I am filled with gratitude for Austin and SXSW. To return to nature, to wake up in the morning to the sounds of birds -- this is living.

In New York, I am so far removed from all these things. I'm in a constant state of conquering. In Austin, I was able to put people and nature first. My first morning, I walked through the house, smelling the roses and singing. I finished half a book on the flight there called, "A Return to Love."

SXSW was a bit of a returning for me. To remember what it was like when human interaction and nature came first. I easily lose these things in the grip of New York. Ideas flow more freely and my heart is filled with the love for people around me first.

I'm an artist and a romantic, and I know that. I know not everyone can bring themselves to the simplicity that my mind achieves at times. There are too many bills to pay, and things to worry about to every be as romantic as someone like me. But I do believe that when we let ourselves go there, we come back more alive that before.

special thank you to Kimo Sabe + Pursuit of Portraits for making this trip happen