Well that month sure went by fast! Here I was just a few days ago trying to type up the random events of September when all of a sudden pumpkins were being replaced with christmas decorations and the last of the leaves are barely clinging to the trees!

October was an amazing month though. It felt like a month of clarity for me, one that allowed me to see where I want to be headed and to acknowledge that I’m not quite there yet. I’ve come to enjoy the journey of self-discovery, to enjoy those moments of “THIS is what makes me feel alive!” and to look for those chances to feel them again.  This month was full of those times.

Thanksgiving Meetup

I already dedicated an entire post to the amazing weekend I spent in a cabin with some of my closest friends and favourite photographers. It was really an opportunity for me to not only try out new ideas and concepts and think on the spot but also an opportunity to solidify that this is what I want to do with my life. I want to photograph, I want to create art and share it. I want to see new locations and use them in ways that maybe nobody else would have thought to. This meetup was a much-needed break in my life and I can’t really put into words how much these opportunities push me and help me grow.

Phlearn Interview
Shortly before I left for the Thanksgiving meetup, I was contacted by my lovely friend Angela who happens to work at Phlearn.com, an amazing website created by Aaron Nace devoted to photography and teaching artists. I’ve long respected Aaron’s work and the opportunity to be interviewed for the website was truly an honor! You can read the interview here: http://phlearn.com/phlearn-interviews-joel-robison

Zombie Walk:
What’s October without a friendly neighborhood Zombie Walk!? I had a great time spending a few hours with some fellow  zombies roaming the streets of Cranbrook!

Magazines/Book Covers:
At the beginning of each month I try to sit and think “I wonder what will happen in these next 4 weeks” and most of the things that end up happening are never the things I would ever assume! This month I was fortunate to have a lengthy interview (complete with cover!) with a Russian photography magazine.

I also discovered that one of my images licenced through Arc-Angel stock images was purchased as a book cover in Holland, how exciting is that!?

I was also featured on the cover and inside the 8th issue of fourx5 magazine, an AWESOME photography and design magazine, you can download the issue here:
http://gudstufphotography.com/fourx5_issue08.pdf

Winning Relay Race
Normally I try to stay pretty consistent with my running (I’m training to qualify and eventually run in the Boston Marathon) although this summer and fall were so busy that I hadn’t actually managed to keep on track with any significant races or runs. I decided about half way through the month to sign up with a friend to complete a relay linking my town with the next town over, a distance of 25km. My portion was 14km and while it was a bit cold starting off in the snow, our duo ended up being the fastest team and we’re now the proud owners of a rather awkward and oversized trophy!

Milestones:
Last but not least, this month I hit two pretty big milestones in my online photography journey. On my Flickr account, I reached 5 million overall views of my photos and my Facebook photography page has reached 10,000 likes. For me, these numbers are motivating. They tell me that people enjoy what I do and that my work matters. It helps me to stay on track, to keep moving forward and I just want to say thank you to each and every person that has ever looked at my work and appreciated it.

This month, while mostly cloudy and grey weather-wise was full of bright memories, humbling moments and chances for me to grow and learn and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next 4 weeks!