Anyone who knows me personally knows my family is crazy. Both sides.  Loud, chaotic…. but we got a whole lotta love.  I come from a family with LOTS of awesome uncles and aunties who love their nieces and nephews as much as their own kiddos.  (Or maybe I just like to think that I am that special 🙂 )  One of my uncles, Joe, aka Joey, has recently been interested in photography.  This has turned into us hanging out more than usual because I have a new shooting buddy/ location scouting companion!

Joe is a father of 5 kids (you see them on my blog and instagram way too much), a husband, and a nursing supervisor at a local hospital.  He stays busy!  I feel that everyone has something they could learn or receive from EVERYBODY no matter your education level, career, age, or life experience.  I truly believe that.  While I hope that I have been able to provide him with more than conversations on “yummy light”,  he has definitely reminded me of something so important and that is to dream BIG.  Dream so BIG that people laugh at you.  Talk about you.  Make fun of you.  No matter your age or position in life… if you aren’t dreaming… you aren’t living.

Joe has always given me advice since I was a kid.  When I was 8 and moved here from Seoul, South Korea, he taught me about Old Navy and how to wear polo shirts. I still remember his face when I said I didn’t know what Old Navy was!  When I was 10, he taught me how to foul in basketball without getting caught and how to win in flash light tag every. single. time.  When I was about 13 he taught me about rap music and gave me mix CD’s.  Little did my mom know…. all those trips to 711 were lessons on Notorious B.I.G! When I was in high school he got a little busy…. He was a “grown up”, enrolled in nursing school, was in a serious relationship and the kickball games, sleepovers, root beer floats, and water gun fights came to a quick halt.  He still kept the advice coming but on a little more of a serious subject like dating and what guys “really want.”  Fast forward a few years I was about 22 and was going through what I like to call….a  “quarter life crisis”.  I was struggling with my college courses and I was debating on finishing what I started.  Nursing school.

We were sitting on the back porch and he looked at me and said, “You need to suck it up. Go to nursing school and in two years you will be making bank and then you can focus on photography.”  Well for the first time in my life I didn’t listen to the wise Joey.  As you all know, I quit the ER and pursued my business full time.  Its been almost 2 years and I truly believe it was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.  Joe and I were recently talking about dreams and what we are doing with our life RIGHT NOW and he said, “I am so glad you didn’t listen to me.  If you listened to me…. I would punch you in the face.”

Now obviously…. Joe wouldn’t punch me. (Unless we were playing punch buggy…. then it gets REAL.)  But what he said hit me.  Sometimes we have to ignore that wise dude…. who usually gets it right. We have to go against ALL odds…. and go for it.  Listen to that little guy deep down in your heart thats trying so hard to get your attention and tell you, “HEY LISTEN TO ME…. REACH FOR THE STARS.”  We have to DREAM.  So Joe. Joe is in his 30s.  He has piles of bills. Mouths to feed. Responsibilities. aaaand Joe has dreams.  Joe wants to create something.  He wants to build an empire.  He wants to go down in the history books.  He wants to CHANGE the way we think about things. Joe wants to make the world a better place for his kids.  He has a lot of big ideas…. and he is still brainstorming on those babies, but don’t you doubt it for a second.  He is going to reach those stars, fly to the moon and keep chasing for infinity. I am going to push him every inch of the way.

There are no restrictions and rules…. when it comes to dreaming.

So you out there who is struggling.  Burnt out. Hating your job.  Bored.  Uninspired… wishing you were “somebody”.  Remember this.  You are somebody right now.  Right. NOW.  and that somebody is going to make it.

Just have to be willing to listen to that little guy deep down screaming your name.

Joe takes AMAZING mind-blowing photographs of trash.  He photographs litter and then throws it away in attempt to bring more attention to the huge excessive amounts of trash and junk all around us. These photos of trash take you to an entire different world and are so creative! Check out his instagram here to see some of his work.

Peep his stylish trash bag.