reflection

Oliver the Ideamaker…Originality

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Originality? What is it? How do you find it? And how do you define it?

These are some of the questions I have been pondering lately. Over the last few weeks, I have heard discussions about people copying materials and ideas, copying what others have been doing and then passing it as theirs; without an mention of where it came from or influenced from.

So the pondering question has been, how do you find and make original material?

The quick answer is do it yourself and make it from scratch. Don’t look towards others for influence and also don’t pay attention to what others are doing. But if you think about it; that is easier said than done. In this day and age it is so easy to see what others do and the ease of acquiring knowledge it makes it almost impossible to avoid any influence. And chances are you have already been influenced in one form or another.

For example, this blog that you are reading isn’t the most original of ideas. There are thousands of blogs out there and there are countless personal ones that talk about normal daily life like the ones I have written here so far. And this topic alone, I’m sure has been discussed and posted previously by others.

So then how do you create original material.

One idea is to “steal” it from many artist. Last week on Chase Jarvis LIVE guest Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist, discussed the idea of; Stealing like an Artist. The idea at first seems far fetched.  What?! Steal?! The idea doesn’t really mean to just steal without reason. Taking from one artist is stealing but taking from many artist is research! The reason for this is easy to see and understand. It means that sometimes you need that extra push and understanding to get you to the next step. Learn a skill that you didn’t know before. Borrow. Learn. Create.

Another however more extreme idea is to go on a trek of self discovery. Disconnect…find yourself…leave what is familiar to you, and let the unknown and journey help you to find the next idea. And then pray that the idea is original.

But here comes the problem; you can’t completely disconnect from the situation because you have already been influenced by other things that you carry with you always even if you disconnect from the world. From when you are born you have already been influenced.

See the problem? So how do you make original content? Yes that’s a repeat.

Here’s my idea. You make original content by ALWAYS KEEPING A NOTEBOOK WITH YOU. Have a stream of conscience and document. No matter how small or far fetch the idea. Just write down, let it stew, and then when you know the timing and feeling is right. Do something with it. Simple right. Well I’m imagining that this is not so,etching that happens overnight or over a couple of days. This kind of thing will take place over weeks, months, and even years. You need the different influences to be your guiding principles and let that guide and lead you to the next step. It seriously is about the journey not your destination that is important. Yes that has been beat to the bones over time but it is true!

Oliver the Blogger…the Blog So Far

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Howdy!  This post is one shy of 20 blog post since I started and declared that I’m going to restart my personal blog.  And so far, I have found that blogging has been a good thing.  I have gotten a lot of things off my chest and out there.  I have keep myself for the most part accountable to blogging.  For the most part I have blog more than what I initially said I was going to do but there have also been a few day stretches where I didn’t post an entry.

I’m still trying to get a hang of the this whole thing.  So far I have subscribers.  Thank you for subscribing.  I know a lot of the things that I have written have been personal stuff.  But I’m starting to think to post personal stuff but relate back to you.  I do write this stuff for reflection for myself but I hope if you are reading this that you have found it helpful or at least given you insight.  I do plan to continue to post as often as I can and share my experiences and adventures with you.  If you have any feedback or questions please let me know.  Leave a comment or you can e-mail me at olasis@gmail.com.

Here’s a few things so far that I have learned while I have blogged:

  1. Blogging daily is dependent on how I’m feeling.  I have to be in the mindset to blog.  I can’t just blog and put something out there.
  2. Playing ambient and or classical music helps me write.  Songs with words makes it hard for me to concentrate.
  3. People do read your blog.
  4. Being honest only helps you reflect and learn about yourself further.
  5. Sharing yourself with others will allow you to foster better relationships and friendships.
  6. Even though it is a personal experience you are writing about, it is best to bring it full circle and help others.  Leave tips and lessons.  Like this list.
  7. Be honest and share.

Oliver the Friend…Reconnecting

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The last week and half, I’ve had a great time hanging out with friends that I haven’t talked to in a while.  It was great to reconnect with them and see what’s new and what’s going on.  The cool thing about this is that we were still friends.  We caught up, we chatted, and we chatted for a couples of hours.  The act of reconnecting with them is great.

Life does get in the way.  But does it really?  I think opportunities such as meeting up with friends and catching is part of life.  It is understandable that priorities change and sometimes friends / friendships do get put on the way side.  That’s that life.  However I have found that to rekindle such a friendship or at least let them know that you are there and still thinking about them, is by just taking a minute or two to say hello.

Here is where connecting is important.  If you really want to reconnect with someone, make it happen rather than wait for it to happen.  Usually what I like to do is every once in awhile when I have chatted or heard from friends, is to contact them any way necessary.  Traditionally I use Facebook, Twitter, and email to check in with them.  I usually use one or another depending on how I know best works for them.  I know you may ask, why not call them?  Well that’s something that I have to work on.  And the main reason that I don’t do that is that I don’t like it with I just want to say and hello and they are in the middle of something.  It just becomes awkward for them and myself.  So instead I use the previously mentioned communication tools to reconnect so they can do it at their own leisure.  And it guess in a way is that it is a “test” if the friendship is still there.  And more times than not it is still there.

