Success

A tale whereupon Jude sets out to photograph Jake, and Miguel at the last minute comes along to also photograph and videotape the process. Many dragons were slain and maidens rescued and animals not harmed in the making of this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiDeFXhrxCs&feature=youtu.be

Many thanks to Jake Dials for modeling for me for this shoot, and for Miguel for coming along and both shooting stills and shooting the behind the scene videos as well.

You can find Jake at https://www.facebook.com/JakeDialsOfficial and Miguel at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Luna-Photography/321355291245945.

Jake is a really Great model from my area, and I recommend working with him if you have chance, if you want a professional, fun, and laid-back dude to photograph.

Thanks again guys!!!

Artists, ladies and gents, are like makers of Cake.
Cakes are made every day and so is art, yet cooks do not feel fake because they make a cake, but somehow some artists feel fake for making art. We should be MORE like a cook! A cake is a cake, and a new cook thinks "I will make a cake!" and it's new to him. He enjoys mixing the ingredients, pouring the batter, spreading the frosting, and feasting on the finished product. Cooks borrow recipes ... and ARTISTS borrow recipes.

But, we are also like the cake being prepared. We are instruments of what ingredients came before us, and also a little bit of ourselves in the mix as well. Our Artistic Vision? It is made from borrowed materials: we do not create...and THIS is what many artists are stuck on.

In reality, the universe thrives on borrowing. Rain? Borrowed water. The life cycle itself? Borrowed energy, to return to an energy form when we're gone. Heck, even the words you are reading in Modern Day English are written in a language that is a staple of a 'borrowed' language ... as in, it's a mixture of so many different languages, that there can really be no definitive 'one original language' that it came from in the last 2000 years. Have you ever thought of that?

Freebies Anonymous: I am here today because I shot for free for YEARS. And sometimes? I STILL occasionally shoot for free. And SOMETIMES … it gets me things that I never would have gotten otherwise, like my photos published on Time.com.

The question came up a month ago and I was surprised at my answer. "What would you be doing if you could do anything in the world or if money was no object?" .... Do you know why I was surprised? Because my answer was that I'm already doing it.

Then today, when snooping around the internet, I found this video featuring the voice of Alan Watts. And, he is correct. I believe this, always have and it influences everything I do more than anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siu6JYqOZ0g&feature=youtu.be

People may not know what my life has been like; Or, people may not care, but I think it warrants addressing. I grew up impoverished. No, not 'I couldn't afford the cereal with marshmallows  dang' impoverished ... No. I grew up in a 200 year old cabin that had no running water (and all that entails). We had no electricity but 2 outlets, which powered a small fridge and a lamp. We heated with a wood stove and at times I woke up with snow on my blanket because my window was broken. There was no such thing as air conditioning. If we were hot, we jumped in the pond. I had some toys, but mainly made my own fun running around outside with my brother.

Life was hard: it was never getting what anyone else had, it was sometimes being hungry, it was knowing that the only way you'd be warm was if you got your boots on and got firewood, it was watching 'rich' people not even appreciate a glass of water! (Because believe me, when the only water you have is in a 10 gallon bucket, its empty, and you know there will be no water until your parents can afford to drive to the local water faucet in town, you have NO IDEA what it is to appreciate water. I'd imagine those people in third world countries who have to carry their water in a bucket feel the same)

My point? I still had things that noone else had and to this day have something that many others will never have: Fortitude. The realization that I need to MAKE my life, the way I want it to be, not follow the structured path laid out for me by society or other people.

My mother and I once were talking about me as a teen, and, since I have extremely bad long term memory loss, I was surprised when she made the comment "Jude, you don't really know, do you? You were absolutely OBSESSED with photography since the time you picked up the camera at 12. You were completely determined to be good at it, at all costs ..." 

I've always known there was nothing for me but photography, in any form. And that is why when the question came, I could answer, I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing. Do I only get around 4 hours of sleep most nights? Yes. Does my money go only on bills and photography, the very seldom meal with friends ONLY? Yes. When I had no money but tuition, did I spend an entire year of school, 4 nights a week in fall and winter weather (-15 degree temperatures for one month...) sleeping in my car that had holes in the floor, just so I'd be able to attend classes? Yes. But? It's my road, it's my choice, it's exactly what I needed to do to be proud of where I am today. And I am proud. I'm proud that even while I'm as of yet scrounging, I don't let the pursuit of things or society influence my decisions on what I need to be doing for this career. 

I love my life, as wanting as it is, and I love that I have nothing but my own motivation and DEtermination to thank. 

What are YOU waiting for? Go out and do what you need to do to do what you WANT to do. Don't be afraid of letting society or even your own fears hold you back ... Just DO.

So, I've been trying to work on progressing myself and my work, since I believe that to stay where one is to become stagnent. Part of this is browsing blogs that are specifically for the cultivating the business side of creative people, and during that process, I came across this inspiring blog post (http://steeltoeimages.com) that seemed to speak directly to me. In the final words of the article, she asks some questions of whomever may be reading. And, I realized that I'm thankfully sort of on the right track. For now at least. Here are the questions that were asked, and here are my answers.

1. Who are you and what passion do you offer to the world?

I'm strong. I may bend and spit and waver and sometimes strip myself of my own preconceived notions because I need to, but I will never break. That is me. Because no matter what happens to me and has happened to me in life, there is always this inner thing that says "THIS is who you are, right now, without all of the trappings and voices of other people who give their opinion about you. I am what you are and nothing else is." I believe in myself, I believe in what I can do, and I believe I CAN do what I choose to make for myself. 

The passion I offer is being truly joyful and appreciative of life. Life isn't always pretty, or cute, or fun, or nice. Life sometimes sucks. Sometimes its cold, rainy, hungry, depressed, and many others ... my passion? I love even the bad parts of life, because without those parts we will never truly be alive. I like to think that I transfer that passion into everything I do, including photography. No, ESPECIALLY photography ...

