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Category: Meaningful Connection

Thinking Of You [Poem]

Published on September 9, 2022 
I think of you sometimes
And sometimes I smile
And sometimes I fall
Sometimes I channel it
And sometimes I withdrawal
Better—I suppose
Than not having anything
To move or respond to
at all.

On People and Art

Published on September 6, 2022

“Take more pictures of the people than the art.”

—Advice given to me by a long-time Burner

At first, I didn’t get it.

The art was one of the main attractions.

Artists from all over the world would go to incredible lengths to create, transport, and feature their art in the middle of the desert—and the pull to capture images of them felt much stronger to me than the pull to capture images of the people.

It wasn’t until I left Burning Man, got cell-phone service, and saw an article featured on my Google search page: The Art of Burning Man 2022—that I finally understood what I think that experienced Burner meant.

When you take a picture of art—it’s an image of a completed, unchanging piece.

A picture of a person, however, becomes a piece of art in and of itself.

It captures an image of an ever changing being in one exact moment in time that nobody else will ever be able to capture.

This is not to say that taking photographs of art isn’t an art form in and of itself. Nor is it to say that taking photographs of people is somehow “superior.”

It’s merely an observation that struck me as I was immersed in an other-worldly society that was exploding with creativity at every turn of the eye.

And as I reflect back on this advice more and look back on the pictures I’ve taken over the years—it rings true…

Of all the art I’ve photographed, people are the art that always seem to be the most interesting to look back on.

P.s. Here’s a LIVE re-cap of my Burning Man experience.

On Surrounding Yourself

Published on August 19, 2022

You don’t wait for successful, peaceful, adventurous, joyful, and curious individuals to come to you.

No. The way you make best use of the fact that, “We are who we surround ourselves with” is by DOING the searching, initiating, conversing, networking, and risk-taking.

And… equally as important: the removing, excluding, muting, blocking, avoiding, and ignoring.

Either that or… become one of the successful, peaceful, adventurous, joyful, and curious individuals who are sought out yourself.

Character Confessions

Published on July 10, 2022

A person’s highlight reel, them in a good mood, how they act on a date or in a business environment, etc. all give off superficial impressions.

Want to really get to know somebody?

Watch closely to how they:

  • Act when they’re angry
  • Handle genuine mistakes
  • Respond to losing an argument
  • Treat people less fortunate than them
  • Talk about people who aren’t there

These are the real confessions of their character.

The Real Leaders

Published on July 9, 2022

Those who know how to renew love in spite of it all—

…even after hate

…even after tragedy

…even after heartbreak

—are the real leaders (and gems) of our society.

The Catch-22 of Likability

Published on July 6, 2022

The more time you spend thinking about how you can get other people to like you…

The less time you’ll be able to spend thinking about how you can become someone you like.

And here’s the catch-22.

The more time you spend becoming someone YOU like… the more likely other people will like you.

And the more time you spend trying to be someone who is liked… the less other people will end up liking you.