The Ocean: An Extraordinary Mystery and My Greatest Inspiration
|As winter slowly begins to fade, I try to get outside and enjoy every bit of sunshine. Part of my daily routine is to walk towards the ocean and take in a moment of calm while watching the waves. When I reach my familiar spot, the beautiful view is ever-changing. The ebb and flow of the tide vary as much as the people who visit these beaches, and one thing I always remember to bring is my camera. I enjoy capturing seascapes and shorelines as I witness them: seabirds diving to catch their meal, golden sunbeams reflecting across the horizon, and surfers heading out to ride some waves.
Our vast ocean is an extraordinary mystery and my greatest inspiration for the designs used in my swimwear line. My fascination with the sea began when I was younger and I spent a lot of time at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, Florida. This was where I fell in love with learning about different sea creatures, deep-sea exploration, and protecting ocean habitats. These were also my first moments of encountering marine animals like manatees, dolphins, and alligators. Ever since these early memories, I continued to find joy in experiencing and photographing wildlife in their natural habitats. You can read more about my wildlife photography here.
Being in tune with the environment is an important aspect of photography. Choosing a subject to capture is a mix of both luck and skill. I wrote about how being in tune with the space you are in is also an important aspect of practicing meditation. Surfing is both a sport and an active meditation. Even an onlooker can tell that their bodies and minds are in sync with the ocean. As they move across the sometimes building immensity of a wave and how they so deafly are able to cut across it with a look of focused ease. It is as if one is witnessing an exciting yet intense dance between a human and the power of water. If you are interested, I recommend checking out an article that was published by Surfd Magazine titled “Is Surfing A Form of Meditation? Riding the Mindfulness Waves.” Told from a surfer’s perspective, his insight and clarity on this subject were inspiring to read.
The designs that I produced for my swimwear line were influenced by my lifelong connection to nature’s beauty and the like minds that are drawn to the ocean. I look forward to the release of my purposefully designed men’s board shorts and swim trunks this spring. My hope is that those who wear my pieces can sense my intention for them to feel emboldened, powerful, and balanced like a surfer rising to the occasion and riding their next wave.