I’m pretty excited. 4 of my works have been accepted to the art:raw inaugural exhibition in New York. they have a really classy site and a lot of work and effort has gone into the event. here’s an excerpt from them:

Our current collectors and trade professionals will receive a special invitation to the preview night. We also have members of the press on the list of invitees, so if you’re in NYC stop by February 19 for the opening. The show will be advertised in at least one national magazine- we’re currently negotiating with Art Forum magazine- as well as every local service in New York. And we’re working on event sponsors.

The mission of Art Raw Gallery is to expose emerging artists to the New York market. We will be choosing artists from the inaugural show for future exhibitions with every exhibit in 2009 being curated by other artists. Excitement has already brewed around this event as one of the largest in Manhattan and regardless of the news, champagne continues to flow in the art world.

–art:raw

i’m amped about this thing, it looks *so* cool. hundreds of works by international artists to check out. live video feed. dunno if anyone’s interested in taking a trip to new york for the opening on February 19th, but feel free to drop me a line.

my works were featured on their site for a while but with tons of artists to organize there is currently some re-organization going. for now, my name is on the list of participating artists, and more info can be found on their event page.

keep you all posted

Another edition of creative beauty boosts has arrived. my last post on creative boosts for women went over really well, and i’ve decided to offer a part 2, focusing on less of the appearance aspects of beauty and more the mental and emotional attitudes that may be worth cultivating.

i have been hunting down and building up links for an awesome article for men as well, which i hope to release shortly. which is not to say that these creative beauty posts are not beneficial to men as well, even while putting them together i learned a lot, was able to put myself in another person’s shoes, and really improved my own understanding of the world.

in the same manner as last time, i’ve left these in random order to hopefully encourage a gradual absorption of what’s here and to increase attention. enjoy!

what it is to be a woman - one of the most beautiful pieces on the internal and external beauty of women i’ve read.

eco-salon - 24 ways to quiet your mind.

10 home birth facts no one is telling you - love those catchy titles

hunter nuttall - how to be a woman - definitely some interesting content.

teen girls may be having oral sex, but the problem is you - the comments section of the above link contains some intriguing responses.

focus on your self. it may sound a little counter-intuitive, but i still recommended being selfish. take steps and learn and grow for yourself. acquire or develop new traits and characteristics and habits in yourself that make *you* feel like a better person. does it feel good to be irresistible and desirable? then do it for yourself, not to get anything (a date, love, etc.,) focus on that. does it feel good to worry less and be more playful? then look to others who are this way and learn from them. by improving oneself, there lies a powerful way to help the world and everyone around you at the same time. it helps both the self and others, and you may be surprised at what phenomenal rewards are in store. what are some ways to be a more beautiful woman? this post may give some ideas: 12 things women do that men find irresistible.

posh organix - avoid putting toxins on your body or into the environment and still get high quality beauty care products.

10 benefits to orgasms - control appetite, tone muscle, sleep better, boost immune system, and more

30 skills every woman should have before she turns 30 - lol, pretty self-explanatory.

bra-fittings - indirectly about the soul, learn about them NOW. please. for yourself, for your body, for all the people who behold you

smart girls at the party - a tv show with good intentions, celebrates young girls changing the world by being themselves. a little mushy for some people, but the trailers’ worth a quick look.

any-body - challenging the limited representation of females in society… i get a weird vibe from this site, but i’m going to link it anyway. take whatever good you can from it.

10 crazy facts about love - “If we take our cue from apes, rosy cheeks are crucial in the dating game, says a new study.” facts? perhaps…

internet dating stories - some great real-life stories on here. categories like: before we even met, bizarre dates, happily ever after, rants, etc.

mon.thly.info - don’t think i can summarize it better than this quote: “Thank God I discovered Mon.thly.Info—a website that takes the guesswork out of menstruating by tracking and predicting your period, free of charge.” —BUST Magazine

men most romantic at 53 - uh… love sweeping generalizations, but i am sure some women would be interested in this.

kissing.com - the art of kissing. this feels pretty natural to me and they push a dvd for sale; still there is a lot of good material in there: kissing with braces, different types of kiss, how to get boys to kiss you (<grin>, if its me… just ask :P)  kissing is a powerful soulful exchange. can’t hurt to learn about… or try…. mm.

triangle theory of love - supremely interesting take on the different types of love we feel.

this is what its like being a hot girl - a guy conducts a social experiment to see what its like to be a hot chick online. can really help one put themselves in anothers shoes.

