Using the GoPro as a Writing Tool
What’s popping, people? Dante here, taking you along my usual weekend walk along Penn’s Landing by the Delaware River. Construction’s in the air, and a new park is on its way. I thought it was a good time to switch on the GoPro and flush out some thoughts as I wander.
For the past two years, I’ve been using my GoPro not just to capture moments, but to think out loud—write out loud, even. I’ve got the GoPro Mini, shooting in 1080p, but here’s the kicker: I export everything at 720p. Why? It saves file size, and let’s be real—most people are watching on their phones. 720p is perfectly fine for that. Plus, upload times are faster, and that’s crucial for my workflow.
A New Way of Writing
When I get back home, I can access the transcript from the video, thanks to YouTube’s description feature. From there, I copy and paste it into ChatGPT to help me organize and transform my raw thoughts into blog posts. In a way, I’m writing by speaking. It’s efficient, authentic, and feels more real than just sitting there tapping away on a keyboard.
I’ve written before using voice dictation on my phone, but this feels next-level—like I’m tapping into a flow state of creation without being bogged down by the tools. If AI is taking over writing, maybe this raw, uncut video approach is the future of sharing thoughts.
Two Years of Black-and-White Photography
As for my photography, I’m still using my Ricoh GR IIIx, sticking to those small JPEGs, shooting in high-contrast black and white. November will mark two years since I made the transition to this workflow. I’ve got about 7,500 photos backed up on Google Photos, all waiting for me to sift through by the end of the year.
What I love about this process is that I don’t limit myself. I’m free to wander, to snapshot, and let my camera be a visual diary. It’s not about planning or waiting for the right moment—it’s about capturing life as it happens. This new approach has injected so much joy into my photography. It’s pure, unfiltered.
Building My Own Creative Space
Speaking of joy, I’ve been recording my thoughts out loud for two years now, and it’s fascinating to see my evolution—not just through my images but through my words. Pairing these two mediums together is creating a personal archive of my journey, and it feels liberating.
Building my own website has been the ultimate freedom. Unlike Instagram, which boxes you into grids and constraints, my website is a blank canvas. I can create whatever I want—photographs, videos, written words, contact sheets—it’s limitless. It’s a return to raw creativity, coloring outside the lines.
Red Meat as Medicine
And then there’s life itself—this primal, raw existence. I’ve been on a carnivore diet for a while now, eating one meal a day, fasting, and walking 30,000 steps daily. There’s something about this lifestyle that reconnects me with my hunter-gatherer roots. I haven’t sat down in two years—standing, walking, feeling the ground beneath me—that’s where life feels most alive.
Red meat is medicine. The collagen from bone broth restores my body—healing cuts, strengthening joints. When I sit down for a bowl of pho once a week, it’s like hitting the reset button on my body. Meat brings me clarity, strength, and vitality. There’s a reason why “protein” means “of first importance.” It’s the foundation of life.
Weakness is Evil
When I think about strength, I can’t help but reflect on Nietzsche’s disdain for weakness. But for me, it goes deeper—weakness is evil. A weak body inevitably leads to a weak mind, and a weak-minded person will destroy themselves and others. People who can’t lift themselves up physically will find nefarious ways to tear down those who can.
Weakness is the ultimate tragedy because it leads to bad behavior. The weak try to defeat the strong through underhanded means, and this is where destruction comes in. It’s a cycle that needs to be broken by making strength—both physical and mental—a core value.
Physical Fitness for Leaders
This brings me to a bold idea: maybe our leaders—politicians, government officials—should be required to meet physical fitness standards. Imagine a world where leadership is tied to physical and mental vitality. Think back to the ancient Greeks, who valued a strong body and a strong mind as the foundation for wisdom and leadership. Why shouldn’t we return to that?
Perhaps we should bring back the idea that those in power must demonstrate strength, not just intellectually but physically. To me, this would help eliminate the weak-minded behavior that often plagues those in positions of influence. If you can’t pull your own weight, you have no business leading others. Health, fitness, and vitality should be at the forefront of leadership qualifications.
Affirming Life and Embracing Extremes
Maybe that’s the real dance of life—to embrace the extremes, the highs, the lows, and everything in between. If this is my last dance, I want to make it count. I want to dance fiercely, live fiercely, and create fiercely. Because at the end of the day, life is suffering—but that suffering makes us human. It makes us alive.
So, will you embrace life, or sit back in comfort, content with mediocrity? Will you rise above, or settle for what’s easy? Strive for excellence, and who knows? Maybe you’ll become the greatest version of yourself.