The Courage to be Outside Your Comfort Zone

Anais Nin is quoted as follows: "If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it."

I captioned this blog entry as the courage to be outside your comfort zone. Which I try to do by my writing and image taking. At the same time I try and be adaptable while outside that comfort zone. This also ties in with the above quote in the sense that if I do not put my artistic self (both intellectually and emotionally) into my work, then the images and writing will appear "flat" and devoid of any compelling reason for my audience to read or view them.

In my humble opinion, we must strive to develop our own style in all our endeavors. Conventional "opinion" has no real place in your life. While I want people to like and enjoy my images and writing, I cannot do it by copying others, or compromising my integrity (either artistic or personal) just to please others. The more I photograph, paint, sing, write, or act just to please others, the less of "me" is evident in my work.

So dear reader, please yourself in your daily endeavors and firmly place your passion, emotions and thoughts into your work. If you are a teacher, then teach, a painter, then paint, a photographer, then photograph, a singer, then sing. Always remember that when the student is ready, a teacher will appear. If the world is interested in your work, then they will find you. Let the world decide if your work is for them. In the meantime you are working to please yourself.

I continue to photograph to please myself, write to please myself and I am humbled when the world is interested in what I am doing.

Wishing you all the courage to enjoy being outside your comfort zone and the adaptability to express your perfection while there.

Create a wonderful reality for all the days to come.

Love, peace and joy
Dennis

Reflected Calm.....

Yesterday I was off early in the morning to do some blueberry picking with my grandson, daughter and my mother. I of course had my trusty camera with me. I had hoped to take some reflected images in the rivers around the farm. Reflections of course only occur when the waters of the lake, river or pond are still and calm. The reflected image to me reflects a scene of calm and serenity. It got me thinking of life in general (what doesn't really?) and how our beings reflect our personal images when we are calm and serene. When we are turbulent and frothy in our spirits I believe that those around us "shut us out" and prevent that reflected turbulence from reaching the universe. It then remains within our own beings, causing even more turbulence and unease. All things considered, I will go for the reflected calm every time.

Here's to happy, calm and serene reflections in your life !

Love, peace, and joy;

Dennis

A New Way to be an "Artist" !!!

I have always had a keen appreciation for the abilities of those who could paint. I liked water colors, acrylics, and oils and thought that some "mixed media" images were great. Some time ago I thought: "how complicated and difficult can this be"? After all I could look at an image and reproduce it couldn't I?? Well the answer was no I couldn't (at least not to my expectations). I took some classes but was never satisfied with my progress, although I admit my expectations were completely unrealistic. Because I see the world in vivid contrasting color, I naturally gravitated to photography, with emphasis on nature, wildlife, and landscape. As I developed my photographic skills in the areas of light, composition, and editing of such images, I started to experiment with certain software applications that could make my "realistic" images captured in camera to more "artistic" renderings which started to look more like paintings.

The above image is a still life taken in Cappadoccia, Turkey a few years ago. I liked the image which was taken in a pottery factory, but think I like it even more, now that I have placed my artistic touch to it.

It is almost as if I have come full circle. From wanting to be a good painter, to actually becoming a good photographer, to hopefully becoming a good "artist" through my photographic images.

Cheers for now;

Live well and prosper
Dennis

Let's Cross That Bridge When we come to It !

We all (except for the perfect ones!) have a tendency to "put off" those things which we may not enjoy doing, in favor of doing the things we love to do. Basically, there is nothing wrong with that, except that the unfun things or marginally distasteful things never seem to get done. "I will cross that bridge when I come to it"! This is a phrase that I haven't actually uttered, but have thought consciously or subconsciouly many times. I am leaving for SW Africa in about 2 weeks and I just noticed that my "TO DO" list has grown to gigantic proportions. Perhaps some magic angel will wave a wand and all items will be done, but I will not hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

I believe that is our tendency in many areas of life. Each morning I get a message from the "universe" in my email box. Today the message is: "You're waiting for that magical day when someone makes the connection and recognizes you for who you really are. Maybe they'll first catch the sparkle in your eye. Or perhaps they will marvel at your insights and the depth of your spirit. Someone who will help you connect the dots, believe in yourself and make sense of it all. Someone who will understand you, approve of you and unhesitatingly give you a leg up, so that life can pluck your ready, ripened self from the branch of magnificence.

