This is my entry for "Journey Begins".

The idea is to make a scene of a polar bear, who starts his long journey to find some food. It's deep winter and he is very hungry. The scenery should be a bit scary but at the same time also beautifull.
I watched National Geographics lately and got inspired by a documentary about those amazing creatures. They can travel for weeks(!) to find prey and even then, there is no guarantee of succesful hunt. Their life is brutal and hard and mostly, they walk the path of loneliness. That was my goal; to try to reflect the emptiness of surviving in my image.
I have this thing for snow and frost. Since i was a kid.
I used to skip the school sometimes and go to snow-covered mountains around Sarajewo. And i walked. For hours. Just listening the whispers of the wind that blew over trees and fields.
I loved being completely alone, breathing that sharp frosty air and walk for hours without a certain point to go to.
This fascination is still inside of me. No matter how hard and boring a winter can get, i'm probably the only one around who really enjoys it.
So, looking back at my early days, this image of a bear reflects something very personal, very deep in me. It's the warmest memory of my beloved home that i left as war in Bosnia started. And the bear is probably mirror of myself: just as he starts his journey into uncertainty, so did i left my snowy scapes leaving everything behind me and heading into a unknown future.
Despite the fact that i was obviously a weird kid, i really wanted to stick to this idea. Now, looking back to this challenge, the process of making this image became a long journey itself: i met incredible people and had a chance to build my work together with others, listening very carefully what they said. I also had the chance to share my own knowledge and help others improve their work.
Bottomline, it was an amazing experience that inspired and motivated me a lot. I put my best into it.
I know, all of us here are people of great spirit. That's why i trust you this image.
Best regards and big respect,