DOPE. - Volume III

Sep 1

6 min read

Philosophy: Chasing Life, Not Love.

There is a quiet truth that gets drowned out in a world obsessed with the hustle of modern dating. The only two things you should never chase are love and death. Both are inevitable. Both will find you when the timing hits.

Instead of spending your finite, precious energy sprinting after affection or fearing the end, pour that passion back into building yourself. Become someone whose life is so vivid, grounded, and intentional that when your number is eventually called, you leave with zero regrets. When you stop treating romance like a missing puzzle piece you have to hunt down, you free up the space required to build a life actually worth sharing.

The Misuse of the Word "Love"

Musiq Soulchild wrote "Love, so many people use your name in vain". We throw the word around like cheap currency. Half the time we say "I love you," we actually mean "I favor you," "you’re convenient to me right now," or "I'm just saying this back so things don't get awkward." We use it out of social pressure, to ease tension, or to perform affection. But love isn't a casual placeholder or a performative reflex it is a weight-bearing commitment.

Real love isn't something you tier or dole out in calculated hierarchies. You don't "love people at levels", that isn't love; that’s just preference. While your bonds with a child, a parent, a lifelong friend, or a partner are distinct and unique, the core essence of love itself is universal. When you love, you love fully. Anything less is just choosing favorites, and we already have a word for that.

Don't Move In With Your Rival

In a world driven by skyrocketing rent and a desperate push for independence, too many people jump straight from their parents' home into cohabitation with a romantic partner. While plenty of cases prove it can work, far too many people end up moving in with an OP, a partner they barely know, don't truly align with, or eventually grow to resent in secret. Living on your own first isn't just a milestone; it's non-negotiable self-care.

When you learn to anchor yourself independently before sharing a key, you build a foundation of safety. If a relationship turns toxic, stagnant, or unsafe, independent living ensures you never stay simply because you have nowhere else to go. Freedom is the ability to walk away from what no longer serves your spirit. Never trap yourself in a lease with someone who drains your soul.

Love Is a Choice, Not a Sentence

In the movie The Break-Up, Jennifer Aniston’s character delivers a line that hits hard: "I didn't come back because I couldn't live without you, I can. I just didn't want to." That distinction changes everything.

Real love is never a hostage situation. It shouldn't feel like a force, a trap, or a desperate need for survival. Authentic connection exists when two fully realized individuals look at each other and say, "I am completely fine on my own, but I actively choose to walk alongside you."

Stop chasing what was always meant to find you. Build your own ground, master your own space, and let love be the intentional choice it was always meant to be.

Behind the Test : Daniel Garza

There is an undeniable intimacy in the act of photographing someone for the first time. You aren’t just capturing lighting, angles, or clothes you’re stepping into an unwritten dialogue.

My journey with Daniel Garza began in 2018 when his agency, Wallflower Management, reached out about a test shoot with a new face. When Daniel walked into that initial session, he brought an unexpected guest along; a choice that immediately broke standard industry convention and yet signaled something much deeper about who he was. Someone who stays anchored to his real-world connections, regardless of the room he walks into.

From the moment we began shooting, Daniel stood out. It wasn’t just the intricate detail of his tattoos or his presence in front of the lens; it was the sheer depth he carried. Rooted in his Mexican heritage and South Texas upbringing, Daniel holds a profound connection to his origins and a quiet, grounded spirituality. As a classic Scorpio, his energy is intense, reflective, and layered. Our early sessions quickly evolved beyond standard artistic direction into expansive conversations about astrology, crystals, meditation, and how we navigate our internal worlds.

Over the years, watching Daniel’s trajectory has been nothing short of inspiring. Creative collaboration often serves as a snapshot in time, but our bond transformed into a enduring friendship marked by mutual respect and intentional check-ins whenever our paths cross between Austin and Dallas.

I’ve had the privilege of witnessing his continuous evolution from stepping out of academia into multifaceted professional endeavors, to buying land, exploring the world, and navigating modern corporate spaces without losing his authentic core. We continue to connect deeply on contemporary social issues, community dynamics, and the complexities of our shared world.

To witness a friend fully step into their power, manifest their potential, and remain tethered to their roots while building a legacy is a rare gift. Here’s to Daniel Garza a subject, a collaborator, and above all, a visionary friend whose journey is only just beginning.

Club Therapy: Finding Healing, Sacred Space, and Connection on the Dance Floor

It is 2:00 AM, the quiet stretch of night when clarity tends to find us. Having just returned home from a venue called The Church, I find myself reflecting on a profound realization. I have been navigating the night scene for nearly three decades; I’m not old, I just started early.

These days, my nights out have slowed down significantly, shifting my role from active participant to quiet observer whenever I step into the crowd. I went from getting into teen clubs because I looked older to sneaking into adult venues well before I was of age. Over the decades, I’ve had the privilege of connecting with elders who danced through the eras of Studio 54 and Starck Club, watching the collective shift as each generation passes the torch to the next. Being seasoned in this space offers a unique lens, revealing a vital concept I call Club Therapy.

Club Therapy is not about party culture in a superficial sense; it is about the sacred, human connections forged when people step outside their isolation to share space, motion, and story. In an era where digital noise often leads to relational fatigue, trauma dumping, and cynicism, the dance floor unexpectedly becomes a sanctuary of shared humanity. It is a place where temporal lines blur, revealing a deep commonality that transcends our daily walls.

I remember standing in a club fifteen years ago and watching an eighteen-year-old celebrating his birthday. Beside him stood his parents, beaming with pride. They had brought him out to his first gay club after he came out to them, choosing radically to love, accept, and step into his world with full support. Moments like that remind us that true community is built on visibility and acceptance, transforming a simple room into a launchpad for belonging.

Another powerful dynamic unfolded during late-night dance battles at spots like It'll Do Club, where an older regular used to challenge me to intense vogue and dance stand-offs. After an extended absence, he reappeared one night, pulled me aside, and broke down in tears. He shared that he had been fighting cancer and heavy health struggles, and he felt compelled to come back to that space just to connect, hold conversation, and share his journey. In that exchange, the venue transformed from a place of rhythm into a refuge of healing and mutual witness.

That same sanctuary exists for those carrying quiet grief. I recall meeting a woman standing in the crowd, carrying the heavy weight of mourning a loved one she had recently lost. She hadn't come out to forget or escape, but to process seeking solace in the shared energy of a room where she didn't have to explain her pain to feel supported. Standing alongside strangers who are moving through their own untold stories creates an unspoken solidarity, proving that grief does not have to be carried alone in the dark.

When we strip away the noise, these nightlife spaces become living archives of human resilience, passing wisdom down from those who paved the way to those just stepping out into the world. As we navigate our own journeys, may we continue to seek and create spaces on and off the dance floor where healing happens, stories are honored, and true community thrives.

From,

A Student of Life