DoMoBA, (Dotty Molt BadAss), That’s Victor Cooper’s name for me. He owns The Rocking V, a wonderful restaurant in Kanab, Utah. I met him in 2013 on one of my solo trips out to photograph the Desert Southwest. As it turns out, he’s become one of my best friends, and one of my angels.
This selfie, taken with my IPhone tells a story all by itself, but you have to know the whole story to understand it. From beginning to end, from stuck to unstuck, from veils to spiritual enlightenment. It’s the inspirational story of my 25,000 mile road trip which propelled me, a free spirit hippie princess, cross country on an empowering journey.
The story begins in Incline Village, Nevada, where at fifty-six, the surface of my life was perfect. I lived in a beautiful home on Lake Tahoe with a handsome boyfriend. We were Barbie and Ken smiling at life from the pages of Facebook. But beneath this exterior, we’d lost our passion, our souls and paths in life sadly disconnected. Feeling alone and stuck in a privileged life, I grabbed my camera, packed too much of everything along with one long slinky dress in Ruby, my Jeep Rubicon, an off road warrior with the balls to match my repressed wild side, and set out to find the person I used to be.
Fearlessly off roading in deep sand, stealth camping under infinite stars, I found freedom and self reliance on the road. Shaman and angels appeared on my path, offering subtle guidance and encouragement. I hiked to sacred spaces where my soul found perfect joy and tearful loneliness. I found a short lived relationship with another photographer, then found myself stuck for far too long after his abrupt unexplained change of heart. Twenty five miles away from civilization, stuck in deep viscous mud after a night of torrential rains, I found the power within myself to get unstuck physically and emotionally.
Traveling south to Florida, I found Jesus on the beach, and on the mat next to me in a yoga class, the third Shaman of my journey found me. He cracked my heart wide open allowing me to see the spiritual path I’d traveled, the daily synchronicity which had brought me to the presence of God, to spiritual enlightenment.
I have been a professional photographer and yoga teacher for more than ten years. I am passionate about inspiring those who dream of being free to take action and drive, hike, walk, run, or crawl to their destiny. Today. I have images and videos from this journey, some of them are on my website in the Every Image has a Story folder, along with the short stories I’ve written to accompany a motivational speaking tour. I’m seeking representation from a Literary agent or a publisher who is willing to take a leap of faith and help me tell my story to the world.
It’s time.
Dotty Molt Photography 