2. How willing are you to take risks and test things with your business?

I push myself to be different, or at least my own person. Why am I mentioning being different when I should be talking about risks? Because ... being different IS a risk. Being different is hard. Being different gets you sneered at, laughed at, bullied, smacked down and abused ... and if you're very patient, it can also get you that thing that noone else has: Success. 

3. How married are you to your processes and how willing are you to blow those processes up in favor for generating a better experience?

That's the beauty of this one: I am not and have never been tied down to one process. I abhor rules, though admit their necessity  But, I find it very easy to forego one process for another that is better. How? Easy ... evaluate the process, its risks, its profitability, its possible failures and the percentage that you CARE about it being a failure. Whatever process wins the battle is the one I choose. I HAVE no process that I am married to. Basically, I'm a process hippie. ;)

I read a book as a child that I'll never forget. The main story was happening, but throughout the entire book there was a man behind the main characters with a sign reading "What About Bob?" I've always loved the fact that he was there, loved that he was making no sense whatsoever to the main jist of the story. He was never explained, nor really even mentioned by the main character, but he was always just there.Why was he there? Simple. His job was to pull your attention away from the main story and question "Who's Bob? Why is he being mentioned? Exactly what ABOUT Bob? What does Bob have to do with this story?"

So, why was Bob not explained in the story? Simple. Because he probably had nothing to do with the main story; he was only there to teach a more subtle lesson...

As an adult, I realize that book (which I have never been able to find ever again, sad day) has impacted me quite a bit. It's rather interesting the things that we hold onto as a child: We keep them mentally, never quite understanding WHY they're important until later when we can understand the bigger picture. We just know that they are vastly crucial and that they are our life lessons. For me, the lesson behind this book is this. There are always people with signs, hijacking you on your way to getting things done. Sometimes they take the form of a friend who is always distracting you. Sometimes it's the friend who is silently undermining you. Sometimes, its the people on facebook you KNOW distract you more than they help you. Sometimes, its outright enemies who really ARE out to get you, as paranoid as that sounds. And sometimes, it's YOU distracting yourself, which is actually worse than all of these.

But then, other times, we're so caught up with the main story that we NEED a guy in the background with a sign shouting "What about Bob?" Sometimes, we need wakeup calls. Sometimes we need a different angle and perhaps, just perhaps, we need to know Bob's side of the story. It is always a give and take, according to where we’re at in the path. Striving for the middle of the path, where Bob is neither a distraction or completely ignored is a little easier on one’s sanity.

This entire thought process was brought on by some mainstream photography of 'Kitschy' crafts I just saw, coupled with some housecleaning I've been going through the last couple of months. The type of photography I know you've seen before: a coffee house offering you the chance to 'decorate a charm for your mug' or a shop giving you a 'cute shopping bag as part of the experience' ... this may be a little cynical, but why do I need the charm and the bag to truly experience the coffee or the shop? What do they add, really? Aesthetically beautiful is nice, yes, but I believe this society is going overboard anymore with the 'experience' of things.

So, I've been getting rid of stuff. Now let me tell you, it's harder than it seems like it would be. Because, the difference between what is 'my things' vs. 'stuff' is pretty hard to tell sometimes. I've been at it unmercifully. You see, I realized that there are many times we hold onto things as being part of our story, when those things are nothing but shackles that we have to move around. Sometimes, the charm given on a coffee cup, though beautiful, is nothing more than something you have to either keep or throw out. And, why keep something that doesn't mean anything to you? Why keep stuff? And the real questions is: why am I ranting about stuff?

Picture this with me, if you would: Picture your house or where you live. Bring an image of the things you own to your mind. Now, for everything you own, picture it as a little man with a sign reading "What about Bob?" If you have one or two of those little men, you could tolerate it. But, my stuff? I would have thousands upon thousands of little men with signs, all vying for attention and importance. Isn't it easier to make 'Bob' no longer part of the equation?

It's easier for me if Bob isn't in control of my life. Granted, my room still looks like crap. But for this day, there are fewer signs. There are fewer distractions. There is more room for me to just ... look. Room to see instead of space filled with stuff. I'm happier without Bob; you would be too. Look around you ... how many little men with signs do you see, distracting you subconsciously?

.... now, if I could only do that to my internet feed. ;)

Ps. This blog posting was completely given life by nothing except Bob, waving a sign frantically at me saying "WHAT ABOUT ME?!!!". I chose to pay attention to him for once, and viola! We have a blog posting! ... Sometimes, Bob is good. Sometimes ...

I used to shoot nothing but trees, flowers, and my cats when I was a kid. Now, since I've moved to portrait photography, I'm finding it hard to keep up interest for 'artsy' photography. Inspiration is an odd thing, I think. It ebbs and flows, completely dependant upon life stages. 

Question: What's the coolest image you ever took? 

Well, that depends on your meaning of cool. There’s the images that to date that I think are the best I’ve done, then there are images that I feel are cool, just because. I’d have to say that I believe the best I’ve ever done are the photos I just uploaded of Cary in the last entry I made. But, then, to me the coolest images I’ve ever made are of the people I adore the most. So, for me, the photos I've took that I love more than any others are those I take of my mama. She’s an amazing woman, who would literally give her shirt to someone. She can't say no to telemarketers, and always ends up sending them a dollar through the mail if we let her talk to them. She talks constantly, be it to herself or others and its cute. She's so stubborn that I know exactly where I got my own stubborness from. What am I saying? Just that I adore her more than anyone else in the entire universe. :} She's my momma and to me she's the coolest person in the world, and therefore her pictures are.