For USA readers, yesterday was Thanksgiving – I spent the day with family, being thankful for so much. For the international readers, I hope you joined in yesterday, or perhaps will join me in some thankfulness today.
Front and center on my list of things to be thankful for are: health, family, and community. Health makes the whole thing possible; family–immediate and extended–gives me the daily dose of what love really means, as well as the strength to live a full life; and community–my friends, my amazing staff, co-collaborators, and you–make it all so exciting, rich, and inspirational beyond my wildest dreams. All these things are wonderful and worthwhile things to celebrate.
Within the always-humbling, sometimes-overwhelming presence that this community has in my life, I draw an immeasurable amount of inspiration and motivation. It’s continually shocking for those times when I receive your thanks or kind words, because in my head, our roles are reversed – I feel like the one who clearly derives the most benefit from your participation in this constantly growing community. Words here cannot extend a big enough thanks to you.
Let me take a moment to thank a small handful of friends, collaborators, organizations that have for some reason or another recently made an (another?) impression on me. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a short one that is present for me at the moment. They are all, in some unexpected ways, not to be missed:
NON PROFIT ORGS
4Culture.org
Blue Earth Alliance
Help-Portrait
MUSIC
Head Like A Kite
Victor Shade
Say Hi
Fences
Shabazz Palaces
GOOD PEOPLE
The Superformula
Ace Hotel
Vince Klimek.
Matt’s In The Market.
Foodista
Small-Lot Wines
Mike Horn
Build LLC
Theo Chocolate
Lastly. If you feel inclined to, please share in the comments section below something you’re thankful for. Anything sincere–and this is not just for the USA folks. It might be a USA holiday, but gratitude is worldwide. I’ll select a handful of comments and send you a signed book or something else to show my thanks for your sharing.
Oh, and I always love this reminder: “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward Have a great weekend.
i am thankful for my cousin’s brave face. she is talented, funny and witty. and she faces the scary unknown, instead of hiding in the dark.
I am thankful for a lot of things. First and foremost I am thankful to God for allowing me to live through all of the good things and bad things that have occurred in my life. I have learned from them all and I feel that I am stronger and more positive because of them. I’m thankful for relationships with friends, family, spouses, co-workers, and strangers. We are social animals and we strive on the energy from those relationships. I thankful for the fact that we live in a free society where learning, creating, and sharing knowledge is not only tolerated but encouraged. And lastly, I am thankful that I was able to retire after 22 years in the Marine Corps and finally start realizing some of my art, photography, and web design goals. Keep up the good work Chase. I love your work ethic and your sense of creativity and collaboration. The more you give of yourself Chase, the more you will receive. Thank you for the inspiration.
I’m thankful for the Internet and how much I’ve learned from people like Chase by loggin on. Might sound cliché but I truly feel it is the single most educational, liberating and society changing invention since the Guttenberg printing press. Keep up the great posts Chase. Thanks.
I am thankful for my 19month old daughter… After losing our son when he was born at 24 weeks and only had a chance to be with us for 3 hours, I never take for granted having my beautiful family surrounding me!
Also thankful for my wife who decided to try again and carried our beautiful girl for 9 months. Everything she does for me deserves more than anything I could ever do to repay her. All the support she provides while I follow my ambitions as a photographer and puts up with all my late nights of editing and answering emails.
There is nothing more important in this world than Family and Friends… And it’s just all the more sweeter when they are willing to support you in everything you do!
Thank you Chad, for fostering such an amazing community of photographer 🙂
I am thankful for the following:
Light – that each day comes a better understanding of how to see it.
Composition – by studying each day I will be shown the way to create inspiring photos.
Hard Work – that I have the motivation to continue when the going gets tough!
Love – to show this everyday to those around me
Sharing – to pay it forward and to lead from what I have learned from others
cheers to all and a Happy Thanksgiving to all