Hi, my name is Emma! Let me tell you a little about myself.
I have always had a love for photography dating back to my childhood. Growing up with a mother who was a photographer taught me from an early age. I can remember almost every single one of my point and shoot cameras. I spent tons of time taking pictures of almost everything possible just for fun. Naturally, when I was choosing courses for highschool, I decided to take every photography class I could. I was not aware that I was about to be immersed in old school darkroom technology. But, I ended up falling in love. I completed my courses and ended up buying my own darkroom equipment. I found the darkroom to be calming and therapeutic even thought I didn’t realize it then.
Years passed, and I moved out to Alberta having to leave my darkroom equipment behind. I lost touch with photography for years as I started out my new life as a young woman. One day a co worker offered me an amazing deal on his DSLR that he was selling. I don’t even know what happened, but I bought the camera without even giving it a thought. I dove right back into photography, but this time starting to be aware of what I was doing. I started taking classes, watching seminars, and trying to sharpen my skills for the desire to take better photos.
Then, I found hiking. I never used to do anything physically active, even when taking photos. Yet there I was about to do my first hike. I didn’t own any hiking boots or a backpack, but out I went in JustFab boots and no clue of what I was doing. It was HARD. I can remember feeling so out of breath like I was going to die all the way till we got back to the truck. I sat back down in the truck and it hit me. I had not thought about anything else in the last 2 hours except not going to die. I was hooked. I suddenly craved this out of my mind experience. I wanted more.
I started doing more and more demanding hikes trying to push myself as much as possible. Getting into remote locations with my camera was a double whammy. I then realized that my anxiety and depression was greatly reduced after a hike. I started becoming aware of what my body was telling me, and it wanted a challenge. My brain craved the exhaustion and my body craved burning off the adrenaline in my blood. Burning it off you say? You see, when you feel anxious, that is your bodies way of “helping” you. Your body will pump adrenaline and cortisol into your blood to prepare you for a situation. The only thing is that there is no situation. So the more anxious you feel, the more adrenaline and cortisol that is pooling in your blood. The only cure? Exercise. Exercise burns off the adrenaline and cortisol that pools in your blood leaving you feeling “pre anxiety.”
In the future I hope to publish a blog or book about my off-grid experience. I hope to help at least one person who is struggling with mental health. I hope to create a page on this website with tips and tricks on managing mental health. And lastly, I hope to inspire, no matter what gets you up in the morning.
All in all, I am just a girl, standing in front of a computer screen, asking it to love her. Just kidding. But I am seriously passionate about photography, mental health, hiking, and self improvement. These are all small pieces of everything you will receive from me, whether it be here or Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.
So welcome, drop me a line. Ask me a question. Sign the guestbook. Take a gander, and enjoy.