Thoughts From The Saddle

Take that leap.  Embrace your fear, embrace your vulnerability.  Let that fear guide you.  Wander.  Get lost.  Move at your own pace.  Speed up.  Slow down.  Go hard.  Relax.  Breathe it in.  Spend time with others.  Spend time alone.  Take pictures.  Study maps.  Write.  Have a long romance with nature.  Have a love affair with the city.  Work hard.  Earn your moments.  Enjoy the reward.  You earned it.  Be proud of yourself.  But don’t forget to Stay humble.  Be confident.  But never stop Questioning yourself.  Study history.  Set goals.  Listen.  Learn.  Talk to others.  Tell stories.  Share what you learn.  Learn from the highs.  Learn from the lows.  Focus on your goals, but don’t get tunnel vision, you’ll miss what’s in your peripherals. The answers to the hard questions lie hidden in the nooks and crannies that you stumble upon when you least expect it.  Celebrate your victories.  Celebrate your failures, find the motivation to make your next work your best work.


Live to see the world with open eyes and tell the tale to open ears.

Most importantly love yourself, if you feel like you don’t love yourself, find a way to feel like you do.  Do something different that makes you want to love yourself.  Be the person you want to be.  Make yourself that person.  Don’t lose who you once were.  Find who you were meant to be.  Tell the people you love that you love them, and tell them often.

Chase your dreams, coexist with your demons.  Find the balance to make the best of your current circumstances.

Some things aren’t mean to be cut & dry. That’s the epitome of this existence. Mortality is not a math equation. Freedom of interpretation is the human condition. We could stand next to each other and have a completely different experience. That’s the beauty of being. There is no one correct answer. Only you can determine the importance of a moment. The relevance of your context is yours to define. Make it what you will. Your prism is not the same as mine.

Inspiration & creativity comes in phases, in bursts, in waves. You can’t control it or understand it. You try to harness it when you can but it’s like trying to catch water in a butterfly net. The mesh gets wet & what you can ring out is what’s left. It’s hard to capture a feeling that’s fleeting but when it knocks on your door make sure you answer the call. For me there’s usually a block, a fear of failure, an avoidance of disappointing an unrealistically high standard of expectation. An aversion to assertion. It’s like a scab that you knick when you least predict and when the blood starts to drip you skip the resent. Emotional trauma or uncomfortable change usually breathes life into a thought and fuels the fire we sought. Sometimes it’s clear as day and makes perfect sense other times we ride the fence for years before we know what we meant. Both are ok and each have their place but you need to embrace the chase before you lose pace.

Your reality is just that. YOUR REALITY. Throw a rock, leave a ripple, cause a wrinkle. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

All those hats on the shelf are no good if you’re not gonna wear them.

Cages are meant to be opened. Leashes are meant to be broken. Phases are meant to be grown in. Teachings are meant to be spoken.

The fire is empty without your iron in it.

How will the water know how your toe felt if you never put it in?

Drew Echelberger