BEGIN IT!
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, Begin It! Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." Goethe
This quote is above my desk in my little office and I see it every day. It encourages me to continue to see things differently and to continue to strive to be better and achieve the dreams I and perhaps all of us have. I often look around me at the people I see and am surprised that the very things we want and desire most in life often already exist within us.
One of my special friends said just the other day I don't know where to start. That thought alone is at the tip of our combined tongues at times, just as I admired Nanette's determination to begin it, the action of beginning to make the calls, and follow the desire within by creating opportunities without, is where the essence for the title of my blog comes from.
Whilst the Light Fantastic is synonymous with dancing, I also feel it is a space whether in the mind or at different points of the day or in our lives when we can truly be as Alex Lloyd sung about...AMAZING. We are amazing when we put our minds to do it. In my own life I have overcome obstacles that seemed insurmountable only to find that when you get lost in the process of actually "doing" you quickly find that you have already done!
Similarly, We often see what we haven't got, what we lack, and almost find reasons to justify not seeing what we do have and what we enjoy. I once heard a guy at a wedding I photographed say, "Things will be better when I can get that new car". My life will be better when? I thought on this for some time. Personally on that day I made the determination that I would say my life is better NOW. I guess for others who know me, they might think I am full of it ?!#!, however, I would rather choose to be happy now. I don't have many of the things I aspire to have, but the one thing I can control and have anytime I need it in life is to be happy, right here and right now!
Comments
WHM
it is important to stop having excuses and Begin!
thanks
Jane W
Go go!!
Travis and Krystal : )
Thanks for your kind words.
Jane W
Sorry, I hadn't uploaded my profile as yet when you read the first post, but no, I am a photographer.
Jim
Thanks so much for your inspirational support.
Travis & Krystal
Thanks so much for your kind remarks. It is an exciting venture. Please stop by again.
You need only say the word and I would happy to take photos of you. Thanks for commenting.
I do wonder why people do it?
Is it a means of attention seeking?
Is it the self-made platform of an unpublished, frustrated writer who wants the world to read their thoughts?
Is it actually a means of promoting or publicising a person's business or talents?
Is it vanity?
I don't mean to be offensive at all with these questions. But I do wonder why people blog and send entries out into cyberspace.
I guess there is a risk of sorts. There are afterall lurkers on the internet...the whole experience could go pear-shaped if a "less than nice" person got hold of your blogs and images.
Then there is the upside...it could well be an uplifting and beneficial experience across the board.
Good luck Craig
more interesting thoughts, perhaps you should start a blog of your own? it is possible all of the questions and risks as you indicate could occur for different people and times, but for me I blog because I have been inspired by a dear friend Jim and his daughter who have blogs that allow them to creatively express themselves in a medium that touches and influences others for good, and in a small but significant way reinforces the connection we share to each other and humanity generally.
thanks
I think you skirted around some of my questions in your response.
Is it a means of attention seeking?
Is it the self-made platform of an unpublished, frustrated writer who wants the world to read their thoughts?
Is it actually a means of promoting or publicising a person's business or talents?
Is it vanity?
You note that your original inspiration came from your friend Jim and his daughter. You also note that, like them, you hope to “creatively express [yourself] in a medium that touches and influences others for good, and in a small but significant way reinforces the connection we share to each other and humanity generally.”
Whilst that may be at the heart of your desire to blog, your site is filled with obvious self-promotion and self-publicising (e.g. references to your photographic work, lists of celebrities photographed etc).
The photos with celebrities who, in your own words, have probably already forgotten you could be interpreted as ‘visual name-dropping’ (attention-seeking).
Your posting of your autobiography, Chapter 1, could fall into the category of:
Is it the self-made platform of an unpublished, frustrated writer who wants the world to read their thoughts? Self publishing is called 'vanity publishing.'
I do not doubt that you are trying to do something worthy and good. However, I think a more honest answer to my questions would have been:
“I blog because I have been inspired by a dear friend Jim and his daughter who have blogs that allow them to creatively express themselves in a medium that touches and influences others for good, and in a small but significant way reinforces the connection we share to each other and humanity generally.”
“Having said that I have also set up my site to assist in promoting myself and my business, to provide a platform for my unpublished works (because I am a frustrated unpublished writer) and to skite a little about the people I sometimes rub shoulders with.”
There is no shame in being human and wanting a little recognition. It is basic human nature. However, it is a very intact human being who can admit to it.
