Tasting freedom by edging closer to human flight—something so foreign to most everyone else—has captured Dean so wholly that he wants to share his experience with the world. He hopes others will be inspired to “believe in their crazy ideas and be less afraid to follow the strange thoughts that most everybody has.”

This desire to inspire was the impetus for writing “Embracing Insanity,” and it continues with The Aerialist, a film that Dean hopes will capture the essence of his dream. In production for over three years, the climbing/flying/slacklining film has become an ongoing collaboration with John Long and Rob Taylor, with much of the footage shot by Sender Films.

Dean Potter on his first skydive at Mile High drop zone in Longmont, Colorado, in 2003.