ABC of yoga - a friendly introduction to a beneficial chakra-balancing practice many are interested in.

what the motherhood mafia never told you - the mystery of birth is often shrouded in superstition - pregnancy myths such as “eating for two” are debunked here.

defining your style - tips like: find a mentor, pick someone to guide you to new levels of style

love your body - every day!

things to keep - keep your thoughts positive, because they become your words…

our intentions is where most of our changes take place. if a person truly intends something there is a subtle shift in energy, it might not even be apparent or noticeable, even to the person who chose to intend something. a man is walking north towards a mountain, as he walks he realizes the mountain lies slightly west and that if he keeps walking in a line straight north he is actually getting further and further and will miss it by miles. so he decides to make the tiniest change in his direction, a barely noticeable footfall. and now he is heading more northwest, and almost directly towards the mountain. he just saved himself from missing his mark and tremendous amounts of work/backtracking. this is what our intentions are like. intentions will get your thoughts on the right track. your thoughts will repeat and serve their purpose and guide your actions, actions become habits and suddenly you’re living in the way you intended. it may take a little time or a lot, but that minute change in life’s direction is key.

intend to be miserable and difficult. intend to find some drama or be a victim… or intend to be a healthy weight. intend to be a vibrant personality, its so simple, it doesn’t even require action… the action follows the thought which follows the intention. there may be some hard times involved on the path, some hills and valleys, but at least we are intending directly towards our destination. what should we intend? intend whatever you feel will make you happiest, but here’s a personal favourite: joy is sexy.

12 powerful life lessons - follow your dreams, don’t fear the unknown. simple stuff but a great reminder and explained in nice language.

what makes a woman sexy - how to beautiful, attractive, desirable and unforgettable.

a couple bonus links:

live on less and love it - perhaps an eye-opener of what can be done when we stop seeking wealth and appreciating what we have.

the girl who silenced the world - this could be looked at as a dramatic take on the environment and feels a little harsh on the cycle of life perhaps, but i feel it will appeal to readers of my site. i’d love to hear some thoughts on this one. “even when we have more than enough, we will not share with the needy. we are afraid to share. afraid to let go of some of our wealth.”

that wraps up this post. its not strictly, 100% about beautifying the ’soul’, except in that everything is about beautifying the soul, but it stays away from most of the physical aspects of beauty. if you’re interested in beautifying the body more, check out pt. 1. take some time to share some thoughts if you feel like it…

Ladies and gentlemen, i present to you a new piece entitled ‘tribute.’  I am quite pleased with how this turned out. it was truly an inspired piece, heavily influenced by the works of steve nederveen (who’s works i viewed at nuit blanche), inuit/native/aboriginal art, canada, autumn, and nature. it was designed at a size of 30″ x 30″ in full resolution so i am able to print it quite large it’d look great on a wall, dontcha think?

it took many many layers and re-working and playing to get it right and i’d like to give a huge heartfelt thank you to david leggett’s spray brushes for photoshop (whose beautifully designed tools i’ve used once before.)

Tribute - 2008.10.21

(if anyone is interested in purchasing this piece please head over to the shop.)

Alright, the CAMH / art 4 awareness art auction approaches!

“You are invited to The Third Annual Art for Awareness Silent Auction at Hemingway’s on Saturday, October 18th at 8pm.  Following the auction, there will be a live musical performance by wordPEOPLE.  All proceeds from this event will be donated to The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.  Hemingway’s is located at 142 Cumberland Street in Yorkville. “

if you are interested i’d love to see you out at hemmingway’s in yorkville this saturday for awesome art, live music, good times and a fun experience :)  invite someone else, make an evening of it, who knows maybe you’ll get some awesome art for a good deal!

