muscles in different combinations, bleeding fingers, the intense focus and dedicated devotion of what one puts their body through to make it to the top a single route.
I created an artistic series of climbers who are my idols as an experimental platform for my art skills.
APPLYING MY SKILLS TO A NEW KIND OF SUBJECT
Around this same time, due to limited time, my grandparents' family loyal companion, Sadie, was facing her last remaining weeks…
While she was still happy and upbeat, I painted a portrait to remember her in a happy state.
This was my first portriat
I had to get more experimental . . .
I didn’t decide to continue with this idea until a year later, when I was asked to paint a portrait of my dog, “Kirby” as a favor for my mom.
From then on, I decided to create a small word of mouth business to paint people's pets of any kind. But deep down, I knew only limiting myself to only animals, I wouldn’t be happy continuing, unless I combined something in the mix.
After all, my ideal lifestyle was to combine art and climbing together.
Never settle for just average.
Photos captured by Sebastian Flynn