As I embark on another adventure in a few days, I had debated on whether it makes sense for me to take only myself and my camera to the Eastern Sierra photography workshop. Meaning, would it be better to leave Butters & Bambi behind so I can focus solely on photography? Part of the conflict was trying to maintain the integrity of this site about “road tripping with a dog named Butters in an Airstream Bambi.” I anticipated this issue would come up at some point and a month ago, I reached out to a handful of friends and asked for input on how to structure www.buttersandbambi.com. After several emails and conversations, I redesigned this site.

The new design makes sense to me but this is not final. The site will continue to evolve. I’ve learned that the status quo doesn’t work in a business environment so why would it work a creative situation? One friend put it this way: “as a former graphic designer we were constantly adapting to new information and it was always an experience watching the body of work grow and how to organize it better.” This comment supported the thought that it’s okay to change your creative output based on feedback. After all, this is my thing.

I have three sections on the site: one is about travel, the other is about growing up Asian and a third will be for my research on Asian American women. I’d like to highlight that these sections are not separate and in fact intertwined. Over the years, I’ve learned to integrate all aspects of myself and not censor who I am and this site is a reflection of the integration.

All of that to say, I have decided not to take Butters or Bambi. I feel guilty about leaving my trusty co-pilot and taking off. However, this will help to focus my undivided attention to the photography workshop. I’m trying something different this time because I realize there are no rules…only doors that will lead to options.