PIN

I'm a schmuck for the uber-creative.  I love this short video's use of time, texture, sound, and light. 

Enjoy!


PIN from Elise Fachon on Vimeo.



Peace,
Ross

The Most Creative Paper EVER!

The making of A from Bianca Chang on Vimeo.


Bianca Chang - Recent Works, June 2011 from Bianca Chang on Vimeo.


Peace,
Ross

Fast & Furious, Afghanistan, and Creativity

Creativity births more creativity.  It offers hope, regeneration, and future.  But what happens when we lose our ability to be creative?

Allow me to connect some dots…

The administration's failure in their recent Fast and Furious program exemplifies a hopeless and shallow creativity.  The DEA allowed guns to be smuggled into Mexican cartels, with the hopes that we could follow the trail to the drug lords.  Guns bring death - an easy (and very final) end to the problems surrounding drugs and violence.  But like all creativity, it breeds future.  And a future of death is no future at all.

But instead of new ideas, of long-term, difficult, ideas, the DEA opted for the immediate gratification of bullets to brains.

The same Taliban fighters we're fighting in Afghanistan today, we equipped and trained in the 80's.  The short-sighted and shallow creativity bred a future of violence.

Guns have been done before. 
Tanks have been done before. 
Arms trading is old hat.

Imagine a world where our creativity is truly creative.  In this world we might combat regions of war with plowshares rather than weapons of war.  But we must be willing to dream of futures that we've yet to experience.  We must risk it all on creativity.  We must risk it all on hope. 

Peace,
Ross

Questions.

I knew the questions would come.  But I didn't know they would come from Cora at 4 years old, on a drive to my favorite Mexican restaurant.  Here's how the conversation went down...

C - Dad, is Santa real?
R - Well...what do you think Cora?
C - Hmm, I don't think he is...
R - Why?
C - Well, because he wears a costume...
R - Hmm, well, I didn't think about that.

(at this point, I'm kinda sad I could be missing out on all of the Santa fun this next year.  I'm not going to lie to Cora to preserve this myth, so I figured I would just answer with questions)

...and now she makes the theological leap that I didn't expect from my 4 year old!

C - So is Jesus real?  
R - Yes he is...
C - But how did he die and come back to life?
R - Well, because he's part God and part man, and God is more powerful than death...
C - But doesn't God not want to hurt anyone?

...and depending on your theology, the answers here will vary.

R - God did this because He loved the world so much!
C - But why did God want to hurt Jesus?

...yes, God killed His son...heck, He killed Himself...how do I answer in truth for a 4 year old and not tame away the implications of the cross?

R - Well, God had to die for us.  But God knew that He couldn't stay dead, because he's more powerful than death...and in His life, He gave the whole world life.
C - Hmmm...So, is Santa real?

Cora was onto some crazy-awesome questions.  She's my kid for sure!

She proved my notion that the myth of Santa confuses kids with the truth of God and Jesus.
Which one is all seeing, knowing, etc?  And when the Santa myth disappears, does God also crumble?

I'm looking forward to lots of long, fun, interesting conversations with Cora and Olive.

Peace,
Ross

31.

Yesterday I turned 31.  I'm old.  At least it's beginning to sound old.  And to celebrate my oldness, my girlies took me out to Fritanga (an AMAZING Nicaraguan restaurant in St. Louis), the Tower Grove Creamery for some delicious Central Dairy ice cream, and bought me a fun and creative sketch book!  It was a fantastic night with the fam. 

Last week, Kate surprise me with a date to Nico (on the loop), Moonrise Kingdom (at the Tivoli), Abbey Road (on vinyl), and tickets to see Glen Hansard (at the Pageant).  I'm a loved and lucky man!

Peace & thanks for all of the birthday wishes!
Ross

How Much Do Rock Stars Make?

I'm frequently asked if I'm working hard to get signed to a record label, if that's my ultimate goal in music.  They're really asking if I see a record label as a means to millions of dollars.  Trust me when I say that I've read so many record label horror stories, that it is not my ultimate goal.  Making a living playing music, writing music, leading music, recording and producing music are making that goal a reality.  So rather than direct you to numerous articles, books, etc., here's a very telling infographic of how much BIG record label artists make...

SEE THE GRAPHIC HERE!

Peace,
Ross

What Story Are You Telling? [re-post]

To positively move forward, we must create new normals.  We must shift our ways of thinking, seeing, and doing.  We must embrace the world around us and become part of its story.  We must tell new stories.

How?

First, expect beauty.  Move from a place where beauty is only captured in art museums, ocean side vacations, or photoshopped models.  Instead, start noticing color, texture, depth, creation, conversation, uniqueness, and love.  When we do that, everything begins to change.  We can expect to be surrounded by fragments of beauty each and every day.

Second, revel in it.  When we see beauty, capture it, breathe it, draw it, etc.  We must do whatever we can to experience the beauty we've found ourselves in.

Third, make it our story.  The story of beauty needs telling, and retelling, and retelling again.  Because in the story of beauty, is a story of creation, creativity, humanity, and love.  When we experience beauty, we must be confident in the promise that, "It is good."  And in the goodness of this new found beauty, may we make it our own stories to tell.

Peace,
Ross