Chew On It

Have you ever gone fruit-picking? There’s something special about walking up to a plant, plucking off delicious, sun-ripened fruit and plopping it into your bucket to take home. If you’re a gardener, you know the satisfaction of toiling in the dirt, watering for days and celebrating the results of your tender, loving care. It’s like producing a masterpiece!

Masterpieces come in all forms; fruit, flower and unusual plants remind me of great works of art and they require a similar patience before we can enjoy the final product. Everyone can appreciate cultivating a piece of food from a seed, but the definition of "art" varies by individual. Take a look at one man’s artwork:

                                             

                                          https://youtu.be/WSzkKEKcmN4  

How interesting that a kid’s preoccupation with chewing gum grew into a life-long passion and a career. Anything is possible once passion and creativity collide. What’s your passion in life and how can you use it to bring joy to others?     

               

Reprinted from August 2012  

Shunned, But Not Forgotten

It’s over. For more than twenty years, I boycotted a designer. I passed on purchasing coats, pants, shoes, and all kinds of cool apparel. Here’s the back story:

For years, I’ve enjoyed art and advertisements. I worked at an ad agency, and usually pay close attention to magazine ad campaigns. One day, while browsing through a fashion magazine, I noticed one designer’s ad for apparel or perfume. Over time, I forgot the particular product, but the use of nude models stuck with me.

Nudity in magazine ads, in films, and on TV feels like an artistic cop-out. If a product or project is fantastical and compelling, does nudity need to be part of the picture? It feels like a cop-out for a lack of creativity. And so, without circulating a petition or making a scene, I started my personal boycott of a fashion designer.

The designer has suffered long enough. It’s time to end the boycott. Let bygones be bygones. These days established designers manufacture apparel for all price levels, and so I finally bought a dress by the designer whose products I had avoided for so many years.

Boycotts have a place whether public or personal, short or long-term, silly or serious. You never know what people will want to boycott:

                                          https://youtu.be/kasj3IXuAT4

Every morning people flock there for a morning fix. When we’re on vacation, we’ll visit that establishment about five times a week for breakfasts, beverages, snacks, or restroom breaks. I’m against genetically-modified products, too. I sympathize with Mr. Young’s position, but another boycott? It’s too soon! I’m not ready to make that sacrifice. 

That’s the problem with protests. Despite your best intentions, there will be non-supporters. Regardless of how other people feel, what position would you defend for twenty years or more?             

Taking It For Granted?

Are you more likely to clean the inside or the outside of your vehicle? I often try to do a thorough vacuuming before passengers pile in. When it comes to the outside, I hope for a hard rain. Unfortunately, the weather disappoints me. Either it doesn’t rain hard enough to wash away the grime or I’m parked in a place where I miss the cleansing shower. I’m usually the driver with the not-so-clean vehicle, but I’m not the only one.

One day we stopped at a red light and looked over at the vehicle that had pulled up beside us. This driver’s vehicle looked like an angry crowd had pelted it with mud balls. We laughed until our sides ached. I can’t imagine how the vehicle got that dirty. Maybe the driver hoped to run into this guy:

 

                                          http://youtu.be/I9NGuz2U9w8

 He cleaned the window until it sparkled, applied more dirt, then drew a masterpiece. After admiring the art for a moment, he rinsed it off. Why, Scott? Why?! Somebody get this guy some paper! It’s hard to watch beautiful art trickle away. Sometimes the things we have come so easily that we take them for granted. What have you taken for granted lately?

Chew On It

Have you ever gone fruit-picking? There’s something special about walking up to a plant, plucking off delicious, sun-ripened fruit and plopping it into your bucket to take home. If you’re a gardener, you know the satisfaction of toiling in the dirt, watering for days and celebrating the results of your tender, loving care. It’s like producing a masterpiece!

Masterpieces come in all forms; fruit, flower and unusual plants remind me of great works of art and they require a similar patience before we can enjoy the final product. Everyone can appreciate cultivating a piece of food from a seed, but the definition of "art" varies by individual. Take a look at one man’s artwork:

                                                     http://youtu.be/WSzkKEKcmN4

How interesting that a kid’s preoccupation with chewing gum grew into a life-long passion and a career. Anything is possible once passion and creativity collide. What’s your passion in life and how can you use it to bring joy to others?     

               

What Defines You ?

Is there one animal that defines you?  What about the lion for its courage, or the bear for its strength—maybe it’s the cheetah for its speed? 

We often use make-up, clothes and hair styles to guide how we want the outside world to view us.  Sometimes we take this practice to the next level.  Females pierced their ears lobes and later, men followed suit.  Men got tattoos and woman followed suit, then both sexes expanded beyond ear lobes to… just about everywhere! 

Perhaps the next level of self-expression is body modification.  People are visiting establishments where there are technicians who insert devices beneath the skin to create this new body art.  One man who performs these procedures on “patients” manufactures his own tools because there are few medical instruments that satisfy his surgical needs.  Of course, as with piercings and tattoos there is a wide range of personal expression using body modification.  Check out this video to see how one man chose to combine piercings, tattoos and body modification.     

Interesting, huh?

So, if you could wear a symbol, special tattoo, or piece of artwork on your forehead for one day, what would you choose to define yourself to the world?