STRINGS
Photograph Series 2009
In 2006, I was preparing an application to the University of Arizona. In addition, to major in the Media Arts department, I had to assemble a series of 5 images and some narrative to be considered.
This first page of the STRINGS book is that series strung together.
before I started taking computer programming classes and realized “str= is for text
The lamp in the 4th image, “a reach for enlightenment,” I have called EnlightenLamp ever since.
Zimbabwe
- Self-care (Healthy meals, activities, leisure) 100%
- random percentage 30%
- be present 50%
- rooted in the past, believing in the beauty of the future 50%
The Art of Happiness
balony
The pleasure of what we enjoy...
“The pleasure of what we enjoy is lost in wanting more” -Buddhist Proverb
This was somewhat revelatory for me. Although I knew life wasn’t always roses, somehow I fell prey to the belief that it should be.
The Atlantic published a great article entitled “There’s more to life than being happy: Meaning comes from the pursuit of more complex things than happiness.” In which the work and life of Viktor Frankl are discussed. A quote from the article: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing,” Frankl wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning, “the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
The Laws of the Universe
This in mind, it’s worth acknowledging the law of attraction and publications like The Secret and those by Abraham Hicks…. Deepak Chopra’s Seven Principles
Law of karma…. which is not to say punishment for past actions so much as intricate elements of purpose for one’s lifetime.
In 2007
I was listening to recorded workshops on Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effectively People
And Rhonda Bryne’s “The Secret” came out around that time
So I could not understand with that in mind why I was attracting what I was into my life
The hard choice
The hard choice and the right choice are often the same choice.
I find when I embrace the hardship, things get a little easier. When I drop resistance to the hardship, it reduces suffering.
Conversely, there is a point when one becomes a “glutton for punishment” and that is not advantageous either.
“Work smarter, not harder” right?
Conversely, we need forward motion
“Life is like a bicycle, you need to keep moving forward to keep your balance” Albert Einstein
Without desires and wanting more, we might stagnate.
Stop and smell the roses, but don’t bury your head in the sand.
Keep looking up and moving forward between pauses for awe.
Courtesy of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: Check out this video of Kohl Laren overcoming his demons of child abuse. Then go to www.chasethepain.com for more of the story.