Life is a dream and we are here to dream big -- and to live fully -- in my humble opinion. :) I am a photographer traveling the world in support of a multi-year project I'm working on that shares the many faces, and stories, of our humanity around the world; providing glimpses into truly different ways of life all over. I'm on CS to connect with new and interesting people and create new fantastic shared experiences, to be introduced to different ways of life and different perspectives from my own, and to make new friends. I love travel for the spontaneity of discovering what happens next, making it up as I go along. Nature, outdoor sports, human connections, music, and photographing people are all big parts of my life. I'm currently traveling for year in order to both discover and also create something new in life. Previously, I have lived and traveled for years at a time all over Europe and also Mexico, and later I lived in ski towns in Colorado (Crested Butte and Telluride) in the USA.

Photo Project -

Daily Stories and Photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehumansbeingproject/
On Instagram @thehumansbeingproject
Website: http://www.TheHumansBeingProject.org

Personal Instagram: @merrickchasephotog

Wherever I go, I seek to immerse myself in authentic experiences of community and culture, and naturally, this is best done through connecting with locals as much as possible. I am interested in off-the-beaten path experiences. I typically have lots of energy and am outgoing, athletic, and social. I very much appreciate authentic connection and communication. Some of the things I have enjoyed most so far are adventures in the world and in wild nature, powder skiing, mountain biking, nighttime urban mountain biking and inline skating, yoga, live music, celebrating life with great friends-- both old and new, jam sessions (playing music with people), sustained adrenaline-infused activities like live music and dance parties with friends, exploring new cities on foot with a camera, the ocean at night, full moon ski touring, hot springs, sleeping beneath the stars, and laughing-- a lot...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm currently out in the world with the express aim of having authentic local experiences of culture and community wherever I go. I'd love to connect with locals and be introduced to your various worlds. In turn, I'd like to share myself with you. I'd also like to meet other travelers and create some new shared (and awesome) experiences all together! Further, I'm interested in creating powerful portraits and telling stories of people in the communities that I visit.

Interests

I love life and making new friends! :)

• culture
• photography
• yoga
• meditation
• drinking
• traveling
• entrepreneurship
• hitchhiking
• adventure travel
• mountains
• mountain biking
• nature
• adventure
• fun
• musica
• play
• dance
• playing guitar
• party
• playing music
• communication
• authenticity
• community
• connection
• livemusic
• yoga and meditation
• skiing and snowboarding

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - phish, billy strings, janelle monáe, bluegrass, beastie boys, nahko, manu chao, jane's addiction, lady gaga, nine inch nails, (old) yonder mountain string band, talking heads, chris thile and punch brothers, jabig, downtempo electronica, nightmares on wax, billie holiday, eminem, grateful dead, pink floyd, led zeppelin, bonobo, little dragon, james brown, miles davis

Books - It's What I do by Lynsey Addario, Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe, Tao te Ching by Lao Tzu, People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Movies - star wars a new hope, la la land, bohemian rhapsody, wolf of wall street, catch me if you can, walk hard: the dewey cox story, raiders of the lost ark, star wars: a new hope, pulp fiction, the breakfast club, interstellar, fast times at ridgemont high, the great gatsby (2013), the matrix, inception

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Lived and traveled in Europe for the better part of ten years, living in forests in tipis and live-in trucks with an intimate group of friends, raising our kids consciously in nature, playing music, and doing focused, internal work on ourselves in a group consciousness context. Essentially, we were working to integrate all of the unconscious parts we carry psychically from generations and generations, all the way back down the line, in the hopes that our kids would have a lighter psychic load to deal with, thereby being freer to be their true selves without any of our baggage. I daresay it worked, as the kids grew into remarkable people.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to create better photographs, particularly portraits, and how to look better in photos of yourself. I can help you to sing along on some songs that we may both know and I can teach you how to cook a fantastic Indian dal and rice dish.

I'd like to learn about ways of life and perspectives that are different from my own, and to hear firsthand about your experiences of life where you come from.

I can share my extensive knowledge of photography, of Colorado bluegrass, ski, outdoor, and festival culture, what it's like to have lived in America for most of my life, and to have been a part of a traveling group consciousness community for several years. I can also share in cooking meals and tyding up, contributing to the household.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Energetic personality and a positive outlook, engaging conversation and a great listener, I'm fun and on some days also funny, help in the kitchen, playing music and singing songs (I travel with a small guitar), getting out into nature hiking or walking around your town/city together, [possibly] creating kickass pro portraits of you of various styles (depends on my current workload!), enthusiasm to meet your friends and community, clear and authentic communication, as well as honest reflection about 'real' life issues (if you care to discuss such aspects of your life), as I have an extensive background in emotional processing and holding space for people to examine and talk about often challenging issues.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Egypt, England, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, United States