Gone Fishing...

Due to an injury to my back, blogging will be light for the next few days. Talk to you soon!

What is There

What is there? That is the question to ask yourself. If you are a man of corporate inspiration your answer will be something like money. If you are an artist you answer will be something like how can I change the world. Altitude and perspective are the tools for seeing a better world for bringing change into art, morals and truth to the world.

Pittsburgh, PA - Photo of the Day

Photography is Service

`C4Chaos volunteered his time and photography talents to help educated and spread the word about breast cancer. See his photo of the day here & his account of the day here.

“There is a lot of focus on TV, in magazines…about being skinny and rich. I don’t think those are that important. It’s much more important for us to be good, honest people that try to help others and live the best life we can. That’s where you get your satisfaction ultimately.”
Laura Evans

Deep bows of gratitude, C is 4 compassion.

Autumn is Now

-The morning weather is cool and dewy. The sun reflects brightly in my car mirrors, my coffee smells great. It’s autumn in the north east, the re-birth of thought, moments, music and poetry. This is when creativity breaths fresh life into the contemplative mind of the summers student. Today we begin at where our dreams left off last night. I pass a lake into town on my morning drive; the water reflects the trees beauty: foliage still green with a touch of brown, yellow and red colors reveal from the tips of the leaves. The air breezy and chilly, autumn is now.

Humanity of the Dreadfully Understandable

-We know that we get in each others way (daily) be it talking on the cell phone while driving, smoking in a public place without regard for others, loud conversations in a place reserved for quiet, cutting somebody off in traffic or whatever it may be. The Zen tradition names this Mara--the one who gets in the way of your path. The Christian tradition has transcribed the word Mare in the Bible to mean the Devil.

- This brings new meaning to the phrase "the Devil inside". The Devil is not an "I", but a "we". We all get in the way of somebody at sometime all the time, without any devilish intention (the majority of us at least...). This brings me to the point of this post: The humanity of the dreadfully understandable: Collectively people believe in being good natured towards others. Collectively we can see or judge that societies are bad and that individuals are good. You can be a person of faith or a terrorist all depending on what piece of land you stand on. The motivation is what to do with the knowledge that we are given. No two people think alike or agree upon the same things, this is good in the accumulation because this is where creativity, life comes from.

-Can we understand that we are the collective Mara that gets in the way of others no matter how dreadfull that sounds? Giving with out expectations, random act of kindness, service, grace and belief is our daily spiritual union with God.

Rainbow in a Ghost Town

To be a rainbow in a ghost town - All of the eternal beauty and non of the external praise.

Venice - Photo of the Week

Altitude + Perspective

(Altitude + Perspective) = Photographer to composition

- This blog has a strong focus on composition and what photography is and what it is not. Countless times I am asked how to compose a photo and ritually my answer has nothing to do with ISO, F-stops or shutter speed. Last night I came across the formula of (altitude + perspective) = photograph. This is where skills transform into art. An integral approach to life, art and photography is the birth of composition.

Note: insight for this post came form (this).

Thank You

Traveling season for photography is coming to a close this upcoming weekend. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the kindness and generosity toward us over this period. The past six months has developed in to a true cinematic documentation style of photography that has been come an overwhelming success with our clients. To all the friendships and partnerships that we have developed you are all truly a blessing and we appreciative all of your thoughtfulness and open-heartiness towards us.

The next couple of month will be focusing on having a galley opening of my work (see this for a sneak preview) and also this is the time of year that we like to focus on non profit and volunteer work. Thanks for the question and comments; please keep them coming.

Dialog is the next revolution.

Moment

Current Reading: Ransom Seaborn by Bill Deasy
Music: Forth Wall by Dominic Miller & One Guitar by Ottmar Liebert
Mood: Foggy and motivated
Sounds: Blissful Silence
Sights: Gray skies & tree tops horizons
Smells: Coffee
Temperature: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers or storms by evening. High 79. Wind NW to SW 5-10 mph
Thoughts: Documenting love and capturing moments is good work.

Free Form Stylization Part 2

Only my breath holds me to this earth as I write these words. The body aches and my heart beats off tempo and my mind questions its own path. Why is it that the sane people always leave our life? Keeping us eternally meditating, why me: or do I come to the conclusion that I have been the insane one constantly departing from others. A drum beat echoes linking my thoughts, breathe shallow, I close my eyes.

I awaken and scribble in my journal: Emptiness to write is like trying to find water in the desert. A pleasant word or a comforting remark whispered to you is the blessing that keeps you alive.

Free-Form Stylization

Composition, design, dialog, rhythm, and subtle placement of the right structure at the right time--this is what I am drawn to. The idea and the ideal of getting lost in the structure and form of someone’s thought process is transformative to my emotions. The medium of choice does not matter to me, I do not prefer books to painting or music to photography, but the functioning design of the composition balance is what brings me back to the artist time and time again.

