We did it!

Yaaaaaaay!  WE DID IT !

In the final hours of yesterday's leap day, due to the love and support of over 344 awesome backers on Kickstarter, and countless cheerleaders, we have reached our funding goal. 100% funded! Can you believe it? Over $25,300 raised, with 5 days still left in the campaign. THANK YOU. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Honestly, you really are the best, and this film will now become a reality, thanks to YOU.

So many exciting updates to come, but for now please know this.... I am overflowing with gratitude, and feel exponentially fortunate to be surrounded by so many incredible people.

Please continue sharing the project over the next few days if your heart calls you to do so. The more money we raise, the better the film will be in the end, and the larger the audience it will reach. I appreciate all the love & support, to the moon & beyond... Cheers, loves!

home stretch

Friends!  You are AMAZING. In only two weeks time "Where There Once Was Water" has received a ton of local press coverage, and over $20,635 in support on Kickstarter. I continue to be humbled by your generosity and words of encouragement.  THANK YOU.

With just 11 days to go, we are now officially on the home stretch. Wheeee! Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform, meaning that we MUST reach our goal or no money will change hands, and the film will not receive funding. So I ask of you with a humble heart... If you are planning to pledge your support, or you are considering it, please consider doing so TODAY!  Every dollar helps, and every backer who pledges $10 or more will receive a download of the film upon it's completion. 

Much Love & Abundant Gratitude, xo, Brittany
 

Kickstarter LAUNCH & Gratitude

Seriously, Wow! Yesterday we went LIVE on Kickstarter, and Launch Day was an amazing success!

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of over 130 backers, and the support of hundreds of folks sharing our campaign online, we are almost half way to our fundraising goal already. Can you believe it?!  You all amaze me. 

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your trust and your support on this important project. Please continue to share this campaign with your friends and family. It will truly take a village to bring this film to life.  Much Love, ya'll... I am overflowing with gratitude.  Here's to a super successful DAY 2!  Let's DO this.  :)

With all my love & appreciation... xo, Brittany Anzel App

Frolicking in the Forest

Thank you for being here...
I come bearing some rather exciting news. Coming in February *you* will have the opportunity to pre-order your very own copy of my documentary film, "Where There Once Was Water". Wheeee Haw! After spending some months on this project, I have come to realize that in order make this film a reality, I'm going to need help. In mid-February be on the look out for a super rad Kickstarter campaign and the official release of my first teaser trailer for the film. Holy smokes, I cannot wait to show you what I've been up to! Much Love, y'all.

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"In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference." - Rachel Carson

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I just returned from a road trip up to the northernmost tip of California. I soaked up the rain in those giant redwoods, and I came home saturated and refreshed - grateful for the natural wonders of our world. Along the way I filmed the devastatingly charred remains of the town of Cobb, I followed the Eel River as it wound it's way down the northern reaches of highway 101, and I filmed time-lapses of clouds flirting with the forest. I visited Shasta Lake - one of our state's largest, and an area of much dam dispute of late, and I stared in amazement at the reservoir's gargantuan bathtub rings.

The theme of cooperation, and little changes making big differences, keeps coming up. As artist & activist Sarah Bellum said to me recently in an interview, "We're all on this abundant garden planet together, and it's a lot easier if we work together". I had the opportunity to interview this inspiring and kind-spirited "Barefoot Trash Fairy" about her zero-waste lifestyle, the health of our oceans, and her work with the Surfrider Foundation. She's about to head out on a zero-waste bike tour up the coast of California - so, as you may have guessed, Sarah and I realized, pretty much immediately, that we were soul-sisters. Beautiful connections continue to happen through this project - I am grateful, and my heart is full.

I've been reviewing images and footage in preparation for the official project launch in February, and there's so much to share already! I am thrilled for the opportunity to give you a sneak peek of this work through my first teaser trailer for the film - set to launch mid-February alongside my Kickstarter campaign. Once launched, you will have the ability to pre-order the film. Your support will mean the world. Thank you for being on this journey with me!

Until next time... Namaste.

a brand new year

The final day of 2015 is upon us. Tomorrow we begin anew. This is one of my favorite days of the year, every time... Time to shed what no longer serves us, and make way for fresh magic in the new year. Time to manifest our dreams, to call them into being. To celebrate the gifts we've been given, and expand our hearts and our horizons for what is ahead.

It is time to be grateful. To appreciate all that we have learned, all the ways we have grown. And to make space for even more. Clean out the cabinets. Dust off the shelves. Reset the computer. Recharge the soul. Prioritize health & happiness. Both literally and figuratively, the New Year gives us an opportunity to restart. I embrace it with a happy heart and open arms.

My goals for the coming circumnavigation of the sun scream of a desire to focus on the health of my mind, body and spirit. Wake up early. Practice more yoga. Learn Spanish. Sweat. Experiment with a plant-based lifestyle. Make a film. Practice gratitude.

And so it shall be.

"A change in the shape of the body creates a change in the state of the soul." - Aristotle

"Some people believe in fate, others dont'. I do, and don't. It may seem at times as if invisible fingers move us about like puppets on strings. But for sure, we are not born to be dragged along. We can grab the strings ourselves and adjust our course at every crossroad, or take off at any little trail into the unknown." - Thor Heyerdahl

Blaze forward. Create your path. Practice gratitude. Be honest - with yourself and with others. Love each other. Work together for positive change. Let's do this, my good people! We have all the power and all the love that we need, to accomplish ANYTHING. 

