Perceptions & People

You have a few assholes/morons out there to be sure. 

There are quite a few rude individuals as well. 

And then we have to exercise patience with a significant number of flakes -who are often misinterpreted as assholes/morons who are thoughtlessly rude. 

I say misinterpreted because the other groups earn such titles by displaying possessive and aggressive streaks often used offensively or defensively and with (sober or blind) intention. Flakes aren't like that - their heads are so far up their own asses or up in the clouds to muster aggression let alone direct it with purpose. Thoughtless yes - literally so, and definitely annoying as hell. But we should try to grant them some patience, and ourselves too; perhaps by detaching from our expectations of committed outcomes.

And finally, we have the MaJoRiTy - the well-meaning, well-doing, honest to god good folk. 

Does that sound crazy? That they're the majority...? Well...think about it - most people out there are decent beings and most of the time too! If it weren't so, this world and the order we have, and the expansive geographical areas of peace and safety that we can enjoy simply wouldn't exist. Fuckin' anarchy is what we'd have mate - EVERYwhere. And there's a lot to be said for perceiving the world this way. It makes you smile more and freak out less; makes you accept shifts and surprises more quickly than resisting them; you're more adaptable, detached, and decisive, rather than presumptuous, reactive and emotionally equivocal. The world for you is what you are for the world. You want to live your life through conflict, be a source of/for conflict.  You want equanimity and liberty, then offer that; be that. 'Be' what you want to 'see' what you want. It's just how it works... walk away from the rest. 

My Lifetime Crush on a Quirky Scientist

My astonishment cannot wane when I think of this person;  resident in one being was such a gifted scientific mind,  further and exponentially expanded by the limitless reach of his heart and love for humanity: Albert Einstein was, is, and will always be the one famous being with whom I wish I could wine, dine, and chat til the wee hours.

I have recently gone back to his writings - eating through one of my favourite books on my shelf, Essays in Humanism  [Philosophical Library, New York, 1950], a compilation of a few essays and letters Einstein wrote between 1933 and 1949.  Not a single word written there is without profound wisdom and beauty, without pure and innocent hope, without earnest urgent concern for the state of  international relations; and so, not a single sentiment therein has lost its relevance in such relations today.  

It is truly awe-inspiring, and both intellectually and spiritually provocative to read his excited addresses to the United Nations, fellow thinkers and scientists, or to the citizens of the world on matters of technological and scientific progress and developments, and his concerned appeals on the unfortunate misuse of these advancements for the leveraging of power at the expense of us all.  His appeals on how power is divided, how money is spent in politics, how the world is partitioned and guarded more by a system of fear, war, and a race for destructive armaments  - rather, than as a common goal of inspiring, educating, and erecting systems for a paradigm of peace. Insisting on the latter's necessity for a truly secure future as the only way to save us all.  His words on class warfare, discrimination, and prejudice; his unabashedly humble praise of any one who has lived their lives in service of such noble goals of peace, advocacy, inclusion, and equality; this all from the man who helped us understand the Universe by devising the Theory of Relativity! Most operative on all accounts.

A cheesy high school girl though I may seem in saying this - I just love him! 

Foto: Low Density LifeStyle Blog: The Masters of Enlightenment: Albert Einstein

I worked for a short time administratively at the International Rescue Committee - an exposure that connected better my philosophical beliefs to what I have yet to do actively with them.  The IRC was founded at the request of Albert Einstein in 1933 as an American chapter to his already established European based Emergency Relief Association, focused singularly on the rescue and resettlement of displaced Jews.  This was of course a historical fact not missed by me, and fed my determination to be associated with the IRC in any way.  Today the IRC is a non-governmental volunteer organisation singularly focused on work with displaced victims of war, famine, or natural disaster; and providing resettlement assistance to refugees, while offering education in life sustaining practices suitable for their environments - from farming, building, crafting, and cooking methods, to reading, writing, language lessons,and healthy reproductive practices. Their workers are located worldwide in the hottest locations of difficulties, working with large populations of displaced peoples - and they are often on the site of new emergencies before the UN or similarly focused agencies as they have no governmental/political affiliations. 


Now isn't this such a wonderful idea - and one that I think all governments should aim to adopt as quintessential to foreign relations?  Why do I ask this? Because the IRC is a privately funded organization.  No, I'm not going to ask you to donate - I'm #justsayin - it's a wonder that our leaders don't put this same kind of effort into caring for their human family as they do in arming up to kill whole sections of it - as is the central incredulous rhetoric in many of Einstein's essays, speeches, and jottings.    

