Photoblog: January 2, 2015: “Eyes of darkness”

January 2, 2015: “Eyes of darkness”

Looking out the window it is dark, I see a vast sea of nothingness.  My eyes hide behind the camera crafting tomorrow, living today and running from the past. What do my eyes see? What do my eyes see? Disoriented my eyes of darkness see life, succumbing to the daily grind. Eyes of darkness they are mine.

This photo is of the darkness ahead, what I see. 

Project: Those I've Loved Along the Way; Eric Church

Those I’ve Loved Along the Way

I have days where it feels like no one loves me.  I have days where I feel all alone.  I have days where I wonder if this journey called life is worth it.

Then I have moments of clarity which wash away all of that negative thought.  A memory from yesterday, a memory from 10 years ago, a friend, an acquaintance or even a stranger is able to create the love I wish to feel.  All of those memories, all of those people are those I’ve loved along the way. 

Each week 1 or 2 times per week I will highlight and share with you those who have crossed my path, made me smile and impacted me in ways  which I will never forget.  My goal is to do a photo shoot with the person that I plan to share with you or share a past photo if geography prevents us from a live shoot.

The first person I am going to highlight if you haven’t  guessed it yet is Eric Church (EC).  His song “Those I’ve Loved Along the Way” has inspired me to reflect and share with you the great people who have come and gone in my life.  He is one person I’ve loved along the way and the first person in this project.

Eric Church's first time on the big stage at CMAFest.  I was lucky enough to watch him grow from the beginning to where he is today.

I first discovered EC back in 2006 and started seeing him live whenever I could.  I’ve met him a few times, shot a few of his shows and met some amazing people because of him.  Can I say EC is an awesome guy, can I talk about his character or anything outside of music.  The answer simply is no, I don’t know him personally and never expect to.

It’s always been about his music and the community called the Church Choir.  EC has allowed me to meet wonderful people who I feel comfortable enough to call my friends.  In California, Florida, Canada, Michigan, South Carolina, Illinois, Tennessee and many more states are friends I’ve made because of his music.  I always have a couch to sleep on or a friend to meet at a show. Music is amazing and the lyrics he strings together allow me to connect with the songs and keep coming back for more, wanting to see him live and become a bandaid.  He has always made his music his way, and views music as an art rather than a marketing tool.  That’s why I love EC and where my inspiration comes for this new project, I want to let all of my friends know how special they are and no matter how far they are loved.

In 2007 showing off one of my photos of Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley and himself.  Amazing what music can do for a soul.

Reflections: Success

The sound of silence allows my soul to breather, my mind to clear and my thoughts to manifest.  In my evening meditation as my mind wandered with thoughts passing through.  One thought stuck in my head the word success. 

What is success?  I’ve always been shortsighted in my definition of success as I think the majority of this world focuses on success as money and power.  It’s taught to us from day one more, more, more money and power.  These are just lies and false perceptions.  Worshipping idols is not what we were put on this world for.  We were put on this earth to act us small cogs in a bigger plan being interconnected with each other.  That is how we will be successful.  Acting not as individuals but as a collective group. 

Live, love, think.  These should be the cornerstones to success.  Acting with good intentions to benefit society as a whole this will lead to success for the individual and everyone that is touched.    In defining success as achievement of money and power for the better part of my life I have looked at myself as a failure.  Tonight I realized success is defined the relationships built, those you’ve touched along the way and the special moments that make memories that last forever.  It’s all about the journey in life.  Using this definition I am successful and more than likely you are too. 

My goal for life is to find balance with family, friends, society and nature.  Whether or not I have found it is not what matters.  What matters is that I have built relationships which will last have whether we spent 2 hours together, 2 days or 20 years.  The genuine relationships I have built will pull me through as well pull others through when help is needed.  This is success creating stability building strength in the midst of societies burdens and capitalistic vulturistic culture.

I plan to continue to focus on others remembering the small things and being selfless in the relationships  that have been built.  If I can make a difference in someones life while finding balance in my own then no matter if I were homeless and hungry  or a billionaire shutoff from the world then I would define myself as a success.  Being successful is not a one- time act it is a life of selfless acts  not out of charity or force.  These are acts that come from an inner character a strength and love for others not as a means to an end. 

I will continue to grow and continue to follow my heart and act with love.  That defines success to me.

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It's a beautiful life

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