I almost lost my career and my life to drinking and depression. Then I found a camera, a tornado, and the Northern Lights.

I’m sharing this because I recently saw a post about how photography can keep someone alive, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. That was me.

A few years ago, I was at my absolute breaking point. My wife had cheated and left me, I was choosing drinking over everything else, and I was in a deep depression. I was terrified I was going to lose my job. I was just surviving, not living.

In the middle of that darkness, I found a camera. Shortly after, I actually ended up getting caught in a tornado—and I caught it on film. Thought I was dead and prayed for. A second chance. The adrenaline of that moment did something to my brain. It was a spark I hadn't felt in years.

I got hooked. I started heading out into the nights in Northern Saskatchewan, chasing the Northern Lights. When I was out there under the aurora, the noise in my head finally went quiet. It was my escape. It was the only place I felt safe.

But the real change happened when the youth in the North started seeing my pictures. They didn't just see "pretty lights"—they wanted to know how to do it too. They wanted that same escape.

Next thing I knew, I discovered what I now call Therapeutic Photography. It isn’t about being the best technical photographer or having the most expensive gear; it’s about using the lens to process the things we can’t say out loud.

Photography saved my life. Now, my mission is to show others—especially youth who are struggling—that it can save theirs, too.

I’m still on the journey, but I’m sober, I’m focused, and I’m finally using my art for a purpose. If you’re struggling right now, grab whatever camera you have (even your phone) and just go outside. It might just be the thing that pulls you back.