Why are things the way they are? are we a product of our surroundings? if we are abused as children must we live merely as a product of that abuse? why don’t we always get what we want? who is at fault?

in this article, i’m going to discuss a major block to living creatively, the relationship between abuser and victim, because that relationship is often what prevents growth, the formation of new ideas, or avenues for different solutions, and so on.

how many times have you heard someone say that they “can’t” take steps towards a desire that they have, or expand their skillset or creative horizons “until they _____” (fill in the blank.) victims tend to feel at the mercy of all their outside surroudings, completely and monumentally incapable of exerting even the smallest change in their situation or lives, or they automatically assume that such a change if implemented would be negligible and “not make a difference.” they feel the world is unfair and refuse to take responsiblity for it.

examples of the victim mentality

-“ginger complains she can’t make more money until women’s/minorities place in the world is improved.” — so she wait for rights to improve.

-“raph tells me he won’t be able to find a good woman until he has a good job.” — so he doesn’t even try, interestingly though, a characteristic he attributes to a good woman is one that doesn’t care too much about money.

-“donna says she can’t lose weight until i’m out of this abusive relationship.” — but donna won’t leave the relationship until she’s sure she won’t be alone, so its a catch 22.

abusers generally feel powerless deep-down and want to feel powerful or loved and that there are no alternatives to taking what they want at others expense. they take and hold onto anything that’s even remotely good to them, and gripping so tightly, they often settle for a sub-standard version of what they really want or they close themselves off to many opportunities for more. victims sometimes feel that abusers “have it good,” (in fact askmen.com even has an article teaching the skill of intimidation) taking advantage of others, but generally, it does not feel good to behave the way they do, there is a feeling of inferiority. the trend with abusers is interrogation, intimidation, and aggression.

examples of the abuser mentality:

-“oh you’ll never get ahead that way, do such and such like i do or you’ll be a loser.” — they think all about winning, losing, competing and are happy to step on others while doing so.

-“do you want to lose me? huh? do you? do you want to end up alone on the streets?” — they will paint (often loudly and aggressivley) intimidating pictures to manipulate others into doing what they want.

-“why would you DO something like that? i would’ve done it like this.” — a subtler example, notice the tendency to negate others steps in life and exert domination, control, and superiority.

how do these types of behaviour stifle creativity? they have a tendency to lock people into cycles, which take progressively more energy to break out of and it can be a long journey to get past them (unless a threshold is broken and someone ’snaps’, then it usually occurs quickly and sometimes violently.) it is generally a rare thing to find a musician/artist/dancer in a dead end job and an unhealthy abusive relationship who is successfully creating beautifully. instead they are generally tired, unmotivated and stuck in a routine. the reasons may vary when you talk to these people about their desires and passions from “oh i just don’t have the time” to “it takes too much work” to “my partner doesn’t support it/want it so i don’t do it” and so on, but the end result is the same, they take zero active steps towards their goal.

life has ways of taking care of these issues, whether pushing someone to their breaking point, guiding them to articles that may break the cycle or plant the seed for them to change their views, or something even more subtle, so its not a big deal. mainly i want to share that there may be more pleasant ways to avoid the situation altogether or learn about it quickly and efficiently. some of these lessons i learned myself took a little longer than i’d have chosen now that i know what i know .

mass examples in society

some very common situations look at mass victim-abuser mentality, and are all generally considered controversial semi-taboo subjects where i live: rape, slavery, class-distinction, feminism, gay-rights, single-mothers, immigrants, sexual abuse, alcoholism/addiction, etc. in regards to these subjects it is not uncommon for me to hear things like:

-”oh, they are asking for it when they get raped.”

-”they deserve it after putting up with years of slavery.”
-”that person was abused as a child, they just can’t help themselves.”
-”understand they do not have control over the situation, they are literally being forced or coerced.”

these issues usually bring out strongly divided opinions when discussed, for one side or another, one sympathizing passionately for the victim and the other rampantly justifying the attacker’s behaviour. i find it extremely rare to see a kind-hearted, open, honest discussion of the small and large choices each role makes in the victim-abuser relationship.

personal examples

whether you’re familiar with the above types of behaviour or not, throwing blame around and interrogating others are things i’ve encountered from time to time, and things i’ve done myself in the past, and while doing so i basically got myself stuck in life. uncreative, stagnant, and settling. i will share a couple personal examples where i will focus on my role in this, but there is a flipside and the other people i interacted with in these situations had their own responsibilities in the matter.

