Staying Wild in the Space Where Art and Advertising Meet

For a moment there is time enough for everything. Then the darkness fades. The natural light cracks my eyes open. My heart throbs kick up and my forehead swells with things to do. I jump out of bed into the quick of a new day. I have to poop, but first I stretch and listen to the sound of my old body cracking. The sound of boiling coffee water wakes my girlfriend Sera and my son Camper from their peaceful dreams. Then I spend too much time working Instagram while pooping and drinking coffee. 

Blah, blah and blah. There’s not enough time. We have to go. The backpacks are packed. Camper and I bike ride a couple miles to drop him off at school. I ride a couple more miles to North. Once I’m in the computer saddle, I ride a tidal wave of coffee and emails. 

I’m working on new business pitches, logo designs, doodling new ideas, writing about the authentic reasons to buy things, painting alphabets and building props for photo shoots. I guess I’m making ads, but I’m usually making art and a magazine called Stay Wild.

Stay Wild is an adventure magazine that North encourages me to make while I’m here. It’s a lot of work to balance both, but it’s fun and I’m happiest when I’m making stuff that actually sees the light of day. A lot of North’s clients are adventure brands, so my thinking never needs to shift gears from magazine-making to ad-making. It’s all story sharing. 

If I remember to eat, I’ll grab a burrito or bagel from the grocery store down the street. After I eat, I’m pretty much unable to stay creative. This is a good time to catch up on emails and file management of all sorts. It makes me feel like a robot, but by EOD the feeling passes. I jump back on the bike to go get Camper from school. 

I’m very alive. I am not an advertising industry robot. I don’t have a job title for living this way. I’m just alive right now doing what I can to keep the human conversation moving forward. The wind is in my hairy arms and my hands are busy with the work. 

Back at home we lie down on a blanket in the backyard and Camper squirts his water gun straight up above us. For a moment there is plenty of time. The water drops stall in the air above us before gravity sends drops raining down on us. It’s shocking and we all giggle. Let’s do it again.