“What is the situation? The development of technology and of the implements of war has brought about something akin to a shrinking of our planet. Economic interlinking has made the destinies of nations interdependent to a degree far greater than in previous years.” —Albert Einstein, Essays in Humanism, "Towards A World Government"

It seems to me we have lucked out in that we now have a world leader who demonstrates such breadth of intellect and heart.  I have to say the recent State of the Union Address (#SOTO) inspired in me many of the same feelings that Mr. E=mc2 does in his passages.

“If we want to resist the powers which threaten to suppress intellectual and individual freedom we must keep clearly before us what is at stake, and what we owe to that freedom which our ancestors have won for us after hard struggles.” 

—Albert Einstein, Essays in Humanism, “Science and Civilization”

To hear the sound of fair reason, and to witness its fearless and heartfelt demand for it, is something that inspires and governs both my spiritual and social aspirations of how to live a connected, compassionate, and gracious life. Depending on how things go in the next year, or few,  maybe Obama may come close to sharing space on my list of folks I wish I could meet.  He's being watched.  So for now,  Einstein is the only one.  :)

RELATED JOURNEY POST:

Einstein Stuff (Oct 2007)

  

URGENT REPORT ON DARFUR: You too, from where you sit, can act like a humanitarian! (March 2009)

Hail A Wall of Accountability

This from MOVEON.org:

"How we can hold Wall Street accountable

Reports are out that within the next 24 hours, President Obama
could make the call on whether to hold Wall Street accountable and open an
investigation into the banks' role in the housing crisis, or agree to a
sweetheart deal that lets them off the hook.

The greed and fraud of Wall Street banks caused the loss of millions of homes and billions of dollars in the housing crash. 

Now we need President Obama to take a strong stance for homeowners, and for accountability, by opening a federal investigation into big bank fraud.

This is something the president can do on his own right now, without fighting Congress. And millions of Americans can be helped if banks are held responsible and forced to compensate homeowners for their wrongdoing. 

A compiled petition with your individual comment will be presented to President Obama."

How do you feel about the idea of signing a petition to urge Obama to move forward with an investigation of Wall Street Bankers?  I feel alright about that actually.  I mean if memory serves, he's been cussin' about them since his Senator days right?  Long before the now worldwide OCCUPY WALL STREET movement.  So...now it's time for action yah?

If you feel apathetic about it - let recent results of the riZe of the people encourage you.  What you do or say, sign your name to, or act on has real effect and that's no rhetoric.  All you need to do is look at the recent SOPA and PIPA squash, done by the people and for the people, to understand where the power of your voice lies.  Need more - read this article from Mike Lux of the Huffington Post to excite you a bit more:  Shaking Their Windows and Rattling Their Walls - it's awfully inspiring:

"As Bob Dylan would put it, the times they are a-changin'. There's a storm outside and it's raging, baby. We really are shaking their windows and rattling their walls. Done deals are not getting done. Dead appointments are acting like Lazarus and rising from the dead. The establishment is getting very, very nervous. And grassroots activists, from the occupiers to the netroots to those chaining themselves to the White House fence or sitting in at the Wisconsin Capitol last year, are shaking and rattling things all over."

 

                      As he also notes in his article, Obama would be wise to align himself with the grassroots movement - I say REALIGN as lest we forget it is from whence he came.  It's time to stop the bullshit.  24 hours folks. 
 

ACT, to make our leaders ACT.  Here's the link if you feel inclined to get a real investigation going on this 'recession' matter: 

Move On Petition LINK: http://pol.moveon.org/bankfraud/?r_by=&rc=pac_bankfraud.email.g0

                                                    Extra Reading Class :)  

-Constitutional Amendment Not Needed: Congress Already Has a Remedy

-President Carter on the Supreme Court's decision to legalize private funding for political campaigning,"It's legalized bribery"

*Photos from Occupy Denver 2011


RELATED JOURNEY POSTS: 

->The e-Con Highway (Nov 2010)

Adopted Yank and iPad Published

Two quick bits of change folks:

1)  I'm officially a Yankee -  I was adopted by the United States of America as of Dec 13, 2011 at 10:20 hours.  Should be interesting coming up with a new acronym of identity now along with all the other nations I claim - haha!!  JABAG???

2)  Some of you may have heard already,  but here it is again, I have a new article featured in an iPad App Magazine, Small Talk.   

I was commissioned to write a feature length article on Fuerza Bruta in the late fall for their 4 year anniversary, complete with photos and video, titled:  The Spirit Dreams When You Look Up.   

