Based out of Courtenay, Scott is inspired by the Pacific Northwest: the environment, the artisans, and the wilderness spirit. To meet this inspiration, he spends his time traversing the rainforest, exploring the ocean’s edge, and scrambling up mountain peaks in search of interesting and beautiful moments to capture. He shares the wonder of the natural world through film and photography in hopes of encouraging others to explore and protect this place we call home.
My first home in Cumberland was on Camp Road, in a row of rough cabins that were built in 1888 when the coal mine opened. The interior walls were thick Douglas fir boards, 14 inches wide, blazed with circular saw burns. The wood was dark, stained with a century of wood smoke and coal dust. […]
I’m so glad you’re here. As many readers know, each issue is part of a cycle with four linked themes. COVID-19 has made the 2021 cycle our most challenging yet. We’ve worked hard to produce four issues with themes that reflect the evolution of the pandemic: Resilience would get us through a dark, uncertain winter. Renewal would come with […]
I began to write this letter on a rainy, blustery day in early November—possibly not the best time to reflect on resilience. With the ongoing news about the pandemic, institutional racism, and the American election, not to mention the onset of that familiar seasonal gloom, everything felt pretty dark. To answer the question in the […]
The fire that forged the earth holds the space between us ancient atoms in our blood and bones pulled to the safety of flickering light Our tender hearts explore strange distance our fragile bodies move in from the shadows our hunger to touch fed only by the flames Related posts: SUNSET AT SMITH LAKE FARM […]
Despite the perpetual spotlight that the world of technology enjoys for “changing the world”, few technical innovations have truly shaken our foundations like the simple and humble wheel. For millennia it has literally turned in our favour, making everything from transportation to automation easier. For disabled outdoors people, a new application of this ancient technology […]
Storytelling originates underground. It’s the job of a writer to drag little known stories to the surface. Journalists bring covered up or willfully ignored information to the light. It’s a repetitive and never ending return to the well, hauling up voices from the past and releasing them into the ears of the present. What information […]
Vol. 20 Intro by Allie JenkinsonPhoto by Scott Bell
Growing up in the Comox Valley I have always been passionate about nature and the outdoors. Camping, hiking, fishing, animals, plants, and fungi. Since I was 10 years old I have wanted to know what I can eat and how I can survive if I were stuck out in the wilderness. I’m also drawn to […]
In my 20s I was thrilled by the promise of a blank slate. I moved often, believing each new location was rich with the potential to solve anxiety, stalled creativity, and a lack of community. Nowhere I landed felt like home enough to stay, building further on my expectation for the next place I went. […]
We have much to celebrate in the Comox Valley. Aside from spectacular scenery and a host of ways to amuse ourselves, our natural environment provides for us both practically and spiritually. It inspires our community of builders, creators, and makers. We reside in it and it resides in us. To celebrate is to be joyful […]