Saturday, 6 August 2011

OWN Your Skin NOW

At last it feels right
No more struggle or fight
Evolving into me
Expanding beyond the deep


The meditation for the past few months, or years, well, my lifetime, is to actualize 'self', which creates such fulfilling connections with others, to keep opening and expanding the heart so as to lead the body with love. 


It is so important to learn how to be ourselves, and not a premeditated, planned out version of this...; and in being who we really are - being the beautiful imperfect beings that we are in every moment of 'now', will inevitably lead to the perfect expression of our essential selves, our inner most beauty, the core light that shines unobstructed and thus brighter from this 'letting'. 


It has taken (and is taking) a lot of time, focus, daring, and fight, ...constant conscious pushing... to grow into me, to grow into myself, to grow into my skin; to stop struggling with the fit as if it belonged to someone else or should belong to someone else, to evolve beyond an old idea that the fit was wrong or would never be a good enough, or worse - that it sometimes felt so itchy that I wanted to rip it off and cast it away. But alas, it is the perfect fit. We settle down don't we (?), and then every crevasse fills in snugly.  

Sweet exhale: Growing into self.  Growing into me. 


Mind the Gap note for today and always...
Be Yourself.  Everyone else is taken.
~Oscar Wilde


Monday, 25 July 2011

SeBiArt News: Running on Joy

It would simply be a shame to let too much time pass without sharing this news guys.  Last week was full of fortune and surprises that all occurred rather closely together. 
Last Sunday I found out that my work (shown below) was awarded at the JCDC/National Gallery of Jamaica Competition and exhibition with a Bronze medal for Visual Arts and the sectional trophy and cash award for Adult Photography.  Wow.  That's the 2nd year that's happened.  And here I was feeling all itchy about having not produced enough new work in the last months, fretting that my incubation period would adversely affect the reception of my work.  The Universe really reinforced my dreams and vigor to keep going.  

Coronation Market Lady                                                                                               2011 JCDC/Nat'l Gallery JA Award Winner




Then 2 days later, (and actually a few minutes after I had shared the former news on Facebook) I got a random, really random email from the CEO of MyArtSpace, Catherine McCormick-Skiba (a site that I have a membership page on but, embarrassingly, I rarely use due to overwhelm) congratulating me on being featured on their front page media windows!!!  As in the front page of their website!  A site that according to some articles out there gets more hits than Saatchi Gallery!  Hello!  What?  I totally freaked.  Who knew anyone was watching? Especially a sloth-like network member like me?  And it was for my (not-so) new series, still in progress, BRANDED, that I'd just uploaded over the weekend*.  Please visit and check it out!  I could never pay for such exposure - really.  Of course I took a screen capture of it to share here - see below. 
*view images samples of the project, featuring music mix by Sawandi.


click for larger view - or footer tab to share!
I wrote her back after two days (it took me a minute to digest this stuff) and thanked her quite enthusiastically; I did not make any effort to hide my shock and befuddlement - trust me.  Haha.  And she wrote back the most complimentary and encouraging email about how she felt about my work - with adjectives like "emotionally impactful" and "poignant". I still CANNOT believe it.  So - the dare is on people...Mind the Gap...EVEN more. Hahaha! You know - in this life, you really NEVER know who's watching.  Funny thing is, I kinda put that project to bed, or on a long pause shall we say, but now I aim to finish this thing and get it submitted, once and for all dammit.  Special shout out to Sean John (Spur Tree Lounge, NYC) for pushing me to finish this.  Love ya buddy! And, and - while I'm there - congrats to him for the recent feature on his restaurant in Maxim Magazine - #2 in top 5 dinner line up in America!  AND to my god brother, Akindele Hickling (who my father named by the way - heehee) for his JCDC visual arts awarded paintings as well. He's SUCH an amazing talent as you can see below for yourself.  YeehAW! 
The Trials of Elegba by Akindele Hickling

Okay so lots of glee here, but I have to reveal something, and I'm sure some of you will concur, that the reality of life as an artist is indeed cathartic, exciting, and purifying, but, it's utterly terrifying sometimes.  Especially when it comes to sharing this kind of news, or appealing for support. Overcoming fear to create work is somehow easier than writing this blog post right now...which is why I'm forcing myself to do it. It is important for me to share with you, that of all the little adventures I gleefully, and sometimes (maybe most times) naively charge into - this is always the biggest dare of all.  So thank you for hugging me along the way - you'll never know how encouraging it is, how much it means to me.  


