“I miss the freedom. I miss being able to be a new person every time you pull into a gas station, a store, or a bar. No one knows you. You’re a ghost and the main attraction all at the same time. Everyone wonders who you are and where you came from but no one says a word.”
is the reply by Kyle Dempsey when I ask him what he misses most when he is not on the road off to one of his new adventures. In a time where seemingly almost everyone is trying to live this sort of dream-and-adventure-chasing lifestyle, to me Kyle still stands out as one of the ones who does it “the real way”. So I talked to him about his recent backpacking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, his past years trip and movie project “Come Find Me” and the human truths he was trying to find out as a consequence.
Which song people should listen to while reading this interview?
Brown Trout Blues by Jonny Flynn. A hot cup of coffee is required as well.
You have just returned from backpacking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Tell us about the magic moments there. And how do you feel being back home?
New Hampshire is a very underrated place. Driving through Franconia Notch has moments that remind me of Yosemite Valley. The feelings that surge through your body while jaunting across the tallest ridges in New England can be rather dreamy. My good friend Brendan and I hiked up Mt. Madison and pitched a tent out on a giant boulder over looking layers of mountains. Waking up 4:30 am to a sherbet sunrise and the songs of little birds is the closest I’ll ever get to heaven. It’s nice being home and getting my life organized again, but I live for trips like that.
You are a real adventurer. Last year in fall you returned from your trip where you were traveling the country, living out of a car and filming a movie. It is called “Come Find Me”. Were you also trying to find yourself on that trip?
I’ve done a x-country road trip every fall since 2013 when I first went with my brother. Whether I expect it or not, they always end up teaching me so much about myself. I wanted the challenge of telling an entire story from beginning to end on this trip, as well as creating different characters through acting and costume design. I’ve never worked so hard in my life. I learned about my own work ethic and the possibilities that come from putting every ounce of your soul into the work you do.
“The hard moments are where you develop yourself as a human being. They define your character.”
“I wanted to dive into the concept of fear and find out what it really is that keeps people from chasing their dreams.”
You stated that the movie is about the human truths. What are the exact questions your were trying to find answers to, and what was the truth you found?
I wanted to dive into the concept of fear and find out what it really is that keeps people from chasing their dreams. To talk about money and the idea of selling yourself out just to get a check. About genuinely good people who enjoy living just to make others happy and also bad people who will destroy anyone in their path to get what they want. I wanted to explore human connections with the things they love and how strong those bonds can really be. I can’t honestly say what truths I found, which is why I’m planning to do another series in the fall of 16’ that answers all my questions once and for all.
You want to inspire other people to follow their passion. I think many people these days try to do so, but sometimes also feel obsessed with this mantra of “dream following.” I wonder if we are maybe getting more disappointed in the end than generations before us, that had a more realistic approach on life, because there is no such thing as the perfect life and eternal happiness, even if you do the things you love. What are your thoughts on that?
My parents have a very “realistic” approach to life and are often confused by what I do. They’ve started to understand over the past year or so, but it was always frustrating trying to explain to them what I’m really chasing in life. For me, eternal happiness stems from a burning fire within my gut that sends me into the unknown, telling me to capture and create new things. As long as that stays lit, I know I’m following my passion and finding my happiness.
In which place you have visited so far did you feel the most at ease with yourself and the surrounding?
That’s a tough one. There’s so many different vibes and styles and landscapes all over the United States that I absolutely love. There’s part of me that always craves the California coast, part that longs for the grand Tetons in Wyoming and part that needs the endless sunsets in the New Mexico. When it’s all said and done, I’m most as ease with myself when I’m sitting on the riverbank in front of my house, where I’ve lived for my entire 24 years of life.
“I tried to sell cars at a Subaru dealership when I first got back from my trip. I worked a week then quit. Hated that shit.”
I know that behind every thing – no matter how romantic it may sound there is also reality. Tell us, what are the hard moments?
The hard moments are when you wake up with your tent collapsed on top of you, down in a gully with a foot of snow all around you. You’ve got a front wheel drive car with summer tires on it and an uphill driveway out of your tent site to another 3 mile dirt road covered in snow before you reach civilization- all with no cell phone service. The hard moments are when you crack your oil pan on a rock and have to use $500 of money set aside for food and gas just to continue on. When you stay up until 5am editing a weeks worth of footage, acting and story writing only to upload it to youtube for a couple hundred views. The hard moments are where you develop yourself as a human being. They define your character.
What are there things that you miss most while not being on the road?
I miss the freedom. I miss being able to be a new person every time you pull into a gas station, a store, or a bar. No one knows you. You’re a ghost and the main attraction all at the same time. Everyone wonders who you are and where you came from but no one says a word. I miss the waitress that’s worked at the same diner for 40 years who served me my eggs and shared a laugh, not knowing we’d never see each other again. I miss the taste of a cold coors light and an american spirit on the river bank of a small stream in Idaho. I miss the warm touch of the sun on my left arm as I drove too fast down an empty highway in Utah. Oh, how I miss the freedom.
“I want to bring the beauty and ideas I see in my head to life. I want my images and stories to connect with people… I want to see the world, I want to find love, and I want to spend the second half of my life without a camera, just living every day in the moment.”
What are you up now. Back to a “normal” 9-5 job again?
I tried to sell cars at a Subaru dealership when I first got back from my trip. I worked a week then quit. Hated that shit. Then I worked as the right hand man to a guy who owns his own marinara sauce business. I’ve worked on and off with him since high school but finally went full time for a few months with him in early 2016. I had to quit because I didn’t have enough time to take photographs and create new things. Now I’m doing photography and film work full time, as well as opening up my own print/antique/home decor online store. I want to create custom pieces for people’s homes with old barn board and other recycled antiques and rustic goods. I want every piece to be 1 of 1.
Do you think that in about 10 years you will end up somewhere in a remote place to live, a small town or a big city?
Gosh I really don’t know. There’s a side of me that craves a condo in LA and then a side that needs a small cabin in the Canadian Rockies. I plan on acquiring both at some point.
Where do you want your overall life journey to go?
I want to bring the beauty and ideas I see in my head to life. I want my images and stories to connect with people and help improve their lives in one way or another. I want to see the world, I want to find love, and I want to spend the second half of my life without a camera, just living every day in the moment.
“For me, eternal happiness stems from a burning fire within my gut that sends me into the unknown, telling me to capture and create new things.”
www.instagram.com/kylefinndempsey