i made very little art while i was busy being miserable about circumstances or being tired from the hoops i was ‘forced’ to jump through by others all day. i settled for low wages despite knowing deep down i could, should, and would earn far more doing what i truly wanted. when i put that mentality aside and trusted myself (and the world) that i would be ok and did not need to depend on abusive bosses, non-paying clients and mundane workplaces to survive, i realized that death was not something to fear and that the fear (so much fear) itself is what held me back from creatively thriving. that’s all i did, i just chose not to depend on things i had learned to depend on. somehow in life i’d gotten the impression that any job was better than no job, and that putting up with shit was a virtue. i made the very small-and-yet-large-at-the-same-time choice to no longer think that way. many things have happened since then that never would’ve occurred if i’d kept banging my head against a wall in the same cycle. now i face challenges everyday and limitations that force me to think out of the box but it is not a crushing miserable weight, it is a pleasant pressure, like a slight push or guide in the right direction.

an example of some aggressive behaviour i’d engaged in my life is that i was unable to appreciate the massive amounts of beautiful women available to me for a while because i was too focused and too busy trying to mould and control and force one relationship into being what i wanted instead of being open to tons of others. pointed questions and tense exchanges were the norm, and i am sure i wasn’t helping others feel good nor myself. it went on for sometime because like a classic abuser mentality, i was “worried that this would be my only chance to have the relationship i wanted.” eventually, when i grew past that and let it all go, extremely quickly i became a magnetic power for the type of relationship and people i felt good about. these days i tend to have an excess of beautiful women, inside and out and wonderful family friends and clients i get along with in my life and i only see more on the horizon.

why was i stuck in these conditions that did not feel right and good and desirable to me? because my choices kept me stuck that way. only when i made different choices, did the situation change. acknowledgement of this simple principle changed my life and i am so grateful.

what can be done?

choose differently; everything in life is a choice. if you know you are stuck in a victim mentality of blaming others and feeling helpless, acknowledge that you are a person with mind, heart, body and that it takes two people to create the abuser-victim relationship and we all have our part in it. make a creative choice to stop complaining about your life and see what happens. experiment with smiling when you wake and before you sleep everyday for a week and see what happens. consider hugging someone when you feel they are abusing you, maybe they could use it, see what happens. there are tons and tons and tons of choices and actions that are easy and subtle and small steps that can have drastic and almost surreal results.

if you know that you intimidate others and don’t have very close relationships, take a baby step to change the cycle. resolve to share at least one personal thing with someone you wish you had a better relationship with (son, partner, friend, stranger, etc.) each month. if you feel the need to bully people and take advantage to get what you want, make a creative decision and try letting go of what you want: that promotion you trash-talk others in order to get, perhaps try waiting a bit or even recommending another person for the job and see what happens — you might not get the promotion, but you might be chosen for a better position weeks later for speaking nicely of others. too difficult? try something extra-simple like telling your mirror every morning that “you are truly loved and do not need to hoard or take from others,” then you can still continue on the cycle as you’re used to, just make that tiny 10 second change in your morning routine and see what happens.

people can be creative, experiment, and use their power and beautiful ability to choose, to try something different…

…or they can continue in the same vein they’ve been behaving in up til now.

we all have the choice

take care,
-j.

hi everyone. time to share some news of sorts.

a few weeks ago i placed 4 of my works (stepping through, precious decoration, queen and soho, and rgb) in a beautiful furniture studio called armario in vaughan mills village (255 bass pro mills dr., right beside vaughan mills mall.) the people running the place are absolutely wonderful and seem very kind and family oriented and the furniture designs are contemporary and elegant and gorgeous. i’d love to own almost anything from there. i highly recommend checking the place out. their website armario.ca is classy and can give a good feel for what they’re all about.

***

nuit blanche: i am sure the whole city is going to be abuzz with this today (talking about the zombie-walk?), i had intended to skip it in favour of rest, but at last minute i was persuaded to go out by my friends greg and jackie and i’m glad i did. there was soooo much beautiful art in the city, and so many people appreciating it. it was just a wonderful vibe all around.

my favourite was steven nederveen who specializes in works in a photo-transfer / mixed-media / gold-leaf kind of method, and i found it creative and inspiring. beautiful stuff.

it really needs to be seen in a gallery, close up, to be appreciated fully. wow.