Well I am here to tell you, your wait is over. That someone is here and it is YOU !!!"

Let's face it dear reader or readers (hopefully) if we don't rock our world, who can???

Like the image above, I have come to the bridge and it is time for me to cross it.

ROCK ON! AND LIVE WELL!

Cheers for now,
Dennis

Who Will I Be Today ???

In a recent adventure with my grandson, we came upon this wig shop and the above display which reminded me of the line from "Shakespeare's Play; As You Like It". The character said: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts,....". This morning as I prepare to go to work (it is just before 5 am), I decide which "part" I will play today in my "play". Since I am an actor is in this play, but also the director, I choose which part and how to play that part. Talk about POWER in my own life. For today I choose to play the part of the hero and leading man LOL who has a most successful day and helps others and is admired by all.

Wishing you good choices for the "part" you will play and direct today and all days.

Live well and prosper.

Dennis

We Don't See Things as They are, we see them as We are !

The above quote is attributed to Anais Nin. I thought the quote was so thought provoking that I decided to see who this person is or was. This lady was born as: Angela Anais Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell on February 21, 1903 in Neuilly, France. She was of Cuban-French nationality and died on January 14, 1977. Her father was a Cuban pianist and composer, and her mother a classically trained Cuban singer.

Many of her quotes and beliefs seem to strike a chord in me. As a result, I will study some of her writings and I continue on my journey. Some other quotes are:

"Life expands or contracts according to one's courage"

"Dreams are necessary to life"

"People living deeply have no fear of death"

Wishing you all the courage to live deeply in your dreams.

Love, peace and joy

Dennis

What a Beautiful Day !!!

Today the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day! I have been working on my images on the computer since I awoke, breaking only for breakfast and soon for shower etc before heading off to work for a 1:30 pm start. I hadn't initially thought of posting today, but yesterday I received an email that touched me and I have since forwarded to many of you. The title was "The Wooden Bowl" and if any of you would like to receive it, just leave a request in the comment section of this blog and I will be happy to forward it.

The story of an elderly grandfather living with his family is both sad and happy and definitely heart rendering. In the end the author (unknown; at least to me) mentions things he has learned.

--you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle 4 things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights;

--making a living is not the same as making a life;

--life sometimes gives you a second chance

--you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes

--if you pursue happiness, it will elude you, but if you focus on your family, our friends, the needs of others, your work, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you;

--whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision;

--even when I have pains, I don't have to be one;

--every day you should reach out and touch someone;

--people love that human touch - holding hands, a warm hug or a friendly pat on the back;

and lastly I learned that I still have a lot to learn.

Wishing you all a live of love, peace, and joy and continued learning.

Live well,

Dennis

Through the Eyes of an "Almost 3 Year Old"

Several times in this blog I have spoken about the need or desirability of keeping in touch with your inner child. A few days ago, my "almost 3" year old grandson invited me to go with him to Lonsdale Quay. This is a somewhat trendy shopping area on the north shore. Normally in my adult thinking I would just jump into my car and drive over the bridge, find a parking spot, do my shopping and return, probably within an hour. But this was to be an adventure! We would start off by taking the bus, then on a skytrain (our elevated and sometimes underground transit system), then the sea bus which is also part of our transit system. Through in a few escalators and elevators and the adventure is complete. As we walked from our homes to the bus stop, Tyler noticed that the bus had not come yet and was not in sight. He let out a hearty "HURRAY, WE GET TO WAIT AT THE BUS STOP". This was the first time in my life that I had heard anyone cheer because they got to "wait" at a bus stop. Other moments of joy included being able to "wait in line with other people" to get on the bus, and sea bus. For him it was a great adventure, and sadly I daresay that for most adults it would have been a chore and something that they had to do. I spent that morning trying to see the world through my grandson's eyes and experience what his "world reality" is. We have so much to learn from the little kids of the world. As I tried to "enter" his world as best I could, I started taking pictures of the many stores and buildings in and around our travels, and must say that this world is filled with interesting and colorful images and patterns. The image above was pointed out to me by Tyler as we wandered the mall looking for interesting things, he liked the "funny picture".

