Contribution And Legacy

Whole systems considerations on what’s worth doing What do we leave behind? What are we contributing? And to what? Does it matter? These questions come to mind as I contemplate this image. Irrespective of the bird’s unconscious act of fluffing off a feather, it served as a contribution by triggering my aesthetic appreciation. And by […]

Children

Today’s playmates; tomorrow’s citizens and leaders. 2020 has been rough on all of us but especially kids. According to the National Library of Medicine (NIH), children were hit the hardest by psychosocial factors. “Being quarantined in homes and institutions may impose greater psychological burden than the physical sufferings caused by the virus. School closure, lack […]

Mangrove: Symbol of Strength and Support

The genus name for mangrove is Rhizophorais, which comes from the Greek word rhiza meaning “root” and phoros meaning “bearing,” a reference to its stilt-like roots. The trees are highly adaptable, being the only ones that are salt-tolerant. They literally breathe through their roots, which take up the salt water and excreate it throught thick […]

XVIII. Simplicity / Complexity

The nature of this aesthetic dimension is expressed as a continuum, determined by the number of visual elements within the frame. A photograph of the moon against a black sky with no stars counts as one element. If the light of an airplane is visible, or if there are stars, each is another element. Changes […]

XVI. Shadows

Shadows are a part of most images, yet they’re generally not given much attention. They do, however, contribute greatly to the illusion of three dimensions and “normal” everyday reality by providing evidence of depth and contrast. Used with awareness and purposefulness, they can be a valuable tool as an aesthetic dimension, even turn an ordinary […]

The Fabric of Society

  This cloth  is fraying in places. Threads are broken and holes are appearing. Is it beyond repair? Or is there something I can do to keep it from unraveling further? One of the lessons I learned from Robert Pirsig’s Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was that when a system is breaking down, whether […]

The Fabric of Society

  This cloth is fraying in places. What can I do about it? Some threads are broken and holes are appearing. Is it beyond repair? One of the lessons I learned from reading Robert Pirsig’s Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was that when a system is breaking down, whether a flag, motorcycle or […]