The Community Made Of Us - Trailers

          Its been a little over 5 months since I began this blog and this journey to find, "The Community: Made of Us" and I can honestly say I have learned quite a lot. Meeting people from all walks of life and all over the United States, there is never a dull moment during my travels. Whether it was taking a shot with a live fish in it, to hiking to the highest point in L.A. there was always room to take my next trip further.

          Even with that being said, I have been working on a short film documenting the past few months of my life's travels and I must say it has taken me longer to put this together than I have expected. Nevertheless, every time I take a look at my "work in progress" I can't help to remember why I started this journey and where I though it would take me. Unsure of what lay ahead of me in the next few months, or where I would be in the next few years.

          Not everything in this world is a sign, nor does everything have a purpose, sometimes, things just...are. What we make of it is a manifestation of what we want, and what we want is a product of our own minds. This kind of mindset keeps me focused on what I plan to do with my life, although I don't know the details just yet, I know where I want to go. Just like any other Floridian in a summer rainstorm, you may not see the lines, but you can still see the road.

          So, to commemorate my soon to be finished, "work in progress" I made the 3rd and final trailer for my project. I also included the links to my first two trailers if you wanted to check them out! Be sure to leave comments on the videos! (Be sure to put them in HD!)

Link to Trailer 3

Link to Trailer 2

Link to Trailer 1

Phoenix, Arizona

          I want to start off by saying that I have been to Phoenix twice but only during a layover, and while driving through so I did already have expectations of what or who would be there, so I thought. I remember it being 114 degrees and everything being very spread out. During my layover I remember leaving the airport to explore but I only so far that I never really saw much of anything, I was in what I thought was close downtown, heck, I was wrong. Not to mention, I have gone to the grand canyon, so I thought that was all to see in Arizona. Granted the drive in was littered with amusing signs...

What an awesome sign

          As I arrived to my destination to meet a girl named Callie and her roommates, I was still unsure on who I would meet considering my previous assumptions. I pull up to her place, with a cool looking courtyard in the middle that connects 4 adjacent apartments. I knock on the door, she opens and greets me with a huge smile. She gives me a quick tour of her place and introduces me to her roommate "Bri" and roommates boyfriend. She instantly start chatting up about what I am doing, and how life is in Phoenix and after a beer or two, we are off to grab a bite to eat. She took me to a local restaurant that was walking distance, (when's the last time you walk a few blocks to grab a bite to eat?) We order a few drinks, some food, and little did I know she ordered some huge corn cob delicious...thing (haha) I've never seen something like it, so naturally I taste and it was DELICIOUS. We were plagued by the "itis" shortly after, so we began to walk home and she showed me some amazing artwork that I had to revisit in the morning.

Meet Callie!

Some cool street art on some local houses

Nom nom nom on that corn!

          So the next morning I was joined by her roommate Bri and boy was she cool too. She took me to a local coffee shop and introduced me to some more DELICIOUS food, as well as some cool characters. Before she left for work she filled me in on some cool places to check out, handed me her keys, and bid me farewell. So as I sat there typing up a post and updating, I met some pretty cool newly engaged locals, Eric and Torri. They met because he saw her at a local restaurant and he said he immediately fell for her and had to speak to her. From there, after dating for quite some time, he popped the question. They were good people and we all about filling me in on the area and what their experiences with their community means to them. What a great feeling to meet people that are so open and willing to share their story. After my chat with them, I decided to go for a bike ride, so what better way to check out the SuperBowl festivities then by bike and GoPro? It was NUTS and packed with people, and at one point I had to walk my bike around. Definitely something I was happy to experience. 

Breakfast with new friends

More awesome street art

Superbowl view on a bike!

          So, what can I say about how Callie and everyone in Phoenix changed my perspective on the city? Even though they were all different in themselves they were part of a community there, they proud of their city, their culture, and one another. The Super Bowl crowd definitely hyped up the city a bit more than usual but the locals were just worried about the traffic more than anything else. Overall, I would go back to visit again, no doubt!

