Meet Austin Gomberg | Adventurer | Poet | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Austin Gomberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Austin, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Waterfalls. Mountains. Rivers. Rock formations. Natural Bridges. World wonders. Regional wonders. Nature. Nature makes me happy. Nature is everything to me. Travel makes me happy. Traveling is how I get to all these amazing places, and the journey is just as fun as the destination. Exploration. Adventure. Taking risks. Breaking rules. Shirking societal norms, going against everyone’s expectations of how to live life, that’s what keeps me going. That’s what makes me happy. And if you stopped me in the middle of one of my adventures and asked why it made me so happy? I’d say because human beings are supposed to be free. Nomadic. At least that’s what makes me soul sing. I want to see all 50 states, all 7 continents, all 195 countries, and then I want to go to space. That’d make me happy. And I’ll be happy working towards that goal. And I’d be happy if I never made it everywhere, it’s nice enough to go somewhere. Happiness is a tricky thing and it’s easy to question if you really are- happy. But when I’m moving through this beautiful Earth God put out before us all I don’t question too much, I just am- happy.

Also sitting back against a cold stone by a rushing river, at the end of one of my adventures, and turning my life into lines of poetry makes me happy. Especially, when I read it back to myself as the sun sets around me. And the forest goes dark.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I’m a poet. I have been a poet for over ten years now. As of late, I’m living my poetry. I write poetry in my mind with every footstep I take. With every mountain summit, with every river crossing, with every with every broken rule, with every waterfall chase, I’m writing poetry. I try to stop myself and take the time to write it down but most of the time these days I just live it. My art is my life. Adventure is my biggest art form at the moment. I’m a living creative exhibition. We all are. Human existence is poetry. And so I write, and I write. I see these waterfalls, I whisper to God, and I write. I learn lessons everyday along the way. I learn lessons from people, from places, from every pebble under my feet. I’m always learning. The road is a great teacher, sometimes unforgiving. I’m lucky I get to pick and choose when to be nomadic, that’s one lesson I’m still learning.

As for where I’m at professionally, I sometimes wonder if the term “professional artist” is a bit of an oxymoron. I make no attempt to be professional with my art. I’m a digital marketer by trade, I’m proud of my professional accomplishments. I’ve also made big strides with my art in terms of performing my poetry live and work I’ve done with different creative organizations along the way, articles, reviews, interviews, etc. In the end though, when I look back on it all- I wonder if what I’ll be most proud of or excited about are all the little moments.

Reading my poetry in the woods while it rains, in quiet whispers. Free styling poetry to my girlfriend deep into the night, during all the car over the long trips. Or maybe all the moments where I was too excited to write any of it down, maybe that’s what I’ll look back on most. Who knows.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
1. Land in Denver Airport and look at all the weird conspiratorial art in there. Wonder about if the govt. is out to get us. 2. Book a hotel, preferably one with a view of the night sky, look at the stars, smoke a joint.
3. Grab some great dinner, get a few double vodka orange juices.
4. Smoke until you fall asleep.
5. Wake up and drive to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and go for the hike of a lifetime. Look at desert sand dunes and snow capped mountains at the same time. Be in awe of God’s creations.
6. Drive back up towards Denver and stop at The Broadmoor Seven Falls. Don’t give a f*ck whether it’s closed or not. Nature is never closed. Go in and hike. Hike your heart out. Don’t slip. See seven waterfalls in a day. Take deep breaths of the cold mountain air. Be at peace.
7. Drive all the way back to Denver, reflect on nature’s wonder. Thank God for what you were able to see.
7.5. If you have time stop at Meow Wolf Denver. It’s a confusing interactive experience where you feel like you’re in outer space. They claim it’s psychedelic but I would have flipped out in there if I was on psychs haha. If you like lots of doors and hallways and feeling lost you’ll love it. It’s like a puzzle with no clear end. There’s these awesome alien art pieces everywhere. It’s super trippy. I have a sort of a love/hate relationship with the place. But trust me it’s worth giving a try. I want to try out all the rest of them for sure.
8. Go out to dinner at this sushi place with saltwater fishtanks above you as you eat. I wish I remembered the name. I’ll get back to you on that.
9. Stock up at the dispensary for the trip back. Don’t be a baby. Make multiple stops. Screw their rules about weight limits. Go hard in the paint. Otherwise you really don’t burn like that.
10. Get a rental car and drive all the way back to Philly in one night because you’re a lunatic.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout is dedicated to my family, my friends, my girlfriend, and all my online supporters. I want to dedicate it to God, Ashem. I want to dedicate it to the preacher I met at Ozone Falls, Tennessee. I want to dedicate it to my Rabbi. And all the people who I met on the road who keep me going, whose names I’ll never know but whose faces I’ll never forget. Thank you to everyone I love, you all keep me moving forward. I want to dedicate to nature. Nature is never closed.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austinwrites_/?hl=en

Image Credits
Austin Gomberg | @austinwrites_ on Instagram