The summer I was 22, I had a fairytale adventure. It changed the course of my life. I fell in with a band of water protectors who were traveling down the Hudson–or Two-Way River, as they preferred to call it– on 40’ solar-paneled boat called Solar Sal. They were participating in a two week artist residency as a part of the Seachange Voyage. Using only river travel, the Seachange Voyage visited towns and cities along the Hudson, sharing stories, songs, and ceremonies in intimate community gatherings.

During our journey, I became close with more established artists for whom I have great respect. I also discovered a greater respect for myself, and tested skills I didn’t know I had. Through my triumphs and failures alike, I learned I could cook dinner for dozens of people without access to a kitchen. I learned how to record interviews as a freelance journalist. I learned what it takes to organize a venture as ambitious as the Seachange Voyage. And most of all, I discovered a spiritual warrior in myself that had lain dormant all my life.

I woke up.