Stretching My Creative Muscles
As I grow in my career as a member of the Event Experience Creative team at NASCAR, I’ve learned that creativity doesn’t take care of itself. The bigger the responsibility, the more meetings, planning, and execution you’re responsible for, and the easier it is to spend your time managing creativity instead of practicing it.
That’s why finding a creative outlet outside of my day-to-day work has become essential, not optional.
For me, that outlet has been photography.
Like a lot of people, I spent years taking photos on my iPhone. I documented trips, shared moments on Instagram, and captured memories, but it was mostly passive. I wasn’t thinking deeply about composition, light, or storytelling. Photography existed, but it wasn’t something I was intentionally doing.
That changed about three years ago when a friend bought a small, fixed-lens camera (a Fujifilm X100V) that could go anywhere. Watching how seamlessly it fit into his life, no bags, no lens swapping, and no friction completely reframed how I thought about photography. It wasn’t about gear or perfection; it was about awareness and intent.
After enough subtle nudges, I finally gave in. Twenty-eight months ago, I bought my first fixed-lens camera, and it’s been with me on every trip since.
Photography has given purpose to the small pockets of time I get while traveling for work and life. Instead of scrolling emails or rushing from place to place, I slow down and explore. You’ll often find me pulling a rental car over to photograph street art, a weathered storefront, or wandering a parking lot capturing cars and motorcycles that feel like rolling time capsules.
It’s less about the subject and more about how I see it.
Over time, photography has trained me to truly look at architecture, color, materials, scale, negative space, and texture. That awareness shows up directly in my work, how we design sets, how signage interacts with an environment, and how experiences feel when guests arrive on property. I’m constantly borrowing from what I observe through the lens and applying it to how we shape live experiences.
Just as importantly, photography has given me a shared visual language. It’s easier to communicate an idea when you can reference a moment, a detail, or a feeling you’ve already captured. Those images become inspiration, alignment tools, and sometimes proof points when words fall short.
I believe creativity is a muscle. Writing, video editing, and photography don’t have a direct one-to-one connection to my day job managing teams and delivering events, but they absolutely make me a better creative thinker and leader. They keep me curious. They keep me practicing. They help me bring more to the table than experience alone.
If you’re thinking about picking up a creative hobby or want someone to explore a photography journey with, I’m already building my 2026 calendar and intentionally carving out time to chase new perspectives.
In Case You’re Curious Here Are My 4 Go-To Tools for Capturing Content
Leica Q3
This is my daily driver and pride and joy. I take it everywhere, and it delivers every time. Do you need a Leica? Absolutely not. Photos from my Fujifilm X100V or even an iPhone are arguably just as good. But there’s something about the weight, build quality, and ergonomics of the Q3 that makes it my favorite tool to create with and one I reach for without thinking.
Ricoh GR III
Not long after buying my first camera, I realized I wanted a true “take-anywhere” option, something that fits in a back pocket for concerts, stadiums, or places where a full-sized camera might be too much for the mission. The GR III has been an incredible companion and is an easy recommendation for anyone who wants something different than their phone without carrying a bag.
Insta360 GO
I love making videos and missed the creative process of editing when I shifted toward still photography, until I found this tiny but mighty 4K camera. It attaches to my still camera and captures a first-person POV as I shoot photos. My videos don’t get many views (turns out people don’t find this as interesting as I do), but the editing process is almost meditative and one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend, especially after a morning at a car show.
Hot Shoe Mount for Insta360 GO 2
A simple 3D-printed accessory that lets me mount the Insta360 GO on top of my camera to capture a unique POV. It’s frictionless and most of the time I don’t even notice it’s there but the creative payoff is significant.
Between work, travel, and everything in between, 2025 delivered more moments than I expected. These are my top 10 photos from the year.
