Sunday Offerings – The Power Of Music

Tags

art, cafe, community, concerts, creativity, downtown, George St., inspiration, life, music, musicians, Prince George, sidewalk, street, street photography

We’ve all heard the old adage; “Music soothes the savage beast”. Which, by the way, is an oft-misquoted saying from a play by a 17th-century cat name William Congreve and the saying is; “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast”.  I suppose it could be said that the breast contains the heart and therefore a savage heart of the beast. However you want to look at it and however you want to say it. i truly believe that music has magical properties that can bring a village together. The village, in this case, was the downtown core of Prince George on a sultry but not too hot summer evening this Friday past. The venue was a little cafe called the Black Donkey and the stage was set up against a backdrop of beautiful graffiti (not the terrible shit we often see), there was an arbor of willow and the crowd milled about on the sidewalk, respectful and courteous to those people using the walk. The mix of music was interesting as well, The Burden started the night with some Thrash Metal (not my kind of music) followed by Cottonwood with folk and hen I left it was Jessica with a lovely heart piercing soul-stirring

voice. All this in one evening. All kinds of different genres in a small area in the downtown core better known for it’s homeless people, drug addicts, drug dealers and crack whores. Third and George has always had this reputation of the intersection or for some it cold be considered the proverbial crossroads.

Not this night.

On this night, young and old, metalhead and deadhead, pokemon folks and civilians all gathered and put aside the differences between us and looked at the commonality. The music we all love. I mean, even the sidewalk mosh pit was respectful (as mosh pits go). I may not have liked the Thrash and I’m sure many young folks didn’t care a whole lot for the folksy stuff. It didn’t matter. What mattered is that we all came together to enjoy the downtown. A much maligned and embattled downtown seemingly forsaken by city council after city council. Businesses like The Black Donkey, Nancy O’s, Groop Gallery, PH Photography and others are taking chances and gambling that one day, the politicians will pull their heads out of their collective asses and make more of an effort to revitalize downtown. Not just the “facade clean up”. Which to my way of thinking is just putting nice makeup on a crack whore. She’s pretty but she still be a crackwhore.

Events like Friday’s the Burden CD and tour launch along with the open mic at the Black Donkey, open mics at Cafe Voltaire, Jazz nights at Nancy O’s and others will draw people downtown and hopefully we as a community can demand that our council give us even more reasons to be proud of what might be a vibrant cultural centre in the downtown core of Prince George, BC.

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Sunday Offerings – Writing, CRS and Practice

Tags

blog, creating, creativity, CRS, humour, inspiration, life, Photography, practice, writer, writing

Like every Sunday I have a great idea but that was from the Sunday before and now the Sunday to write the piece is here and I have forgotten what the great, earth shattering, revolution starting idea was. I mean, yea, I could start writing a Sunday offering on Monday or Tuesday. Hell yea, I could write a bunch and have a Sunday Offering savings account. Like any good bank, it would offer little to no interest while gouging me fees and….I digress. I could write those other days but then I would feel like I was cheating Sunday. So, I wait. And in waiting, the great idea I forget to write down or record into the expensive voice recorder I purchased, for just such an event, slips my middle aged CRS riddled mind.

Where was I?

Oh yes. You are probably wondering what CRS is. I’ll tell you as soon as I remember. As I was saying. Wait, I wasn’t really saying anything so I’ll just start here. I have come to fancy myself as a writer. Yes! Me, a writer! Why do I have such delusions of grandeur? Because the universe is sending me signals. No, not THOSE types of signals. Although  do get those and believe me, the aluminium hat does nothing but enhance the reception. I’d wear a lead hat but I’m sure it would give me neck troubles. Signals, yes, in the form of Twitter followers. That’s write  right, the people that communicate using only 140 characters. Oh but there are so many that could learn a great deal, OK, never mind, they should be forced to use only 140 characters and allow the rest of us some peace. Yes, writers, editors and their ilk have begun following me. And not my serious, somewhat news like Take 5 account, they are following my “If you read this, I’ll never get elected account.” Yes, I am going to run for office but that is a story I will forget for another day.

Maybe I am. Maybe, like I did years ago when I acknowledged and nurtured my artist/photographer. Maybe I should acknowledge the fact that I am, in fact, a writer. Maybe a hack, maybe just a once a week self published coffeehouse rag writer or maybe just a pulp fiction Sunday only blogger. Who cares? It’s writing, and you know what? I’m good at it. I could use some polish, to be sure.  But like everything, practice, practice, practice. many of you know that I am a photographer as well. It was this video that reminded me that I should be shooting more, painting more, drawing more, compositing more and especially learning more.

