• Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

    So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

    — Mark Twain

  • Sarah JacksonPhoto credit: Matt Law

    >> Find Matt Law's incredible photojournalism portfolio here.

  • Want to connect?

    Drop me a line if you're interested in hiring me or talking journalism. I'm experienced in:

    Broadcast production, reporting, editing, web production, social media, audio editing, pagination, copywriting and more.
  • open panel

Posts Tagged ‘freedom’

Dust begins to settle after 4-year whirlwind

Times of transition are among the most stressful periods in life. There is no doubting that. It does not come as a surprise.

I finished earning my four-year journalism degree last week, and with that, a stage of life came to a lurching end. Lurching, because the last semester (and years) have been crammed full of juggling multiple jobs, a full course load and all of the regular life chores and activities that pack the to-do list of young people who live on their own. Plus, I was arranging a move and securing an apartment in New York.

Suddenly, though, my scheduler was free of pressing deadlines. There are no more homework assignments. I was no longer a student.

I liked the sound of that. But as I talk with other students in the class of 2012, I’m realizing we are all lost, empty, searching for a new identity. There were no fireworks …

Read More
 

April 25, 2012   Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Category: Life   4 Comments comments

Watch: A walk in Zuccotti Park

When I arrived in New York earlier this month, I knew one of the first places I’d need to visit was Zuccotti Park, for a glimpse into the home of the worldwide Occupy movement. I’ve spent some time at Occupy Vancouver, and I was curious to see the resemblance and the differences.

I finally made it out to Occupy Wall Street last Saturday, Nov. 12, as protesters were beginning to gear up for today’s big “Day of Action.”

I’d originally planned to write about the sights and sounds — but plans change, and it seemed more fitting produce an audio slideshow. So here it is, though perhaps a bit later than I’d wished.

I thought it best that the slideshow speak for itself rather than be colored by my own views on the movement.

Please share your reactions!…

Read More
 

November 17, 2011   Tags: , , , , , ,
Category: Journalism, News   No Comments comments

Living a lie: why abuse forced me to use a fake name

Fear is like a snake. It slithers into deep crevices, hiding for a time. Then it swallows its prey whole.

It presented itself as shaky hands. Nobody noticed but me. I was good at hiding things.

At school, I never missed a class. I won awards for having the best grades of those in my year of the program. Other than a frequent struggle to stay awake, and a lack of money for food when I didn’t bring lunch, my behaviour was not much different from that of other students. And I was used to missing sleep and skipping meals, anyway.

Once, I went a week without eating. But I skipped a dinner every few nights. Not eating was incredibly helpful in numbing emotions, and it had the added bonus of being easier on the wallet.

I was in an abusive relationship.

I faced threats, accusations and erratic behaviour around the clock. There was no …

Read More
 

July 19, 2011   Tags: , , , ,
Category: Life   7 Comments comments

‘American’ and other dirty words

Growing up in the suburbs of Boston and Baltimore inevitably led to a falsely inflated perception of the status associated with being an American. The first time I, and probably most of the nation, realized that the U.S. was loathed by outsiders was on Sept. 11, 2001. I was with my family that day. We were vacationing in the Gettysburg, Virginia area and had planned to spend the day touring Jamestown. We had already visited several other historic sites earlier that week; attending former president’s houses, plantations, and historical villages was nearly an annual event. I remember panicked whispers that day as my parents realized that all five of us could be trapped on the other side of Washington D.C. if the district was attacked. I also remember that similar concerns were echoed silently across the entire east coast for years. The choice to attend D.C.’s Independence Day celebration became …

Read More
 

January 5, 2009   Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Category: Life, News   1 Comment comments

© 2012 Sarah Jackson