~

Sooooo...(eye dab, sniffle), on that note; here I go leaping across the gap again to plead for your support on a couple other ventures.

I have 4 photos in a shoot out contest called "Beginnings" on the JPG website. Eeek!  No awards there, but a cash prize is up for grabs, and I need to hear chi-CHING soon! Please check it out if you have a spare minute. I've linked each entry below.  Just click the photos to Visit, View, and Vote:

Is it better at the start?

Sick of Waiting
(from BRANDED series)



Endless Island Bliss

 



Timelessness
 

Secondly, the JCDC/National Gallery Visual Arts Competition has a Viewers Vote section - which I'm now in the running for (like last year some of you might recall...). It would be awesome (and financially useful) to win this - hello - funding to continue my work!!! This is for those of you in Jamaica specifically, as it involves text voting with local cell phone providers. I will be blogging the details on how to vote in my next post. Stay tuned!

In the meantime - make sure to visit the National Gallery and check out the show - it's going on now until Aug 20th! Lemme know how it is since I can't be there.  :(   :)
Have a SUPER productive, creative, and fun week people!!


RELATED JOURNEY POSTS:
 

Thursday, 23 June 2011

Weiner isn't the only weiner who should resign...

Incredible. First there's talk of the EPA being dismantled (cuz who the hell needs clean air and water anyway?!!). Then Pawlenty suggests dismantling Amtrak since it isn't profitable. And now Romney releases a few unfortunate quips on privatizing FEMA. I can't decide if these people are just plain dumb, crazy, or pure evil. Sure boys, while we're at it - let's skip the gradual 'screw the world initiative', and high tale it to privatizing the government (especially considering the now apparent prerequisite for Republican leadership: IRRESPONSIBLE & RICH). 

Why pretend to believe there should be a body of individuals assigned to protect and serve its country and people? Just tell the millions who'll disappear into nonexistence that it's just better for business. Oh wait, we could just feed them the newly developed (and sustainable) shit burgers. I wonder if in his free time, Weiner is following or tweeting any of this from his sex rehab quarters.  WTF is going on???!!!!!!

Links:



And why isn't this all on the news???

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

Nature Nurtures; with a Ku


Not simply drinking,
This important peaty work
Watering the muse

Haiku by Mystic Urchin
APRIL  2010




Way back in February (I can't believe it's June already!!) I was taken on an incredible drive up to the Blue Mountains and I'm only now posting my notes about it.  Still, I can't gush enough about the renewing effect of that fresh clean air high above the heat and smog of Kingston, with breathtaking views of nearly untouched land.   It was quite  heavenly, and I absolutely aim to do this again when I return to Jamaica. 






It's simply a place of modest communities (Irish Town, Hardware Gap, Greenwich...) scattered with beautiful bed and breakfast cabins, private homes, and quaint cafes,  all hugged in a cozy blanket of fog and lush flora.



There were breathtaking views of tree fern covered valleys, bright green moss wrapped trees, and quite a bit of non-tropical botanical varieties to my surprise, with pine covered mountainsides, and flower gardens much like you would find in Oxford, England! And that said, there is quite a significant community of British expatriates living up there.


A week after my trip I stumbled upon a Kuya Magazine issue with an article about Greenwich, and a cover photo of the same house I captured here, beautifully shot on a sunny day by  Franz Marzouca. It was still on the shelves  when I left in May, so grab it if you can find it - the full photo spread is quite magnificent.



click for larger view
Here is a mini list of what I found (and aim to check out when I return):
FLORA

Tree ferns, pines, orchids, sunflowers, ginger lilies, bright green moss  (I think it was spanish moss - but don't quote me on on that...), and quite a bit more - the names of which escape me now. 



BIRDS:

wood pecker, hummingbirds



CAFES/EATERIES:


Gap Cafe - where I ate coconut creamy rice and peas, with 3 pepper spiced yellow curry steamed fish, and a thick slice of homemade carrot cake.  and yes, the blue mountain coffee was stella!
Others I hear worth checking out are Cafe Blu, IMZ Cafe, and Mount Edge (thanks Steve!)