So the thought I came away with from our great adventure was that life is funny, interesting, captivating, and mysterious. It is filled with questions such as: "how does that work?"; "where is the sun/moon now?" ; "how does a diesel engine on the sea bus work?"; and on and on.

And when you really get down to it, how does the earth turn? And to finish off, "WHAT IF THE HOKEY-POKEY IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT??? Ponder that one for a while:-))

Live well and prosper

Forever Reaching Upward

I have recently begun producing a series of posters with some subtle and some not so subtle messages. Today I was looking at the attached image and the caption I chose for it. "Forever Reaching Upward" strikes me as a good thing, but is it really? I started to think why we always associate "upward", "onward" and other similar words with getting better or achieving a greater degree of perfection. In a similar way, heaven is "up there" and hell is "down there"

When I initially captured this image, in my mind I saw the branches of this plant clearly climbing upward to the sun. As I edited the image further, I saw the human form reaching up to strive for perfection. By applying some creative techniques both while I was shooting with my camera and then afterword with software adjustments, I had what I thought was a pretty neat image.

This is the kind of abstract image that some will find ugly, some will find colourful, some compelling, and others inspirational. I always marvel at the fact that a simple image can be so many different things to different people. My theory is that it is we who choose what we want to see and perceive in any image or situation. And we almost always attribute a "goodness" factor to it. In respect of the above image, I have heard comments that range from: "it's not really a picture of anything is it"; 'it is just a bunch of color with no meaning"; "it is a brilliant example of painting with light and color"; to "it is a study in man's striving for perfection in an imperfect world". My comment to you all is that you are all correct!!

It is all of those things and more (or less depending how you look at it). For me, I see the world in bright, saturated colors, with strong luminosity and vibrance. That is not the way it necessarily is, just how I personally view it.

And dear reader, the world is exactly as you choose to see it and experience it.

Live long and prosper (assuming that is your choice of course :-))

Dennis

Don't Shut off the Inner Child in You !

Ahh, the inner child. A subject that is frequently discussed intellectually, but not that often expressed physically or spiritually. Today I was reading from the blog of a photographer that I follow and he had a lot to say about acting as a child. Essentially he thought we could do ourselves a favour and act like a kid once in a while. We don't have to have a reason to do something and we certainly don't have to do what everyone else is doing. I think we as a society try to slavishly follow the "rules". Children learn in large part who they are and what they can do by ignoring the rules and instruction books and sometimes even their teachers.

I think children find the limits of the "possible" by going beyond them into the "impossible". Something for us adults to remember. Free the inner child in you and you may be pleasantly surprised what you find. "You Devil You !!!"

So let's agree to do things in our own way and ignore convention or the conservative and right way. There was a slogan that floated around in the 80's and that was: "If it feels good, DO IT"

I think it was Ralph Waldo Emerson that said " Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

So I hereby pledge to willingly and enthusiastically accept responsibility for creating my own reality.

And furthermore, if thoughts are things, I personally am only going to choose the good ones.

Live long and prosper.

Dennis

The Same View Can be Different !!!

Yesterday I wrote that "if you look at things differently, the things you look at will change". Yesterday morning I decided to alter that saying a little bit. I unconsciously changed it to "if you look at things at a different time, the things you look at change". I awoke at 3:30 in the morning to meet a friend and photograph views of my skyline which I have seen many many times. However when you beat the morning sun to that location, a whole new world awaits. The above photo is taken several hundred yards from my home. I have been in that spot many times, but have not seen such a view before. I a way, I was seeing a familiar view for the first time. The moon was in the scene (for me, but maybe not for you if you were there) and a quiet and blue and peaceful environment presented itself to me.

It got me to thinking that we should be able to do this very thing with everything in our lives. We could include our homes, our community, our city or village, our country and even our universe!! How magnificent it would be if we looked at the people and loves in our lives in a different way. Perhaps looking for more magnificent qualities that we may have previously overlooked.

Why not give it a try and develop a whole new perspective in your life and see the exciting times that unfold.

Love and peace, Dennis