Instagram caption: "I’ve been working on a photo essay at an abbey in Michigan. I have found the quiet moments there pull me out of the sea of distractions that I often feel I am consistently swimming in. The deliberateness of sound at this place, whether it be voices in the church or wind in the trees, is a refreshing. I find myself wrestling with thoughts that come into my mind, but at least there is time and space to address them and not just push them away."

It was during my drive out to the abbey in a snowstorm that I started to think about making this image. The roads were slick and I debated if I should turn around and send an email to the guest master. In this moment of doubt, I grounded myself in the situation and focused on being deliberate with my work/actions. Instead of turning back, I slowed down, turned off the radio, and focused on the road in front of me. I arrived a bit later than expected, but was able to check in with the guest master and say my hellos before heading out into the weather. After the short walk through the snow, I let the moment play out at the cemetery and made some pictures. I enjoyed the cold air on my exposed face and I went further into the woods as the snow continued to blanket the scene.

This project is driving me to think deeper and slow down my photography. This slower pace has also been a part of going freelance as a photographer. I generally have a bit more flexibility in deadline and in scheduling, which is quite appreciated. This flexibility has also removed the border of storytelling in many ways, which is a bit of a gift and curse. I have the time to return to a project, which is allowing me to delve deeper at a more natural pace, but there is no outline of what the finished project should look like. There is more uncertainty with this change, but in the newspaper world, there always is a bit of that, too.

As I continue to settle into this way of working, I am finding more comfort in the ever-changing nature of being a freelancer. Rather than mulling over what might be, I am finding it is best to be deliberate, pursue a goal, and see what happens. Oftentimes, the worst thing that can happen is that I talk myself out of trying.