architect / christian / small town guy
The trite celebrity lunch introduction is what I am trying to avoid here. But as you can surmise, Chase and I sat down for a meal and he spoke to me about his desire to go from a town of 1,000 to Virginia Tech and now to Austin. We bonded over the fact that adulthood is a reminder that not as much has changed as we initially thought might when we dreamed of moving away years before.
"A small town offers this diversity of community that you wouldn't think you'd have."
On home
"For me, home is what you make it. Even if you move to the mountains or move to the beach all you're really getting is different climates and a little bit of different culture. But, a lot of the day to day grind of working and living stays the same no matter where you are."
On small towns
"It's a close-knit community in a very different way than just a neighborhood or suburb. For instance, in a larger city you're going to have your friend groups or your coworkers; they serve as a community.
A small town, however, offers this diversity of community that you wouldn't think you'd have. If I'm a designer and I'm in a large city my community is probably going to be with other designers. We are like-minded and have similar tastes.
Whereas in a small town you don't have the freedom of that. And so, you're kind of are stuck, you know. You know stuck with the people you're with. I had like 100 people in my graduating class so it was pretty small, but its good because for the duration of your childhood you grow up and you are forced to interact with everyone.
Whether that's who lives across the street, or down the block. It's more than just your neighborhood it spreads throughout the town and then you know all sorts of stuff: who's in who's class, who's good at sports. In a roundabout way, being from a small town forces you to interact with people who you normally wouldn't."
On why he moved away
"I couldn't wait to get out of a small town. I think it's because it feels like in a small town there's a ceiling that you just can't break through. The fear is if you stay, you'll become like the people around you, it's like this cycle.
Austin is a city full of creative people and entrepreneurs. It's a city full of design and creativity. The largest contrasts that I've seen between the town I grew up in and Austin are the population and its distance from the big city, which is to say it lacked access. Access to the design world or the photo or food worlds. Austin is just full of that. You know it's great to be able to meet people and make friends in design and photo."
On fulfillment
"I think that in America, there's this unending desire for more. And that creates a culture of discontentment. Everyone believes there's something better out there. We're looking for a purpose in life, they're looking for a goal to work toward and then surpass. Whether that's retirement or buying a lake house or dating and love. We're always in search of something better. We could learn a lot from resting in the present around us."
From Farmersville, TX
Lives in Austin, TX
