mattersmagazine.com 13 I Get top Results with RobeRt NoRthfield Call todaY 973-761-4100 On average, we sell a home every three days! Robert’sSummer Home Collection Find your home value online at www.MyRealPropertyValue.com RobeRt NoRthfield C: 973-489-3417 | o: 973-761-4100 www.RobeRtNoRthfield.Com Offered at: $879,000 www.425HillsidePlace.com 4 bedrooms, 4 Full & 1 Half Baths 425 Hillside Place | South Orange Offered at: $399,000 www.34OrchardRoad.com 3 bedrooms, 1 Full & 1 Half Baths 34 Orchard Road | Maplewood Offered at: $799,000 www.361ScotlandRd.com 6 bedrooms, 3 Full & 1 Half Baths 361 Scotland Road | South Orange Offered at: $1,289,000 www.11Clinton.com 5 bedrooms, 3 Full & 1 Half Baths 11 Clinton Avenue | Maplewood It was just before dawn  one winter morning when South Orange photographer Alex Higgs woke up  and said to himself,  “Let’s  go somewhere.” He took the 4:45 a.m. bus to Newark and then a 7 o’clock train to Utica, N.Y. It was 12 degrees with 24-MPH winds as he walked the lonely streets  with his camera, capturing glimpses of an unsuspecting city. It became the first of many excursions that would change his life.   Higgs’ photography is an unrestrained portrayal of the many desolate corners of our country. Abandoned buildings and deserted gas stations crumble amongst the modern infrastructure of industry. Despite the bleakness of barren, cracked sidewalks and driftwood-tangled beaches, there is a savage kind of beauty that can’t be described. The blend of nature and man forces us to reflect on how things used to be. The ghosts that haunt us come to life in Higgs’ photos.   Higgs is no stranger to ghosts. He was just 17 years old when he began having delusions and was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder, a condition that combines symptoms of schizophrenia and bi-polar tendencies. Despite his love for school and the encouragement he felt from others, he was forced to drop out to receive treatments. Suddenly, all of Higgs’ insecurities, dreams and fears had become reality. It was as if every set of eyes and every spoken word were directed toward him. “The subconscious can be a very scary place,” says Higgs.   Family and therapists  debated   if he should continue his education in a more specialized school. But Higgs  wanted to finish at a regular public high school, which gave him more purpose and a sense of diversity among his peers. “I wouldn’t be as well-rounded or successful if I was slowed down. I could’ve lost everything,” Higgs explains. Relying on ambition, he graduated from Deerfield High School, a public school just outside of Chicago. In his first semester at John A. Logan Community College in Carterville, Ill., he achieved a nearly perfect GPA of 3.75. His parents then decided to move back to their former town of West Orange, N.J., and Higgs transferred to the County College of Morris.   Higgs' many years in Boy Scouting – he is an Eagle Scout – developed his unshakable bond with nature and spirituality. Higgs found himself not having to rely on the burdens and restraints of society or everyday life. And then he turned to Buddhism and Taoism and discovered a raw sense of freedom and a true “punk essence.” Higgs recalls, “I was walking home one night when I asked God to give me an answer; to understand. And less than a minute later, it started pouring rain. It was a complete sensation.” He began to appreciate life as it presented itself and became more comfortable expressing himself.