The entirety of my winter months so far has been a constant struggle to find motivation. I feel like I am not alone in this, the bitter winter months don't leave much to be desired. Couple the bitter cold, with a lack of daylight and a dash of seasonal depression, and you get a nasty cocktail for a lack of motivation. Here is the thing though. People year in and year out manage to cope, and even thrive in these conditions, so why can't I?

Coming into March I found myself trying to combat the comfort of complacency. I made a to-do list. Now, this list didn't exclusively have to do with creative ventures, but I think that was important. I had everything from a goal to go bouldering 3 times a week, to going through my old clothes and get rid of what I don't wear. I made mood boards for photo shoot ideas that I had been conceptualizing. I even added some much-needed house choirs I had been neglecting. Point is, these things on my list gave me a sense of accountability. I had this glaring list directly in front of my face anytime I sat down at my work desk. I feel like this gave me a much-needed kick in the ass. From this, I went looking for things I could do to keep the dust from gathering on my camera.

With almost perfect timing, I stumbled upon this.

In quick detail, this contest from The Creator Class & Redbull Photography wanted you to capture an athletes pregame warmup. I knew immediately after watching this that I wanted to test my abilities and get out of my comfort zone. I pretty much shoot nearly everything in the world of photography, and I shoot part time for Dalhousie Athletics, so I feel comfortable shooting sports. However, I haven't shot sports with an intention of creating, most of the time you are trying to just capture the moment. This was a welcomed discomfort.

Now I knew I didn't want to do one of the major sports in North American culture. Basketball, Football, Baseball or Hockey. I wanted to do something a little bit different and something I haven't had the opportunity to actually shoot myself. Again with almost harmonious timing, I had a friend from High School, Jesse MacMillan, start posting about his rekindled love for boxing. He had recently taken a leave of absence after 4/5 year tenure in the amateur boxing circuit. He is living in Halifax and training out of Tribal Boxing in Dartmouth. You couldn't have asked for better timing. I reached out to Jesse to see if he would be interested in this contest early last week and to no surprise I got a prompt response agreeing to help.

Here is what were able to capture.

Thanks again for helping out Jesse!