INDUSTRY


Catherine's Peak water, Jamaica Coffee Board (Blue Mountain Coffee), Craighton Coffee Estate (tours available), Strawberry Hill Hotel and Spa, and private rental homes and cabins are available - like the one pictured above. 



ARMY BASE:
foto by Jamdiver
Jamaica Defense Force  (JDF)

 
TRAILS and TOURS 
-The Mountain Peak Trail 
(starting at Abbey Green)
I HAVE to do a hike one day...
    -Holywell Nature Reserve
     -Old Tavern Coffee Estate



Nabes with cabin homes and B+Bs for getaway rentals:
Irish Town
Hardware Gap 
Holywell
Greenwich
Whitefield Hall



If you have a free weekend and sometime to research a tailor made trip for yourself, do it!  It's the rejuvenating gift that keeps on giving. And please let me know what you find - so I can make a list for my next trip!

For way more additional info - check out:
-YardEdge and read up on their tale of hiking to the top.



RELATED JOURNEY POSTS: 

-> The Lady Lunches, and Lunches, and Lunches...(March 2011)

-> SOLE OF REDEMPTION: Majesty of the Little Things (May 2010)






Monday, 6 June 2011

Colorado Boxes

suburban subdivisions of greater denver - slightly bigger boxes...




foto by SeBiArt - found object piece by Carlos Michael Finn/KANON Gallery, Denver, Colorado

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Beautiful Ironies

A persistent belief of mine, even in the most trying of times is that unexpected beauty in life shatters our monument to suffering.  When we experience an unlikely turn of events in the last minute of fitful desperation, or  witness a just reward for sacrificial work of an underdog, we cannot help but be inspired; yet to hold on to this inspiration requires a williingness to release the often irresistable need to hold blame.

While I've been busy in my little cocoon these past months, trying to figure out which way to turn next and how to get there with confidence and gratitude as my companions (because it's been a bit challenging to hold the road with them lately...) I have been slapped back to reality with three most inspiring and ironic things over the past days.

As we see a historic end to the Oprah Winfrey Show today (so many of us grew up with this woman-with-a-message, whether we watched all along or not), I tuned into one of her farewell shows last week, and she did me in AGAIN!!   It was a rainy, gloomy day and I was feeling particularly sapped of motivation - and boy did her show bring me to my senses.  She highlighted the lives of two incredibly 'unlikely' beacons of hope and true purpose (Oprah being one too, if we recall this billionaire's beginnings):  

Photo: Oprah Winfrey Website
Mattie J. T. Stepanek - Thirteen years young and centuries old in wisdom, this wheel chair bound prophet spent his very short life from the age of three, spreading messages of love, peace, joy, and delight with life.  A boy who had every reason to sing only woes of his very trying physical existence with muscular dystrophy, but chose (or was chosen) instead to guide his experience here on earth as one of consistent and constant gratitude and wonderment with life. He shared this message with millions through his writings, and by the end of his life, Mattie had 6 New York Times bestsellers of his poems and one of his essays.  He is currently being considered for sainthood!
 
Your heartsong is your inner beauty.  It's the song in your heart that wants you to help make yourself a better person, and to help other people do the same. Everybody has one.
~Mattie J.T. Stepanek, 1990 - 2004~

photo: Oprah Winfrey Website
Dr. Tererai Trent, Ph.D. -  From a poor rural farming village in Zimbabwe and denied an education simply because she was girl, set her dreams of earning the highest academic credentials in the unimaginably distant United States of America.  She wrote these dreams on a piece of paper and buried them under a rock. Then proceeded to be challenged at every step - sold into marriage at 11 years old, mothering 4 children by the age of 20, being severely abused by a husband who refused her any space to learn anything let alone go to school. But she persevered against these impossible odds to see the suffix 'Ph.D.' follow her name.

