Charizard22 is not a Pokemon, I am a visual storyteller named Nickolas Saraceni. Mucho gusto!

Like life itself, each photograph is a reflection of a series of decisions we make from an infinite number of possibilities. In life, we can choose to turn right or we can choose to turn left. We can choose to stop and turn around, or keep pushing forward no matter what... In photography, we can choose to zoom out and capture as much of the scene as possible, or focus on one single element of our surroundings by using zoom or manipulating depth of field. In a world of infinite possibilities, those who have chosen to negate the line between life and art, uniting the two as one and the same, those smoldering souls are the ones who inspire me.

My first real job was testing Google's Self Driving Car, making sure that the robot continued improving without harming itself or the public. It was a fantastic job and I am thankful for every minute of the experience, but that's all I ever intended it to be, an experience. As the self driving car improved rapidly while us test drivers sold the majority of our waking hours to Google, I saved to buy a 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia. Enamored by the idea of leaving corporate comforts behind in order to experience the United States through a lens focused on urban decay, graffiti and whatever other beauty there is to be found in the grimiest corners the country, I decided to get in the van and drive without any intention of turning back.

Ultimately, the dream was pure and real, but my planning was poor. Looking back now, I was fortunate not to die in ball of smoke and flames nor forfeit the entirety of my savings to the rest of the hungry vultures masquerading as Volkswagen mechanics. I learned that if you are going to ask a machine older than you are for both housing and transport, you sure as heck better know every nut and bolt on the vehicle.

Yet, as way leads to way, I kept moving forward and then took a sharp right. I sold the van and used what remained of my Google earnings to move to Nicaragua with the lone goal of learning Spanish. Three months of Spanish classes and humble homecooked Nicaraguan food was all I could afford at the time, but time well spent is worth far more than gold. Being surrounded by children (mini-professors, I like to call them) and loving strangers awakened something in me that expanded my focus from beauty in grunge to beauty wherever life and art meet.

Steemit seems to navigate those very same waters, so steemians, I am just as excited to explore your thoughtful content as I am to share my own with you.