How would you rebuild your sense of purpose if your life was suddenly turned upside down? I was faced with this dilemma in 2015, when a breakup with a girlfriend left me again living at my parents’ house, and a newfound autism diagnosis had me examining my engagement with my “special interests.” For many years I traveled the world, visiting 43 countries and 47 American states, but it had become clear to me that my budget was no longer going to permit this. I needed another way to explore my interests in historic architecture, cemeteries, and buildings of worship that I had developed while living in France and Louisiana.
In my academic studies at Louisiana State University, I wrote about the dichotomy of the city and the country as part of my general exams. In Southern Wisconsin, I began to live it. I would drive for hours to see an obscure rock formation or a historic district of a little known town, and I would photograph the houses, tombstones, and stained glass windows that most interested me. Still, something was missing in my endeavors, which would come to instill in me a great sense of fulfillment.
Raising awareness is a common activity in today’s online world, and in my case, it gave meaning to a passion that was otherwise selfish and isolated. I created an instagram account to show off my historic photos, which grew organically until surpassing 5000 followers recently. These are 5000 strangers to whom I can show and tell my state and regional heritage.
Beyond simply sharing a visual and written history via Instagram, I decided to raise awareness of my state’s history and architecture to those who could experience it in person. I started a group on www.meetup.com wherein several members assemble once a month to explore a different site; we have toured house museums, cemeteries, churches, state parks, and historic restaurants, among other places. When someone on one of these tours says “I have lived here for so many years and I never knew this was here!” I buzz with an accomplished feeling.
Some days I have a sense of having discovered a secret world, hidden in my day to day surroundings. Because we take the highways and main roads, we miss a lot of the beauty around us. Some, we are simply not trained to look for. I encourage you all to find landscapes within your landscape: hidden architectural details, public art, natural beauty, or even the serene landscape of the dead at your local cemetery.
Editor(s): Krista X. Douglas
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