Kristen Westlake – Inspiring Others to See Themselves Through Nature
WRITTEN BY DENISE SCHULTZ
TUESDAY, 26 AUGUST 2008 12:22

For Kristen Westlake, living her dream of being an inspirational nature and wildlife photographer is as natural as the outdoor beauty with which she surrounds herself. As a young girl growing up on a Wisconsin farm, Kristen spent countless hours lying in the fields looking up at the clouds or closely observing her animal friends. It wasn’t unusual to find the blonde pixie skipping happily through the barnyard with her pet calf ‘Sunshine’ following close behind her.

“I am fortunate to have parents who love me enough to tell me I can do anything I want to do,” she shares with her dazzling smile. “My dream has always felt natural for me, as it should for every one. My call to inspire others through nature is intrinsic. When consulting others on how to live their dreams I ask – what did you love to do when you were a child? Who were you before other people told you what you should and shouldn’t do? In those simple answers, most of us will find our dreams.”

“It’s unfortunate that society makes it more complicated,” she says with a rare tone of melancholy. “The more we are told what we should and shouldn’t do, the less we are able to honor the dreams within us.”

One key point Westlake makes in her motivational sessions is that doing what you love should never mean not being compensated well for your talents and services. Too often, “growing up”, means putting our passion on hold to make a living. “This is just wrong,” the spirited photographer says. “If we don’t live through our passions, we do a disservice to ourselves and to others around us. If we follow what I’ve learned from my subjects in Nature, we must all share our gifts. We are all connected.”
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