Photo: Oprah Winfrey Website

I remember very well my father pointing to my brothers and the other boys in the village and saying: 'These are the breadwinners of tomorrow. We need to educate them. We need to send them to school. The girls will get married.'
~Tererai Trent~





Then, just yesterday we were given near unimaginable video footage to add to the unfolding shift in inspiring relationships in our world today, when Michelle and Barack Obama were greeted MOST ceremoniously by the Queen of England, complete with a 41 gun salute from antique muskets and canons by the Scottish Guard on the Buckingham Palace grounds.  I needn't wax on about the historical complexity of this image except to express my exact thoughts upon watching the footage - that seated at the 'highest' table were the most elite lineage of our collective  ancestors of slaves and slave masters toasting each other and their 'special' relationship in basically ruling the world.  I felt so awed, inspired, utterly amazed and filled by the meaning of this.  It's no small matter, and irrespective of how we may or may not feel about these people as individuals, this was a sight to behold and one that I know our parents and elders (regardless of race, culture, or social standing) would never have imagined, and unfortunately that my father, one of the first black Queens Counsel attorneys in England, never lived to see. And it got me thinking...


When people can no longer be blamed, or historical atrocities, past indiscretions, or other external circumstances can no longer utilized as reasons for the real or perceived inadequacies of our lives, it simply means we must now take real responsibility for what we dream of, where we invest our energies, and how we work to fulfill our purpose - our 'heartsong'. This is the paradoxical manifestation of desires fulfilled  - individually AND collectively; as the old adage cautions, "Be careful what you wish for..."  

One personal example of a wish, and embarrassing gripe: I keep wishing for money to purchase new camera so I can get on with my work.  But I already have a camera - it may be old, but it still works beautifully, so what do I think will change in my creative process by getting a new one??  It cannot be denied - I AM, we ARE starting at the same line of possibility each day we awake, and the attitude and energy we bring to it will determine how the race is run.  Funny how nothing could be more terrifying, or more exciting.  And how beautifully ironic.


For more footage of this, see BBC links below:




footage updates (may 26th) - Obama becomes the first US President to address the UK Parliament in Westminster, and was introduced most admiringly with the famous quote, so apt for this post and all the people spoken of here:

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~Abraham Lincoln

 


comment from youtube:
 "Great Speech. I am an American who lives in the UK and it feels so good not to have to apologize for my president anymore. President Obama has returned dignity, thoughtfulness and intelligence to his office."



Friday, 20 May 2011

Prick the 'filter bubbles'

Aim to discombobulate the organizing algorithms of amalgamated trivial feeds: 





RELATED JOURNEY LINKS:

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

 

Monday, 16 May 2011

Taking A Piss

I do not purport to be a spoofer, satirist, graphic designer, or anything of the like - but I just can't get over the slick timing of the events in the news over the past 2 weeks.  

From all that nonsense with the presidential hopeful Donald Trump, and his rude, baseless, and thoughtless time wasting insistence on getting proof of Barack Obama's birth place; to the disappointing  concession of said proof.  And then, the hysterical and painful slamming of Trump with college haze-like 'you-think-you-can-handle-this-town?' jokes from both Seth Meyers(SNL Head Writer and Cast Member) and Obama at the Whitehouse Correspondence Dinner (PLEASE watch if you somehow missed that...nonstop hilarity); and finally the ultimate, can I say, 'trump card' issuance less that than 48 hours later - the Obama got Osama/You Can't Touch This bitch slap.  

I don't think I've ever seen someone punked to this level ever,  with absolutely no chance of a comeback.  I mean - wow.   It's possibly the funniest and sexiest thing I've ever seen a current president do - to sweep aside a spoiled, rich and bossy hopeful with absolutely no real political agenda, and just a self centered schtick.  

In the latest news: Trump just announced an hour ago that he will not run for President in 2012 - ahahahaaaa  -  bye bye Donald.  Apparently politics and real estate development ain't the same business bitch.  lol 
 



So a friend of mine (thanks for the 'aha' Mark!)  mentioned Wag the Dog when we were going over the whole thing, and that got me all tickled about making a spoof poster of the film.  Of course so much has happened (and is happening) since then, but I had to put this up here for posterity, joining CNN, BBC, ABC, et al in going on and on and on about this...                                                                                            
(Click the image to see details in bigger copy)

In case you missed it by some unfortunate mishap - the jokes:





Monday, 11 April 2011

Inconsistency of optional identities



Sometimes I feel like a shit photographer with just a bunch of 'great' ideas.
Sometimes I feel like a great photographer with either stupid ideas, 
     or worse, 
     NO IDEA.
Most times I don't feel like a photographer at all
Just a dreamer, a shapeless artist with intangible ambitions, 
     itching to move away from 'craft' 
     and more into seeing, 'be-ing', believing
Living with a childlike heart and precocious lust to rewrite the world 
     with the pen of my lens 
     to create a new vision
     or version
     of reality
Cuz sometimes this version sucks!