Reconnecting with these friends over the last few days have been great.  It is cool to see that they are doing well and doing their own thing.  There is nothing more exciting than seeing a friend do something that they mentioned to you previously and now you come to find out that they are doing it.  To me that is just cool.

Also when you do catch up with them it gives them an opportunity to see what’s going with you.  They catch up about you too and they get to ask the questions that they want answered about you.  So that’s great.  Friends really do care about you and they will ask questions to see what is up with you.

Friendships are based on relationships.  Just like every one of them, you have to seek them, connect them, nurture and foster them, and drop in every once in awhile to see how it coming along, check in with them.  Friendships are easily enough to make but keeping them is where the work happens.  Yes, friendships are work.  And it is the ones that you care for the most that do take work.  You have to maintain them and support them.  Unlike a lot of things, you may or may not have to check in consistently but you will have to be pretty good at checking in every once in awhile.  And when is that you may ask, well that’s up to you.  I usually try to do it every month or so.  You’ll most likely get a Facebook post, tweet, or e-mail from me.  And usually I say, just dropping in to say hello.  But it does take work.  Note, that the “work” isn’t what it sounds like.  It means that it requires the care to want to maintain that friendship.

I do feel bad when I don’t keep in touch with friends.  But I do care for them greatly.  I miss those times of hanging out.  But I also understand that we each have our own lives and that we have to live them.  What’s important to note is that we at least keep each other informed of what’s going on.  And maintain a friendship is easy enough with the things we have these days.  All it will take is a, quick, “hey buddy, how are you?  Hope all is well.” in some form to show that care.  But you have to genuine about it.  You CAN’T just do it for doing it, you have to really WANT TO and CARE about it.

So to reconnect with friends, start with the same way that you met, SAY HELLO.  And let the friendship continue.  🙂

Thanks to all my buddies that I have caught up with recently.  I appreciate our friendship and wish you all the best in your endeavors.  Drop me a line sometime and we grab a beer and food.  Keep in touch.  Cheers!

 

Oliver the Friend…Mending It

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Friends are those people in your live that become your second family.  They are the ones outside of family that you spend the most time with.  They are the one that are there for other moments that your family can’t be at.  The best ones support, humble, and tell you like it is when you feel that you don’t need it.  They are the ones that care and want you to succeed and the ones that at your lowest point will be there.  Friends are important.  But those few friends; those true friends are the ones that everyone I believe need to find, have, and nurture.  Because they are the ones that will be there for you and surprise you the most.

Well a couple of years ago, I had one such friend.  Although I won’t disclose the details of what exactly happen ( that would just turn out to be a very stupid rant, that I would like to spare you ) but looking back at it now.  That friendship connection was lost all because of ME.  It was solely me and me along.  My friend / buddy, didn’t really need that from me especially at a time when we were good buds.  And if you are reading this, I’m SORRY.

I’m sorry for questioning our friendship.  I’m sorry for being stupid enough to think that you didn’t care.  I’m sorry for not realizing what you where really doing.  And I understand why you didn’t want to deal with it.  And know it was completely and utterly my fault.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago.  That friend that I mentioned, contacted me and wanted to hang out and catch up.  At this point, we both have started building amends and slowly building up the friendship again.  But just like all friendships that start, it does take time to build it again.  Especially with the way that I acted.

When we met up.  I was freaking nervous as HELL.  I didn’t know what to expect.  I didn’t know of the old scares would be brought up or if there was still some anger there.  But time and time again from what I learned from the World Domination Summit; I had to be vulnerable and see what happen.  Let what was about to happen, happen.  And just go through it.  Face the fear and uncertainty in the face.

So with the text sent, I had to make the phone call.  The reason being was because I was lost in trying to find he’s apartment.  And nervously I waited for the phone to be answered. And when it did.  With a split second heath, I said; Hey dude.  And I got a response of hey.  After a minute or two of orientation of where exactly I was, we met up.  And with a hand shake, everything seem well.  And it was well.  Nothing but a warm welcome and a good conversation.

As we chatted it looked and felt like we just left off where we ended or temporary put on hold our friendship.  At least on my part there was still a bit of nervousness because I just didn’t know.  But slowly I eased into the conversation and it felt like old times.  The conversation of what was going on in our lives and what trips and photos we took recently.  And also catching up on how some mutual friends are.  I totally felt bad for the amount of time that we didn’t speak to on another.  I couldn’t help but think of the adventures we would have been on since then.

Now not stewing on what ifs or should have beens, I took this opportunity as a new way to start the friendship over again.  I truly do hope that our friendship continues.  It would be nice to have that again.  Relive that one.  It was good friendship and one that because of stupid things had a bumpy road.  But I’m glad that we are able to be friends again.

