“Selfie” - February 2026

There are seasons where I feel run down. WINTER 2026 is one of them. I don’t love the phrase “burnt out” because it feels dramatic. Like something is broken or something needs to change or even end... What I’m feeing is a bit more subtle than that. It’s the slow erosion that comes from giving a lot of yourself away every day.

My day job is helping other creatives. I work inside a world I genuinely love.

Cameras. Storytelling. Process. Ambition & Creativity.

Sometimes I get to witness people at the beginning of something and help them make decisions that might shape how they see for years. Or I meet someone very much in the thick of their career and get to know them personally.

The spectrum is fulfilling and even rewarding in a way.

But there’s a quiet tradeoff that happens when you’re the one facilitating other people’s creativity… your own can start to go quiet and dare I say, suffer.

There have been stretches where I’ve invested so much energy into building a store, supporting a team, driving results, holding the standard, being present; that I look up and realize I haven’t made something for myself in months. 😩

That’s when I turn the camera around on myself.

Self-portraiture has become less about vanity and more about survival. It’s a way of checking in on me, Rob. I remember that guy 😁

It’s a way of proving to myself that I’m still here creatively, not just operationally. That I’m more than some robot in a corporate environment. (Sorry Leica)

When I photograph myself, I’m not always trying to look like anything in particular. Though occasionally I do reference images I’ve seen for inspiration. I’m mostly trying to document the moment. Am I tired? Restless? Hungry? Hopeful? Frustrated? Focused? Did I finally get a haircut? lol.

The camera (Leica 😉) becomes a mirror that doesn’t argue back. It can also capture what I won’t always say out loud 🫳🎤

There’s something grounding about setting up a tripod, stepping into frame and releasing the shutter on my own 🤳. It reminds me that I’m not just the one holding the tool, I’m the reason I even picked it up in the first place 📸

Every self-portrait is a timestamp. Proof that even in periods where my creative energy feels diluted or suppressed by responsibility, it’s still there. Waiting to be activated.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Your turn 🖤