I want to be reincarnated as a manatee.

I do. Really. So if reincarnation IS real, I hope to be a manatee.

I wanted to insert a picture of a manatee here, but I can't find my files...eek? They're gone :( So here's a puppy I met last year at Lake Eola, her name is Bella.

AND NOW....I RE-BRING TO YOU THE STILL IMAGE VIDEO OF NONSENSE THAT HAS A WHOPPING 206 HITS ON YOUTUBE. Am I famous? No...but this video just rocks.




Now I will blog regarding ASMP lecture, then blog on my thoughts and inspirations.

Boring but useful blogging: I attended the ASMP "I Need to Jumpstart My Business" lecture with Judy Herrmann last night. Good stuff! It was pretty inspirational. Instead of all the usual "gloom and doom" mumbo jumbo we hear at SOMEWHERE all the time, that the industry is dying and blablabla. No offense to those people, but you're BRINGIN ME DOWN!

Judy showed us success story after success story for still photographers who when faced with the "times" and had the decision to either go bankrupt, go video or change the way they did things, and they reinvented themselves into extremely successful photographers. Heck YEAH! Now, in "these times" they reinvented themselves and are successful. She also spoke on the importance of MIXING business and personal because as artists your work is personal, and making the right decisions to get to the place in life you want to be...and the steps to get there. So on and so forth. It was a great speech. I was scared to go because I was alone but I settled in once I got there and I'm very glad that I attended.

And what I took most from it was this quote that she said, that may be slightly off but nevertheless the point is the same: "It's impossible to create good work when you're working with a jerk", even once the job is over and its onto the next one the next day, that negativity will follow you and it will show in your work.

"We are more than photographers, we are visual communicators."
"Real good work is good without commentary"

Also, the advice to pursue whatever it is that you are passionate about because it shows in your images. She described feeling goosebumps when she sees work that she can tell the photographer was intimately involved in creating, emotionally, spiritually, whatever way you want to look at it. That is the work that I need to strive towards, and like she said, find your niche and then find a way to work it so you can make money off of it. She also strongly emphasized quality over quantity, and that she'd rather see fewer images that are amazing than a fuller portfolio with a few mediocre photos mixed in.

SUMMARY
1. Nurture your creativity
2. Nurture your relationships, stop just short of stalking. (it was a joke...but not really)
3. "When you lose your vision, take a look at what is and imagine what could be"
4. "It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you are not"

PERSONAL

I discovered over spring break, through my project on Maria Bolton (www.mariabolton.com), I can find great inspiration from artists that are not photographers, like her, but also from people who aren't even artists at all but have passion about something, be it health, yoga, biking, gardening, whatever. Being around people with passion FEEDS my creativity.

That happened to me at the "Green Drinks" event at Dandelion, my eyes became open to the community that is capable of giving me the inspiration I need to get through the hard times. All while discussing the Sunrail I had this serenity settle over me that I'm not alone as an artist, and shouldn't plan to work alone as one. What a group of amazing people. I've never felt more comfortable or accepted in my LIFE than I felt amongst them. I don't know if I've ever felt that at all. I'm not saying Dandelion is the only place that can happen but for artists, writers, designers, videographers and people who love tea (haha), but for me it was the first time I felt free to let my mind wander at ease with no fear of judgment. Good times.

I could keep going, but I gotta stop. This blog is way too long