The Trailhead
Start the Journey Here!
Welcome to Field Notes!
Beams of golden sunlight illuminate esoteric truths written on distant mountain sides for those who would see it. The gentle breath of wind moving through treetops whispers sublime secrets for those who listen. The natural world is profound. There are infinite uncharted layers to this life, and I want to explore them. I suspect that you sense this as well, and this is what brought you here.
This is not a newsletter. Field Notes is a journey of exploration. I’m Erik Hogan and I have experienced much in this life. I seek to earn a voice by confronting hardship, uncertainty, and peril. I’ve seen death, and also the first breath of new life. Through sacrifice, I have had glimpses of the sacred wisdom of nature.
I don’t have the answers. In Field Notes I seek them. I convey my experiences and insight through artistic photography, creative words, and film. Art speaks to the soul, and perhaps through my attempts at it you will find some truths of your own.
In Field Notes I write a lot about the backpacking adventures I take. These stories include the photographs I make along the way. More recently, I have begun making experiential films of these journeys. Occasionally, I branch out to write creatively or to explore other aspects of nature and life photographically and philosophically.
Adventure, for me, is philosophy with skin-in-the-game. Do my ideas about life hold strong when the stakes are high, when the elements are harsh, and when alone with no one coming to help? I am trying to find out, and I am reporting back here what I learn.
First of all, I have a website- erikhoganphotography.com. This is where you can access my full photo galleries. I have a lot of images there, and I frequently add to it. I am beginning to go back and title each one for reference and to give you some context of where it was taken.
I would be thrilled if you took some time to view these photos. If you have any questions about them, don’t hesitate to reach out!
I began writing Field Notes in earnest in May of 2023. New issues are published on Sunday mornings. This post gives you a good overview of the first year of Field Notes and a few adventures I took before starting the blog-
I took the adventure stories from the first season of Field Notes and re-worked it into a PDF ebook. This removes all of the extra (dated) info, email headers, subscribe buttons, etc, and presents the material in a much more pleasing format. It might be worthwhile printing it out? However you want to read it, here it is as a free gift-
In Field Notes I organize my posts into several categories. All of my backpacking and longer trips fall into the Adventure Stories category. In addition, you will find sections on the Field Notes homepage for Waterfall Chasing (generally a day trip specifically to photograph a waterfall), Field Notes Film, and Artful Words and Philosophical Hatchetwork. Here are some past examples of works I am particularly proud of to get you started.
Adventure Stories
In May of 2024 I thru hiked the 76 mile Foothills Trail in South Carolina. This series covers that trip. Perhaps one day I will re-work this into a printed zine of some type.
Waterfall Chasing
Artful Words and Philosophical Hatchetwork
Field Notes Film
You can find each of these categories by scrolling down on the Field Notes homepage. All of this is a work-in-progress, so these categories are subject to change in the future, if I feel the need. But, I will update you if or when that happens.
I am also on social media but, to be honest, Substack and Substack Notes has become my home and I find myself spending very little time anywhere else. I do have Instagram and a YouTube Channel. Facebook, too, but that is mostly for family.
I want to thank you for taking the time to look at what I’m doing here in Field Notes and/or on my website! This space is developing into a community and I really enjoy interacting with readers. I’ve made good friends through this endeavor, and their feedback has been both inspiring and educational for me.
I would be grateful for your company on this path. As a part of the community here I encourage you to share your own insights, earned on your own journeys. Together we will light the way.
Why pay to sponsor and support Field Notes when it is all offered here for free?
First, answer this question- Can you separate art from the artist?
Suppose there was someone out there who you thought very highly of and they were passionate about creating artwork. But, you find that work to be mediocre. Would you still support them? Or, we could flip this. What if you were viewing a stunning painting… only to discover that it was painted by Adolf Hitler? He was a painter, after all. Would that change the impact of the artwork? It does for me.
Why does this matter? We might not fully realize this, but I believe humanity is standing on a precipice with the advent of Artificial Intelligence. With a few cues, anyone can now generate stories and essays in only a moment. Throw in a couple of prompts and AI can spit out a hyper-realistic image of the world. This technology is growing exponentially more capable each day.
Soon we will reach a point that we can no longer trust anything that is presented online. Is that landscape real or a computer algorithm? Is that story someone’s experience or a computation of words? It is critical to know the difference because with literature and the arts we share our common humanity. However realistic it appears, AI is NOT human and you cannot fully separate the art from the artist.
What then? How do we move forward? I believe we must find human artists and creators we do trust and support THEM. I’m not trying to say that has to be me in particular, but I am a real human out in the world creating what I think is art out of HUMAN intelligence. I’m searching for what it means to be human in the world we inhabit, and that is something AI can never deliver.
So having said that, I could use some support. Photography is stupidly expensive, and there are many other costs associated with backpacking and travel in general. Anything helps me to improve what I offer you here. These are a few ways you can sponsor me and my work-
Monthly sponsorship through a paid subscription to Field Notes-
A one time contribution for an essay or photo you particularly liked-
Rather than trying to sell prints on line and dealing with high print and exorbitant shipping costs, I am now offering digital downloads of my photos for sale. Don’t think of is as that, though. Think of it as purchasing a license to use that photograph for an unlimited time frame, for personal use. Want to use it for your computer desktop background? Go for it! How about your phone wallpaper? Great idea! Here’s the other thing- you can take that full resolution file and have it printed wherever you want. Take it to a local printer to eliminate shipping costs entirely. If you’re concerned about print prices, you can have it printed at Walmart. You could do all of the above with that license, and then do it again 50 years from now, if you so choose.
Personal use does not cover some things, though. You can’t re-sell my images or claim them as your own. You can’t give them to anyone else to use (other than a one off gift). And you can’t use them for a multi-million dollar commercial ad campaign. We’d have to have a different conversation first!
Here’s the deal. Since I don’t offer any premium content in Field Notes, I am extending 50% off of these digital downloads, and occasional free ones, to anyone who signs up for a recurring contribution to my work via a paid subscription.
I really hope this is enticing to some of you, in a way that benefits all involved.
Find these photo downloads from the tab on the navigation bar on my homepage or here-
Finally, want to work with me for your brand or are you interested in photography services? Let’s talk-
And I am always humbly grateful to all of you who just want to read along and be a part of the experience. Its even helpful to simply spread the word about Field Notes. Share it, forward the emails to people who might like it, or just mention it by word of mouth. Thank you!
