To New Beginnings by Michael Block

This 1/1 piece embodies a transformative time in my life.

I was fairly new to photography and had never travelled abroad. I saved for a while to take my girlfriend to Europe for her birthday. She broke up with me. Crushed, I decided use the money to travel to Japan for 10 days by myself.

During the 12 hour flight to Tokyo, I got up once. In line for the bathroom, I started chatting with the guy in front of me. He told me he'd never travelled abroad, and had saved for a while to take his girlfriend to Europe for her birthday. When she broke up with him, he decided to go to Japan for 10 days by himself. My jaw dropped. Of all the people, flights, minutes to be standing in line for that bathroom, this guy had my exact story. We adventured across Japan, reminiscing.

In this bamboo forest, my anxiety melted away. My path was clear. This trip, this moment, helped define who I am as a photographer. This is my favorite image from that trip, so it seemed fitting that I make it my first NFT.