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I sit staring at the blank page hoping to write as the Beats did many generations ago. Not sure why I find myself repeatedly attracted to these types of authors? Zen lit, hiking and journal writing have found a place in my heart. These guys; over educated bums, smoking pot, drinking red wine and reciting poetry all while never having to hold a job and still managing to get through life without getting kick in jail, committing suicide or giving in to complete abandonment of everyday life ethics.


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“Absolute expression of daily existence” – “What?” As I look up from my comfortable chair at the library. Dreadlocks, piercings, Birkenstocks and a white girl with an attitude stood in front of me. “What?” I say again knowing that she would repeat her original cadence. “Absolute expression of daily existence. Answer me”. Ok your Daddy never held you. “ You’re holding ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra.’” “Oh now I see, you have grown up in a middle class culdesack community, I gotta change the world even though I am wearing the worlds most expensive hippie sandals purchased at my local mall, redemption blues. Sorry, I am more of a Thoreau type of guy. Take yourself to the woods and figure it out yourself.” She cried and then kicked me and walked away. Lesson learned, Nietzsche in a public place can hurt.

Ransom Seaborn

Bill Deasy can write! Ransom Seaborn, Deasy debut novel is great: five out of five stars type of great. I have always been a fan of the singer songwriter writing more than just song lyrics. I have the dream wish list of Springsteen, Dylan, Westerberg and other white guys with lyrics writing novels. Deasy bring to the page emotions, dialog and can't put this dam book down even though I have others thing to do. Never before have I gave a review on this blog (whom am I to tell you what to read/listen/watch) today I recommend Ransom Seaborn.

10 Million Tears

10 million tears and 10 million acts of kindness: Remembering 9/11.

-I sit staring at the TV watching the memorial service for the terror of 9/11. I hold my 8 month old daughter and choke back the tears. There is nothing I can do, no words that I can write, nothing to be said, the only gift of service I have to offer to the world today is to raise my daughter with a loving and kind heart. This I will do.

Here We Go

9/7/2006 @ 9:00 PM purchased a $6.50 Beer
9/8/2006 @ 9:30 AM purchased a $5.75 four shots espresso latte

Pittsburgh Steelers Victory PRICELESS

Photo of the Week

Lila (Simplicity Within Complexity)

Lila is the Sanskrit word for God at play (or) love. Creativity within the natural flow of divine play is finding the simplicity within complexity. In art and life the simplicities manifest into the purpose to our being. Volunteering service for others is the only purpose for art. Art or entertainment is not a wasteful undertaking. Bringing laughter, smiles & emotions to people is the divine play of creation: Our Lila.

Try seeing what works within the structure versus seeing why the structure does not work. A shift in perception will open up compositional boundaries that previously were hidden. William Blake said, “Jesus was all virtue, and acted from impulse, not from rules.” Improvisation is the dance of not fearing creative failure.

Conscious Entrepreneurial Business

In a recent conversation, I was asked why I blog & offer charitable assistance on my website. My answer was/is that I want to run a conscious entrepreneurial business.

For the people that hire me, I want them to know what type of person I am further than present business persona or the artist persona. The range of expressions that I can offer or develop into is equally important as the services and products. Additionally, the service oriented mindset to giving back and contributing to the community are on par with the artistic and business goals.

Blogging is a daily working transdisciplinary portfolio that I use to maintain my compositional practice and develop online networking skills. It is the opportunity for the reader to get to know me with more depth and coverage than a consultation or visiting my website can offer.

Unexplained Progression

Not certain of what I see in this photograph but I keep coming back to it and staring at it. The unexplained progression of what art or photography means to me or the viewer of the subject matter is one of the eternal mysteries.

Contemplation

My path is integral, my practice is evolving, and my beliefs are a trail of what I am becoming. Kindness and service are not to be reserved for a time and place where everything is perfect. There is nothing to conquer all should be treated with respect and humility. Give with out expectations.

Questions for my Readers

1) Do you consider you’re self to be a complete artist: be it musician, photographer, studio production, drawing, writing or blogging (I’m even guessing that you would deem cooking & gardening artist passions). Can you explain what motivates your compositional flow be it whatever medium you’re working in?

2) Do you consider yourself to be an integral artist? Can you explain what the interiors and exteriors of composition mean to you.

Change Your Perspective

In photography the best photo are always when you change your perspective. In life your happiest moments are always found after changing your persepective.

Pittsburgh PA - 8/24/09

Moment

Current Reading: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Music: Reprieve by Ani Difranco
Mood: Happy in mind tired in body
Sounds: See this
Sights: Gray skies & tree tops horizons
Smells: Coffee
Temperature: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers or storms by evening. High 79. Wind NW to SW 5-10 mph
Thoughts: There are never flaws in wood working only character in the design.

