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The Big Nevermind

The City of Ventura is my home. I have owned a house and various other properties and leases here for 30 years. Communities are pretty simple really. Generally they are composed of diverse components, all assembled in a willingness to live and work in a place that they find desirable. The willingness to contribute, is directly proportional to establishing a  sense of forward motion. Effect must equal cause. Benefit is weighed against cost. So onward the ship sails with all of us aboard, planning, building, laughing, crying, fighting, healing, birthing, living, dying: together. For any of this to occur, the

Ventura Groans

The following was written to me by Dr Ed Brenegar, who heads up the Community of Leaders It was written in reference to a close look I am taking at the Ventura City Council’s decision to implement pay parking in my town. What at first glance, was described to be a rather benign plan to regulate business traffic in downtown, quickly became rather apparent, to instead be a near Draconian attempt, based on poor business decisions and supposition, to change my town forever. I have people I am accountable to, and advised by. Ed is one of those advisors. This

What Matters

Cost of Leadership. We matter. How we keep our heart, hold rein over our emotions, the manner in which one moves forward with the myriad number of little choices made in the course of  a day, adds up to the direction a life takes. Who we have around ourselves, who would follow us into a burning building if we asked, says everything about us. Seth Godin writes about loyalty today, in his blog. A few years back, as a hurricane destroyed the Gulf Coast, Shawn Alladio shared with me in intimate detail over the course of her ordeal, a series

Coastal Classics Are No Accidents

A lot goes on in the creation of a commercial production shoot. This one developed over a relatively long period of time. Recently, almost by chance I had reconnected with an old colleague and friend, Glenn Gravett, who I had met when we both worked designing my own company apparel and surfboard art, decades ago. Glenn and I share much in common, having been raised on the same stretch of coastline, and share similar passions for the Ocean and Art. Over a period of months, I had been invited to sit in and contribute to a series of product development

Canon 5D Mark 2: Trial by Fire

My 5D Mark 2 system has been getting quite the workout of late. The other night Tyler Swain came by. Tyler is the talented director, writer, camera operator who, when I am lucky, I get to work with. He had dropped by after a  long day working on an episode of Top Gear, to be briefed on the workings of the Canon 5DM2 which he would need to be shooting a show on in the morning. In explaining the workings of the system to him I realized how truly complex it is if one really wants to utilize the tremendous

Stand Up

Shawn Alladio of K38 Rescue, has composed something beautiful for our warriors, and it also applies to those of you who seek to implement change. Shawn trains these men. She understands cost and expense, better than anybody I have met. She has told me repeatedly over the years, that for every valid action, every effort, you must be willing to give something up. Having seen her live this, I get it. Not many people I know enjoy being the one standing there, fist raised to an adversary, drawing the line and shouting : You will not do this. I know

The Shift

American culture is at a turning point. By and large, and in spite of  generalizations being just that, we don’t make much in this country any more. I say that from the perspective of being a Californian, and a former manufacturer, retailer, turned artist. To build anything in California today one must overcome great odds, and many of those are indigenously repressive due to a morass of regulations  meant to make things “better” when they were originally concepted. But no one really considered the cost to those supposed benefits. Those laws and regulations, implemented in a time of growth and

Focus and Awareness

In a culture that is enamored with here and now, and proximity of the rapid flow of daily events, we have unwittingly engaged what I think to be a somewhat innocently architected, lack of focus. Sort of like  a baby in a crib so taken by a hanging mobile that he has forgotten his bottle was in his little hand. We see and read through  newish info age pipelines, of internet, and other rapid response media sources, aimed at prurient human interests, things that seem to take our eye off the ball so to speak, as a culture. I have

Mighty

I watched an Airshow at Point Mugu NAS this weekend. I was impressed. The USAF Thunderbirds, a precision flight team, performed. I found myself awed and inspired. Why would a water centric, eco minded, sustainability preaching, artist like me, love what I saw? Because it demonstrated mightiness. I stand, able to write this blog and engage my world and community, because my country is mighty. That is humbling, and it inspires gratitude in me. K 38 Rescue sent this link along to a small group of leaders today. It is an interesting look at how a culture embraced something in

Non Artistic Interpretation

It was only a year or two ago, when I realized that I am an “artist”. At a very young age I painted. My Father and Uncle were both painters. So as any child would, I simply took for granted that painting and drawing were normal endeavors. At 12 I had learned Photography and studied Philosophy. It was what was going on around me, and being inquisitive, I learned. So does a bird realize it is a bird? Of course, flying would not be so special to him. But to someone without wings, oh to soar! I had a request

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The Big Nevermind

The City of Ventura is my home. I have owned a house and various other properties and leases here for 30 years. Communities are pretty simple really. Generally they are composed of diverse components, all assembled in a willingness to

Ventura Groans

The following was written to me by Dr Ed Brenegar, who heads up the Community of Leaders It was written in reference to a close look I am taking at the Ventura City Council’s decision to implement pay parking in

What Matters

Cost of Leadership. We matter. How we keep our heart, hold rein over our emotions, the manner in which one moves forward with the myriad number of little choices made in the course of  a day, adds up to the

Coastal Classics Are No Accidents

A lot goes on in the creation of a commercial production shoot. This one developed over a relatively long period of time. Recently, almost by chance I had reconnected with an old colleague and friend, Glenn Gravett, who I had

Canon 5D Mark 2: Trial by Fire

My 5D Mark 2 system has been getting quite the workout of late. The other night Tyler Swain came by. Tyler is the talented director, writer, camera operator who, when I am lucky, I get to work with. He had

Stand Up

Shawn Alladio of K38 Rescue, has composed something beautiful for our warriors, and it also applies to those of you who seek to implement change. Shawn trains these men. She understands cost and expense, better than anybody I have met.

The Shift

American culture is at a turning point. By and large, and in spite of  generalizations being just that, we don’t make much in this country any more. I say that from the perspective of being a Californian, and a former

Focus and Awareness

In a culture that is enamored with here and now, and proximity of the rapid flow of daily events, we have unwittingly engaged what I think to be a somewhat innocently architected, lack of focus. Sort of like  a baby

Mighty

I watched an Airshow at Point Mugu NAS this weekend. I was impressed. The USAF Thunderbirds, a precision flight team, performed. I found myself awed and inspired. Why would a water centric, eco minded, sustainability preaching, artist like me, love

Non Artistic Interpretation

It was only a year or two ago, when I realized that I am an “artist”. At a very young age I painted. My Father and Uncle were both painters. So as any child would, I simply took for granted