A beautiful life. What is this illusive idea and how can it be found? Is it a productive life, a healthy life, a wealthy life, a fun life, or a creative life? Is it none of these things, and all of them at once? Perhaps a beautiful life is one that is lived in the pursuit of a beautiful life, or in being perceptive and receptive to beauty itself. Perhaps a beautiful life is just a human construct with no real value or use at all.
Welcome to WildLight – an online space and community where such questions and many more are explored.
I am Evan Casella, your humble, yet passionate guide through these mountainous terrains of human experience. What are my qualifications you ask? Well, formally, I am undeniably unqualified. I am not a life coach, psychologist or any form of well-being “expert”. What I do have behind me, however, is a greatly varied and wonderfully strange life. A life that has caused me to ask, explore and test the pursuit of a beautiful life many times over.
This blog is not about me, so I will try to be brief. I came of age in the tropical rainforests and coral reefs of Far Northern Australia, nearly finished a marine biology degree in the dusty cattle country of Central Queensland, then opted for pragmatism by training as an auto upholsterer and tent maker. In search of adventure, I took to the red, remote deserts of Western Australia and worked as a concreter. When I had saved enough money, I hit the road and lived as a vagabond for two years, travelling solo through India, Nepal and Latin America. I met my now beautiful wife, Claudia, in Chile and we moved back to Australia while she completed her PhD in chemistry and I studied to be a Registered Nurse. As a critical care nurse, I worked in the Emergency Department for five years, conducted research for the World Health Organization, and taught at the local university. I experienced a lot of life and death in this role. I also trained and served as an infantry soldier in the Australian Army. When Claudia was offered a post-doctoral position at the University of Vienna, we decided to live between Australia and Austria. We had our first kid (second currently on the way), and I took a dive and began to study law. I currently work as a Professor’s Assistant at an international science institute while I finish the final year of my Juris Doctor. I guess I could also say that I am also a photographer, a writer and a skateboarder, albeit certainly not at any level of professionalism.
Why have these experiences brought me to start WildLight? A little vulnerability is needed to answer this question. Before moving to Vienna, I thought I had life figured out. I had made my dreams a reality, achieved professional success, lived adventurously and married the love of my life. Cue… immigrating to a new country at the beginning of a two-year pandemic, perpetual unemployment, financial distress, lockdowns, chronic isolation, and amidst this, navigating fatherhood for the first time. Suffice to say, life was turned upside down and, for a while, things were looking pretty bleak. This is not to say we had it bad - there were definitely many, many people who had it worse. It was simply the stark contrast between the life we used to live and the one we were currently living that began to percolate a recurring question: What do I need to do to make life beautiful again?
WildLight is my journey through this question; what I have found so far and what I am yet to find. The mediums in which this journey will take place are:
1. Inspiring Stories: Essays and photo documentaries that capture the essence of human experiences, adventure and the natural world.
2. Creative Insights: Creative processes, from photography, and writing to painting, building projects, and repairs that ignite an appreciation for the creative life.
3. Thought-Provoking Ideas: Delve into philosophical and spiritual reflections that challenge thinking and encourage personal growth.
4. Practical Tips: Learn sustainable practices and adventurous activities that enrich life and create reciprocity with nature.
5. Community Engagement: Join a vibrant community of like-minded individuals who value beauty, nature, creativity, and meaningful living.
What do I hope to achieve with WildLight? Well, there are two main goals in mind. Firstly, I want WildLight to be a platform for this journey, which ultimately, is a creative process. Every creative wants their material on display somewhere in the hope that it gives something to the world. Secondly, I want to create a community of people on similar journeys so that we can share, collaborate and create beauty together – the world needs this right now.
So there it is, and here you are at the bottom of this post. Oh come on, if you have made it this far, you might as well subscribe and join me on the adventure. Who knows whom we will meet, what we will learn and where we will go? Will it work out? Will we find a beautiful life? There are no guarantees, but if there is one certain thing, beauty does not give guarantees. It gives wildness, risk and danger; and what would a life lived without these be? Certainly not beautiful! Let’s go.
Evan! Your publication here looks very compelling! I can't wait to read more! Coincidentally, my mother is from Austria. I still have an aunt and uncle living in Vienna and have spent many summers visiting there as I was growing up.