***

finally: tonight is alexander keith’s birthday and it’s being celebrated at locations like molly blooms and the madison and so on around toronto… most notably its being celebrated in hemmingway’s who is currently displaying (and auctioning) 2 of my works for an organization called art 4 awareness that uses art to help various causes, like CAMH. if you’re lookin’ to get out tonight, consider hemmingway’s!

hemmingway’s at ourfaves.com

also, on october 18th, the actual artworks at hemmingway’s are being auctioned off, and there’s a live musical performance. may help you plan if you wanna come hang out and check the scene.

***

p.s. i’ve been working on tons of new pieces and currently have a commission on my plate, hopefully some beautiful pieces completed soon.

much love!

as if my artwork is not enough inspiration <grin> here is a slew of awesome artists to amaze. i’ve scoured the web throughout the years, building up bookmarks of artists that strike me and that i feel would strike others as well, and its time to share them.

quick jumps: comics | fantasy | sexuality/female form | computer generated | surrealism | dark | graffiti | illustration/simplified | prodigious | paper art | photography | sculpture | different

comic:

joshua middleton - sketchbook - wiki : josh middleton is an exceptional penciller with finely detailed linework. he’s been honored with acclaim and awards and with good reason.

jim lee - wiki - a famous artist in the comics world, prolific, stylistic, incredibly detailed. he had quite a run with his own publishing company, but has recently gotten back to his illustrator roots.

sam kieth - wiki - his phenomenal series, the maxx, made it in adapted form to MTV late night in the 90s. his style is kinda crazy, and so is his writing, but definitely high level, beautiful stuff.

frank miller - wiki - what can be said about this well-known artist. with the releases of sin city and 300 in hollywood, many people have looked into his stuff, but i had to give some props to his awesome noir style.

fantasy:

frank frazetta - wiki - yeah, ok, a genius fantasy painter/artist and hugely influential to tons of artists over the years. just go look at his beautiful work. frazetta is easily of the caliber of many old master artists, but of course he never really made it in the avant guarde art world, where representational art is not lauded very much.

dave mckean - wiki - dave mckean, my personal favourite artist for most of my life (though my moods change ), i could go on forever about how his pioneering mixed-media style was brought to bear before the power of photoshop ever hit the table, and he’s only gotten better. many cds you may be familiar with have artwork by mckean and his movies, though more under the radar than frank miller’s, carry the same flair and style he’s known for.

sexuality/female form:

otto von todd - blog - russian illustrator eugene schmidt working under the name Otto Von Todd, creates very alive and sensual characters with strong attitude showing through in his works. he has brilliant technique and a reverent sense of humor.

jiri subrt - outstanding portraits with unique angles and wonderful composition.

jack vettriano - wiki - this man’s popular images have been reproduced on millions of cards and posters, outstripping Monet and Van Gogh in the reproduction stakes. his way with paints and brushes is sublime.

computer generated:

michal kwolek - a relatively little known polish artist, but still a genius

wilhelm steiner [deaddreamer] - hailing from austria, this excellent fine digital artist is a huge inspiration for me personally. there is often a dark edge in his work and he creates very powerful pieces and colours. he’s quite prolific but many of his works are not easily found online. interestingly, i only recently found out that he lists dave mckean as his favourite artist, much like myself.

justin maller - deviant art [ekud] - a freelance digital artist, with beautiful fine art roots. he works primarily in photoshop and assorted 3D packages. lately he’s been growing largely in the commercial sector, he’s created a works for K-Swiss, Wrigley’s, JAG, Oakley, Samsung and many more, and i’m glad to see his awesome talent brighten the often hum-drum world of advertising.

surrealism:

ryohei hase - this man’s work is evocative and punchy, beautifully and painstakingly painted. some of it is very boundary-crossing for certain people, (warning: suggested violence and some nudity).

daniel arsham - behold the amazing work of this American artist, a specialist for several years in wall sculptures. he makes wonderful use of plaster and his sculptures really lead the imagination. “The prevelant urban architecture in which we find most of our daily activities is put into limbo and the natural world, which so many seem to dread, fear, or want to repress or destroy, finds its way seeping into each other. The world in which we are invited to view, experience, or live in mentally, is one of transformation.”

dark:

gerry davis - myspace - an awesome young irish artist, well versed in a broad range of media. i can see big things in this guy’s future.

bj burrows - pretty much similar to above. bj burrows is based out of peterborough, ontario, canada, and unfortunately there’s no real home on the web for online viewing, but his masterful twisting of people into dolls/caricatures laced with uncanny realism is absolutely beautiful.

