Wednesday, May 28, 2014

To be seen

The fascinating lesson about human nature is that people aren't always driven by a rational analysis of work as an exchange of labor for cash. We want to be seen and we seek to belong. It's a shame when an organization takes advantage of that and treats people unfairly. When we offer people a chance to matter and to be seen, we have the chance to offer them something magical.

The problem with Hit Radio

When you only listen to the top 40, you're letting the crowd decide what you hear. And if you consume nothing but the most liked, the most upvoted, the most viral, the most popular, you've abdicated responsibility for your incoming. Most people only read bestselling books. That's what makes them bestsellers, after all. The web keeps pushing the top 40 on us. It defaults to 'sort by popular,' surfacing the hits, over and over. Mass markets and math being what they are, it's likely that many of the ideas and products you consume in your life are in fact, consumed because they're the most popular. It takes a conscious effort to seek out the thing that's a little less obvious, the choice that's a little more risky. Popular is not the same as important, or often, not the same as good.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Happy

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy". They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life. John Lennon~

Friday, May 23, 2014

Fine Art

From an artist friend of mine - JB Berkow Fine Art is produced by dedicated artists who have honed their skill and vision until they are able to create in a unique and distinctive voice. This did not come easy. It took these artists years of blood sweat and tears to develop their voice. For all this work and sacrifice, they deserve our respect and an appropriate amount of money for their efforts. Fine Art is not mass produced. It is not dashed off by low-paid artisans contracted by design firms who only think of art as accent pieces to match the decor. It is not sold by large box stores. Fine Art is so much more than that. There are so many people who never think twice about paying several thousand dollars for a chair to sit in, but find it intolerable to spend the same amount for an original work of art. That attitude has to change or there will be more and more galleries closing their doors and less and less artists pursuing their dreams. That would be a travesty. Support fine art and the gallery system. Buy Art!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Just plain vain

Visited a gallery in Vero Beach today. Owned by 9 artists. They charge $500-600 a month for a guest artist. That's not a vanity gallery, that's a vain gallery.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Inspiration

“ Every great work of art has two faces, one toward its own time and one toward the future, toward eternity. ” - Daniel Barenboim

Monday, May 12, 2014

Spiritual Message

When nothing moves and all is quiet, when you are alone with your thoughts, when the world stands still and leaves you to your own devices, will you find beauty in the simplest of things or will you find sorrow? Will you fill your heart with exquisite grace or will you empty yourself of joy? Life is brimming with moments of eternal beauty and ecstatic wonder. All things contain this potential. Can you see it, or are you blind? Open your eyes, your mind and your heart. It is there for you in every instant. Stand quietly alone and sip peace. Stand silent in a crowd and be touched by God.