This can be applied to everything. So, I’m off to shoot, write, draw, paint, post and tweet. Oh yes, follow me on Twitter. Just look to the right and you’ll see it. Don’t forget to get involved in the latest movement. The daily #onepositiveonegratitude

And as far as the CRS, I just remembered that it means:

“Can’t Remember Shit”

Sunday Offerings- The Block

Tags

art, block, creating, creativity, idea, inspiration, new

 

I never really had a writer’s block. More of the creative block hat always kept me just on the edge of seeing what was in my imagination. Let me tell you, if you are the creative sort and you experience this for any length of time, it is one scary situation. In fact, my greatest fear is not being able to get what’s in my head down on paper, canvas, pixels….etc.

Today there seems to be a clarity and a deluge of imagery . Like a creative damn has broken in my mind and a flood of ideas is washing over me. I had talked to other about the block, my lovely muse would ask me, daily, if it had cleared. “I don’t know. OK?” was always my answer. Perhaps, a little too brusque. She never retaliated she just nodded and said “alright”. One artist said to go and make shit, make shitty images until something not shitty emerges. I did that, I prayed, I meditated, I howled at the gods of creativity, I looked at what other artists were doing, I sought inspiration everywhere and although I felt I wasn’t seeing any – I must have been feeling some. Once the eyes and the spirit hooked up properly, I began to see, once again, beauty in the most mundane. Fragments came and those fragments began to assemble themselves into full pictures, similar to how my grandsons put together a puzzle. And, I might add, I assembled those “puzzle” pieces with the same joy and excitement. Seeing, in my mind’s eye what the final piece will look like and knowing that, in reality, it rarely looks like it. I’ve come to terms with that.

I have, and this may be another reason why my curse was broken, started to get back to image compositing, 3D and 2D imagery, fantasy type photography. Is it my roots? No. It is, however, a style or genre that I had become more and more talented and creative than at other times in life. I don’t think it was a conscious decision to return to the discipline. More an influence of what I’d been reading, what I’d been viewing and also, yes, marketability of images with view towards next years Northern Fancon. Yea, as much as we creatives hate the thought, we need to smash the myth of the “starving artist”. It only serves to diminish the value of ALL our work. Creating is work and it can be demanding work, physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s alright to create for the sake of making beautiful shit, my friends, but if any of you say “I have never thought of how sweet it would be to make a living while doing it”, I say you aren’t being honest. Fact is, friends, you can make a living. Like any other profession, we start at the the beginning and work our way forward or up or however you view it. You will have to humble yourself, you will have to accept rejection and outright critical snobbery, you will suffer the slings and arrows of your insecure contemporaries who fear your success, you will be attacked by the voices in your head that call you a fake and a wannabe. Still, if you desire it, you will succeed.

Well. enough of that inspirational stuff. It’s time for me to get at the creating bit and worry about the marketing later. I’ll leave you with a few new images that got me through the block.

Sunday Offerings

Tags

creativity, Grandson, home, humour, life, shirts, tees, tie dye, writing

I like the title. Perhaps I will continue in that vein, vane or vain. Homonym indeed. Hmmmmmm. Yes!

Actually I have nothing much to offer on this Sunday, aside from the fact that if I want to write I should do that before I drink coffee. It is said that is more creative prior to drinking coffee because the caffeine focuses the mind and does not allow it to wander like Alice, as it were, down the rabbit hole . If that is my sole (another homonym) piece of advice, you are doing well. I usually have much more and it is along the lines of:

Take my advice, I’m not using it

Oh how pithy of me, yes?

I can feel the heat starting to rise. It is supposed to be a warm one and I have yet to make the adapter thing for our new air conditioner. I will hear about it for sure. My muse will remind me that I should have done it last year. Yes, but we didn’t have the air conditioner last year. A sure sign of climate change; Northern Canadians buying up air conditioners when fans would have sufficed.

Today is a grandson day. Also a committee meeting day. What committee you ask? It’s secret. But no, we are not bent on world domination nor are we a cult and definitely not Masons. I doubt they’d let me in. Maybe they would. I’ve often thought I’d join them just to see what all the fuss is about.  Frankly, I prefer the myth to the reality of most things.

