30 DAYS OF DAWN

During an off-season trip to Los Angeles in 2018, Craig was invited to capture an early-morning surf session on Venice Beach as part of his friends’ annual “30 Days of Dawn” surf challenge — a month-long commitment to rise early, move with purpose, and strengthen mind, body, and spirit.

With Aspen’s ski lifts silent each October, Craig brought that same spirit home to the Rockies. The following year, he began his own interpretation of the challenge: 30 consecutive mornings chasing the first light of day. While his friends paddled into the Pacific, Craig set out solo to greet the dawn across the Elk Mountains, capturing the shifting moods of rivers, peaks, wildlife, and weather.

After completing the first year’s project, Craig was invited to present his work at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies’ Potbelly Perspectives speaker series, sharing a behind-the-scenes look into the month-long creative ritual.

Each year since, the project has evolved — from documenting quiet mornings in Spokane, Washington, to exploring three National Parks in year three, to finding fresh inspiration close to home throughout Pitkin County, Colorado. His dedication to this sunrise tradition has earned recognition from Aspen Public Radio, the Aspen Chamber of Commerce, and Adorama.

Now in its seventh year, 30 Days of Dawn continues to reflect Craig’s artistic progression and enduring connection to the landscapes that surround him. In 2025, he spent nearly every morning within Aspen and Snowmass, blending twilight stillness, vivid sunrise color, and abstract artistic compositions on those quieter, gray-skied days. The project has become as much about patience and observation as it is about light — a reminder that beauty often reveals itself long before the sun crests the ridge.