*^ The long-awaited start of this project feels a little like this mountain (Chimborazo) emerging from the clouds.*

It is April 7th and I’m en route to the first official stop of the Enthusiasts project. I’m sitting with a fight of feelings—excitement and daunt, in equal measure.

Excitement for everything ahead: the people I’ll meet, the potential to create something meaningful and unifying. And daunt—for all the same reasons. For the challenge of turning an idea into reality. Of coaxing it off the page and into the world.

I’m daunted by the prospect of speaking with strangers so often, by language barriers, by the fear that this project might not resonate with everyone. I’m daunted by the chance that finding subjects will be harder than I hope, by the financial investment, and by the uncertainty of what “success” might even look like.

And still—this leap into the unknown thrills me. It’s exhilarating to dive into something I believe in, with no set road map. To have the freedom to shape this project as it unfolds. I can’t imagine where it will be 365 days from now. But here’s what I do know, here at the starting line:

I want this project to find common ground in human enthusiasm.

In a world that often feels divided, I want to tell stories that unite. Too much of global photojournalism, in my opinion, leans into voyeurism—showing “the other” through a foreign lens. Enthusiasts isn’t about how different people are. It’s about how we are the same. It’s about showing passion as a universal language.

Through this lens, I want to share glimpses of individual enthusiasm—in music, movement, craft, collection, cause—with the hope that it sparks something collective. Something connective.

I hope these glimpses make you want to follow your own threads of joy.

Enthusiasts Project: Day 1