I just heard the buzz of the washing
machine. It appears this batch of tie dye is done the
rinse. No, I don’t use the washer method. I prefer the sink method but I do wash the items in cold water and no soap before I dry them. I’m a bit torn on whether
(homonym) to machine dry or hang them on the line. I guess the line is good. My new neighbours can get an education in hippyism.

I skipped over grandson day. It is, indeed, that day when a 4 year old invades my house, making demands and acting like a, well, like a 4 year old. I’m not much of a kid person. My muse would certainly argue the opposite as she has actually seen me…gasp…dote on the little buggers. I will be more covert in my affections so as not to dispel the myth of being the curmudgeonly old bastard I have so dutifully nurtured throughout the years. Yea, I’m the old bastard that give out dental floss on Halloween. OK, I would be that guy if my muse allowed me to.

Sunday offerings indeed. Feel free to steal from this collection plate any time you like. I’m off to check on tie dye and do some…ugh….financials.

More shall be revealed.

My Annual Blog Post

Tags

art, creating, creativity, humour, inspiration, life, Photography

There you have it. The title speaks volumes.Where am I going? What am I doing and why have I come back? There lies in me an innate desire to create. Yea, just create, my procreation days are well behind me and the vas deferens has been long ago rendered inoperable. Too much information? You’d be surprised at what a great pick up line that used to be.

I digress

Yes, to create. Not the creativity required to earn a living. I do that every day through my paper; the Take 5 coffee house paper, my photography business; Positive Images, my design studio; Strange Trip Studios or my other creative ideas to generate revenue streams. Spoken like a true business man, eh? The thing is, I don’t like the business side of creativity. I am good at it because I need to be but mostly I’m a disorganized, head in the clouds Pisces (I say that as if it will explain everything). Yes, new age mumbo jumbo does come in handy from time to time.

I’m here, today, in this moment because that innate desire is overwhelming me today and I am seeking any outlet I can to be creative. I’ve done live periscope broadcasts, I recorded my Jazz Cafe radio show yesterday (you can listen to the show live on 93.1 CFIS FM or stream it at  www.cfisfm.com or even listen to it via podcast HERE) and today I write.

Then my ADHD like symptoms kick in and I am suddenly looking at a shiny thing on another tab or I get this sudden idea about a project or I realize I didn’t finish what I was doing a few minutes ago because I started writing this damn blog post!

Ah yes, the blog post.

Each year I say to myself (and sometimes others that won’t harangue me) that I should write more posts. That I should look after my social media streams better, that I should, should should. it really isn’t that good to should all over oneself.

This may or may not be the only post I do for the year. I may become a prolific writer and garner thousands upon thousands of followers be sought after by publishers fr book deals, speaking engagements and lead spiritual retreats to help everyone access their inner guru and….yea, you get the picture. It could happen. Actually, being a firm believer in the power of The Secret, I believe it could if I want it to and I do the work around it.

I think, right now, I am going to find a way to record my heartbeat when I see my lovely muse (it still skips), transpose it onto five or so small canvases and paint, trace or something…

More will be revealed.

Random Saturday Thoughts

Tags

block, blog, creating, creativity, followers, humour, idea, inspiration, life, maddening, random

It’s very very cold out. Okay, in terms relative to Canadian winters, it only merits a very cold. Cold enough, however, to hear the deck boards contracting like man parts hitting the water during the firs “swim” of the season on the May Long. To my international brethren , please forgive the vague Canadian references.

We got 40cm (1.5 feet) two days before and then the high pressure bringing with it the cold temperatures. I don’t know why I feel the need to share this. I just do and it IS Random Saturday.

Mostly I’m trying to kick start my creative ass in as many ways as I can.

I’m blocked. No I don’t mean hand me the prunes kind of blocked. I mean in the creative sense. So maybe, yea, I need mental prunes. Like Ex-Lax for my brain.

Some thoughts are just too messed up to share, will get me banned from the interweb, land me in jail or have me stalked by CSIS (Canadian spooks) Canadian Security and Intelligence Service. When any government agency has intelligent or intelligence in the name, you are in for a treat. It screams OXYMORON!!!! Or just plain moron.

I’m done. Peace. Stay happy and stay warm.

I just tried new WP thingamajiggy….is ok

Sorry for telling you what to do

To Flash Or Not To Flash…

Tags

camera, creativity, fill flash, flash, location, Photography, poor teachers, students, teachers

I was recently asked about editing images that were shot in the bright sun and there are many shadows. It’s a live and learn situation for the young photography student. I mentioned that, to me, lenses and a good flash are more important than a new body. I almost dropped my phone when I read that this students teacher does not believe in using a flash. I’m still stunned.

