Addie Clark | Lifestyle Session

We grabbed a coffee, sat near an open window near the seawall and immediately began our photo session. Well, wait, getting to the coffee shop was a small adventure in itself I was able to see and discovered beautiful hidden spaces and places of Okinawa. To avoid evening traffic we took the back roads, cutting through picturesque neighborhoods and side streets. There were beautiful colors, textures, symmetry and as a photographer (part-time) it made for an exciting ride. Addie is an enjoyable, confident, active thinker who’s phenomenal to work with. Below is our lifestyle session…

Location: Okinawa, Japan

Questions + Answers

1. The most interesting thing about me you wouldn’t learn from Social Media or a Resume? My adaptability. Honestly, for this question, I had to ask one of my best friends and I love the answer he gave. I am involved in more hobbies and interests than I can even name. A few of which are geology, astronomy, physics, cybersecurity, beekeeping, calligraphy, fitness, web design, bot programming, crypto, modeling, photography and videography, hiking, and so much more. When I’m bored, I can always find something new to learn. I can adapt and find happiness in any situation or place I find myself in. I’m a self-motivator and teach myself any and everything that piques my interest. I can make friends with almost anyone. It’s one of my favorite things about myself, and it has proven to be an invaluable quality.

2. What are your personal fitness goals? My main goal has always been to acquire as much strength as possible. It was what got me infatuated with weightlifting, and the drive to surpass PRs keeps me coming back for more. I started working out and lifting about six years ago when I joined the Air Force (Oh my gosh, it feels like yesterday). Before I joined, I was 105 lbs soaking wet, hardly capable of completing three push-ups, and couldn’t do a single strict form pull up. As of today, I have gained 40 lbs of muscle, deadlift 290 lbs, and can do 15 pull-ups. Fitness has been a huge part of my life and I think the quest to test the limits of my physical capability is my main goal. My secret goal is to be stronger than all the men I work with, and somehow I have managed to do exactly that!

3. If money wasn’t an option where would you live abroad and why? If I could live anywhere and money not be an issue I would live in Norway’s Hardangerfjord region. While I was stationed in England, I was given the opportunity to explore the country and I fell in love immediately. The Norwegian Fjords are dramatic, moody, and breathtaking. Deep cuts into the Earth are painted across their map by the hand of powerful, sweeping glaciers. Standing at the foot of a looming Fjord reminded me of my mortality, and how everything will change throughout its lifetime. From my point of view, the rock kissed the heavens and acted as a staircase to it, because the views could only be described as something that simply did not exist in my world. The immense beauty that can be found there is the kind I could never grow tired of experiencing and I would love to wake up to every day.

4. Name one issue that’s a challenge for most women and how do you suggest they work through it?  I think a huge issue women face is that we’re constantly underestimated in many aspects of life simply because we’re women. When it comes to my favorite field (tech), people constantly need to comment “Wow, brains AND beauty?!” As if it’s astonishing that an attractive woman knows how to remote into a Virtual Private Server. It happens all the time to other women, similarly to your badass wife. Women constantly have to prove that we are useful, primarily in male-dominated fields. In order to work through this, we have to all lead by example. Speak up when you have a good idea and take credit for it. Don’t even worry about being ‘bossy’ when you’re displaying good leadership skills. Be a role model and an example for women to look up to. Don’t contribute to the prejudices.

5. A favorite life story about the people you’ve met, things you’ve seen or experienced:  When I was Croatia, I was exploring a northern seaside town with my sister in law and a close girlfriend. We had just eaten gelato and watched one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever witnessed when we got hungry. We stumbled across the ancient cobblestone streets and managed to find a darling café boasting the region’s most famous dish, truffles. It was the perfect place to enjoy the cool dusk air, along with their other claim to fame and our personal favorite, wine. Soon after we finished eating, these Italian boys, maybe 17 or 18 years old, came up and introduced themselves. They wanted to be friends and practice their English with us. We agreed to it, and they showed us all the best-hidden spots in the now-sleepy seaside town. We managed to make our way to a harbor dotted with the most colorful fishing boats and dinghies. There was one dinghie tied to a short wooden dock that the boys seemed to take an interest in. One pointed with a toothy grin and said ‘Let’s go!’ We all looked at each other, sized the boys up, and agreed to go. I made sure to tell them “I can kill you with my bare hands if you try to hurt us,” but I don’t think they understood the loose threat.

We all loaded up in the tiny boat and headed out towards the vast darkness of the ocean, the boys sitting in each other’s laps to ensure we had plenty of space. Once we got away from the light pollution of the city one of the boys shouted: “stelle!” which means stars in English. We all look up at the stars and realize that there’s a meteor shower happening. As we move through the water, it seems as if the sky itself is falling towards us, bright stars and their tails racing through the sky. We’re enjoying the most beautiful, yet rough, tiny boat ride we have ever been on. After a few minutes in the dark portion of the ocean staring straight up, we slowed down. There was another boat, this time it was a large sailboat anchored in front of us. “We’re here.” The curly headed, olive-skinned boy exclaimed as he tied our tiny dinghy to the vessel. He reached for my hand to assist me in transferring boats. None of us knew that we would end up on a massive sailboat in the middle of the Adriatic with a few Italian boys from Milan who just wanted to be friends.

The boys gave us a tour of their Padre’s boat, complete with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. One boy, Milo, cooked us spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce. He demonstrated the correct way to eat the spaghetti, as we watched thoroughly entertained that he ate it with a spoon. One of the boys went to the freezer and pulled out some expensive looking champagne. He exclaimed “We save this champagne for special occasions. Meeting new American friends is a special occasion, so we toast!” He poured us all glasses of the bubbly and led us to the bow of the stunning boat. “Salute! Thank you for being our friends. My dad is not going to be happy when he realizes all the special champagne is gone, so let’s enjoy the night!” We all giddily toasted our glasses and lied on the bow, gazing up at the countless shooting stars. We told stories of our cultures, learned Italian curse words, and demolished the language barrier. Eventually, the sun began to rise and we parted ways with the boys, never to hear from them again. It was one of the greatest nights of my life that I will never forget. Having the experience of learning first-hand the differences between cultures and the similarities of humans was a life-changing experience.