In this episode, Brock speaks with Levi West. Levi is an 0311 in the Marine Corps, but if you ask him, that's definitely not the first way describe himself. He's a writer, a photographer, and an all around creative. He talks about why we need our own identity outside of the military, and how to start down the path of creating that. We also discuss his firsthand account of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the mental toll that that put on the on the ground decision makers. Levi also gets into launching an indie publication called Dirtbag Magazine featuring everything cool.
Episode Resources:
Levi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lost_soul_artifacts/
Dirtbag Magazine: https://dirtbagmagazine.org/
Dirtbag on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtbagmagazine/
Show Notes:
00:00 Episode Introduction
01:56 What Levi is most proud of
09:04 The big picture of 'making an impact'
14:45 Why he joined the Marine Corps and any regrets
19:23 Introduction to photography
21:57 Withdrawal from Afghanistan - the good, the bad, and the ugly
31:58 Why experience in the military should give an immense appreciation of being an American
39:15 The military as an identity
45:06 Doing creative work just because and how to get started
49:35 Starting Dirtbag magazine
55:30 Content and the future of the magazine
01:05:23 Q&A from Instagram; vet writing culture, machine gun poets, and more
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/69-let-people-know-what-youre-passionate-about-with-levi-west/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/