THE HOMEWARD JOURNAL

Tapping into our natural bond with trees to feel more calm is no longer just for tree-huggers and new-age hipsters. As we search for meaningful connections in our lives and ways to slow down our busy days, trees emerge — once again — as the friend and ally we need to feel more grounded, to feel happier and healthier. This is a love letter to trees, and, therefore, to life itself.

Richard Louv’s 2005 book “Last Child in the Woods” sparked an international movement to overcome what he diagnosed as our collective Nature Deficit Disorder — the idea that our children and families increasingly lose the innate connection to nature that is so vital for our healthy physical and emotional development. The other day, I asked Rich if we’ve made any progress since he first wrote the book.

A lot of us dread winter. But Katherine May, in her beautiful book, "Wintering — The Power of Rest and Retreat During Difficult Times", shows us that winter is actually an essential season for our mental health. Hers is a point that I've been feeling for a long time: That we need to embrace winter for its power to comfort.

Patrick Shannon is the Pacific Northwest & Alaska Director at the National Forest Foundation, and he works in states like Washington and Oregon not only to protect our beautiful public lands, but in the case of the Columbia River Gorge also to restore them after events like wildfires. I am proud to support the NFF in its efforts thanks to your artwork purchases. The other day, I called Patrick up to have him talk some more about his work.

Robin Mazor is a self-proclaimed mermaid, a mermaid who moonlights as the director of the Kauai-based nonprofit organization Reef Guardians — an organization I am donating a portion of my artwork sales to. So the other day, I called Robin to have her tell her story — and to tell me more about who are the Reef Guardians and how they work to protect the reefs on Kauai and beyond.

Aloha is the greeting of the Hawaiian islands, renowned the world over. But behind this most beautiful way of saying Hello hides much deeper meaning. What Hawaiians really mean when they say Aloha will surprise and enchant you.

One of the most common questions I get asked is: "Do you edit your photos?" And I get it... Oftentimes, the places I photograph are almost too beautiful to believe they are real. But they are! Let me share with you my post-processing philosophy — because it is a crucial part and the final step before a photograph becomes a timeless piece of art.

I’ve dedicated my artistic career to photographing the way the American West captures the human imagination like maybe no other stretch of land in the world. Along the way, this land taught me some valuable life lessons, lessons I believe we can all benefit from to live a more grounded life.

As our lives seemingly become busier by the day and the world spins more and more out of control, it's all the more important to create time and space to slow down. Use these expert-approved strategies to restore balance in your life and feel more grounded.

Every day, we are inundated with countless photos in our lives. But not every photograph is created equal. In this blog post, I explain how I decide what to photograph when I am out in the field — and what it takes for an image to become a piece of timeless photographic art.

“Nature is not a place we visit. It is home,” the great Gary Snyder wrote. This is the story of how I found that elusive Sense of Home in the timeless lands of the West. To do so, I had to search for answers to maybe THE central question to our happiness: What makes us feel at home?

The process of buying art can be intimidating, especially online. But it doesn’t have to be. I have curated six mistakes many first-time art buyers make. Avoid these, and you’ll be well on your way to finding the perfect piece of art to turn your house into a unique home to be proud of.