Breaking Smart on Ideas:
Ideas that occur at the beginning or end of a project are usually worthless. Ideas that occur in the middle of a project are pricelessvia How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Person? by Breaking Smart.
Too much time on my hands today. Catching up a little on some interesting posts over the last few weeks.
Inspiration (*) comes in many forms and from many sources. What I have learned (*) in doing architectural photography (*) is to be open to new ideas and to see the possibilities that present everywhere. [..] The ideas keep coming because inspiration (*) on its own may arrive in erratic bursts, but going after it consciously (*) day by day makes for a rewarding journey (*) and consistently better photography (*).via In Photography, Inspiration is All Around You (*) by Ellen Fisch (*).
Gaudí's position in the history of architecture is that of a creative genius who, inspired by nature, developed a style of his own that attained technical perfection as well as aesthetic value, and bore the mark of his character.Thanks Ellen for making this so clear.
Colin Pantall on Photography and Remembering:
It's strange how one remembers things without being aware on any conscious level of why one remembers or how one remembers. [..]Perhaps it might be good to reach elsewhere for our ideas on photography, outside the small, incestuous world of photo-theory so that we can add to and enrich our understanding of how images work with added engagement and added interest. Today, cognitive and social psychology might be good places to start. [..]
I can't help but feel that there is also an element of the false memory (more of which in a different post) and wish fulfilment in there as well.
The idea that when we see those happy pictures, we remember them and feel that those happy times will come again.
CounterCultureWarrior on Hope:
Hope helps our ideas grow and bear fruit. Hope is not a dream, it is a force that gives our life meaning.via Customer Review of Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit by CounterCultureWarrior.
Don't keep that which you have learned for yourself. If you teach 100 people to use a chisel, you'll find a hundred different sculptures will be made as a result of learing to use that toolfrom which he expands:
let all you know flow through like a river, those waters will irrigate future minds, their ideas will blossom, you'll have played a vital, sustaining part in that growth.via Reach Out/Ask Questions: Jim Mortram's Dos and Don'ts (*) at Colin Pantall's blog (*).
What you don't know you can feel it somehow. [..] Was a beautiful day.via Beautiful Day (*) by U2 (*). With a fantastic Letterman Live performance here (*)
Marc Riboud on taking Pictures that Matter:
We take good pictures, we become good photographers by living life, by talking to people, avoiding preconceived ideas, and being open. That’s how we get to take pictures that matter.via Marc Riboud on Photography, Hard Work and How We are All the Same by Ayesugul Sert [original here]
Joel Spolsky on Communication:
the most successful people are the ones who can explain their ideas the bestvia Stack Overflow founder Spolsky: The three skills every software developer should learn by Nick Heath.
The mural was designed with site-specific ideas in mind: lines of seven colors meet corrugated vertical bars of the fence behind it. Our concept mimics and bends these lines, creating a colorful graphic symbolizing the constant movement of DUMBO. The design is an abstracted interpretation of intersecting train tracks and the familiar New York City subway map.From the Wikipedia page Dumbo, Brooklyn (*), Dumbo refers to:
The use of vivid colors against the urban backdrop of grays and browns is intended to brighten the landscape and produce a visceral and emotional reaction, while referencing the cross-sections of cultures and people who view it.
Dumbo, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in the New York City, New York, borough of Brooklyn.Learnt about this just now when searching for the name of the large framed Mural on the fence. Learn something everyday.
It encompasses two sections: one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another that continues east from the Manhattan Bridge to the Vinegar Hill area.
The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 2.
Jerry Seinfeld once referred to Dumbo on a late-night talk show appearance, joking that it stands for "Down Under Manhattan Bridge," but that New Yorkers arbitrarily added the "O" at the end because they did not want to have a neighborhood called "Dumb."
What is remarkable to me is less her ability to integrate herself and large camera into that community than what she has transcended. She achieves finding the moments of grace in the unexpected – a trait that photography is rife with and frankly at this stage, not surprising – but she uses the surrounding landscape to punctuate those moments filling the frame with additional visual textures – fences, television antennas, road signs, trees, building sides, and power lines – that feel weighty yet light, beautiful yet ugly, oppressive yet fragile and on the verge of collapse.via The Nine and The Ninety-Nine by Katy Grannan (*) by Jeffrey Ladd (*).
the ability to work on our words until they succeed in transmitting our ideas and causing action. [..]Thanks Jeff and Seth.
you do have precisely the same keyboard as everyone else. It's the most level playing field we've got.
The first step is to say it poorly. And then say it again and again and again until you're able to edit your words into something that works.
But mostly, you need to decide that it matters. [HT: Shawn (*)]
In my experience (*) most people's good instincts (*) are remarkably similar, while their bad instincts are often particular. By embracing your good and bad ideas (*) and impulses, by figuring out how to incorporate them into your life (*) and your work, you somehow become more yourself. Plus, you'll probably end up in unfamiliar (*) territory, a place that will engage (*) you in ways you can't imagine (*), make you feel more alive (*).via Follow your Bad Instincts: Dos and Don'ts of Tony Fouhse (*) by Colin Pantall (*).
Doing Stuff Alone,Drew then asks:
Doing Things With Others,
Taking Initiative,
Being Lead,
Being Coached,
Being Challenged,
Setting Goals,
Achieving Goals,
Doing,
Learning,
Crowds,
Challenge,
Winning,
Risk,
Achieving,
Making Mistakes,
Being Centre Of Attention,
Being Quiet,
Reflecting,
Thinking,
Focusing,
Performing,
Following,
Being Praised
Being Pushed,
Being Left To Work It Out,
Seeing Other Do Well,
Doing Well,
Trying Stuff,
Working Stuff Out,
Knowing Whats Expected,
Knowing Whats Required,
Listening,
Having Clear Goals,
Seeing Improvement,
Time Pressures,
Making Decisions,
Taking Having Choices,
Making Choices,
Saying No,
Stepping Up,
Thinking About New Ideas,
Making People Laugh,
Hurting,
Feeling Pain,
Getting Taken Care Of,
Being Looked Up To,
Being Included,
Having Autonomy,
Being Creative,
Being Good,
Being Bad,
Influencing Others,
Surprising People,
Getting Something For Nothing,
Working Hard For Something,
Deserving Something,
Being Helped,
Taking Control,
Having Control,
Letting Go,
Resting,
Sleeping,
Pushing Boundaries,
Challenging Others,
Doing A Good Job,
Doing Whats Expected,
Making People Happy,
Beating Others,
Stuffing Up,
Following A Plan,
Setting The Pace,
Catching Something,
Being In Front,
Being Vulnerable,
Being Uncomfortable,
Finding A Way,
Showing Others,
Proving Yourself,
Showing Others,
Being Better,
Being The Best,
Being Capable
Doing The Opposite,
Doing Things Differently,
Sticking To A Plan,
Changing,
Standing Out,
Flying Under The Radar,
Being Loud,
Doing Things You Know,
Having A Routine,
Impressing Others,
Telling Stories,
Knowing Facts,
Having Knowledge,
Knowing Things Others Don't,
Having Power,
Having Authority,
Leading,
Being Unique,
Showing Care,
Taking Care,
Being Careful,
Having Discipline,
Feeling Guilty,
Being Passionate,
Setting The Standard,
Getting Out Of Control,
Let Things Happen
What takes it [energy] away?This is an amazing collection of thoughts gained from a life long rowing career. Each one strikes a chord and it is the culmination of everything you have experienced and learnt. Thanks Drew.
