rainbow in the distance. It was high above the jungle tops just radiating brilliant bright colors. Being the son of a good hYears ago I ventured deep into the amazon to fish for piranhas using chicken hearts as bait. I don’t know why I had to go but I had to go. I searched for the farthest possible place deep in the jungles of Peru. I found a place that had agreed too pick me up and take me down river by small canoe. The place was rustic, littered with fireflies and the idea of lurking river monsters kept me alert and awake all night. I didn’t know what was in there but it was terrifying. The jungle holds a powerful element that forces you into yourself to explore and possibly face the darkness. All I wanted to do was be far away, far, far away from anything known. This state of mind always intrigued me, the idea of distance and far way places, wild unknown, unfamiliar, and terrifying. Why is that? I am not sure after over six years of searching deep into the unknown I am still swimming on the surface. All I can say is we are must more vast then we think and the exterior exploration of the world is  reflection of the interior exploration of the self. Now finally feeling settled in a land of pure adventure I know the real trip is inside.
So after countless attempts of fishing and catching nothing, slowly my fear of these flesh eating fish vanished. I was quickly into the water doing back strokes in these deep amazonian rivers. After a long morning of continuous rain, I understood the reason for giving the name of  the rain forest. As the sun peaked mid afternoon I left my hut  to enjoy some sun on my skin like a happy lizard laying on a rock. As I approached the river front I noticed a glorious double ippy love child, Im bewildered when I see a rainbow.  I thought to myself ” Hey I want a picture of me in that canoe, fishing for piranhas with the double rainbow blazing in the background”. Only problem I was by myself, I hadn’t yet attempted to learn the canoe and quickly the rainbow was fading. So I ran back to my hut grabbed my camera. I jimmy rigged the camera on a make shift tripod, lucky I invested in a remote for the camera(I guess subconsciously I knew I was gonna do this) I situated it and ran to the dock for my maiden voyage. Hardly steady I pushed off  to wobbly start,  like a old man who has not walked in years taking is first step. I realized I had only a few mins to learn this art of canoeing, bait my hook and snap a shot before the rainbows dissipated.

Needless to say this is the shot and I had missed the rainbows.

As I was sadden to see when I returned that the image I captured was rainbow less, and I was tired from my laborious effort to capture that moment in time.

Now over six years later I marvel in the triumph of this photo. For I know how intense of an effort and all that I did, from buying the camera to travel to the amazon to be in solitude and tackle this task of my first semi pro selfie. I am in awe of the glory of this picture for I remember it as if it was yesterday. The moral of this story is don’t ever forgot the efforts you make and do for they will never be appreciated on the outside or even understood.
Your life is this process, your life is a marvelous art piece. You are the Art, you are the master and you are the work in progress.

On the next note I am still an amateur selfie photographer although selfies have hit the world with an intense call to action. I value the efforts we all have to capture yourself, your beauty, your marvelousness, in and everywhere you may take your selfie.
I hope we can call look back on the times where we were and how that powerful moment we cared so much to snap a photo to freeze it in time.
I want to say you are all so beautiful, so dam beautiful and keep being the work in progress and the masterpiece at the same time.

Ollie

More art to come soon(another 6 years maybe)