When I was 17, I made a list of the things I wanted to do in life. There were the serious things (get married, own a home) and there were the fun things (learn how to flirt and flamenco dance). Most the list revolved around the fun things...things only a teenage optimist could write. At #5 was "travel the world."
For years I buried the list in an old journal. Left untouched, it's edges curled and pen faded, much like my desire to flamenco dance. Before I had time to noitce, I had reached middle age with an adult job and a mortgage. I had lived a sensical life, pursuing accomplishments that were expected of me...the kind that make somebody else proud. And then June 9th happened.
It was like any other day, except for the all-staff meeting that had been scheduled the day before. In a sterile white conference room overlooking the San Francisco Bay, 200 employees were told that our company was relocating to New Jersey. In the matter of minutes, I had been handed a stale pastry and a severance package.
Over the next several weeks, I begun questioning my next move. I had never been laid off, never not had a job. As a teenager, I was the one hostessing and stuffing my twenties in a jar while my friends were hanging at the 7-11. I chose security over creativity, stability over debt, career over, well pretty much everything else. But where had it gotten me? Where had it gotten any of us?
After nights of insomnia and days of pondering, an idea came to me clearly. Some call it inspiration, I call it my 17-year-old self revisiting to teach me a lesson. What I should do next appeared to me in three sentences:
~ Travel the world ~
~ Take photos of what people treasure ~
~ Share these stories and images with others ~
I knew I couldn't take it lightly and decided to pursue these ideas. What We Treasure is my project where I will travel the world and take photos of what people treasure most life.
What insights may we gain by seeing what's important to others? Does what we cherish change depending on our socio-economic, political or geographic location? What do we truly desire, seek and collect? What, in turn, do we learn about ourselves by revealing what is most precious to us? I hope my project will uncover some of these answers. My project starts when my job ends: June 30, 2012.
For years I have relied on facts, statistics, the tangible. For once, I'm relying solely on intuition and trust. I hope that you will help direct me to places I should be and people I should talk to. Maybe you'll let me take a photo of what you treasure. I have no expectations than to learn what is important to people, capture it and share it with others. I'm committed to allowing the project to develop in whatever direction it leads me...
So join me, laugh with me, share your stories with me. Together we'll build a new vision of what matters most.
With Love,
Carrie