Montauk Love: Why I Hate Valentines Day…

I hate Valentine’s Day.

I know what you might be thinking. He’s alone and jealous and bitter. That’s not what I’m trying to say. To me, Valentine’s Day feels like a forced day of obligation. A day where the institution says that we have to be romantic, plan something special, and show our love with gifts and chocolate and flowers. I’d be wrong to assume that this is what it is for everyone, but in past years, I’ve witnessed it over and over, and I’ve felt it myself, too.

Am I the only one, or do other couples out there feel that way too?

I believe sharing and spreading our love should happen all the time.

Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me that believes romance actually still exists, or maybe it’s the the plague of Hollywood. Either way, it’s a standard I hold in my own heart.

While I haven’t found her yet, I aim to find someone who will create that ongoing romance with me. She will be my adventure partner, co-creating a life of love, romance, and adventure. She’s a best friend, a lover, and a life partner. She has the spark, the charisma, and the depth. I inspire her as much as she inspires me. She’s motivated, with a refined eye for creative taste. I trust she’s out there.

Deep down, I believe love and romance is something we get to create, especially when we are truly in love with the other person. When you’re both in it to win it, you’ll work it out and create those movie moments.

What if Valentine’s Day was organically practiced all of the time, rather than celebrated one day a year?

This video, Montauk Love, is exactly an example of that. Talk about an inspiring couple! My friends Zach & Kelly take the cake on this one. Warning: you may want to vomit at how ridiculously cute they are together by the end of this video. But honestly, if I could picture my dream relationship it would be in this little motion picture.

My buddy Zach is a super smart strategy designer and restauranteur who owns a lobster shack in an airstream trailer on the beach in Montauk called TURF. He’s a bad ass surfer and all around inspiring dude.

Kelly, who you might also know as The Glamourai, has a charisma and self assurance that is magnetic. She is vibrant and a joy to be around, uber creative and a driven business woman.

This video, straight out of a depiction of a day in their life, shows their refined taste for style and how they curate their dream relationship. Everything you see in the video is all of their own elements. Their chemistry is exactly who they are every day (even though they have their battles, I’m sure). Just being with them for two days inspired the hell out of me to find that same synergy.

My good friend/videographer, Sarah Tyler, and I put together this collaboration as a personal project. I shot stills and directed, while she DP’d and then edited, of which she did an amazing job. We both walked away from the two day adventure slightly obsessed, and completely inspired in our own lives.

So let me ask you this: are you looking for someone to fill a lonely hole or are you looking for someone to create a beautiful life with? If you’re in a relationship, are you creating a beautiful synergy or living in obligation? What inspires you in a relationship or in a significant other?

View the full visual essay here.