Tag Archives: the art of

corporate consumerism: the end of simple shopping

flickr.com/photos/macieklew/351554256/

flickr.com/photos/macieklew/351554256/

I’m a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy. I’ve got simple tastes. I frequent the chain stores of the thrifty hipster class: Target, Ikea, Trader Joe’s*. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could just about get by on those three stores and no more.

Over the last few years, I’ve grown more aware and interested in the consequences of my most basic decisions, including where I choose to spend my money. Not only that, I’ve also grown more and more tired of the soul-sucking mega-multi-national corporations. I’ve come to believe that bigger corporations equal more corporate employees which equals, roughly, less fulfillment, less creativity and less skill per capita (as well as more inequality, more hierarchy and less transparency). I think small business is the way to go, both as alternative career path and alternative consumer destination. The interwebosphere is making that a more viable and less risky option all the time. But what about the good ol’ brick and mortar stores, where, I’ll go out on a limb to say, most of us still prefer to go most of the time?

And if I believe so much in supporting local small business, as I claim to, why do I still spend most of my money at big chains, or even small chains?… Read more…

the art of hip hop

the art of hip hop
KRS-One has described hip hop in many ways, but my favorite was on his album with Marley Marl entitled ‘Hip Hop Lives’. The song was called ‘I Come Back’ and in it he gives a couple acronyms, my favorite being ‘Holy Intergrated People Having Omnipresent Power’. That’s comforting to me. I love it. Because hip hop at its core is a movement. It’s action. It’s a culture.

You need to understand that hip hop is one of the most prominent genres of music and it is barely thirty years old. You also need to understand that it came from nothing. A few kids in the South Bronx had no instruments, but their parents had a turntable and so did their buddy’s parents. So let’s play records back to back to back. Matter of fact, let’s just play that real funky break and we can jam all night to that rhythm. That’s the birth of the DJ in a nutshell…. Read more…

the art of relationship

flickr.com/photos/adc/411821495/

flickr.com/photos/adc/411821495/

The art, the structure, the mathematics and beauty of life, of me and you, of two people relating in ways we should. Reasons and rules life exists by.

There is a formula. There are ingredients. There is a mix, of colors and spirits, that makes something beautiful, something beyond.
I dare to share. Will you dare to hear?

What are little girls made of? Cinnamon and spice, and all things nice. That’s what little girls are made of.

What are little boys made of? Snails, puppy dogs tails and all things gross. That’s what little boys are made of.

What is a relationship?… Read more…

finally start writing your screenplay

Originally posted July, 2009 @ http://crh.scatterseed.com/july09/finally-start-writing-your-screenplay/.

flickr.com/photos/casanovapacifista/2234614445/

flickr.com/photos/casanovapacifista/2234614445/

When a movie trailer comes on TV, something in the back of your mind switches on. As you see movie posters in the mall, a feeling passes through your gut. Any mention of the Oscars, Sundance, or Cannes moves your heart a little.

You have a Big Idea, and you ache to see it written, revised, bought, cast, shot, edited, and projected onto a big screen in front of an audience. And you believe that your job is Job #1: put the Idea on paper. You want, or dare I say, need to write a screenplay. You are compelled, and if you’re the Believing type, you believe that it’s the will of God in your life. Simply put, it’s your dream.

However, dreams aren’t easy to achieve; otherwise they’d just be chores. So you frequently ask yourself:… Read more…

your trek to becoming a videographer

Originally posted June, 2009 @ http://crh.scatterseed.com/june09/your-trek-to-becoming-a-videographer/.

web.mac.com/creativemonkey/Site/Production_Photos.html#11

web.mac.com/creativemonkey/Site/Production_Photos.html#11

To begin a successful video production you must start with the end result, or at least what you hope to achieve. When at the brainstorming level, ask yourself some basic guideline questions: What or who is the subject matter? Who’s going to watch it – i.e., what is your target audience? What is the overall goal for this production? Who are you trying to make famous, the topic or yourself? Installing this practice from the get-go sets efficiency in motion. Answering these questions also offers practicality and gives you the boost to sketch in the emotions, influence and message you’re trying to convey to your viewers. Take these simple steps as a hinted list and apply them, then proceed to launch yourself from pre-production into production.

We now journey into picking up a moving image camera and printing the story in our head to tape. Production is where the videographer shines. The set has now become a place of residence where they bring vision to reality. A great shooter is not only able to set up the ideal shot, get the right angles and capture essential moments, but they also approach each scene with an editor’s point of view. Since the editor needs to tell the same story by piecing together the images provided by the videographer, it’s essential the videographer has the forethought to gather more than enough video. If you take anything away today from this learning session let it be this – thinking in terms of editing is going to give you above average results every time!… Read more…