I desperately want to discuss this with said “teacher”. Firstly because his/her students are being set up to fail or believe that they have god like abilities to control the sun and clouds. I have believed that I could control the sun, especially after consuming extremely large quantities of Jack Daniels or ingesting inordinate amounts (assuming there is such a thing) of LSD.

Perhaps this “teacher” has at their beck and call an army of minions whose sole reason for being is to hold reflectors OR has access to some alien technology thus far unavailable to the unwashed masses like myself.

After calming down, I tried to think of why this “teacher” would not believe in a flash. I’m stuck. I can’t think of why? Maybe forcing the students to rethink location? Use reflectors? Alternate light sources? Location shooting is NOT an easy gig and we are often at the mercy of available light, I would assume that any teacher worth their salt would teach their student about fill flash. I have included two different images in this post; one with a fill flash and one without. This was not a particularly bright day but there was enough light to cause shadows on the young man’s face. Now, they are very different in skin tone so I did need to adjust the woman’s exposure but that was ok because the light was even. Not only did it make for better lighting but there are “catch lights” in the eyes.

With fill flash

No Fill Flash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You tell me which is better.

No wonder it’s hard to make a living as a photographer. There are “teachers” out there that are teaching young photographers how to produce an inferior quality product which gives rise to the believe among our potential clients that all they need is an iPhone and a good app in order to be a top notch photographer.

Some days I wonder why I got back into this gig.

Fifty Things I’ve Learned In My First Fifty Years – #50

Tags

age, creating, creativity, Fifty years, humour, inspiration, learning, life, morning person, mornings

 

 

Fifty years is a long time. OK, maybe not as long as seventy or eighty. It, is, however, still a long time. A sort of milestone in life. I never thought I’d make it to fifty. As melodramatic and cliche as that sounds, it is the truth. My lifestyle had much to do with that misguided thought on my mortality.

This series will be a weekly look at some of the things I have learned about myself, the people around me (in general terms) and life.  They are in no particular order, so if you are the subject of one of my lessons and you feel that it should be more important that something else, too fucking bad. Get over yourself. Fact is, I really should have made notes prior to starting this series because I am now doubting that I have may have learned fifty things. Bah, who cares?

Courtesy Robbert van der Steeg – Wikimedia Creative Commons

Here we go: I am a morning person. As much as I hate to admit it, I am. I love the early morning, the sunrise, the quiet hour, the golden hour. I can sit back and listen to my world awake. I am not one of those perky morning people, NO. Even I, a self confessed, morning person, would love to punch them in their smiling cake hole and yell; “would you please, please shut the fuck up for five minutes? I do not wish to hear how your cat licked your toes (or some other nonsense).”

I get my best, in most cases, work done prior to ten or eleven in the morning. I write better. I think better. I visualize better and, my mind is at it’s creative peak. I seem to formulate creative ideas better in the morning. Why? I don’t know. I just go with it. In fact, after lunch, I am a wreck. I am drawn, drained and drowsy. I think I even fall asleep at my desk. I mean, my eyes are open but my brain falls asleep. Or, maybe my eyes are closed. I’m not quite sure, I just seem to lose gaps of time. Well, at the very least, it makes the day go faster.

I was a morning person even when I pulled all nighters. Of course, ingesting copious amounts of LSD or Amphetamine didn’t hurt my early morning crusades, at least, I don’t think they did.

I loved listening to jazz at three, four or five. Not the digital jazz we have, but vinyl. The hiss and pop of that LP as the stylus hit the vinyl. Awww yea.

If I was concerned about whether I had learned fifty things in the first paragraph, the last few has triggered more. And more will be revealed.

A Clean Slate

Tags

art, blog, creativity, Daily Prompt, inspiration, life, paint, Photography, Postaday, writing

Not what you might think from the title. This seems like an assignment in self study. This particular post is about a room. This room, the room I am sitting in at this very moment. It was suggest that for January 13, I look at this room as if I am seeing it for the very first time.

From the room comes the psychedelic sounds of the classic album; ‘Wish You Were Here’ by Pink Floyd.