Here’s a few pieces of advice if you are having difficulty with some friends:

  1. Think about what really is going.  See if there is an external reason causing any of the hardship.  And look for it because usually there is.
  2. Be HONEST.  Seriously this may be hard but you’ll need to face at one point or another.  Do it sooner than later because later words that you don’t mean come out and just make things more complicated.
  3. If you have more than one friend that is still encouraging you to salvage the friendship, trust them, and see if it can be salvage.
  4. Friendships are relationships and it might take some time to mend and strains but if it truly worth it do give up.
  5. And if all else fails, YOU have to, as cleanly as possible END IT.

Oliver the Photographer…And you can’t Win them All

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This past week was the first Professional Photographers of San Diego of San Diego County’s (PPSDC) Image Competition.  These are bi-monthly competitions where entrants enter their images to be judge and critique by their peer of judges.  With each competition comes a great learning opportunity and even some victory.  This also was the year that I was in charge of running the image competition.  Which in its own right it is a victory in itself.

After attending, entering, and helping with the image competition over the last 2 years that I have been a member of PPSDC, I took over the reins of this very exciting and gut wrenching competition.  And from what I can tell thus far, organizing and running competition is a lot of work.  A LOT of work.  But that’s not the point of this post.

The purpose of this post is to talk about what happened at this latest image competition.  And I’ll just come and say it; I TANKED!  I tanked in a major way.  None of my images Merited on this night.  I’m not going to lie, it stung and it hurt a lot.  It hurt enough that I seriously wanted to just leave and tell everyone to go fuck it.  The insecurities that I had as a photographer once again showed its ugly head.  It’s ugly head spewing out the; you’re not good enough, that sucked, you sucked, do you really want to do this, you don’t have talent, and you just don’t have it anymore.  You’re a one trick pony.  And to top off it seemed that people that usually didn’t do well in the competition actually did pretty well.  And as much I am happy for them, I’m slightly more annoyed that they did.  I know this is coming from my insecurities and even some cockiness from my end.

Sitting there running the competition and seeing the scores and seeing others doing well made me feel small again.  I kept a straight face as much as I could.  But friends that do know me, usually can tell.  I don’t know if did that night but I think I showed it.

I think the thing that made it worst was that there are some people that got credit that I know they didn’t earn and most annoyingly I know that with such allocates it would be a “look at me, look at me” show.  And it being a couple days since, I know it did.  And too me that was the most annoying part.  I could attribute part of that to be jealous and that is true.  I was jealous.  But still, it was the fact that now it was just going to be shoved in my face not on purpose (well…that’s up for debate) but it was going to be presented in away that I feel that it shouldn’t.

But with this round of ranting and venting over…there are a few things that I did realized that night too.

For one, I understood, you can’t win them all.  And you can’t.  If you did, it wouldn’t make the times that you did special.  Right?  So I know that you need to go sometimes with a down so you can ignite the fire to start it up competitor mentally again and start the process to dominate it.

Secondly, you can’t rest on your laurels.  I think what happened in this competition is that I didn’t follow my normal procedure of getting input from friends that I usually ask if I should enter.  I rested and assumed on my end that my images still would be good like they where last year.  And when I think about it, they are good as last year but that was last year.  What I did wrong in this situation was that I was still producing the same old work and not innovating and creating images that won me the allocates that I did in the past.  I remember I told myself and other that I would always keep people guessing on my work.  And looking at what I entered, it was easy to pick out my work.  And on top of that, there wasn’t much imp ace in those images.  So they should not have merited.

Although, I should note, however it is not an excuse, that the judging that evening was a pretty tough.  Cut throat, blood bath, and massacre come to mind.  It was hard.  And those images never stood a chance.

Another thing I learned that night was that there are a lot of people that truly care, support, and genuinely want me to do well.  And that’s the biggest realization that I got from that night.  Truly the people that showed up, helped, messaged, and text in terms of “how can I help,” truly made the night best for me.  If they are reading this they know who they are.  And as I’m writing this my heart is healing and being filled with love and gratitude from those people.  I seriously love and appreciate them.  I hope they you know that.  If I could I would hug and give you each the world for just doing such a simple gesture.  With that I think I still came out on top.  The night ran smoothly as can be, it was long one but they stuck around, and afterwards we got to have a laugh and enjoy each others company.

But come November, I’m going to bring it.  And bring it BIG.  And along me with I’m going to make sure my friends that I support and truly believe also bring it.  I want them to also succeed and make their dreams come alive.  You can’t win them all but I surely will help those that I believe in without hesitation.  Buddies, I promise you this.

The following are the images that I entered.

Laser beam of light in Antelope Canyon

Laser beam of light in Antelope Canyon – 78/100

Long exposure of a rock lit by Moonlight

Long exposure of a rock lit by Moonlight – 77 / 100

Seattle taken a dusk

Seattle taken a dusk – 79 / 100