two) attachment to people and things diminishes life when they aren't around. keep attachments fluid.
three) look less at other people for life instruction, and more towards nature.
four) people who judge others are sleep walking.
five) look at the light and into the deep dark.
What I learned about conflict is that the path back to harmony is to still the waters and to take responsibility for whatever I can, leaving the rest up to someone else. This way, I am free to move on or further in, without more angry feelings. Sometimes the other person can be really, really wrong, and sometimes it's me who is wrong. I can make the other person and myself less wrong by taking responsibility for my part. Taking photographs, and especially portraits of people, teaches me the flow of things between myself and another person. There's a saying that goes: It takes two people to create a conflict, but only one to make it worse. It's a bit like a zen koan, deciding which one you are by the path you've chosen to take. This photograph of someone's graffiti on a Brooklyn wall sums it up pretty nicely.
"my bad" photograph
After my son left for his first year in college, my life suddenly exploded, opening up tons of creative energy that had been buried under the stress of highschool, and the prep and wait period leading up to college acceptance and rejections. October and November were all about new things: new friends filling my life frame, a renewed interest in yoga, and a reflective look at my years in HapKiDo were capturing my body; seven new clients in my therapy practice walked through my office door, and most amazing of all was that my weekends were filled with friends and clients positioned in front of my camera collaborating to create their portraits. Wow...
New York and especially Brooklyn are amazing places where your creative energy can always regenerate and come alive again.
Ending 2015 with a big thankful feeling. Devoting myself to learning how to cook more soups (besides chicken, thank you Aeric Meredith-Goujon), so I can offer a warm bowl to every person who comes for a portrait.
New York portrait sessions