Website launch!

Happy Almost New Year!

I hope your holidays have been happy and bright, and that you find excitement and wonder in all the possibilities of a brand new year on the horizon.

Today is a big day. Today I excitedly admit to the world, and to myself, that I have absolutely 100% found my passion. I finally know who and what it is that I want to be when I grow up. Wheee! And you may have guessed it... I want to be a documentary filmmaker. Today I am one step closer. Today I launch the official website for the first documentary film of my career. And I am thrilled to share this creation with YOU. Thank you for being here, and for being a part of this crazy journey.

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.” 

- Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

One of twelve Nestle well sites in the San Bernadino National Forest. Nestle has been operating these wells, pumping out upwards of 68,000 gallons of water a day, on special-use permits that expired in the 1980's.

WTOWW : News & Updates

I had the opportunity early on in the month to hike up into the San Bernadino County Forest with members from The Story of Stuff community. We visited a Nestle well site (one of twelve) that has been pumping water out of the mountains, upwards of 68,000 gallons a day, (and then selling it back to us in plastic bottles) on a special-use permit that expired in the 1980s.  The Story of Stuff, along with two other non-profits, are currently suing the Forest Service for not enforcing the renewal of this permit. To read more about their work on this issue, and why the Privatization of water is such a frightening concept, visit their website : storyofstuff.org

I toured the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant in Playa Del Rey, CA.  This plant is operated by the City of Los Angeles, and is responsible for processing 340 million gallons of wastewater every day.  The plant is the city's largest and oldest treatment facility. Free tours can be arranged by appointment.

I read Dr. Richard Oppenlander's important and enlightening book, "Comfortably Unaware". In this book, Dr. Oppenlander outlines the relationship between our food choices and the sustainability of our planet.  He suggests that the only way to truly live sustainably on this earth is to shift to a plant-based diet, on a world-wide level, and soon. I have found myself fully inspired by this book (I recommend you read it), his life's work, and his fearless approach to a sensitive subject. I am thrilled for the opportunity to interview Dr. Oppenlander in March, and excited for all I will learn as I experiment with a smaller personal water footprint through the implementation of a plant-based lifestyle in the new year.

A view from atop the tanks at the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant in Playa Del Rey, CA.  This plant is the largest (and the oldest) in the City of Los Angeles.

Thank you!

As always, thank you for your love and support! If you are interested in participating in this project, or if you know of anyone who might be a good contact, resource, or interview, please be in touch. Namaste.

Welcome!

GREETINGS & THANK YOU

I hope the Holidays find you well and in good spirits.
I have some truly exciting news to share, and I thank you for visiting my website. As many of you know, I continue to love my work as a Professional Photographer on the Central Coast of California. The BIG news is that I have recently added a second love, and my heart is exploding!. I have started production on my first documentary film, titled "Where There Once Was Water : A California Story". My heart beats wild for this project, and I hope to share the journey with you as I change and grow as an artist.

Where There Once Was Water is a feature length documentary film about California's historic drought, featuring stories of those living and studying it, and exploring ideas and solutions for our collective future. Coming soon!

So, where do you fit in?  Firstly - If you'd like to be a part of the "Where There Once Was Water" Film Tribe, please sign up for my newsletter on the home page of the website. This newsletter will be your source for the occasional important update about my film, along with possible invitations to participate, and some newsy bits, fun content, and special deals from the App's Photography side of life too. I am thrilled to be on this new journey, and honored to share the ride with YOU! 

WTOWW : NEWS & UPDATES

Most recently, my work on this film has taken me up Hwy 395 to the snow-capped Eastern Sierras, the barren emptiness of Owens Valley, and the tufas of Mono Lake. Up I-5 to Folsom Lake to explore the town of Mormon Island as it re-emerges from the lake bed, then on to the sparkling high mountain beauty of Lake Tahoe, the bathtub rings at Lake Oroville, and south to the charred remains of the Shirley Fire in the mountains above Kernville and Lake Isabella.

I traveled to Carson City to interview Dan Beard, former Commissioner for the Bureau of Reclamation, and author of "Deadbeat Dams". Every single taxpayer owes it to themselves to read his book. Seriously. Do it. You'll be glad you did, and probably a little pissed off too.

I traveled to the Bay Area and interviewed Stiv Wilson, Campaigns Director for The Story Of Stuff Project, about their recent law suit involving the US Forest Service and Nestle, for operating bottling facilities in the San Bernadino Forest on a special-use permit that expired in the 1980s. Last weekend I joined the Story of Stuff community on a hike in the San Bernadino National Forest to visit one of these illegal Nestle well sites. Nestle's behavior is unacceptable, and this is brought into sharp focus because of the drought.

Water is a necessity to life, and the opportunities for us to rethink our relationships with water are many. I look forward to sharing information, ideas and stories with you as they emerge and develop.

THANK YOU!

As always, thank you for your love and support! If you are interested in participating in this project, or if you know of anyone who might be a good contact, resource, or interview, please be in touch. Namaste.