graffiti:

banksy - once an almost feverishly famous renegade artist, now a completely feverishly famous art celebrity, i imagine most of my readers are at least passingly familiar with this man’s work.

herakut - a partnership of two graffiti artists, hera and akut, from germany - the end result is the combination of their wildly differing styles and philosophies on art, and it is appreciated

illustration/simplified:

eliza frye - dunno what to say look at her stuff. mm.

sarah mensinga - “raw innocence and persistent cheerfulness are hallmarks of her work, with only occasional counterpoints of gloom and malice. Her wildly stylistic work seems rooted in both comicbook and fairytale aesthetics.” — agreed.

prodigious:

a. schiller - possible hoax? - lord’s prayer on pin heads. “Under 500 magnification it was found that the tiny etchings seen on the heads of the pins were the words to The Lord’s Prayer, which is 65 words and 254 letters long.”

stephen wiltshire - “the human camera” - Memorizing minute details is easy for him. Verbal communication is not. Wiltshire is autistic, and his first words came when he was 5 years old. “I said, I want paper,” he recalled. “Please, can I have a paper, please, to draw?” - very impressive stuff to see.

bert monroy - wiki - this digital painter crafts the most exquisitely photo-realistic reproductions i’ve ever seen. one of the true pioneers of photoshop art. his work is really mind-blowing, the detail and time involved… just wow.

paper artists:

noriko ambe - is an artist who draws/cuts on paper, atlas and sketch books which have many layers. extremely intriguing use of paper as art.

paul jackson - initially fine art trained, paul jackson has been a freelance paper folder, origami artist and paper engineer since 1982. he first experimented with single-fold works that were beautiful in their simplicity. he says he feels often that less is more.

photography:

jean-paul navicet - awesome angles and lighting in his capturing of nature and the female form. this photographer is sublime and i’d love for his works to get more recognition. beautiful work and composition and models, yet always classy. enjoy.

kevin thom - residing in hamilton, ontario, kevin thom specializes in photos of people, but is a great all-around photographer. check him out

steve bloom - what to say about stephen bloom? i was turned on to his work by my brother. he is famous and celebrated for his monumental capturing of animals in nature, and his works touch many people’s hearts. unbelievably beautiful.

sculpture:

david delthony - sculpture is one thing, but sculpting stable, well-balanced, and gorgeously aesthetic furniture? that is something to marvel at

beth cavener stichter - still there’s something to be said for more traditional type sculpture, like stichter’s work.

alonzo clemons - wiki - a savant, with a photographic memory for animal sculpting similar to that of stephen wiltshire above, suffered a brain-injury when young, yet is able to produce stunning works.

different:

jason eppink - “take a seat”, his taking seats from garbage piles and providing them to weary subway travellers at no cost is a very interesting movement. the amount of criticism he’s received and his reactions to the critics are even more interesting.

beesean - not too much known about this japanese artist, but his style is cool and different and edgy. i love it.

joel hester - the turning of rusted car parts into unique, original, functional furniture is pretty impressive art on a number of levels. have a look.

i’d love to hear if you have any comments on any of the art/artists here. if they touched you or inspired you in anyway, or if it wasn’t really for you, or whatever. i intended for this to bring some visual beauty into everyone’s day.

tori noticed that my picture is on the homepage of toronto.com today (scroll down a bit.)

i thought it was pretty neat.

Risk. the verb ‘risk’ is a scary one for many people. merriam-webster defines it like so:

1 : to expose to hazard or danger.

which is a reasonable definition for purposes of this post. all of us take risks everyday that we don’t even give a thought to, simply to live and survive. we walk outside without fear of being randomly struck by lightning, but it happens. many of us cross against traffic, not even at a stoplight, while statistics show that pedestrians are generally at serious risk with tons of high-velocity metal vehicles moving all around them. these are things generally taken for granted (though i’m sure you can find a handful of people who actively feel trepidation as they cross the street or walk outside, but they are considered ‘paranoid’ in their reactions to these situations by society.) i read an interesting article on psychologytoday.com that researched the actual statistical risk factors involved in everyday things we fear, and the results/conclusions drawn were extremely interesting. it addressed questions like why do so many people in our society who do chronically severely detrimental things such as smoking - which ’shortens life’ an average of 5 years - do not fear their habit but instead have an intense fear towards flying in a plane - which shorten’s life an average of 1 day. at the end of the article there’s a quiz on risk-statistics with questions such as: “Which has killed more Americans, bird flu or mad cow disease? ” Answer: no American has died from either cause.

