Welcome to the first episode of don’t worry, i’m finite! I’m excited that my first guest is a good friend, Lauren Buckle, whom I met while working as a photography instructor aboard the Westerdam, a Holland America Line cruise ship. We were sailing in southeast Asia at the outset of the pandemic in 2020, which made for a very interesting (and sometimes scary) experience that we talk about in this episode.
Lauren and I bonded quickly over silly jokes and a shared love of photography and travel. We stayed in touch over the long process of getting back home and figuring out how to remain creative throughout a global pandemic and changing situations. We found that one of the best ways we could support one another was through our shared interest in photography, and we soon found ourselves setting up weekly challenges. From using single light sources to taking photos inspired by certain songs, we amused and motivated one another in hopes of feeling a bit of normalcy in our creative spaces.
Here are a few examples of the photos we took during our collaboration:
Don – Photo of Maiara Leones (single light source) 
Don – Photo of Maiara Leones (single light source) 
Don – Centro, Rio de Janeiro (glass)
The best part of these photo challenges has been finding what’s right in front of me by looking at things differently. Knowing I’m looking for a reflection or a light source that cast interesting shadows clicked on a creative part of my brain that was laying dormant. Sometimes putting constraints on creativity opens it up even more!
Lauren – Self-Portrait (glass) 
Lauren – Piano and Self-Portrait (long exposure) 
Lauren – Spider in Web
As things have somewhat returned to normal, we continue to share images and suggest challenges, but we also have been working a lot more on our own to find our creative voices. In this episode we get into the things that keep us inspired to create something new and how to find inspiration even if it’s not coming to us so easily.
Lauren always cracked me up while we worked together on the ship, and one of my favorite ways she did that was through her drawings. I had to ask her to sketch some for the podcast, and she did not disappoint:
I hope you enjoy this episode and our jokes as much as we enjoyed making it. Check out Lauren’s Instagram here and participate in some of the polls and surveys she posts!
Until the next episode, stay creative and inspired!
Don Macavoy
don't worry, i'm finite. 
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