Joel Meyerowitz on Vivian Maier:
To go up and photograph a stranger on the street you have to hold your ground and be fearless and take what you want because it is yours.via Vivian Maier BBC Imagine (2013) by Joel Meyerowitz.
Will see an exhibition of Vivian Maier photos in Vienna in mid-July.
[Lucky enough to have stumbled across this today ..]
Joel Meyerowitz was given a "found" bible by a fireman while he photographed Ground Zero in the months following the 9/11. He marveled that the Bible was preserved intact to a lump of steel, and even more, that it was turned to a particular passage from Matthew 5 (KJV) which says:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (vs. 38-39).
Joel notes ..
"Of all the pages in the Bible that it would be open to, that was remarkable,"A remarkable communicator, spoken, written and photographed. Thanks Joel, a timely message.
I have always loved live performance. The display of skill and passion, along with the rawness being the appeal. And this is the best from the last 7 years here at eljeiffel.
"Oh The Drama" in the Lyrics. And an amazing Performance . Wow!! You can see it in her. That she is loving what she is doing and thst she is sharing her gift to move us.
To the lyrics, I would add my own Optimistic and Naive view of Life and the World ..
you can't keep a good dog down [..]
a candle burns brightest before it goes out [..]
Such a nice song and performance to finish on here at eiffel. As they say:
a star burns brightest before it dies
And this is how it has felt this last year, particularly the last few months.
And so it is onto the last few posts, where my work will be done here.
Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine (Lyrics)
Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around
All of his questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues drawn
But it's always darkest before the dawn
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa
And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
And given half the chance would I take any of it back
It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone
It's always darkest before the dawn
Oh whoa, oh whoa...
And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffering and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
'Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me, yeah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa
And out of the the darkeness a new bright light will glow ..
Tanya Villanueva Tepper on Hope and Faith:
while life will go against our expectations and sometimes devastate us, time, change, hope and faith can carry us through to a life that is beautiful again. [..]via Rebirth at Ground Zero: Lessons in Life, Reverence and Resilience for a New Generation by Tanya Villanueva Tepper.True contentment is felt when we recognize all of the many moments of grace and providence which lead us to come full circle and fulfill our intention. We are at peace because we're given meaning to our experience, no matter how painful the journey was in getting there.
Tanya is right. It can be like this if you chose it to be. It all comes down to your outlook on Life. Your Intention.
Inspired by Rachel's visit to the 9/11 Memorial. Thanks Rachel.
Spencer Lum on Vision, Dreams, Hopes and Purpose::
the moment we give up our vision in favor of the common and the accepted is the moment we lose touch with our dreams, hopes, and even our purpose. The things that make us the most human and the most powerful.
via What I learned from living my desperate life by Spencer Lum.
the lessons you can easily generalize and share are typically not original, and the lessons that are original typically cannot be generalized and shared. Only modeled in slightly puzzling ways.via Learning to Fly by Missing the Ground (*) by Venkat (*).
Success (*) can be so much worse than failure (*). Failure (*) hurts, but it pushes us to keep exploring. Success (*), on the other hand, limits us. It tells us to keep doing the same.via How we Kill Creativity (*) by Spencer Lum (*).
There are gifts (*) everywhere, and you “just” need to be able to spot them, accept (*) them, work with them.via Review: Emile Hyperion Dubuisson’s Far (*) by Jorg Colberg (*).
When you live in the first person, you’ll experience fear and hesitation and that feeling in the pit of your stomach that you will not measure up. But for that, you will rip through the barriers that separate you from your future self. The one who exists on the other side, who has done what you wanted, knows what you wanted, and experienced what you wanted.via Multiple | Ground Glass (*) by Spencer Lum (*).
You will recover your dreams, you will recover yourself, you’ll take the hits, but as Sinatra said, you’ll know you did it your way.
So if you look at your own work, and you’re afraid to show it. If you look at your own self, and you’ve kept it walled off, don’t hold it back, don’t keep it safe. Don’t let it wither without seeing the light of day. Let it into the wild, and see what takes place. Your life is waiting.
Because the question is not whether fear is too high a price to pay. The question is whether fear is too much to give up.
Fear is a dark and menacing thing. It lurks in the shadows of our minds. Always hard to find, always waiting in the wings, never quite gone, never quite there.via Multiple | Ground Glass (*) by Spencer Lum (*).
But I’ll take it over security, any day.
Security is worse.
Fear accompanies all great things. It’s there in progress, change, and growth. It’s there when you shed your own skin. It’s there when you let yourself to become more.
You don’t own fear by forgetting it. Security is not fear vanquished. Security is settling for less.
