A Certain Curiosity — Adventure with Cole Kiburz
Ben Ashby
AN INTERVIEW WITH COLE KIBURZ
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN NEAL CORDWELL
I've known LA based photographer and videographer Cole Kiburz for years now. I continually find myself longing to be on all of his adventures. I decided it was long past time to introduce him to you...
Why do you adventure? Adventuring is a great way to disrupt the status quo of your routine and creates conditions where possibilities for growth, self-discovery and evolution are abundant.
Why do you explore? I’ve always had a certain curiosity that I’ve carried with me since childhood. I always have to know what’s just around the bend.
Why take risks in life? No one has ever done anything of great significance or value without taking risks. I’ve learned as much (if not more) from failure than I have from success so I’m not really afraid any more of the ramifications of taking calculated risks. “Shoot for the stars, land on the moon”, etc.
Where are you from? I’m from Arizona but spent some of my formative years living on a farm in Iowa. I wasn’t much of a fan at the time, but I do appreciate the lessons of the land and the work ethic that time instilled in me. Currently, I reside in Los Angeles, CA.
What is your 9-5? For the last 6 years, I have worked as a freelance photographer, filmmaker and writer.
When you were growing up what or who did you want to be? I told my mom when I was 5 that I wanted to be an environmentalist haha. I also always wanted to be an actor and I pursued music pretty aggressively for a while.
Favorite place you've visited? That’s hard because different places can bring out different sides of ones personality. I’d say that Alaska was awe-inspiring with all its untamed beauty and adventure at every turn. India was the most visceral and culturally foreign place I’ve ever traveled to and I would certainly love the opportunity to go back.
Place you most desperately want to visit? I am really hoping to plan a safari to Africa to document some of the tragically endangered species there. I’d also love to visit the Maldives before climate change and rising sea levels overcome them.
What is the single greatest moment of humanity you've experienced while traveling? I think one of the best parts of traveling is the random people that you encounter along the way. The people in Costa Rica are incredibly kind, helpful and laid back (“Pura Vida” for those in the know). The best example of humanity I’ve probably witnessed is a tuk tuk driver in India named Torry who I now consider to be a brother. Torry was known in Agra as “Torry of the dogs” because he’d spend a good portion of all the money he made driving a tuk tuk to buy food for all the stray dogs. He’d find sick puppies in the street and nurture them back to health. We’d wake up at sunrise some mornings and go to temple and then go feed all sorts of animals from monkeys to chipmunks to birds. Torry is an angel on this earth I simply adore him.
What has changed about you because of your travels? I grew up in a very conservative household and I think that traveling broadens your horizons and shows you that, in the end, most people want the same things—to love and be loved and just to enjoy their lives and their families. I’ve also learned to be a better listener and more present in the moment.
Who is the most dynamic and thought provoking person you've ever met? I’ve been fortunate to work with some of my favorite musicians, artists and entertainers over the years. I don’t think I could choose one person, but I am very grateful that my work has put me in to some rooms I never could’ve imagined being in.
If you could travel with one person in history or in present who would it be and why? The first person that came to mind was John Muir but I think I’d have to go with Bob Dylan—there’d still be the poetic-ness to everything, but the campfire jam sessions would be out of control and he’d be able to teach me how to train hop which would be pretty cool!
What are your must haves for travel: @atlassupplyco backpack, @moment lenses, @ezraaurthur journal, @nisoloshoes boots, @brixton wide brim hat, @swellbottle, micron pens, pocket knife, headphones, Canon DSLR, and a guitar if possible otherwise a harmonica.
Give us a few travel tips: The road can be romantic and magical, but it can also be exhausting and unforgiving. Take care of your body the best you can. Pack zinc, a good multivitamin melatonin, and plenty of socks. A high-quality neck-pillow can be a worthwhile investment. Also, a good translator app and a Mophie battery pack can come in very handy. More abstractly, I’d strongly suggest writing in your journal as often as possible and, more specifically, write about the experiences as sensorially as possible (what did the village smell like? What sounds did you hear that were new or foreign? What flavor profiles did you experience for the first time?) These details can often be fleeting as if in a dream, but if captured, can help to ground you and recall more specific s of how a place made you feel.
Give us a story from one of your trips: Most of my experiences on the road have been incredible and a large part of that is the people I have traveled with whom I have shared in both triumph and tragedy and a million laughs in between. That said, it’s important to really know who you’re traveling with and make sure that they are someone who will be able to go with the flow and not cause unneeded drama or stress. As the survivor of at least one trip where I did not account for this, trust me, it can change everything and profoundly affect your journey and spirit.
Based on your travels what is the single most needed improvement for humanity to be stronger? We need to talk to each other more; more specifically, we need to listen to each other more. Many people are predisposition to fear what they don’t know and it’s rather unfortunate because I believe the majority of people are good. We need to remember that borders are artificial creations of man and that most often wars are fought to the benefit of the ruling class. We are all brothers and sisters sharing this planet; and it’s a planet that we should cherish and care for.
What would you say to someone who has never travelled before? A lot of times people say to me “you’re so lucky to get to travel all the time” or “I wish I could travel like you do”. I want people to know that I don’t come from money and that, on my journey, I’ve encountered at least as much bad luck as good luck, but I made a conscious decision that traveling was of high priority to me and I worked hard to manifest a reality where it was possible. The hardest part of any journey is the first step, so if you’ve never traveled, pick a date and a place and just MAKE IT HAPPEN. Once you get going, you will be called to do it again and again. Traveling really isn’t that expensive if you are willing to sacrifice a little comfort for life-changing opportunities. Sleep in a hostel or in a tent. Buy food at grocery stores. A lot of countries are cheaper than America, focus on visiting places like that at first. If nothing else, hop in your car and drive a few hours on a day off and just explore somewhere you’ve never been!
What is the single greatest lesson you've learned from someone that is different than you? I had the incredible opportunity this year to spend a couple weeks with Tibetan Monks as they created a Sand Mandala. I learned from them the joy and peace that can be achieved through staying present and not having attachments. Life is transcendental and the only constant is change—embrace that as the truth.
When did you feel you were most out of your comfort zone? What did you learn from that lesson? Be it hot air-ballooning through the final-frontier or repelling down a 200ft water-fall in the rainforest, I have chosen to face my fears head-on in an attempt to conquer them. Anytime you do something you didn’t think you could, you become a fuller, more confident version of yourself.
What would you say to your former self? I’d tell myself to not speak or think in self-defeating terms. Our brains are funny machines that often create “shortcuts” in the way we think in order to arrive at the quickest answer. Because of this, if a parent or teacher told you that you weren’t good at something or that something isn’t possible, you may be repeating that same Iie to yourself without even realizing it. If you daydream about being something, it’s already in you to be that. If a secret passion sings in your soul, you have to listen and follow it. Time is precious, put in the work and get going—this is your one life, make it count!
What gives you hope? I think that the internet and the gift of its infinite access to knowledge and to each other is helping to wake a lot of people up to the ways of the world and is creating a more educated and active youth that is rejecting the blind materialism of the past; one that is anxious to live in a more compassionate, conscious world that is more of accepting of one another and more protective of the natural world we inhabit.
Where to next? Hopefully Cuba with @ryannealcordwell.
Is flannel always in season? Being yourself is always in season.