Ghost Lion

Driving to work this morning, I realized something:

The cars that go 5 miles per hour with their turn signal on, waiting to get in the 30 mile per hour lane don’t get ahead as fast as the cars that change lanes after matching the speed of the cars in the 30 mile per hour lane.

It made me think of my life and work. That if you can be successful and match the speed of your favorite artists, bands, industry, and gatekeepers, etc. in your OWN lane, it makes it much easier to cross in and out of their lane.

Click here for more on Petco Place and People Assisting The Homeless

Someone asked me the other day if there was a celebrity who would make me nervous to be around, and I said there wasn’t. But thinking about it now, there is one person that would make me extremely nervous and excited to be around: Dr. Martin Luther King. The things he sacrificed, the odds he faced, the hatred he fought against, and the love he shared  . . . I’m so grateful for his life and work. Thank you Dr. King for all you’ve done for us.

From Falling Whistle’s Sean Carasso’s Blog

As this coming monday is Martin Luther King Day, it only makes sense to celebrate all that Dr. King lived for, worked for, and changed in the world around us plus I just found this in my phone:

To Love and Challenge: How artists are called to love and challenge our friends, family, culture, country, and world.

Ex:

MLK’s love for America and its people was the motivation to challenge it so that America could live up to the potential he saw in it.

“Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor in America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours.”

Martin Luther King, Jr., The Trumpet of Conscience, 1967.

What do you think about magazine ads with musicians such as Avril Lavigne flashing a smile while on the new 3G t-mobile phone? Or maybe that’s not such a shock. But what about Bob Dylan a couple years back in that Victoria Secret commercial? Does this bother you like it bothers me?

I came to the conclusion that it bothers me the same way it would bother me if in Ghostbusters, Bill Murray’s character, Peter Venkman, took a moment to flash a Pepsi can in my face, tell me how great it is, then go back to zapping the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man.

You just wouldn’t trust the character anymore. How could you? What does soda have to do with zapping ghosts? Is Dr. Venkman just in it for the money? These questions dilute the character’s authenticity and story. And I’m betting I’m not the only one questioning.

A few people are afraid of good ideas, ideas that make a difference or contribute in some way. Good ideas bring change, that’s frightening.

But many people are petrified of bad ideas. Ideas that make us look stupid or waste time or money or create some sort of backlash.

The problem is that you can’t have good ideas unless you’re willing to generate a lot of bad ones.

Painters, musicians, entrepreneurs, writers, chiropractors, accountants–we all fail far more than we succeed. We fail at closing a sale or playing a note. We fail at an idea for a series of paintings or the theme for a trade show booth.

But we succeed far more often than people who have no ideas at all.

Someone asked me where I get all my good ideas, explaining that it takes him a month or two to come up with one and I seem to have more than that. I asked him how many bad ideas he has every month. He paused and said, “none.”

And there, you see, is the problem.

To subscribe to Seth’s blog, which I would highly recommend, click here

Last week, while I was singing, writing, trying to finish a new song, Emily told me she didn’t think she liked the verse very much. I don’t why, but for some reason, that comment just knocked the wind from my creative sails right then and there; I didn’t feel like writing anymore. I mean . . . I couldn’t — how could I keep playing this song over and over knowing that someone, particularly my fiance, in the room over doesn’t like it?

Two things came to mind:

1. Honest feedback in our people-pleasing society is like water in the desert; it should be cherished.

2. Artists, who have made a mark on history, followed their muse despite negative feedback.

Within that dichotomy, there is a delicate chemistry. It’s “how do I fine tune my abilities to communicate well with an audience” but still do it in the way that I want, saying exactly what I want.

How do you balance criticism, feedback, and being true to yourself?

- blake

JP is a friend, artist, and cinematographer and has always had an eye for capturing moments – this time with light painting, sans photoshop or any post-production effects.

Reminds my lazy, ADD self to act now and live in moments. His cube series pictured above is my favorite from him so far. Check for more of Jason’s photo’s at JasonDPage.com