Lovely. What I’m really appreciating here, Jessica, is that your images are not only compelling and pleasing to look at….they are ACTUALLY RELEVANT. Who’da thunk it? Let’s all us guys take a cue from Jessica. Notice how her images are not just related to her story — they move her story forward. Lately people’s use of images on Medium has been leaving me with that icky feeling I associate with being used, manipulated or toyed with. A whole lot of them just scream, “Look at me look at my story it has visuals to go with it cool image right? Yeah I think it kind of works anyway it’s pretty and my piece is meant to inspire and well what could be more inspiring than mountains you know? and well anyway if you ever want to be somebody on Medium well everyone knows you gotta have pictures so yeah…”

I understand the need or desire to “play the game” — I appreciate it even. Sometimes an enterprise depends on it — or a movement depends on it — or a fragile little sweet soul simply yearns to be heard and so joins in….but the mountains just gotta go, guys. Can we not? Jessica will show us…