Music Pioneer Brian Eno on Art | Brain Pickings

A Year With Swollen Appendices: Brian Eno’s Diary

Create An Evernote Table of Contents In 1 Click | Jason Frasca

Cool tip if you have projects in Evernote or lists of manuals or whatever. Create a table of contents note for easy browsing. 

Funky-Soul You Should Like as Much as I...

Bird by Bird: Anne Lamott’s Timeless Advice on Writing and Why Perfectionism Kills Creativity | Brain Pickings

Not only sage advice for writers but you could easily replace "writing" with "photography," and be better for it. 

Define Love? EB White Can...

Let us say you have sat down to write a letter to your lady. There has been a normal amount of preparation for the ordeal, such as clearing a space on the desk … and the normal amount of false alarms, such as sitting down and discovering that you have no cigarettes. (Note: if you think you can write the letter without cigarettes, it is not love, it is passion.) Finally you get settled and you write the words; “Anne darling.” If you like commas, you put a comma after “darling”; if you like colons, a colon; if dashes, a dash. If you don’t care what punctuation mark you put after “darling,” the chances are you are in love — although you may just be uneducated, who knows?

Surrendering to the Present and the Muse

The above work is from Brooke Shaden, a great photographer and composite artist I follow. This is just a snippet.  You really should go look at her work. 

This photo always catches me in the stomach a bit, clearly it speaks of jumping into the rabbit hole. Metaphorical for so many things we have to jump into on a daily basis, like our fears and obligations. We do it so much, in fact, we often don't realize we are jumping into the unknown unless it evokes a sense of fear. Which photography often does for me. But it is this surrendering into the present, the muse, our work that we must do. 

Recently a great email of profound Dharma wisdom came across my desk. Be it photography or general life, surrendering to the present or being in the present moment is tossed around much. It's also very misunderstood. This quote from Phillip Moffett nails it pretty well. 

“When we surrender, we are relinquishing our demand that the present be something other than it actually is and we are fostering a willingness to be present with what is.”

We, as humans, spend more time crafting what is to be, by the time it arrives we don't recognize it. We are already thinking about how the next thing or the future will be. We worry that the next thing will bring happiness; if we only had more love, money, and things. 

In photography, we often spend much time in pre-work, setting up the location and our gear. Waiting for the weather and people to align into the perfect moment. When the clouds don't clear, our hearts sink. It could be a year before you can take the time to return. All the while, you have put your hands to your ears as the muse tugs on your shirt to show you something better. Your disappointment and frustration overtake and your day is ruined. 

Practicing the art of surrendering to the present moment is an art. It takes time. Choose to practice. You've planned, let things unfold. In doing so, you shed the attachments to things being as you want. Instead, you let them just unfold and listen. Look away from the dark clouds raining on your landscape shot and just enjoy being where you are. The muse is tapping on your hand as you look down. She might be pointing you to the best shot you've ever taken. 

Gregory Halpern Interview

Interesting read and even more interesting photos.

 http://www.americansuburbx.com/2013/05/asx-interview-gregory-halpern-on-documentary-ethics-2013.html

“One of the great pleasures of looking at art is in being an active reader, in piecing together the meaning of the work. Of course, I want the artist to have feelings, and to hint at them, but if he or she wraps it all up too neatly, not only do I feel force-fed the meaning of the work and condescended to, but I question the wisdom of an artist whose work implies he or she is capable of understanding it all.”

— http://www.americansuburbx.com/2013/05/asx-interview-gregory-halpern-on-documentary-ethics-2013.html

Chicago Abstract #58

After returning home from Chicago, I anticipated a three photo series from everything I shot. What I'm finding, are several other smaller series. This is a set of abstracts or bites from bigger photos in their own series. 

What drew me to this shot was the stacking of the rectangular volumes, how they laid upon each other as if monoliths toppled. Light cascading over them was the key. 

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Chicago Abstract #58

Creative Process of a Cartoonist...

The creative process is something that interests me greatly. As well as the fine line between genius and insanity but that's another topic. Enjoy... 

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