EXPEDITION GREAT WHITES

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Fear? More Like Fertilizer for the Soul!

We all carry fears, little critters that burrow in our minds and whisper doubts about the future. These anxieties sprout from the seeds of "what ifs," paralyzing us before we even take a shot. But fear, my friends, is not a life sentence. It's fertilizer!The richer the fear, the more potent the growth it can fuel.

Take me, for instance. As a kid, the pool was a watery monster, threatening to swallow me whole. Drowning? Absolutely terrifying. Yet, here I am, a scuba diver, breathing freely beneath the waves. Talk about a baptism by bubbles!

Then came Jaws. Suddenly, every ripple in the water held the silhouette of a grinning shark. Undeterred, I found myself learning to scuba in Bandor, the cradle of diving itself! Imagine my luck – trained by the OG of scuba instructors, Claude Arzillier ("Tonton" to his friends), and sharing the water with Andre Laban, a Calypso pioneer who not only built submersibles but also pioneered the art of underwater painting. Talk about a legendary classroom!

Andre's artistry sparked a fire in me. I craved a canvas vaster than a pool, deeper than fear. So, for my 2018 project, I transformed a shark cage into my mobile studio. South Africa, Mexico, Australia – I chased Great Whites around the globe, wielding my brush like a paint-splattered Excalibur. From the clear blue waters of South Africa, Australia,Mexico within the cage, than without the cage to the murky depths of Oregon, I stared fear in the face, brushstrokes battling anxieties.

And guess what? The sharks became my muse, not my monster. The fear withered, replaced by awe for these magnificent creatures.

So, the next time fear whispers its doubts, remember: it's just fertilizer. Use it to fuel your wildest dreams. Ditch the cage,grab your metaphorical brush, and paint your own masterpiece, fear be damned!