Sunset on Therapy Mountain
Photoshoot for CAMP LEMON Midnight on Mount Therapy. Modeled by (from left to right) Collin, Michael Baruth, Pierce Marengo, Jordan Butler. (Some are pending for permission)
The evening was hot, although we were used to it. It began with a normal day of tasks you'd expect, and triumphed into a gorgeous pool filled with luscious water, the abstinence of such had gelled its way into my psyche—I was ready to swim. The pool water enriched the days of our lives, it created a beautiful surplus of emotions that we would share. The pool water was shared with me by my good friend, who confided in me of some of his recent life experiences, beautiful growth that we all see day to day, I was proud of him, as I always am. Jet arrived while we were still in the water, in the desert heat, the pool seems to be the only way that we can truly center our minds and calm our nerves. This is one thing that is known with LEMON, the pool—the water; it's often our home.
Today I would produce Jet's first song, although it's not the first that we had worked on. He poured his emotion into the lyrics and I composed some C# Major chords to glide around his honesty of expression in a mutually agreed 95 BPM (Beats Per Minute). The lyrics were for a girl he had a deep connection with but then lost that connection. He told me it was because he sent her the finished song, that she finally reached back out to him. We finished the song and had it mixed within the two hours of his arrival, during which I was able to gift him a camera (as well as Cesar, the other day). A group of point and shoots and some other types of cameras were set up and organized in a moving box, a most generous gift from a kind lady. She told me her dad loved photography, and he would be happy to know that someone who cares so much about cameras would have access to them. She said I could use them or sell them, but her words touched me genuinely. I would only gift them to people that I knew would cherish and appreciate it just like I did.
I wouldn't have been able to accept such a wonderful gift it wasn't for my friend, Andrew. He was the one who wanted to take a video of a house he was trying to sell as a new real estate agent, to give him an advantage in the game. It was the owner of the house who just happened to be there that day, that was so generous with the gift. Andrew, the man who originally coined the term "LEMON GANG" and spread it among the halls of our high school. Still supporting the brand and putting great new meanings to the words "LEMON GANG", Andrew and his girlfriend welcome their daughter into this world. He told me the emotions he felt of being a dad for the first time and the beautiful things that he was experiencing. He's not the only one in LEMON that is going to be a dad, and I think it's incredibly important for this small community (as it grows) to keep in mind the respectable and increasingly important tradition of the relationship between parents and their children.
Shortly after finishing the song with Jet, I set out to pick up Mike & Shayd, and then met the rest at our destination: Collin, Jet, Jordan, and Lux. The seven of us hiked up Mount Therapy and gazed at the sunset, and then the stars. We talked about life, and experiences as we always do—Cherishing each moment. Some sat alone atop the mounting looking at the stars on a towel. Some of us would chatter about our lives and experiences, and get advice. Some of us would talk about our problems and look for solutions, whether it be social, emotional, medical, or otherwise. But one thing we all feel is how important this is for all of us. How starved this world is for moments like this—that is my purpose on this world, to create moments like this and to create art that will bring people together whether it's my music or my fashion design, or even small events that could shape a generation. I want to be the glue, the foundation, to provide for my friends who called it "family". These connections are important to me, and something I cherish greatly. The community is growing, and with me attending college soon, thanks to Collin's tour and initiation process to introduce me to Copper Mountain, I'm more eager than ever to learn, but more importantly to grow—to welcome in new friends into LEMON, to experience this world, to live in the moment, to share what I know and learn from others, and to create great moments and memories along the way. But more important than anything else: to teach all my friends that everything will be ok, and to not be defined by their flaws.
