How I live with enlightenment
It's funny how we all live with aspirations and dreams. Dreams of becoming someone or owning something important. With these thoughts in mind, I dare you to go down the path of enlightenment and see what those thoughts become. Are they real, will they still be important? Or will they change?
Toxic Side Hustles: Why Working All the Time Is Bad For Your Health
It's ok to not be productive. It's come to my awareness that everything around me has been hinting at improvement, productivity, some form of hustle. This constant bombardment that I need to have a side business or need to work out, learning or improving oneself at all times. Is it toxic or am I just lazy?
Future of media
It has come to my attention that our current social media and life on the internet is changing. We as people are getting more and more unfiltered content directly to us. We are also getting more raw and real reactions and responses. We as people have got to a point where we can openly express ourselves, open the flood gates as someone might say of emotion and vulnerability. So what does this mean, where are we going?
I've developed depression
I have developed depression from my workplace. I don't feel valued by the company and they have made it pretty clear that my future there is stagnant without changing my role or climbing the corporate ladder. I'm a creative, and have never wanted to become a suit at a desk. You know those corporate suits that justify their existence by how many meetings they have to go to. No thanks, that's not for me.
Self-worth
Why you should stop consuming the News
If we take a step back what is the purpose of the News? Down to its very core, what helps news make money? Since newspaper sales are on the decline, selling the news directly to the consumer is a dying form of income. So the way News keeps afloat is through advertisements. Keeping your attention, keeping you engaged with watching, reading, to effectively sell you more ads. That is the core job of the news. Remove your old ideals about informing its citizens and educating the masses on current events, that is what the news used to be. That's a romantic's way of looking at why the news exists, lets get real the news primary job is to sell ads now.
Working all your life
I clicked on the video, sitting there watching listening trying to learn and get inspired when these words hit me like a tone of bricks. It's something I never thought of, I've been working my whole life, saving, investing, trying to get close to retirement when Warren Buffets words sink in. "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die."
Hero story
Everyone wants the hero story, everyone wants to be entertained by the extraordinary. The amazing, the talented. But in reality, the extraordinary is a lifetime of doing the same thing over and over again. The hero is a person who didn't ask for glory but was forced onto it through pain and trials.
The four agreements
Ever thought about what makes you a good person? What makes you fare and judge. These four agreements do just that. Not in the eyes of others but to yourself. Only we can live our lives and live it true to ourselves. If someones say something is wrong, or not allowed, it's not because it is true but because that goes against the rules they themselves asset upon themselves. So ask yourself that is it that makes you good?
Schooling and education
We often confuse the difference between, schooling and education and one is not necessarily the same as the other. I went to school, I went to university. I have a bachelors degree and an honors degree. What I studied was graphic design, I don't use my degree at all. I'm a studio photographer and writer. All I got out of university what very expensive schooling.
Why do we always go back to our default?
What do I mean by this? default in the dictionary terms means to fail financially. But in terms of creativity, it means to me, your normal, your nature, your baseline, your go-to. And as creative's, we strive to better ourselves, push the bounders to express or change the way we see and think all the time. So why do most of us, do the same thing over and over again. Why are we so consistent with our default way of creating?
Creativity is it pure?
It's hard just pumping out content all the time, making art and expressing yourself to no end. But for some reason, we feel completed to do it. For strangers to see, look at, feel, appreciate and share. We all have good intentions to tell our story to show the world how we see it. But deep down, we all know the truth, our intentions are selfish and narcissistic. Let me explain.
Hello world
Hello world, it’s been a while. It’s been one hell of a year that has passed us. And during this year of turmoil, I was absent. I’m sorry for not informing you of what I was up to, or why is switched off. I went silent during this world pandemic, Covid-19 was an emotional roll a coaster for myself and everyone around me.For us, in New Zealand, our government took away our liberties, but we were all willing. Sacrificing temporary freedom was a no brainer. We were only allowed to go outside for exercise and buying essential goods. Travel was restricted and quickly two weekends of lockdown turned into months. Work stopped, income for many of us halted. I desperately wanted to document our country during this pandemic, but the only registered journalists were allowed to go outside and on the empty street.
Living for the likes
Problems arise when you stop living and creating for yourself and start living a lifestyle and create content for your viewers or audience instead of yourself. This is where it stops being about life and a passion for creating and starts becoming a monetization burden if you stop. Creating for what gets the most likes or engagement, can snowball insecurity about your audience leaving you if you stop. This is false, and let me tell you why.
Gear isn't finite
I'm going to show you what gear I use. And I also want you to know that gear isn't finite, it changes over time. And that all this gear that you see in front of you, sure it helps in capturing a picture but it's not the end all be all. Gear, settings, controls, styles, are all concerns of the hobbyist and amateur, they are good to know and important but they aren't what makes a picture great. the story, the meaning, the purpose is what makes an image.
'The decisive moment' is killing photography
The fallacy around 'The decisive moment' is killing photography. Focusing on the one perfect photograph. The image that captures it all. A photograph that not only says a thousand words but a narrative too is in truth, a unicorn, a fallacy, a dream. So why is the decisive moment killing photography?
Bear your soul
Bear your soul through your lens. Become vulnerable by showing your true self, the person you are scared to reveal. Try to stop carrying about what avatars think and say. Stop looking at an infinite feed of individual images that tell no story. Because when you start focusing on getting attention on these platforms you lose yourself, and you lose your creativity. Bear your soul and do it regardless if anyone is watching or not. Because if you need to think to create, I suggest you stop thinking.
Making something out of nothing
The world is in a very strange, scaring and uncertain place right now. I'm lucky enough for the time being to be alive and safe at home. As I'm writing this, I'm living in New Zealand, our borderers are closed, the whole country is in lockdown and no one's leaving their homes. Police are patrolling the streets and to go anywhere, one needs permission or a pass given by the government. All because of Covid-19. But out of all this negative, scary time in history, there is a small positive… we all have been given time.
Incremental steps
We have all done new years resolutions. The day before or the week after we all come up with the most stereotype goals, mainly all physical or finical. That first month most of us stick to it. Getting past February is amazing if you're still in there, but here is where most of us lose focus or motivation to continue as we aren't seeing results. Heres how to stick with it till you start seeing results and your goals are achieved.
What are you selling?
We are all here, and like it or not we are all selling something. What are you selling? What are you doing or creating to sell, produce, service, obtain, give, get, share? We all provide something to this world be it for colleges or customers. It's a very capitalist view of the world but its true. What are you selling?