O.W. Root

Everything and everyone is saturated to the gills with political commentary, hot takes, discourse, and pissed-off snark. People and the internet are so filled with all of this they don’t really have time or space for anything else. Longtime followers know that I think this whole culture and drift is toxic and erodes the human spirit and the possibility of culture and life. You also know I am most interested in writing about, talking photos of, and exploring life in our modern world. Trying to make, and document, (honest) life as art in our age of clickbait-algo spectator reactive discourse. For the past six months I have been working on compiling a collection of short essays and vignettes I have written over the years into a single print volume and I am thrilled to share it with you. In curating this collection for print I was adamant about a few things. I wanted a classic, simple, beautiful design inside and out. I wanted a book that you could carry around, toss on your bed, put in your pocket, shove in your bag, manhandle on the beach, write in, write on, and everything else in-between. For me, the point of this collection isn’t to produce an epic hardcover tome. It’s something more informal and approachable. Something simpler and relatable. I’ve always loved those little paperbacks. You know, the ones they say they aren’t going to make anymore. Well, I want to still make them or something similar to them. I wanted this collection to be as close as possible to that rugged, personal, carefree spirit. The book itself is about 5 in. X 7.75 in.. About as small as you can get these days. The design is simple and (hopefully) timeless, the font is warm, the margins are ample, and the pieces honest. There’s a link in my linktree / bio to Amazon where you can Buy Modern Lives. Or of course, just search Amazon as we all so often do and that will work just as well. No politics, no hot-takes, no reaction, no discourse; just life.

Film stock: Lomochrome Location: Taos, NM Camera: Nikon 35AF Photographer: @kipdec

Get ‘em while they’re hot. In stock at Fox & Root

People want to live forever but they've got nothing to live for.

Tweeting on Euro time is like waking up in the morning before everyone is awake and skulking around the house mumbling to yourself.

@SantiagoPliego @RobertMSterling

@owroot @RobertMSterling 😂

W-2, 1099, K-1

@vrexec @RobertMSterling Thank you!

@owroot @RobertMSterling Great one

@dsidgrant @jamesonhaslam Thank you!

@owroot @jamesonhaslam Best one so far!

@RobertMSterling @jamesonhaslam

@owroot @jamesonhaslam Incredible

@Sparkylong 😂

@owroot Every ceiling in Europe can’t be Sistine.

Marveling at the wall in my hotel room I have so many questions.

@Sparkylong My God. No, I did not know that! Detest them!

@owroot Oh, it gets way worse than that, O.W. Did you know that after mosquitoes, house flies are the world‘s most dangerous insect? It’s because of fecal contamination of food leading to fatal dysentery in 3rd World countries. Ever since I’ve learned this in med school, I loathe flies.

There may be no more annoying sound than that of a mysterious fly buzzing around the room.

I just remembered that when I was young we didn't need passports to go to Canada. I remember my parents just driving us over the Border. It seems kind of crazy now but it wasn't then and I remember people being kind of annoyed when we couldn't do it anymore.

@JackBristow9802 😂🙏🏻

@owroot Lmao perfect

@aaron_renn Wow! Are you serious? I lived in Jtown

@owroot I grew up there too

I grew up in Louisville (pronounced Lulvul) until 5th grade and remember Derby week. We did all sorts of stuff about it in school. My parents have these old 90s derby glasses at their house and they are so sweet. When we moved up north it was kind of strange because it felt like we were kind of the only ones who paid attention to it really. Or at least a minority. It’s a mundane observation but I kind of realized over time that Derby seemed to be more appreciated or enjoyed by southerners. My parents still watch it and have Mint Julips and always ask us to send in who we hope to win for a little pool of bets we make. My parents are both from Michigan though because we lived in Louisville the derby just kind of stuck.

@SinclairArt Wow. I so see that. Thank you for sharing and wonderful presentation.

@owroot I'm here now. It really is very different from when we moved up here from western Kentucky in 2003. I jotted down some thoughts here. x.com/SinclairArt/st…

@KJP Congratulations!

Blessed day for our family ✝️👦🏻❤️

@MarkMurrah Oh yes! I remember doing this as a kid when we told our parents we were coming home after being downtown riding bikes. We would call them and say quickly "Mom and dad we just want to know we are coming home" and stuff like that.

@owroot we made collect calls to let our parents know we made it back to college and they would decline the charges

I am currently flying over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, drinking bourbon, and typing out this post on my phone from my seat, 35J. I remember a time when there were calling cards we used to call back home from Europe. I did that in high school. All those numbers you had to enter. And now, today, we have internet on this little metal tube careening through the dark night over the seemingly infinite water below. Sometimes I forget how much change I’ve lived through because it’s just my life and it’s just normal, but when I think about it I realize it and I can’t believe it. The world changes and it just becomes normal and that’s that. What a world.