Music Makes Your Brain Happy

See this, this ,this & this & this

A Book That

Changed my life?
Living Buddha, Living Christ by Tich Nhat Hanh
Thus Spoke Zarathus by Nietzsche
Practice of the Wild by Gary Snyder

I’ve read more than once? (Brilliant)
The Zen of Creativity by John Daido Loori

I’d want on a desert island?(gotta keep the faith)
The Bible

Made me laugh?
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Made me cry?
Grace & Grit by Ken Wilber

I wish I had written?
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

I’m currently reading?
Manifesting God by Father Thomas Keating
Free Play by Stephen Nachmanovitch

I’ve been meaning to read? (People are always asking me if I read these two books. I haven’t? I will soon- promise!)
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance by Robert Pirsiq
The Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams

5 Question Interview Series with ~C4Chaos

I blog today because I read ~C4Chaos yesterday. About three years ago I was doing a Google seach for Ken Wilber and a blog link popped up referencing posts about KW written by the blogger previously know as coolmel. From that day on I started my day off with coffee and reading ~C4Chaos. Then from his daily hyperlinking to other bloggers, today I read about 10 to 30 different bloggers religiously. Serendipitously today I get to post an interview with my personal catalyses for blogging.

1)Your life seems to be a journey that is totally expressed by blogging: Do we know the real you or do you keep a private life that is not told to your readers?

you can never know the “real” me. i even have a hard time knowing my real self. but getting the philosophical side of things out of the way, yes i prefer to keep a private life. hence the stupid monicker :)

2)The social entrepreneurship direction that you have been moving your blogging/life towards has struck a strong chord with me. Can you outline some small steps that we can all take in our daily lives to move more into a social entrepreneurial direction?

good question. to be honest, i'm still working on it. i'm still on the first step. i just got recently introduce to the concept of social entrepreneurship myself. the primary reason i blogged about it is to make a personal affirmation. i do that a lot on my blog. if i want to do something, i blog it first. that clarifies my intention and sets me up on a serendipitious quest.my first step would be to find out more information about this subject to know the people who are out there engaged in this thing. so i created a zBooks book shelf on the topic of Social Enterprise. i also started zPod:SSE so i can collectively learn with others and attract people who are already deep into Social Entrepreneurship. my goal would be to understand how social entereprenuers out there think and act in the “real world.”the next step would be to discover my own place(s) in social enterprise domain. i think i've already found one of those places since i already work for Zaadz :)

3)What is the longest you went without hyper-linking in the last 3yrs?

LOL. i can't remember. probably the same longest time i was offline.

4)Your photography at Flickr is quit vast in style, from fun to silly to documentation to the subtle awareness of the small things around you. (Which are my personal favorites) Can you express how you compose a photograph? What does photography bring to your life?

man, i don't know. sometimes i have a theme on my mind before i take a shot, but most of the time i don't have any idea where i'll use those photos. i simply get attracted to colors and things. then i enjoy tweaking them later using Photoshop. then later on when a blogging opportunity comes, i love to associate photos i took previously with my blogs. that's another way of working with serendipity i guess. a good photo organizing software is a must for my habit. and Flickr fits the bill perfectly. and here's my favorite photographic equation: Photographer + Camera + Subject = Photograph.

5)What is next for ~C4Chaos? You work for Zaadz, you get to cross post on Kew Wilber.com. A Goggle search under ~C4Chaos brings up 158,000 links. What is the next stage of your hyper-linking development? Any coming attractions in your life you wish to share?

what's next? no idea. blogging for KenWilber.com? didn't see that coming until a couple of weeks before they released the site. working for Zaadz? didn't see that coming until i blogged my heart out and poured my energy onto Zaadz. and that 158,000 links? don't get fooled, that's probably me linking to my own stuff :)but as far as my hyper-linking development is concerned, probably the next development would be to bring over that hyperlinking thing offline. meaning, real connections on meatspace as well. Zaadz and my personal blog would be my means for accomplishing these things. and that's another one of my affirmations ;)

thanks for asking!~C (for Carpe diem!)

Elegant Thorn Review

"Elegant Thorn Review is a new blog that seeks well-crafted and spiritually intelligent poetry. There are no limitations on subject or spiritual tradition, nor are there limits on style and length."

Great big bows of thanks to William Harryman of Integral Options Cafe for placing one of my photo's on his new blog.

Alex Gray: The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors directed by Nick Krasnic

Alex Grey

wow. Check out this amazing trailer directed by Nick Krasnic
(post via Brian Johnson CEO of Zaadz)