Let fear be your guide. You fear when you care. You fear when you want. Really want.
Fear doesn’t tell you what to run from. Fear tells you what to run to. There is no fear that accompanies the unimportant. It is the most clear and vital indicator that something actually matters. [..]
I don't knowI always remember this when I hear this song. It is now nice to have the video from the Games pre game entertainment to remember those moments of innocence before the events that would change our lives forever.
I really don't know
If this castle in the sand
Is strong enough to stand
Cause I know
How it feels
All the pain
Is so real
Cause you sink
And you drown
Till your feet hit the ground
Running, running, running, running
Sure, you are playing a professional sport and you want to be a success. But life is more important than any game or any sport. I'm really big on getting closer as a Bulls group - we are almost like a family - and we want to look after each other outside the game, not just within the game. I've told the players they can't leave the ground for at least an hour after play. We talk about a whole heap of things - it might be cricket but it might be something else. There were some players who used to leave within five minutes. It works well; we all just enjoy each other's company and that is probably the best thing we have got going.via Headmaster of mateship (*) by Will Swanton (*).
A Team is a Powerful ThingAlways make me laugh when I think of that. The wisdom of a three year old.
When you look back at the end of it all, there’s really only one person you’ll have to answer to.[1] I was up early on the last day of camp. Went for a walk along where we trained. It was beautiful and calm and another water photo is added to my little collection (*). The early morning light was strong but even and the were ducks feeding amongst the reeds. A couple of fisherman were out with lures. They did not catch anything but I know they were just happy to be up early appreciating nature and the anticipation (*) of a bite. For me, as I walked and admired the view, there was the anticipation (*) of flying out, the next day, to the Busan (*) for the 2012 Asian Dragon Boat championships.
Yourself.
And if you never gave up, and you always kept pushing with the power of belief (*) behind the message you spread and the gift you shared, then you can hold your head high when you ask yourself what it was all for.
Because you’ll know you lived life. And life is a hell of a ride if you’re willing to get on.
No one move,
No one speak,
Please don't say that it's just me, it's not just me.
And even though I wont forget,
Just don't want this to end just yet, not just yet.
And if I had one chance to freeze time
And stand still and soak in everything,
I'd choose right now.
And if I had one night where sunshine could break through and show you everything,
I'd choose right now,
If this is it, all we have,
I know I've done all I can,
If this is it.
And we can't stop, and start again
We can't fast forward to the end
This is it.
And if I had one chance to freeze time
And stand still and soak in everything,
I'd choose right now.
And if I had one night where sunshine could break through and show you everything,
I'd choose right now,
I can take the slings and stones and fire,
Because I know you’ll make it all worth while,
Every time I fold, dissolve, I’m lying on the ground,
You drag me up again, and again,
Before the fears that I once had start coming back... again.
Oh please come back again... again,
Oh please come back again,
Oh please come back again.
And I'm so scared I might forget,
Just don't want this to end just yet,
Not just yet.
But if I had one chance to freeze time
And stand still and soak in everything,
I'd choose right now.
And if I had one night with sunshine to break through and show you everything,
I'd choose right now,
Before the fears that I once had start coming back... again.
[..] being yourself is your best shot.Why do I like Skulk? Maybe because he is not afraid to be who he is. Yes, that's what I like about Skulk.
It’s your best shot to take what you have and what you know and put it out there and get somewhere with it.
It’s your best shot to avoid regret.
It’s your best chance to make a mark in the world in a way that matters to you.
Be willing to give up yesterday. Let go of [..] Stay out of your comfort zone. Make room for tomorrow’s you. Opportunity is limitless, but time is preciously limited. Don’t rest on laurels and past achievement. Let every day be its own. Because if it is all about journey, there really is no point of arrival, and there is no place to be. There is just getting up and giving it a go.From Forget the Destination. Love the Journey. (*) by Spencer Lum (*).
we’re so used to wanting everything easy, we forget the real value of hard [trying]. We’re so used to caring about the result, we forget the value of the process. Feeling good is more valuable than being good.From Learning to learn (*) by Spencer Lum (*)
Failure is the sound of a thousand wasted efforts screaming in unison. [..]
So the goal [..] should be to use those things that inspire us as a framework for exploration, so we can learn the process behind them.
Shots aren’t preordained.
They are happy accidents, lead by intention, and founded on a combination of preparation and discovery.
In other words, photography isn’t seeing the big picture.
It’s knowing how to stumble from one adjustment to the next, eliminating choices along the way, while focusing on others, until we find that one thing that says just what we want. [..]
Success is the sound of a single action made of a thousand efforts.