the actual risk involved in many situations/actions, is rarely directly related to our fears regarding them.

many of us suffer from extremely irrational fears unrelated to actual risk-factors? sort of. it depends on one’s view. it’s possible to look at it in a way in which everything is a risk. it’s been said that all we really have in this life is “time,” which we can trade for “anything we want” (often time is traded for money.) so whenever we spend our time (or energy, or attention) on something, we are risking missing out on all the opportunities of directing our time/energy/attention elsewhere. every time someone takes a pill, prescription or not, they are risking a severe allergic or cross-medicated reaction, and at the same time choosing not to take the pill, they risk missing out on relief from malaise or pain. every choice we make is one of risk. some simple choices result in some of the most absurd and improbable deaths.

an pleasantly-phrased explanation may be gleaned from this short prose on risk, from an unknown source (but i’d love to know who wrote it,) and i appreciate it.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to others is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken,
because the greatest hazard in life is to do nothing.

The person who risks nothing,
does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.

Chained by their attitudes, they are a slave,
they forfeited their freedom.

Only the person who risks can be free

how often have we not spoken up because we might look foolish? ever encountered a guy or girl you felt strongly like speaking with, but chose not to? can you remember why not? how often have we chosen not to help someone or passed on an opportunity because we feared being involved, perhaps a cause or relationship required some relatively small time committment, but we were scared to give up our freedom, and so it never came to be. what was the motivation? how do we want things to go?

if we take risks unconsciously if every day, just to live and survive… i propose that the people who truly excel in life, the people who thrive, take ‘risks’ consciously.

even writing this article’s like this is a risk of sorts for me. on the one hand, i am pursuing my dream, doing my own thing relatively far outside of society’s recommended paths, and with every step i am open to the possibility of falling flat on my face, and yet — almost paradoxically — at the same time i have a deep, pervading knowledge that i am doing the ‘right thing’ and failure is ‘not what lies ahead for me.’ i could be ridiculed or look stupid after ‘wasting’ my energy because i did not ’succeed.’ i could be bombarded with wrath and ire from people who do not appreciate the things i am saying. i’m not concerned about these things, which brings me to the most interesting view on the concept of risk for me personally.

nothing is a risk.

what’s that? nothing is a risk? this is my personal view on risk. free-climbing the grand canyon, kissing someone with a deadly communicable disease, playing in traffic — none of these are off limits to me because none of them are risky. to properly wrap one’s head around this, its important to first be at home with this concept:

everyone (with a physical body) dies a physical death.

if we’re ok realizing that everyone dies, then we realize that any action we take will either bring us closer to death a ‘little bit’ or a ‘lot.’¹

so let’s say we believe that every action we take brings us closer to death by a measure.

the next concept to understand is:

that no one knows rationally whether death is something to be avoided.

we truly have no idea if death is some trascendent form of awesomeness or just us becoming worm-food (though our physical/bodily instincts certainly jerk us away from it as if it is,) or something else altogether.

cartoon by rex babin

i know you’re still following so we have inevitable death, and human beings not even knowing if that is ‘good’ or ‘bad.’² and to really demonstrate just how all up in the air it is, i’d like you to be open to the concept that every action others take, or nature takes, or whatever, has the potential to bring us closer to or further from our death by a certain measure and:

it is our own actions in combination with the actions of others/nature/life that really decides the outcome.

except you can only choose your own actions.

so the situation is this:

1. everyone dies.
1b. dying may be a desirable step, an undesirable step, or a neutrally desired step.

