July 28th, 2011

 

“It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know.”

 

Well, that is terribly unhelpful. Of course it matters to know people. But you know what helps even more?

 

Doing impressive things that matter.

 

A few months back I came across this inspired post by Lauryn. Go read that. It’s a quick read and certainly worth your moment’s glance.

There’s this artist who makes some damn impressive sculptures out of US currency (coins). Her motto is simple: Work hard, play hard, and make bad ass shit. That hammer above is part of her work. She’s busy doing, not just worrying about who she knows. (By the way, I don’t know her, but I wish I did.)

I’m curious to know what you all do. I usually try to stray away from asking actual questions for the comments below, but if you do something- anything, link it below. I want to know. I want to see.

I don’t care who you know. I care about what you do.

 

It’s not who you know, it’s what you do.

What do you do?

 

 

July 21st, 2011

 

This piece is a guest post/ collaboration with my new good friend Andrew who also writes on his site andrewcaldwell.org/blog

 

 

What if I could offer you discount airfares to travel right now? Let’s say zero dollar travel, now, this afternoon or tomorrow?

I’d like to propose that being bohemian is a star candidate for the 80/20 principle. Sure, sitting around in a jungle hut outside of Luang Prabang in Laos with your backpack soaked from the rain is pretty bohemian, but why wait until then?

Let’s be bohemian, right now.

If you’ve already de-cluttered your life you’re probably yearning for some long term travel but enjoy what you have around you. The best parts of travel are the new experiences, meeting new people, the conversations, having time for photography and strolling through markets. Of these, what can’t you do tomorrow?

Travel is glamorised, sexed up and provides a leap of escapism. A travel show on television or in books, glossy magazines of blogs aren’t going to talk about the pitfalls of travel, this wouldn’t do anything for the ratings!

So rejoice in being bohemian in your hometown, with the luxury of coming home to your own bed, putting on clean clothes in the morning, not having to lock your backpack when you leave your room or pop a malaria tablet every morning.

If you still spend your time pining over other people’s travel adventures here are a few tips from the trenches that can add to your locale bohemian experience:

• Wear the same shirt 3 days in a row (Yep, sometimes you’ve only packed one long sleeve shirt, been in transit for two days, and hey, there’s no need to ruin a clean shirt on that slow boat down the mekong?)
• Keep your passport in your pocket or your day pack, and spend most of the day stressing out about whether it’s still there or not
• Eat something terrible, that possibly induces food poisoning, and then force yourself to go sight-seeing.
• Stuff your clothes for the week into a backpack, the more creases the better, no irons allowed.

 

I came across the above image months ago via Steve McCurry’s blog. I’ve been wanting to use it in a post, but I couldn’t come up with anything that seemed worthy for such a great photograph. Then Andrew sent me an email with this awesome content and post collaboration idea so it all seemed to come together. The above image perfectly captures the western desire of exotic travel, all the while the local takes the same train but gets a much more exciting ride. So travel while you’re at home. Maybe out of necessity, maybe to try new things. But also for all you travelers out there: you may think you’re doing something dangerous and exciting, but your adventure is an every day reality for someone else. And they are probably doing it with greater style.

July 17th, 2011

 

Something happens when you put the camera up to your eye and you try to capture a moment. You inadvertently remove yourself from the moment. The organic flow of life comes to a halt for a split moment. That same flow that makes our moments worthy to capture is repelled every time you put the camera before you. I’m not saying photography ruins an experience, but you’re familiar with that unnatural moment created by simply holding a camera to someone’s face. The flow of the moment is repelled by the quest to capture.

There is a ‘no camera’ policy at the Coney Island Freak Show. I’m not sure I agree with the idea behind the policy, but I suppose it plays into the history and hidden mystique that is the Coney Island Freak Show. (I tend to be more for exposure, free sharing, and sneezers.) Strangely enough though, there is an inadvertant benefit to a strict policy that forbids photography,videography, and even life drawings of the spectacles you see when the curtains close behind you. Yes, sketchbooks must stay at home. When you’re no longer focused on getting that photo as proof you were there or to serve as a corporeal reminder of your fun hip life, you get to a level where you actually enjoy the experience for what it truly is. You as the viewer become part of the show; no longer burdened with the need to snap the moments into existence for a facebook album no one will remember. You let your guard down. There is only life happening and your total engagement.

I’m sure we all have gigs of photos and maybe even boxes of photos (let’s not all date ourselves here) tucked away in storage. What is the real purpose of capturing that moment? Could we benefit more by simply being in that moment? What are we really trying to capture?

Let’s not be pedantic on the issue. Of course there are times when photographs enrich a moment. But the Coney Island Freak Show Policy, when applied to life, may be a fresh way to enjoy an experience. No longer see the good times as a thing to capture. So leave the camera at home. Stop overshooting.

Focus instead on being a participant.

 

I’ve been in New York City for the past week on a mini-holiday, so I apologize for not being around more. I’ll be back in San Diego this next week, so I look forward to connecting more with everyone then.

July 8th, 2011

 

Perspectives and assumptions are tricky things. My last post and the following comments have had me thinking about why we even need new perspectives. I have a seemingly constant desire to see new things. My urge to travel is forever deep and I can’t seem to soak up new experiences fast enough. It isn’t out of some discontent with my own life though. I enjoy my days immensely and I’m easily at peace with myself. Curiosity isn’t such a bad thing, right? But why do I consistently desire new perspectives?

Without changing up your perspective once in a while, it’s too easy to get caught up in assumptions. You begin to see the world a certain way and end up believing that your way, your perspective, is the normal way. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately in regards to the blogging community. There are a lot of us that read some high quality content on all sorts of topics. We all meet up online in the blogosphere (yeah I too think that word sounds awful) and amp each other up on new and exciting ways to think and live. It’s easy to think this is how everyone thinks. But it’s not how everyone thinks. This is why the like-minded folks all meet up here.

 

But something happens when we are constantly exposed to the same things. We lose curiosity and we collect assumptions. So how can we challenge our assumptions? Learning new things helps, but sometimes all you have to do is change the way you look at something. Shoot, you can even start with something as simple as a frying pan.

 

Oh, and the above photo isn’t a planet. It’s not a far away floating celestial body. It’s just a frying pan. So take another look at everything. Post inspiration via GOOD

 

July 4th, 2011

 

Sometimes a change of perspective is just what you need. Actually, I’d say that most of the time that’s all I need.

 

Well we’ve finally done it. After weeks of canceled flights and failed attempts, we finally went up, up, and away. And it was worth the wait. Meg bought a groupon ages back, so much so that it even expired. But the good guys that fly those balloons let us hop along in a last minute flight, catching a routine sunset over the Southern California Pacific Ocean.

 

There really isn’t much to do when it comes to hot air ballooning. I mean, certainly not if you’re just a passenger. We are usually just passengers in life anyways. All you have to do is show up and enjoy the views. Not a bad way to gain new perspectives. And the views are really better than one can imagine.

 

The thing is, you don’t have to be a pilot to experience new ways of seeing things. Sometimes other folks can do all the hard work (years of time, persistence, money) and you can reap the benefits by simply hopping along for the ride.

 

Special thanks for Meg for setting up the whole thing. It’s now another thing checked off my Beer and Skittles List! Thank you thank you thank you!