ORGANIZE THE NOISE // VOL. 6
My Story.
When I was younger, I was given a camera.
Not a fancy one. Not the kind you dream about owning someday.
Just a camera.
But that camera gave me something I didn’t know I needed yet.
Space.
Time.
Permission to slow down.
It let me see the world differently.
Not faster.
Not louder.
Differently.
I started noticing things most people walked past.
Light hitting the side of a building.
Reflections in puddles.
Old cars parked on quiet streets.
Empty benches under streetlights.
Palm trees that made Iowa feel very far away.
I was hooked almost immediately.
Not because of the camera…
but because of what it let me see.
The State Fair Changed Something
After I had that camera for a season, I started submitting photos to the Iowa State Fair photography competition.
The fair was already part of our family story.
We went every year.
Same food.
Same buildings.
Same traditions.
But the first year I saw one of my photos hanging on that wall…
something shifted.
It was the first time I felt like this might be part of who I am.
Even if I didn’t have words for it yet.
I didn’t know about careers.
I didn’t know about storytelling.
I didn’t know about creative direction or content or brand strategy.
I just knew I liked seeing the world this way.
And once you see the world that way…
it’s hard to turn it off.
I Never Really Stopped Submitting
Over the years I’ve submitted a lot of photos.
Some made it in.
Some didn’t.
Some I thought were great… didn’t get picked.
Some I almost didn’t submit… ended up hanging on the wall.
Funny how that works.
This year I’m planning to submit again.
Not because I need a ribbon.
Not because I’m trying to prove something
Because it keeps me connected to my story.
And I’ve learned something over the years:
If you don’t stay connected to your story…
you start creating from noise instead of signal.
The Photos I’m Looking At This Year
Some of the ones I’m considering feel simple.
A red car.
An empty bench.
Palm leaves against the sky.
Old statue, new building.
A weird metal sculpture that looks like a crinkle cut fry.
A sign that literally says “Chill Zone.”
None of them are life-changing photos.
But every one of them came from the same place that camera first gave me…
Slowing down.
Paying attention.
Seeing what most people walk past.
That’s the part I never want to lose.
Why This Still Matters To Me
It might sound small.
Submitting photos to the fair.
Walking around with a camera.
Stopping to take pictures of things nobody else notices.
But for me, this is where the story started.
Before clients.
Before S5.
Before Your Story. My Mission.
Before I ever told anyone else to find their signal.
I had to find mine first.
And every once in a while,
you have to go back to the place where your story started
just to make sure you’re still telling the truth.
Tell Your Story. Find Your Signal.
This is the first round of my State Fair photo bracket.
Still deciding what makes the cut.
If you’ve got a favorite, let me know.
If one feels weird, tell me that too.
But more than that…
Don’t ignore the things that made you who you are.
Don’t outgrow the work that first made you feel alive.
Don’t get so busy building your story
that you forget where it started.
Tell your story.
Find your signal.
— David