Pier @ 79th Street, near the Boat House Basin, New York City

Thursday, 17 March 2011

Japan's Crisis and the Photography Industry

As I'm sure everyone is aware, Japan a grappling with a domino series of crises of incalculable proportions due to the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear plant explosion.  Thankfully so far, though still in heartbreaking numbers, the loss of lives has been far less than feared which is of greatest importance in our concerns. It's a shallow relief however as a huge worry is when and where hundreds of thousands of displaced evacuees will be settled - all this while exhaustive searches are still underway for thousands of missing victims. 
foto source: Reuters via Int'l Business Times
And of course, the next set of concerns are the radiation levels still being assessed post the nuclear reactor explosion; and the economic strain and certain domino effect of that, to Japan's manufacturing industries - which will most certainly affect global industries, not least of which will be for consumer electronics, technology, and photography/film industries. 

Adorama - one of America's reliable and lauded  importers of consumer and pro photo, video, and printing equipment recently released a report that thankfully  includes some good news of most companies including Nikon, Sony, Canon, and others reporting no loss of employee lives and minimal injuries.  But quite a few have harrowing reports of extensive damage to factories and equipment, and an inability to resume operations due to frequent power outages. 

NB. Links for retailers and manufacturers above relay to new or relief effort pages on their respective sites. 
 
foto source: the Nikon Blog
*
- Sony, Japan's largest exporter of consumer electronics has stopped operations in 10 factories. 

- Canon has suspended operations in 8 plants
foto source: Digital Photography Review: Canon Japan Tour
- Nikon's Sendai factory where D3X, D3S, and other popular pro slrs are produced has had to close due to damaged equipment
foto source: Amateur Photographer
- Epson has had to close two factories located nearby the Fukushima nuclear plant

- Sigma has halted operations at two plants due to power outages.
foto source: Photo Rumors
- Apple has also reported a halt in operations due to temporary shut down of their suppliers Mitsubishi and Toshiba (also see Toshiba's LCD Plant news just released on REUTERS). **  



How will this affect shooters? Well at the outset this will create shortages in supply, as there were also damages to freight ships just about to depart with equipment due for markets around the world. Of course the other fear is a rise in costs in an already expensive industry. 





Hundreds of millions of relief dollars have been donated to the government, and victims of Japan's earthquake disaster by Nikon, Apple, Canon, Epson, Sony, Panasonic, Ricoh, and a growing number of other technology, freight, airline, and entertainment industries. 



See the full article with a more comprehensive report here on the Adorama News page.

See the first Adorama crisis report on here: Japan Photo Industry Disrupted by quake


**
See latest Apple report here: Apple Supply Chain Temporarily Affected by Japan Earthquake





"From Harm to Hope"


HomeUnbelievable that this time last year the fundraising focus was on helping Haiti recover from devastation caused by the same seismic disturbance.  And like that crisis (and countless others worldwide in similar and different disasters or crises) there are a great number of organisations collecting donations to help.  

As I've done before here on this blog - I will post a link to one that I've supported time and again.  The IRC is an non-governmental organisation whose sole purpose is to work in rescue and resettlement missions to aid displaced victims of natural or political disasters.  That's ALL they do people!  They are of course setting up operations in Japan.  Check 'em out in your charitable considerations.

Or donate directly to the IRC Japan Rescue, Relief, and Resettlemnt missions HERE


Additional Sources for this post and Adorama article:  Reuters, TIPA, Amateur Photographer , San Francisco Chronicle, Optics, International Rescue Committee, Canon News, Nikon Blog, Industry Pulse News, and statements from numerous technology consumer and pro equipment manufacturers.

NB - if the format is mangled on the Facebook version of this post - hit 'View Original Post' for the um...original post. 




Related Posts with Thumbnails