Adventures in Maine | Part One
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This past week was two things: 1) My one year anniversary with Andy (YAY!) and 2) A wonderful week-long escape from the pressures and responsibilities of daily adult life. Ok, the responsibilities didn't completely disappear, but pressing "pause" on long days of hustling, navigating through busy city life, and using up brain bandwidth on deadlines/social media/bills/laundry/cleaning/errands? Yes pleeeease! I think I needed this vacation in Maine more than I realized! One of the best parts was being able to bring my camera with me to reconnect with pressure-free creativity. In the past, I didn't always want to bring my camera with me on trips because it felt like I was "working." If I did bring it, I rarely ever used it and it would sit untouched in my bag for days.
It actually makes me so sad to think about those times, because this trip was a total RELEASE from that weight and negativity. When I first discovered photography, my camera came with me almost everywhere, and I would explore and experiment with it non-stop. I feel so happy and refreshed to have gotten back in that headspace. I loved being in the moment with my craft and my favorite man in these beautiful landscapes. But, what's even more special is knowing that as a family, Andy and I will have these photos forever to remember this time in our lives, and the wonderful places we've been together. In this digital age, our lives seem to fly by so fast, and it's so easy to get pulled away from staying present with those we love. For me personally, these photos, and the trip itself, are a wonderful reminder to keep coming back to what's important.
If you're a creative feeling weighed down by your work for whatever reason, I highly recommend investing in taking a trip away from it all for a change of scenery and pace! I think many of us know that when we're creatively refreshed and refocused, we can better serve our clients, which is a beautiful thing. This week I think I really got back to the "why" of why I do what I do, partly without even realizing it, and I totally needed that.
I had only spent a few hours in Maine before, so every day during the week was full of new experiences and places to see! Our first stop actually came on accident. I had heard about "Big Eartha" a day or two before we had scheduled to leave home for our 5-6 hour drive to Maine, and to be honest, we had to leave early that morning and I didn't exactly feel like looking up one more location to visit. As Andy and I pulled off the highway for our first pit-stop, we sat at a red light and I looked around to see what was in the area. I saw a sign that looked like it had a little earth on it. I thought, "huh, I wonder what that place is." I looked past the sign, and saw a building with huge glass walls, and when I squinted, sure enough, I saw an enormous round globe through the glass!
I don't know all the technical details, but apparently Eartha is the Guinness World Record holder for "World's Largest Revolving Globe" and simulates the earth's real movements. Pretty neat. You might be surprised how big of a tourist attraction this apparently is.
PS my husband is a total dork and I love him.
The next day we stopped at Schoodic Point. This place is gorgeous. We packed our picnic basket and ate carefully so as to avoid any thieving birds!
We also made a stop at Bar Harbor, which we agreed was one of our favorite places we visited. We ate at a tiny restaurant for a quick lunch, had some ice cream, and walked down the main stretch to the waterfront.
This place had awesome tables and I really wanted them for myself.
When we visited Sand Beach, I decided right then and there that if I were ever to go camping again (haven't been a huge fan thus far), it would be on a beach. I think I could enjoy falling asleep to the sound of real waves and the smell of saltwater!
I'm a big fan of white beach wood.
It was WAY too cold for swimming! We barely put our feet in and once was enough for me! There were some hardcore Mainers there who went for a real swim however. Brave souls!
Thanks for following along on my adventures in Maine! There's more to come in Part Two!
Have you been to any of these spots? If you're a fellow creative (or just a fellow adult!), does taking a vacation help refresh your work? What else helps to refocus and inspire you? I'd love to hear in the comments!
