Who is this crazy girl?
When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up to be an adventurer. Indiana Jones. Jim Hawkins. Lemuel Gulliver. Marco Polo. Nelly Bly. Amelia Earhart. I wanted to soar in the sky, sail the seas, become friends with locals around the world. I wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle, how to shoot a gun, how to ride a horse.
I think my childhood self would be very content with who I've become. I've done all those things and much more. Better yet, there's more on the horizon. I've become what I set out to be: an adventurer.
I'm a 27 year old photographer, writer, designer, educator, and jack of all trades living in Virginia, across the river from Washington DC. I’m somewhat nomadic as a former expat who has moved 28 times in 9 years and I have more projects running at a given time than anyone in their right mind should.
As I said before, I'm an adventurer. I was a tall ship sailor for many years and I was in a race that involved two Atlantic crossings. I am slowly working on obtaining my pilot’s license because I find aerobatic flying as addictive as gummi bears. One of my favourite pastimes is riding (and frequently repairing) the vintage sidecar motorcycle that I share with my boyfriend. I've traveled extensively overseas and have spent time working abroad as an expat. I thrive on risky situations and nothing is more enticing than a road I can't see the end of. Wide open spaces call to me with the voice of a thousand sirens and in 2012 I'll be riding solo on horseback across the greatest of them all: the Mongolian steppe.
I have a bit of a problem with feeling like I was born at the wrong point in history, which I remedy by spending much of my spare time as a historical reenactor. I share this hobby, along with two cats and an apartment, with a wonderful Frenchman named Marc. I live a relatively simple lifestyle and try to roll with life’s punches as much as possible. I am also highly silly, and somewhat of a kid wearing grown-up’s clothing. I’m an ENFP.
To learn more about me, you can check out my FAQ as well.
Random Irrelevant Statistics:
Name: Kelsey Freeman Current Location: Alexandria, VA Hometown: Houston, TX Favourite Place: Gimmelwald, Switzerland Height: 5ft0in. I'm almost a midget. Fatal Weakness: Gummi Bears Pets: 2 Cats: River & Simon Favourite Food: Fettuchini Alfredo Personal Idol: Indiana Jones # of countries visited: 14 Favourite TV Show: Fringe Something: Something ElseWhat's with all the blogs?
I've been blogging on and off since early 2000, in various forms. While my blog started off as primarily a personal record for myself of my thoughts and experiences, it eventually ended up with an audience, which in turn changed the style and tone of my writing. After almost two years of fretting and worrying about what topics were appreciated by which audience, and I recently made the decision to separate my single, multi-subject blog into several subject-specific blogs in the hopes that I will be able to write more freely and authentically. Each can be found by clicking on the "Blogs" tab at the top of the page. Here's a bit about each of them:
horse riding across mongolia?! really?! that’s probably the coolest thing i’ve ever heard!
Good lord, you’re one hell of an adventurer!
Thank you! I’ve worked very hard to get where I am today.
I seriously love the design of this website!
Thank you! It took me awhile to get everything set up.
I really like the compositions of a lot of your photography. I am not a professional, but I enjoy it and I like it when I see something where someone has actually thought about all the leading lines into the frame. I’m ranting here, but everyone with an SLR is a “photographer” these days. Oh yeah, I get off some good shots, but when I look at the work of established photographers with big reps, I’m like, “Ok, I have a LOT to learn”.
Nice work!
Thanks for such high praise! You may appreciate these recent shots if you didn’t see them already.
Like you, I get really frustrated when I see photos by “photographers” that barely belong in a scrapbook, much less in the portfolio of a “professional”. I don’t see why people fear of the word “amateur” so much these days. There’s nothing shameful about it!
I give photography lessons on occasion (1 on 1), and one thing I have noticed is that most people assume that they can learn everything they need to take photos the way I do in a single afternoon. I have one friend that I’ve been instructing, formally and informally, for a year, and she still has room for improvement.
(Can you tell you’ve hit a nerve, here?)
I’m a big fan of your site, by the way (or is it your wife’s site?). I’ve been following along for ages. If you ever come across any opportunities that require a photographer, let me know. I am highly flexible.
I found your blog on twitter–your most recent ‘how to travel if you’re poor’ post–and have been snooping around. In addition to LOVING the ‘poor’ post (I will be following all of them) I think you sound awesome! And it is so good to know that others out there have multiple (too many?) blogs (I have four active blogs and three more I occasionally fart around on…) So even if that makes me crazy, at least now I know there are other crazy people out there!
I hope that in addition to taking fabulous photographs and writing a journal to document your Mongolian adventure you include a bit of video footage as well. I can hardly wait to follow blog about your adventures there. Best of luck!
Just tumblr’d upon your blog and noticed your interest in West Virginia and historical rendezvous events. We do events and would be heading to the Eastern in Virginia this year if not for other obligations. Have you ever ventured to the Fort Frederick Market Fair at Big Pool Maryland?
Talk about a serendipitous finding of this site (one among many of yours as I’ve learned)! I’d set up a Google Alert for Turning Points, the title of a book being published Nov.1st to which I contributed a chapter. So I’m reading along and click on the ‘about’ page and keep reading and suddenly I see that you grew up as an expat. Which makes you an adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK) according to Ruth Van Reken and the late David Pollock, who wrote the expat bible ‘Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds’, you’re likely most comfortable with others who have moved between and among cultures, even if you don’t share the same countries that you lived in. When I read your wide range of interests and upcoming horse ride across Mongolia, it all clicked. You’ve had all the amazing and challenging adventures, and learned to deal with constant change. I am so glad I found your site. I studied international affairs and always wanted to travel and see the world, married an ATCK, we both worked for many years in the Arlington area mainly on international issues, and eventually moved overseas. We live now in The Netherlands, and I switched careers and followed my original passion of writing. I’ll definitely be back to check out your various sites. Serendipity, indeed.
I actually didn’t grow up as an expat – we just traveled quite frequently. I was an expat for awhile after college, however. Marc, my boyfriend, IS a ATCK, since he was born to French and American parents in France but then grew up in Serbia, Benin, and Botswana. His background is definitely part of my attraction to him.
Glad to have you as a reader, and I hope to see your comments on the site again soon!
You’re my hero(ine)! I think what you’ve done is fantastic, and as someone who’s also been an expat and moved more times than I care to count in 8 years, I can relate to your sense of adventure and motion. How awesome! Fantastic blog and website–love the design, the content, everything!