    

that's my shot from Fuerza Bruta on the iTunes page!  YeeHAW!

So if you have an iPad, ...which funny enough I don't...lol - please check it out by either purchasing the current issue (only $2.99!!), OR, just subscribing for the year on iTunes (just $19.99).   It's a great mag covering arts, entertainment, and culture world wide and I will be working with them on upcoming issues, so hop on it! 

Direct Link:  Small Talk Magazine on iTunes

A Year of Collective Paradigm Shifts: Mind, World Body, and Soul...

I am grateful to be ringing in the New Year in a place where I am afforded a couple extra hours to reflect.  As we cross the threshold of 2011 to 2012, there are a few feelings about this shift - the most popular being:  GOOD RIDDANCE!   I will second that; but I also give big thanks.   

This life is a fascinating journey, and as many of you have come to know, is the main focus of this blog.  Though this year marked the end of my 'sabbatical' that I went on about for a couple of years, it ended up being one of the most dense to date.  So personal, painful, joyful, and intense were the paradigm shifts that I often felt too overwhelmed by the experiences to even blog about it - hence the significant lack of soulful and investigative posts this year.   

I met and connected with scores of new souls, each of whom touched and moved and lifted me in ways I can scarcely recall in years past.  I think it had much to do with being more open myself.  When terrifying events in life come to test our characters, or the resilience of our hearts, it's truly the tribes we have formed around us that keep us reaching higher.  And this year was high.  If there was any moment to question the oddity of serendipitous or seemingly coincidentally unlucky events, all one had to do was truly listen to the tale of another, or turn on the BBC news to truly feel connected to something bigger. I can't remember any time of worldwide uproars such as what we witnessed this year - so much so that TIME magazine name The Protestor the person of the year!  To feel this connection is to be charged by it, whatever the circumstances or prior held convictions.  The pulse of our world this year insisted on truth, equality, openness, second chances; it demanded a rebirth of ONE spirit, in friendships, business alliances, communities, and nations.  

As I prepare to look back while stepping forward, I will set my focus on the very long list of things I have to be grateful for this year; my new friendships and the evolution of old ones,  my accomplishments with my creative work, my freedom to travel, and my deeper understanding and connection with my family. And all this despite the very real and frightening challenges I faced regarding all of the above since Jan 1st, 2011.  

Perhaps the thing I am most grateful for is in ending the year in integrity.  I have no hang ups about how I have related to the world - and I can't truly say that about any other year.  I got comfortable enough in my humanity this year to be myself, to stand my ground, and to offer understanding, patience, truth, and love, where ever and whenever I could - and I'm incapable of accounting for the worth of such a gift.     

I've always been one to insist on focusing on gratitude - as it's the only way to see what you have to work with rather than to live in lack.  It's the only way you will feel abundant enough to help someone else. It is the only way you will feel whole enough to forgive others, or to offer true understanding and compassion. True gratitude will keep fear away, and keep you honest.  It's the only way to love your life, to love yourself, and to love your fellow human - who is just as challenged in navigating this journey as you are.  

Happy New Year folks - May you cross into 2012 with an open heart charged with courage to soar ever higher.  Know what you deserve, and dare to manifest it all, and do it with love.   

Next SeBiArt Show in Miami + first time Art Basel Visit

First to my US of A readers:

 ...and be careful on Black Friday guys - I somehow doubt all those deals are real...or will remain real after 6am. Like I heard someone say - those shopping 'deals' will be around next week too, so if you have the day off, sleep in.  Shop later.  Hahaha!

Okay folks - so here it is - news of the next.  I'm so excited; so stressed; so overwhelmed with gratitude. And so UNDER the PRESSURE to kick ass at this show people!!  I've never been to Art Basel Miami Beach week and I'm pleased to announce that thanks to my beloved Art for Progress, I will have my first experience as an exhibited artist.  AFP is presenting 15 of their artists at the Fountain Arts Fair during Basel week from Dec 1st - 4th.  

white box frame for the pieces - sample for Herman

In preparing for this show, I've been tested in every exercise of faith, and come through  victoriously with unquantifiable and indefatigable support from a number of people. First off my patrons* who made donations to this effort thereby enabling me to meet the cost of participating in the show. And to my family - wow do I come from a seriously supportive family.  

