(Vital Art is my ongoing attempt to cobble together a list of what I consider “essential” works – basically a low-brow version of Harold Bloom’s “How to Read and Why”, only encompassing all forms of art.)
I stumbled a little when deciding what the initial piece of Vital Art I’d discuss would be, and decided to take it easy on myself and pick something I love, and that’s often dismissed as guttural or “common”. (more…)
Between the ages of 17 and 25ish, when I wasn’t training as an artist (or just wasting time), I spent the bulk of my time in the gym. At various junctures I worked as a trainer, assistant manager and salesman at a string of clubs the connective tissue being my friend and mentor Mike. Arnold Schwarzenegger entered my life around the same time, not as a movie star, but as the most successful bodybuilder in the world. (more…)
Drowned RatI was caught in an epic downpour yesterday, hence the title, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
During my sabbatical this past year, in addition to writing novels and story treatments, I dedicated a significant chunk of time researching success – its causes and obstacles (the Fundamental: Success project). This started with curiosity about why many of my clients notionally accept the idea of formal, proven process, and then immediately go about dismantling the process in favor of familiar routine. (more…)
10 Movies that Changed My BrainI’ve been thinking a lot about stories lately; how they’re built, what engages us, why are they important, etc. I think the thing about a good story, one that affects you deeply, isn’t so much that they implant something new into your brain, as much as they trigger recognition within you of something like a universal truth that you may not have had a clear bead on yet. (more…)
Matinees and GhostsGot it into my head I needed to see “Star Trek Into Darkness”, decided to avail myself of the aggressive schedule available, and chose a 9:30 am show up the street at Courthouse. After the blissful warmth of Friday, this cool grey Saturday was tailor-made for a trip to a celluloid (well, I guess it’s digital now) temple. (more…)
I gave myself the gift of a good walk today, allowing myself to see things I tend to ignore. And it was a good reminder that you don’t need to be scaling Kilimanjaro, nor riding donkeys down the Grand Canyon to be treated to the sublime beauty of the world we live in. I host a weekly meetup, and during last nights session I was reminded of the powerful difference curiosity makes when engaging the world. Look closely, make no assumption, and universes unfold where before there was nothing but a tree. (more…)
I’ve finally finished the migration of my content from my old layout and hand-coded pages to this snazzy new WordPress content management system. Now that I’ve got the nuts and bolts taken care of, I’m looking forward to sharing new projects and ideas with you! The site’s organized by three major concepts; creativity I’ve done for money, creativity I’ve done for fun, and stories told in words.
Thanks for dropping by, and zap me a note if you have any questions, find any broken links or just want to gab.