Why not illustrate your own story?

A prayer. A reflection. An attempt.

Just a little observation...

So I found this amazing book, that just about everyone has read, but no one told me about! On the Road by Jack Kerouac.

Anyway, I was reading and pondering and thinking some more and then observed the time I had spent reading and also the in between spaces where I wasn't reading. I had no time to go on Facebook, hardly anytime to watch TV and I just ended up talking and hanging out with my family! Brilliant, right?

Now, don't get me wrong. Reading won't make all your problems go away, but the way I've taken to reading certainly allows for some sort of refocusing.

Also watching Gonzo (2007) a kind of a biography of the writer that was Hunter S. Thompson, a self proclaimed freak, user of drugs and lover of guns.

I'll do another post on this at a later date, but just thought it would be worth a mention now while it's still fresh and sort of as a reminder for that later date. I have been reading and coming into contact with these freaks, if you will. These writers and people who constantly find themselves situated on the fringes and the margins, under highway bridges and huddled behind dumpsters, some in respecting neighbourhoods. They all seem to talk and suggest this alternate place, this other way of being, many of them with the help of alcohol and drugs and hallucinogens and still others with just their pens. It has really got my brain ticking over. There is no one way that they have come to this conclusion, while the majority, about 95%, would not look to Followers of Jesus for that pathway. It's got me thinking.

David Firth

So I only just discovered who this guy, David Firth.

I particularly like his work, not because of the animation, but because of the originality of his ideas. His ability to create thought provoking stuff that seems to be an underlying concern for most people, even if only subconsciously.

What do you reckon?

p.s. here's a link to one of his animations: "Time"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIIMj6eyhlg&feature=related

Pulp Fiction

I bought a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition of 'Pulp Fiction', one of Tarantino's most acclaimed flicks.

What I'm liking at the moment about my 'film bug' is that it is pushing me to delve deeper into the world of Film and look past media snapshots. For instance, most people readily and without notice paint the picture of Tarantino, assume because of his movies, as being distasteful. Tarantino uses violence as a cinematic tool, he uses the cliche and puts it on a trajectory that throws everything out of whack. That is his brilliance, that and he's way with words especially the dialog of his characters.

When I have more time, I'll re-watch Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill Vol. 1. I'd like to start collecting the DVD's of movies I find really enjoyable to watch. Also if you know of any independent Directors and Writers to look out for, let me know please.

Art, Design, Activism, Film, Poetry, etc, etc...

I had an interesting realisation after watching "Lord of War (2005)". It was the same realisation I got after watching "Taken (2008)".

What struck me was that in order to expose the vile 'arms race' (Lord of War, 2005) or the grotesque nature of human trafficking (taken, 2008), the writers and directors had to step right into those respective worlds. To an extent, I'd dare say, where they had to walk in the shoes of those they despised. It was the means, by which the exposed the vile and the grotesque in order to envision an end. The peaceful and the beautiful.

This has got me set on an unusual trajectory. In fact a few trajectories. Some down the Road called Film, and via Art & Design Avenue, and yet another down Activist Poet Lane.

I have no idea where these thoughts will lead me. But there is an enormous amount of 'vile and grotesque' happening around us. There's elections going on as well. But is casting our ballot our way of passively accepting that the change we seek rests in the hands of Politicians? I'm inclined to say, "Yes it is!"

Politicians, the law makers of our society, are constantly seeking where the wind Public Approval and Ratings are coming from. The reality is that there hands are tied and that without public pressure and the backing of Social Justice Movements, no real change could be made.

I'm the kind of person who thinks that our beliefs are only true to the extent by which we act upon them. So it is with great hesitation that write all of this. Where does it leave me? How then shall I act upon these convictions? Who will go there with me?

another site you have to check for inspiration...

A friend of mine, Rui, shared this page with me a while back and I just remembered it and checked it out again and thought it might be useful here :D

It seems to fit...

http://www.qubik.com/zr/?paged=9

spread the love like marmalade.

Dark side of the lens...

Absolutely brilliant. I really like everything about this short film.

http://vimeo.com/14074949

So go check it on vimeooooooo....