A set of french doors open and two steps down onto the carpeted floor bring me into a room with into a room approximately 15’x15′ with multi coloured walls of gold and burgundy. Four wall scones in each corner light the room with that fake fluorescent lighting given off by energy saving bulbs, too cool a light, I think to myself, too cool a light. There are two average windows facing south, one large picture window facing east and a large sliding glass door leading to the deck outside.

Standing just inside the doors, I see directly in front of me, next to the picture window, a paint coloured table with a large monitor, an Intuos tablet, a computer and the keyboard. On top of that computer are headphones, a video camera, and oddly out of place sits a harmonica. To the right of the table is an old leather lounge chair with it’s matching ottoman. A tear in the arm and nicks and scratches on the lacquered surfaces of the feet say, “I am a comfy and well used chair, do come and rest your weary bones, sit back and listen to the music while your mind wanders.” Next to the chair is a small round table with a laptop, an ashtray that needs emptying and an open pack of Lucky Strikes.

On the floor, propped up against the walls are canvasses and birch panels of all sizes. Finished and unfinished works of art gathering dust. Amongst the collection of art works also leaning against the wall is an easel. An easel, judging by the coating of dust on it, that seems not to have been used in some time. Next to that easel sits a tripod and a photographic studio light barn doors closed, waiting patiently to light the next model.

As I walk into the room I have to step over the sleeping Black Lab who goes by the name Santana. He stretches and opens red rimmed eyes to watch me warily. He doesn’t seem to take kindly to being disturbed from his stick chasing dreams. Quite frankly, \i don’t believe he likes being disturbed at all, dreams or not.

Turning more to the right and looking back I see a closed tall white cabinet. Atop the cabinet is a clear plastic bin containing paints and on top of that is a plastic palette and sitting atop that are two straw cowboy type hats, you know, the type that are worn by old hippies, sides curled up and the front bent way down to cover the eyes. As I turn to complete the 180 degrees, I see another tripod and another easel propped in the corner more plastic bins containing art supplies stuck in wire shelves. The bottom shelf contains books and magazines. The books range from ‘The Grateful Dead Family Album’ to ‘The Rolling Stones in Photos’ to ‘Blues Harmonica For Beginners’ to ‘Techniques For Pencil Sketching’ and then ‘Digital Camera’ magazine. On that floor are two unused canvasses awaiting the next masterpiece.

Continuing the 360 survey of the room shows me several small shelves containing knick knacks; a bottle filled with beads, a clay tile of Jerry Garcia, a small canvas of what can only be the owner of the space and his lovely muse and several candles. Just below that, on the floor, is what appears to be a basket filled with chew toys, a bucket of water and a dog dish.

With one final pirouette I turn and see, in the corner on the left side of the table is a file cabinet with a beat up old satchel type briefcase and several more canvasses tucked between the cabinet and the wall.

This rooms occupant can only be described as someone with a flair for the creative, both contemporary and traditional. Someone with eclectic tastes but definitely leaning toward the more down to earth hippyish psychedelic style. A man that may, it seems has many projects on the go at one time. One of those types that starts many and finishes few.

I can’t help but be drawn to that chair, I sit, put my feet up and lean back slightly just as the first notes of the classic song ‘Wish You Were Here’ lull me into a comfortable mindset.

My Life As A Book

Tags

blog, creativity, life, philosophy, Postaday, writing

The question from the daily prompt booklet that I printed asked me; If my life were a book would I read it and if I did, It would have to be read from cover to cover.

An interesting question to which I would have to answer with a resounding NO!

Perhaps twenty five or thirty years ago I might have been tempted to read and perhaps edit the book, I have even tried forcing certain chapters to be the way I want them to be, with very little success. We, the collection of rabble I choose to call my brothers and sisters (I use the term rabble in the most endearing way) have a saying; If one wishes to make God/The Universe laugh, tell him/her/it your plans. We may always plan the event but we can never plan the outcome. I have learned, through many painful “growth spurts” to accept this as if it were one of the laws of physics. Having accepted this fact, I no longer worry and am free to enjoy the ride.

Let me tell you something about imagination, planning and the future.  I planned my future and it didn’t even come close to how I thought it might be. In fact, it has surpassed even my vivid and overactive imagination. I am an artist, I, therefore, have a pretty active imagination.

My “book” is already half read.

It would only serve, if I were to read the book, to draw me away from the present moment. Why on earth would I do that? Why would I give up being present to worry about something in the future? The very thought of knowing what the future holds, makes me just a bit queasy.

Whatever the future holds, it will hold and I am sure that the ending will be as happy as the beginning, the middle and the right now.