davidartemiw.com

salvation, hope, opportunity

Once upon a time, I used to go to church.

One of the stories I remember the Father Cullen telling us was of a man living in a town that was threatened by a flood.

The media warned that people needed to leave town. The flood was going to be devastating and anybody who stayed behind was risking certain death. The man ignored the warnings. He stayed behind, certain that God was going to save him.

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art in balance

I have spent most of my life trying to figure out the two halves of my life: art and, for lack of a better term, commerce. How to resolve these two sides - these contradictions? I had always assumed that I had to choose one or the other. The two couldn’t co-exist.

So I would choose one. And I’d be happy for a time. But only for a time.

I would grow restless. The other side of me, left dormant, would begin to stir. And then take over. Leaving the other to wither.

With photography, I believe I’ve found the balance. Answered the riddle I’ve been puzzling for nearly 15 years.

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i like your brain

Lucy Naughton, I like your brain.

Lucy is from England. She is a photographer. And a writer.

I have never met Lucy. But I have seen her photos. And read her writing.

I like the way she sees the world and the way she sees herself. I am envious of the way she sets up her shots. They are full and rich and dripping with narrative.

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leadership

Leaders challenge the status quo.

Leaders create a culture around their goal and involve others in that culture.

Leaders have an extraordinary amount of curiosity about the world they’re trying to change.

Leaders use charisma (in a variety of forms) to attract and motivate followers.

Leaders communicate their vision of the future.

Leaders commit to a vision and make decisions based on that commitment.

Leaders connect their followers to one another.

-Seth Godin, in Tribes

hope

Hope without a strategy doesn’t generate leadership. Leadership comes when your hope and your optimism are matched with a concrete vision of the future and a way to get there. People won’t follow you if they don’t believe you can get to where you say you’re going.

-Seth Godin, in Tribes

the hamster mix redux

I finished the new hamster mix I wrote about yesterday and took it for a test run. Here’s the track listing:

1. Inspiration & Competition - Shout Out Out Out Out
2. Tone Bank Jungle - Holy Fuck
3. Penny for Your Thoughts - Joel Plaskett Emergency
4. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
5. Sex On Fire - Kings of Leon
6. Don’t Bother Me - The Blakes
7. State of Love and Trust - Pearl Jam
8. Time for Heroes - The Libertines
9. Won’t Be Long - The Hives
10. 5 O’clock in the Morning - The Donnas
11. The Rules - Ben Kweller
12. New York City - Cub
13. She’s the One - Caribour
14. Anyone Can Play Guitar - Radiohead
15. Keep the Car Running - Arcade Fire
16. Young Men Dead - The Black Angels
17. I Am the Resurrection - The Stone Roses

Get a copy for yourself at the iTunes store.

the hamster mix

We embarked on an attempt to get the groove back that was lost. So far, achievements have been modest but there have been achievements and that shouldn’t be overlooked.

I’m spending some time this morning going back and forth between the paper and creating a new hamster mix. more »

don’t i know it

2. Back in New York in 1998, I was working with free weights and doing Kung Fu classes, pretty much every day (My Kung Fu teacher rocked). I was a monster. I liked it. Since then, I’ve been looking for that groove again, and failing for the most part. I think the reason is, to train that obsessively for so long is unsustainable. That being said, it was a good coping mechanism for the stress of that city. Now my needs are much simpler.

-Hugh MacLeod, Gaping Void

It wasn’t New York. It wasn’t 1998. It wasn’t Kung Fu. I wasn’t a tear-a-phone-book-in-half kind of monster - more like…my appetite was voracious for the stuff.

But, man, have I been failing in my attempts to find that groove again.