I decided to support the local economy of my beloved Jamaica by having the pieces printed by master Jamaican photogs Franz Marzouca and Jeremy Francis, and to have them framed by Herman van Asbroek of Amaicraft (both located in The Trade Center, Red Hills Rd, Kingston, Jamaica).  These guys have handled my work superbly for previous shows, and since I was doing this essentially in the dark (from New York), it just made sense that I do so with familiar guides.  And no matter the preparatory choices for this, shipping my art was an unavoidable part of the process - perhaps the most frightening part of all.  I just confirmed today however that the pieces arrived safely. YeeeeHAW!!!  Thanks Bernadine, Marjorie, and Carmalita!

After 3 weeks of fundraising, frantic emails, phone calls, and panic attacks - it's all come together and I can finally breathe. Two pieces chosen for the show are from my series you've heard and seen bits about over the past year, BRANDED ...therefore I AM. I finally finished it in Denver's Civic Center Park this summer with a portrait of budding young illustration artist, Hans DeHaas (seen below on the show postcard[click for larger view]). I also have to send out appreciative words to all who participated as models and assistants in this project.  I hope to name every single one of you when I blog next year about the solo baby!! Hear that Mother Universe. Manifest. In'sha Allah.


SOoooo...pleeeeeez spread the word on this guys, whether you can attend or not. According to The Economist,the Fountain Art Fair is "The way an art fair should be".  So if you will happen to be in Miami from Dec 1st thru 4th, or know anyone down there (particularly collectors!! hee hee) - come one and all and support the AFP artists!!  

AFP Artists at Fountain Art Fair:  Sol Kjøk | Berette Macaulay | Juan Manuel Pajares

The Miami Art Week breakdown and Fountain Art Fair sweet talk from ARTSLANT - SO excited!

FREE iPAD app for the Fountain Art Fair - how cool is that??!!!  Download HERE

Exhibition Location:

 

FOUNTAIN ART FAIR
2505 North Miami Ave
Miami, FL 33137

Exhibition Schedule:

Thursday, December 1 

12pm - 5pm 

VIP/Press Preview

Friday, December 2 

12pm – 7pm

Open to the public

7pm - midnight 

Opening Reception with curated music program

Saturday, December 3 

12pm - 7pm

Open to the public

Saturday, December 3 

7pm – midnight 

Party with curated music program

Sunday, December 4 

12pm - 5pm 

Open to the public

*A special word of thanks to my patrons without whom my part in the Fountain Arts Fair SERIOUSLY would have been impossible.  Thank you for supporting me and my ability to show my art.  You have instilled great confidence in me to keep creating and sharing my work by validating me with your fiscal assistance.  It sure does feel good to be a funded creative.  Eternal Gratitude.

Berthan Macaulay, Jr.

Margarette May Macaulay

James Joseph

Bernadine Simpson

Martyn and Jenny Marriott

Steve "Urchin" Wilson

Gertrud Kretzschmar

Robert Sinclair

Raxann Chin-Anguin

Janice Thompson

Shirley Hawkinson

Mark Pergola

Rachel Tinguely

Merle Bassie

RELATED JOURNEY POSTS: 


SeBiArt News: Running on Joy (July 2011)


Some talk about a new project...'BRANDED' (Oct 2010)


Ideas That Boggle The Mind (July 2010)


Ku-ing the States of Fear (April 2010)

Show Follow Up: AFTH with The Vanderbilt Republic

So my debut last week with The Vanderbilt Republic at 25CPW Gallery was a wonderful success.  The pop up (one night only) gallery exhibit entitled Art From The Heart was seen by over 500 visitors which is what you call a kick ass event man!  And as I understand it - there will be a book featuring all the work of the artists in the show, which will be available via VR's Artifacts Store.   I suggest checking it out.  With such a large group of shooters represented, it is truly a rare thing to say that all the art was good.  But seriously, ALL the art was good - it felt great to be in such company.  Jo-Anneke van der Molen (curator) made funky use of the space and represented us well.  

AFTH/Vanderbilt Republic photos at 25CPW Gallery by Justin Lynch

And now that the surprise is over with (remember I didn't know what they were gonna show from my submission packet), the piece they chose was a pinhole camera portrait I took of Mark Sink this summer.  YeeHAW!!! And I STILL have yet to blog about THAT experience - IE.  my Pinhole and Collodion Wet Plate apprenticeship with Denver based master shooter - the Sink himself.  Once I'm outta the pressure zone with these shows that will come...

...next up: Fountain Arts Fair during Art Basel Miami Beach week! 

Art From the Heart 2011 from The Vanderbilt Republic on Vimeo.