     Next stop will be to San Francisco, where I meet one of the most spiritual people in my life. Check out the trailer to the video I am making below. Use the hashtag #TheCommunityMadeOfUs, repost the video on your pages, and remember, it doesn't take much to be part of The Community, and when someone helps you, make sure you pass it on.

The Community: Made of Us (Trailer)
and

The Community: Made of Us (Trailer 2)

Follow and support The Community here:

Facebook.com/TheCommunityMadeOfUs

Instagram:@TheCommunityMadeOfUs

Twitter:     @TCMadeOfUs

Support by donating: http://www.gofundme.com/TCMadeOfUs

The Beginning

Welcome...

                            

Kicking my feet up in Charleston, NC

          So, where do I find myself in this point in life? I have always been a strong believer that we are all a products of our own experiences. This being said, I found myself at a crossroads in my life recently. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place and needed to make a huge decision, an irrational, potentially un secure, life decision. I took much time to weigh the pro's and con's, what my family, friends, and co-workers would think and what would become of my future. 

          I have always felt that people were inherently good, and in todays world of negativity, and constant drama, I have been searching for the positive aspect of people. The trust that we once gave one another, the "lending hand" when a fellow member of the community was in need. I am not talking about monetary aspects note am I unaware of people malicious people, but I want  to find  an understanding of acceptance, and ultimately, a community amongst strangers. So, that being said, I quit my high paying management job and traded in my luxury sports car, canceled my apartment lease all to all to find the good in people in todays world, to believe in strangers once again, to hear their stories, and to ultimately find, "The Community Made of Us."

Beautiful Savannah, GA at night

       With this task at hand, I had fight every urge of my normal way of thinking and not jump right into a whole other career right away. I don't want to get caught in something I will hate just to live in the now and to buy things that I don't need. So I chose, and at this moment, I find myself waking up in a strangers home that was gracious enough to open their doors to me. Yep, you heard me, I have been couch surfing in order to get to know my fellow person. If your not familiar of what that means, I basically staying in peoples homes whom I have never met before, experiencing new things and hanging out with them. Yea, it's a crazy thought, but I am also not the first to do it. Not to mention, people have done it at a greater scale, and internationally, but I am documenting it in order to show you, the reader, viewer, friend, acquaintance, and fellow person that not all people are bad, that there is good in others, far greater than you think.

Hanging with my best bud Dani in Charleston, NC

Hanging with my boy Bar in Savannah, Georgia

Enjoying the beautiful Lakeside Park view in Kissimmee, FL with my buddy Leo

          I am equipped with a Rebel T3i, a GoPro Hero 3 and an iPhone 5s. My view is a very minimal approach, a way to show a true perspective on how our experiences take place. This is not your normal documentary, but one that can create a culture in itself, and who knows how big our community can grow. With my travels so far, I have stayed in 4 different places with 4 different people, and I must say, they were some of the nicest people I have ever met. I have been fed, pampered, toured, shown a great night on the town, and even treated like family, and this is only the beginning. These people that I once called strangers have become friends that I won't forget, they have told me their life stories, their secrets, memories, and regrets and I will forever be indebted to them.

     We are all in different points in our lives, but we all have a purpose, to belong, to help, to create something, to be a community. Check out the trailer to the video I am making below. Use the hashtag #TheCommunityMadeOfUs, repost the video on your pages, and remember, it doesn't take much to be part of The Community, and when someone helps you, make sure you pass it on.

The Community: Made of Us (Trailer)
and

The Community: Made of Us (Trailer 2)

Follow and support The Community here:

Facebook.com/TheCommunityMadeOfUs

Instagram:@TheCommunityMadeOfUs

Twitter:     @TCMadeOfUs

Support by donating: http://www.gofundme.com/TCMadeOfUs