shut the door

This week brings the almost dead stop of the industry until the new year. I can't say I enjoy this as I really love being on set.

Hiking has become more frequent to augment my inability to escape farther than orange county. December will bring a few trips to the east coast and hopes to start the new year off in MI. With 4th quarter numbers coming in as I return in mid Jan I hope that publishers, editors and various other clients realize they haven't had to sell the shirts off their backs and that they need new images for new campaigns, catalogs and so forth.

Finding solace in a landscape that is still alien has permeated my personal work. Still a human-less world with subtle nuances of an existence.

I steer away from the urban decay, as many peers seems to wrapped up in. I soon hope to find the interweaving of them in nature's ultimate victory.

You have to shut the door on certain things in your life, be it a relationship, place or person, to get somewhere that allows you to grow. Easier said than done.

Things I have learned. (edited version of Stefan Sagmeister's list with some of my own)

• Helping other people helps me.
• Having guts always works out for me.
• Thinking life will be better in the future is stupid. I have to live now.
• Everything I do always comes back to me.
• Assuming is stifling.
• Hindsight is 20/20.
• Keeping a diary supports personal development.
• Trying to look good limits life.
• Material luxuries are best enjoyed in small doses.
• Worrying solves nothing.
• Complaining is silly, either act of forget.
• Everybody thinks they are right.
• Low expectations are a good strategy.
• Everybody who is honest is interesting.
• Learn from everyone.
• Follow no one.
• Watch for patterns.
• Work like hell.

Each item on the list could be followed by a lengthy commentary which might happen bit by bit in the future.

For now, looking forward and working like hell while keeping in mind that everything I do comes back to me is what motivates me. We shall see what work comes of this.