RELATED JOURNEY POST: 

Next SeBiArt Show - New York City/Central Park West! (Nov 2011)

Next SeBiArt Show - New York City/Central Park West!

Hey guys - here's a flyer for my next show - it's a pop up gallery group show Art from the Heart(AFTH) with a really cool new organization called the Vanderbilt Republic (VR).  AFTH is in it's 2nd year and it's going up in a uber sweet spot - 25CPW Gallery (click here for their FB page).  It's gonna be a treat - come if you're free, up for buying some affordable art, or just ready for some fun!

Oh and what I'm showing is a surprise even to me - they selected one piece from my batch of submissions and refuse to tell me which one! Anyway you can preview some of the pieces (mine not included) at the link provided above. 

More online information can be found through these links. 

The press release: http://vanderbiltrepublic.com/pr

The Facebook event: http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=197593476984040

 Check out this Vanderbilt Picture Story preview featuring the curator Jo-Anneke van der Molen at work - if you squint and concentrate you'll see some of my work!  haha

AFTH2011: First Look from The Vanderbilt Republic on Vimeo.

As always - thanks for your support PEOPLE!! 

Oh - and stay close by - more news coming your way about my next show in December...in Miami!  YeeeeHAW!!!  

♡♡♡

All is illuminated...

Thank You Steve Jobs - You Changed It All

I have no words of my own.  Gobsmacked... 


"Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it." ~ Barack Obama

from BBC:  Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dies aged 56

More than almost any other business leader, he was indistinguishable from his company, which he co-founded in the 1970s. 

Apple - whose market value is estimated at $351bn (£227bn) - is now the world's most valuable technology company. Only oil giant Exxon Mobil is worth more.

As the face of Apple, Jobs represented its dedication to high-end technology and fashionable design. 

And inside the company he exerted a level of influence unheard of in most businesses.

Jamrock Talk, Jamrock Walk

Got a few posts building up in me and while I'm getting all caught up in drafting them... the weeks are going by.  So forgive the slight incongruity here - but I need to quickly put up a couple of thoughts and 'shares'.

As some of you know for the past few years - and stemming out of my public school teaching experience with ALATetc and Art for Progress -  I've been working in a volunteer capacity to create educational art workshops/community projects with a couple of organizations; namely CITYarts, Studio 174, and INSCAPE Foundation.  It's all been a bit slow, but the relationships built have been steady and consistently inspiring.  My 'fave orgs' you see listed always in the sidebar is a record of my alliances thus far, and new to the list is Save Our Jamaica - founded by a most passionate soul and loyal Jamrocker - Raxann Chin.   

foto by SeBiArt

Raxann and I have partnered in deep conversation and intention to merge our efforts where ever needed to compliment/assist groups we are individually affiliated with.  The promise and potential of this is invigorating and inspiring to say the least.  With SOJ, Raxann is passionately trying to create a stable financial platform of support for established and new community building organizations on the island of Jamaica. 

foto from SOJ website

Please visit her website here: Save Our Jamaica

Check and LIKE the SOJ Facebook page.

Please spread the word - and volunteer what you can in this movement, whether it be contact resources, donations - financial or goods, consultation services, field work in workshops, PR, or any other talent or tangible gesture you can offer! 

 

There is great potential here for true collaboration with visual and performing artists, writers, educators, entrepreneurs, tech specialists, etc, and a host of community advocates in all fields to build up a nation of unspeakable talent, potential, and spirit.

---

The next item - just to get this up - is: with the tsunami of protests racing around the globe, it was a matter of time before it hit the US shores.  The Occupy Wall Street protest (sparked originally by Adbusters back in July [great magazine btw!]) is strong, expanding exponentially, and inspiring.  It makes me think of a rant I put up last year (the e-Con Highway) during the midterm elections about the economic disparities in the world, and the vulgar division of wealth and poverty that glows blindingly on a daily basis - and created a good chunk of the messes we're all swimming in now.  Naturally it makes me think of my countries Jamaica, and Sierra Leone - both of which (but SL even more so), are near breathlessly struggling to stay at the surface of this tank, let alone above it!  So I had to share a post from a fellow blogger, which was written specifically from a Jamaican point of view about the London riots.

For further reading about the Occupy Wall Street Protest:
1) The Demand List
2) Growing Support for OWS - Day 19 Support from Unions 10/05/2011

Jamaican Till I Die!: Whites have become Black ...WTF?

foto from Jamaican Till I Die blog

RELATED JOURNEY POST:  The e-Con Highway (Nov 2010)

foto by SeBiArt