2. our actions in life combined with everyone/everything else’s actions in life affect how close we are to death at any given time.
2b. we can only choose our own actions, and cannot control any of the external actions/choices occurring in life.

people can die from just about anything, in any way and besides that, trying to avoid it is futile. now this is a very analytical, logical, mental-process-driven look at things, and it paints a view of nothing being a risk since the outcome is already decided and seems almost infinitely out of our control. so where does that leave us?

it leaves us with a completely blank canvas of life, to live as creatively as we please with every choice, with zero fear of the consequences, since it’s all a ‘crapshoot’ anyway.

so how do we decide what to do?

the upside of the absence of logical, rational criteria, (besides variety of experience,) is that it allows people to live life as art and beauty and creativity. we can live and choose from our hearts, and do what we _feel_ is the right thing to do.

won’t that result in paralyzed confusion with no criteria in making decisions, or even complete anarchy as everyone acts wild-crazy selfish with the proposed ‘no-consequence’ mentality?

possibly. paralyzed confusion and/or a type of hedonistic anarchy is a possible result. i’d love to reassure you 100% that this scenario would not occur, but nope, it’s a possibility.

humanity has evolved extremely far from its beginnings. we’ve learned so much and taken huge strides. we’ve accomplished tremendous things. perhaps at this point we’re on the edge of a change in which we are finally ready for the kind of creative freedom i’m talking about. perhaps that’s why people like me are writing articles like this.

perhaps a few people can make the jump to living-from-the-heart with risk-assessment not necessary, all the while co-existing with the more conservative/reserved people who’s lives revolve fear and risk-factors.

…or confusion and anarchy could rein. hey, sure it could. that’s a possibility; that’s a risk

¹even this is not necessarily true once we transcend the concept of time or if we understand ‘pre-destined’ times of death, or how one’s thoughts affect life in tandem with the plans of god/the universe, but that’s another post altogether. or bunch of posts.
²there are a significant number of people who label any action that appears to have the result of keeping them alive or safe from death as ‘good’, and vice-versa.
³ regarding the photo above: lorenzo! is author of a book called 25 lessons - the art of living. in it he discusses his personal experience with risk, here is an excerpt: “Just as it happens to millions of others, I began to loop around as I fulfilled the various sacraments of modern life: professional job, marriage, children, better paying corporate job, moving out of the city to suburbia. As a result, I began to take a lot less risks, I began to play it safe and in turn my soul began to shrivel, as it yearned to be on the edge, it hungered to be out there venturing into the unknown, it was eager to strike a chord.”

edvin marton feat. evgeni plushenko - fantasy music video. edvin marton is a brilliant, brilliant musician. he is a composer and violinist of high-regard, as he should be. his works can have a bit of edge to them (which is right up my alley ), and i highly highly recommend this cool video. especially if you’re someone who has never really given the violin a chance, i get the feeling this link may be an enjoyable new experience.

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art

a piece of art from a very close friend of mine, tracy baker in sudbury. it was inspired by a piece of art in the comic heavy metal, and i am not sure why but i find it really striking.

stippling, yo

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hip-hop

a while ago my brother turned me on to the phenomenal conscious hip-hop of Shadrach Kabango, or, Shad. he’s an amazing canadian rapper with a great sense of humour and a great depth of things to say. he recently made the front-page of youtube (with damn good reason,) and i highly recommend you check out his music on his myspace or facebook or youtube.

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and speaking of hip-hop, my friends shane and vince make some really interesting hip-hop with an edge. topical rhymes, maybe influenced a little by the likes of trent reznor check them out at wearethefounders.com.

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progressive-alt-rock-pop-something…

the stenographer’s album is almost complete, and while i give my support to the entire album, i feel i should point-out / highlight his latest track: to the end of the world. a beautiful, beautiful instrumental piece bridging between two vocal tracks (lines of fracture, and, sepulveda) - that calms and brings out emotion at the same time. (also, he gave me props in his blog, which is cool )

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inspirational

this deceptively cheesy-looking page has some recently inspirational flash movies. check out inspiring thots.

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food

don’t make lemonade - an awesome and simple recipe to preserve onions for beneficial citrus-y goodness year round.

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finance

i’ve linked steve pavlina’s absolutely wonderous blog before ( currently ‘valued’ at over half a million dollars by the business opportunites weblog [how do you rate the $ value of a blog?] ) and it is filled with great posts like this: how to make a financial turnaround. anyone looking to get on their feet and make their ambition a reality could probably benefit from this.

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inspiration 2

52 sunday evening meditations on life. this is going around the net, but i *think* it started at marc and angel.

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web project

if you or anyone you know is in hiring-or-firing for a company, my friend tim at Without Software, has recently launched his online site: spicednow.com — spicednow is awesome. *AWESOME* i feel like it will revolutionize resume-management for compan