We recently connected with Jeremiah Gilbert and have shared our conversation below.
Jeremiah, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I am very fortunate to have many creative outlets. As such, if one isn’t flowing, I’ll move to the next. For instance, if I want to write but am not feeling it, I’ll edit some photos or grab my camera and take some new pictures. If I’m not inspired to head out with the camera, I’ll grab a guitar. During the pandemic, when travel, my focus for writing and photography, was not possible, I decided to keep my creative juices flowing by taking a daily photo around the house in a series called Shelter-in-Place Still Lifes. I had no idea what I would photograph each day, I’d pick up the camera and see what caught my eye. I also wrote a series of guitar pieces that I called Quarantine Compositions. I hadn’t written completed works on guitar for quite some time, but I now had the time to work on and develop ideas.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a travel writer and photographer. I’ve had the good fortune to have traveled to over a hundred countries and have my sights set on making it to Antarctica, my seventh continent, by the end of this year. I enjoy being able to share my travels both through writing and photography. I created a website to document my trip to Tibet in 2006, where I would have links to photos in the text, which grew as I traveled more. That was my first time writing about my travels. While I have been taking photos longer than I care to admit, it wouldn’t be till travel came to a halt in 2020 that I’d put together my first collection of travel writing. My most recent collection, On to Plan C, documents my return to travel in 2022 and is the first to include my photography.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I began taking photos back in the day when film was the only option, and my first camera was fully manual. This was a great learning experience, forcing me to slow down as the number of photos I could take was limited by the roll of film I was using. Today, this has led to me being an intentional photographer who pays close attention to elements such as leading lines and composition. Once you start sharing your work with the world, it is good to be both persistent and resilient. You are going to be rejected, but if you believe in your work, you shouldn’t let this deter you. I have submitted photos rejected by one magazine that would be accepted by the next. It always hurts to be rejected, but you keep going and realize sometimes that it’s just bad timing or not a good fit for that particular publication or issue. I have been fortunate that some magazines that have rejected me have invited me to submit again, often leading to a publication.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
When I was an undergraduate, I took an elective course in Eastern Philosophy. One of the books we read was Stephen Mitchel’s version of the Tao Te Ching, which I was immediately taken with. For several years, I would read it annually. One of the passages that struck me was the beginning of Chapter 47: “The more you know, the less you understand.” To me, this says that the more information you learn, the more questions you have, and that’s not a bad thing. A related passage comes from Chapter 20: “Stop thinking, and end your problems.” This passage reminds me of my father, who would hang his latest painting in the living room and continue making small changes over days and weeks. At some point, you have to accept that it’s done and begin the next piece. I try to use this approach with my photography. I’ll do my best to create an image and then move on to the next opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jeremiahgilbert.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jg_travels/
