When presented with the standard, tell me about yourself, elevator pitch, my mind would flood with a million 'cannot compute' thoughts and self-projected descriptions. Depending on who was asked, I’d conjured up some unrehearsed murmur to their perceived liking because in reality, how could I truly define myself in just a few short sentences? This platform is an opportunity to quickly move past that surface and through an abundance of words and hand-picked images, breeze to the core of the most transparent version of Erin. This time, no one is asking; it’s just me, freely, telling.

 

I always considered myself a writer. I kept journals, wrote poetry, and memoirs throughout my teenage years, composed of something greater than the visible day to day. I found writing to be one of my strongest, self-relying outlets. In my writings, I expressed my somewhat complex views on life and if ‘I could just control my overly passionate’ mindset, I could achieve that balance in life that everyone around me seemed to have figured out. No doubt there are further specifics when I refer to complicated and balance however, those ingredients do not belong in an introduction. I also do not believe in sharing all the juicy details within the first few minutes of meeting someone. 

 

Coupled with my passion for writing grew an appreciation for photography. Having spent most of my high school and college career in the photo lab, I would often spend many moments browsing the internet; reviewing maps, appreciating nature and landscapes, uncovering hidden trails that would bring you to some unimaginable waterfall, buried in the mountains. I embraced being a free-spirit, and from a young age I looked forward to the day where I would experience these places behind my own lens. I enjoyed studying the world and so began the ol’ bucket list. 

 

As the bucket list grew, so did my desire for adventure. My day to day called for crunching numbers in the construction industry, helping build the newest ventures within New York City’s infrastructure. By night, I visualized the next opportunity to hop back on that plane. I flourished in my career, committed to quickly climbing that ladder, which provided me the financial freedom for spontaneous travel and a life nothing less than what I perceived as fulfilling. A female in the construction industry sure brought its challenges, but my job was rewarding, providing its own adventures and cheap thrilled opportunities to climb NYC’s tallest skyscraper or shimmy up NY's highest pylon.

 

I was always driven by such an extreme lust for life, and as I continued to collect life’s escapades in my worn out suitcase, my overly passionate and complex mindset found purpose, latching onto the will to never settle for anything less than feeling alive.

 

This lust has brought me to where I sit today, beyond the surface, introducing Erin Explores, to an invisible audience where I candidly say, welcome. Welcome to my long overdue, public transcript presented through my 55mm lens of past happenings, present adventures, and future endeavors. I am delighted to see how this all unravels and I hope you are too. 

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xox Erin