“You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take.”

I always liked how many interpretations & applications there are to this quote, but for me personally, it also hits a soft spot because it fits perfectly within the examples of basketball & photography – two things I happen to be very passionate about. So especially recently, this motivational phrase has struck a nerve inside. Maybe it’s for a good reason.

When I exercise, I often play basketball. It is both physically & mentally exhausting, yes – but it brings me great relief despite how demanding it may be. Many could say the same for weightlifting, running, soccer, or other sports. Many others would say the same for making music, reading & writing, painting, drawing, or photography. These activities that we find ourselves naturally drawn to & spending energy on allows our passion to be a vehicle for navigating through all the craziness in the outside world.

When I’m on the ball court getting my shots in, it’s a lot about creating an intimate mind-body connection. What begins as pure intention becomes translated through my actions into healthy and effective movement. There’s a sense of self-discipline in the way I warm up, practice drills, and expect a certain level of performance to be met before I call it a day.

I don’t label it as an escape from the world, because I think it’s important to be in tune with both our personal reality & the planet’s reality. If anything, it’s about finding one’s personal connection to their own perspective. I think it’s important to be aware of what is physically & metaphysically existing outside of our own vessel & how it plays a role in our personal identities & beyond.

In a similar approach, when I’m out shooting photographs, it’s about sharing from my personal perspective what I thought was significant – whether it be beautiful, ugly, symbolic, thought-provoking, creative, telling, etc, – in that moment in time. I want to bring the viewer to where I stood; make them see the elegance in what I saw, and that could be either simple or complex. It’s partly just to let you know that this does exist, that life on our planet speaks to us in so many languages.

This perspective of art and of the world gets translated through the lens into the images I capture. I try to keep my intentions pure and my observations sharp when I’m out shooting photographs. It’s training my eye and my mind similar to how basketball trains my coordination and athleticism.

I want to channel that self-connection to all who come across my work, and represent that what I am fortunate enough to capture is a result of my own personal journey. We each have our own personal journeys to fulfill which may very well be riddled with adversity and doubt. In that process, I just want to remind you all to keep going… that “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”