THE STRAYBOAR PROJECT
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Without a Map

18/2/2025

 
Sharing my past has never been easy for me, but I've begun to understand that the work we're doing now is rooted in the contrast of where we've come from.
When I was released from the military in 2014, I remember feeling lost. The culmination of a four-year battle—both physically and mentally—left me struggling to find my place in an organization I no longer fit the arcs of. The haze of years spent on sleeping medications, antidepressants, and sedatives started to lift, revealing a world I didn't recognize anymore.  I'd physically run and marched my body into a state of disability I couldn't simply walk off.
The final day of my 15-year military career was spent leaning against an orderly desk. Not being marched out by my unit, not given a departure with dignity. Rather, the three hollow thumps of a pay clerk's stamp.

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Dolphin Dance

17/11/2023

 
An amazing August day in the company of Dolphins... is there anything else to say? The healing that comes from creativity, and the reward in the very action of the pursuit.. This captures the essence of both. Stay peaceful!!
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This Remembrance Day

11/11/2022

 
I haven’t posted on Remembrance Day via social media or blogs ever. I didn’t wear medals or distinguishing markings at my local cenotaph for years after release. I locked myself in my own head and only surrounded myself with the people that I felt safe letting in.
I thought I was just being antisocial, but it turns out that the vast majority of the people I served with were doing this as well. There’s an injury at play here that shows itself in ways that people don’t always understand. A quote from a close friend, “I’ve never been more ashamed and proud of the same thing in my life”. That sums it up really well.
One of the biggest traumas for service personnel, is the removal from our community. Our tribe. Being set adrift alone is terrifying, especially when you’re the one rowing the boat. The answer, for me anyway, was to expand my tribe. I started going to outdoor markets in my home town of Lunenburg,  started getting involved in my community and supporting local business. Getting involved with my children’s schools, and the parents of kids the same age. As a result, I’ve started to build my tribe again.
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The people in this community that consider themselves my friends (you know who you are) accept the people from my unit as their own. These people would literally build a boat to come find me if I were ever adrift again. I feel loved, appreciated and safe here. My family (blood and chosen) have quite seriously saved my life. You’re heroes. Every single one. You’ve enabled me to find my footing again.
My veteran community is suffering to the tune of 15 more suicides this year alone (that I know of). Five of those since August.  Through the experience and support of my new community, we’re building a boat to look for survivors. It’s strong and it’s fast and we’re coming to find you. 
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Full Moon Surfers

6/2/2022

 
Hello again! I’m slowly working through a PILE of footage that I’ve been compiling for years since my release from the infantry. 
Something I've learned in the past seven years is how to pay attention to a gifted moment. This beautiful July evening stands out in my mind as an example of exactly why I pursue peace with a camera. I had finished supper, and was enjoying the shapes the sun was making as it danced through the pines out behind the house. I was doing dishes by the window and was increasingly distracted by the deep blue sky and lazy clouds on the horizon. 
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Atlantic Ocean Sunfish

31/1/2022

 
​This video is from a beautiful warm day in August. A perfect gem in a season full of beach days. I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. 
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Catching Up

7/11/2021

 
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It's been a busy summer. No excuse for my complete absence, but we've filmed and processed a lot. I've been able to concentrate on writing, gardening in the greenhouse and taking a more active role in my community.

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Food for Life

16/5/2021

 
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​Ever since releasing from the military, I’ve discovered a profound peace in my garden. Hands in soil, physical preparation of earth, and of course the reward of what comes up! 
Healthy food and physical activity are so beneficial to my mental well being.
Enjoy.
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Gaff Point: Legacy of Love

30/3/2021

 
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This past week has offered up day after day of perfect walking weather. Most importantly in one of my favourite places to hike... Gaff Point. Gaff Point was a staple hike for me when I was a kid. My parents would rattle my brother and me away from whatever we were doing on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and inform us of our destination. Most times I was happy to go, of course. 
But, being a kid, I didn't always want to go. I’d moan that I had something else I wanted to do or complain that my feet hurt. My mind would wander and I’d think about a TV show or something else equally as trivial.

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Contrast

27/3/2021

 
Trigger Warning: This post mentions elements of death. 
I was rifling through an old shoebox of photographs this week, like swiping through your phone pics but manual (HA!), and I found this beauty.
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Art of Peace

20/3/2021

 
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So before organizing  (and I use that term lightly) with the other two guys, and way before putting this website together, the three of us had been working and adventuring together for almost 20 years. Over that time, Jim has established himself as an accomplished oil painter and graphic artist, Royce a devoted knife maker and sketch artist, and me a practising  photographer/videographer with an appreciation for semi precious stones and minerals. All of these things we did together and apart, in our down time or spare moments.   The super great thing about the lack of confidence in my own work, is that I’ve accumulated a massive library of photo and video footage to share! 
The Veterans Finding Peace short was a piece of video that was honestly left to the toss of a coin. Whatever gets me out the door and in a creative space is golden. Besides, any day in the sun on top of the Jeep is time well spent.
So, as I film and create, I'd enjoy shedding light on the world as we see it. The world we all live in. Every story or piece of art we create is focus used in creation instead of destruction. Peace in place of calamity, and hope where hopeless seemed final. I would love if everyone who visits our site were able to pull a personal connection with one, or all of us together. If you leave feeling better than when you came, maybe share us with someone else who needs to feel lighter.
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    Author

    Seth: Wandering Jester and devoted friend. Hunting images like game on a landscape. Sharing meals, story and adventure. Weaver of words and kicker of stones.

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