Kindred Light

Last night, I found inspiration not in a sunrise or reflection, but in sound.

At Bin 39 Wine Bar, local guitarist Gavin Powell played with such warmth and ease that it felt like the music itself was breathing - a rhythm that made my soul rest, my body move, and my thoughts let go.

Sitting there with a glass of Chardonnay, surrounded by the familiar hum of St. Augustine’s old walls and coastal air, I was reminded that art isn’t only what we create — it’s what we allow ourselves to feel.

As a photographer, I often chase stillness through light. Gavin’s music offered that same stillness through motion - every note a wave rolling through the air, dissolving tension and turning the ordinary into something beautiful.

Living in St. Augustine means living among artists who speak in so many languages — paint, strings, lenses, words. Their creativity feeds mine. It’s a quiet community bound by expression, not competition - each of us finding ways to notice and share beauty before it slips away.

I left with renewed gratitude: for the sound of strings, for a city that hums with artistry, and for the reminder that inspiration often finds us when we stop searching for it.