Gee whizzy, a more honest answer to your questions by baiting me? ohh pahleease. The references to my chapter 1 and the odd pictures of famous people and the bio are listed here as a measure of information for the people who may wish to come and see me and what I think or do. Nothing more, nothing less. I will in time add links to my other sites that I am working on, and that is fine. I think that when viewed in isolation, you have some degree of validity in what you say, but I do not live in that vacuum.
I have been to see many clients who give you some greater degree of credibility by judging what you have done and WHOM I have photographed. Of all the famous people I have met, few of them have failed to impress me to the point that I would wish to emulate them, however in history's pages of this part of time, I have been associated, albeit briefly, with people who made a mark on the world. Perhaps chief among them for me was Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Few people have walked so largely on the stage of history than this man, I felt that the very hand of God guided him to end the cold war and destroy much of the communist world we lived in. From that perspective it was an absolute honour to be near this man. Even greater for me was meeting his wife Raisa, who everyone else ignored. She was wonderful.
I share this not to elevate me or my cause, just to express that in a small way I lived. I was near people that made a difference and it is my sincere desire that I too will make a difference to my son, to the people I know and care for, and to life generally. I would be pleased if in historys pages I could add but a line or verse for good. If you read my chapter 1 on the main page and walked away with the impression that I am only interested in self promotion or aggrandisement, you have missed the most vital aspects of me I shared therein. That being that I want to become the best person I can be, I want to strive to achieve a measure of greatness. NOT by being photographed with the famous and "great" ones, I want to BE one of them. If I could become anyone in particular I would love to achieve a status of someone like Nelson Mandela. What a man. I have spoken with a couple of people who have known him and met him, and were blessed by his quiet patience, respect and genuine care. They spoke lovingly that the experience would never be forgotten. He is one of those people who love and contribute positively to others, to life and the world in a very tangible way. We need heroes more now than ever before.
Lastly, I haven't written chapter 1 as a frustrated writer, nor are the other chapters I am working on created for that purpose, I write because it is a wonderful form of expression. As I said in one of the posts, I would write even if nobody read it. I write for me. If others find joy in it, or one day people like it, all the more joy I will have. If not, nothing is lost.
Lastly, to suggest that I would not be totally intact if I failed to admit I want a bit of recognition is again a sad but predictable statement. I am not seeking recognition for me at all. I personally feel very good at other peoples successes and from the people who have shared privately with me, most appreciate that I share my life as I do. I will continue to do so, even if my meaning is misinterpreted by some, or by you!
I am intact and all is good and getting better!
Thanks for your comments
now that was one of the most honest and heart-felt pieces of writing I have ever read. Bravo!!!
I feel that you have given us a glimpse into the real you. There is a fire in your belly that erupts when 'stoked.'
You desire to be one of the great ones. A goal I suspect you will most certainly accomplish.
I read these line with mirth:
"Gee whizzy, a more honest answer to your questions by baiting me? ohh pahleease."
You misunderstand me Craig. I wasn't baiting you.
I presented to you a view of how your site might truely be interpreted. Take it with a grain of salt because it is truth.
Be mindful that those of us who visit here, who don't know you personally, will be viewing the same things in isolation or the "vacuum" as you put it.
However, your descriptive response now answers any question that might arise in the minds of others who will come here with that 'vacuum-like' isolated view.
You do concede on the following question:
"Is it actually a means of promoting or publicising a person's business or talents?"
....with the following response:
"The references to my chapter 1 and the odd pictures of famous people and the bio are listed here as a measure of information for the people who may wish to come and see me and what I think or do."
The overall tone of your post is defensive for sure.
However, I applaud your level-headedness, your ability to state your case and your avoidance of rudeness and personal slur.
You are indeed an intact individual.
With deep admiration...Violin to Tuba
Thanks
Craig
You know Craig, often it is not the actual answer that is given, but the WAY the answer is given that tells more about a person.
The WAY you answered my post told me more about you and your character than all the blogging in the world.
I am now in self-review mode.
Perhaps my own eye has become too 'jaundiced' and cynical over time.
God bless you
V2T
What were you thinking about when the photo was taken in this entry?
Was it a staged shot or totally candid?
You certainly look pensive!
V2T
I took the shot looking in to a mirror in my hotel room on the edge of teh Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, QLD. I was just looking and wondering what I would look like through my lens with no pretense, no fake smile, just me. It was pensive, perhaps even introspective.
Thanks for asking. I am surprised at how many people have said to me on email and the phone how much they like the photo. It was not staged. it was just me and my camera...or was that line supposed to be me and my shadow?