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On Solitude and Social Media

As human beings, it has long been said that each is a product of his environment. Sounds legit. But it really isn’t. Each one of us is susceptible to the filters our environment tends to apply to people. When I reference the word “person” what I am referring to is an entity that is spirit, soul and body. So it is that different filters may affect one or all of the three parts of which we are comprised. A good tack for personal health is to examine your filters. Some should you desire to rid yourself of them, will stick

Agung Evacuation Update from East Bali Poverty Project

The following is a letter we received from East Bali Poverty Project today. David Booth and his team at EBPP are playing a large role in alleviating the suffering and complexities created by the pending eruption of Mt Agung in East Bali. This is something we all jumped on early and as you can read below your donations and participation in the Cause Sale at Betty Belts helped raise a significant amount of money which is being put to fantastic use as Bali does it’s best to not suffer the large scale loss of life it did during the last

What Matters

It was five years ago today when Donna von Hoesslin and I, along with an incredible throng of our friends, met at Refugio beach on the Gaviota Coast. People came from all over. Our purpose had been clear from the start, to stand with our friends and combine lives and families under the presence of God, in the place where I grew up, and became a child of the sea. Pretty simple, now that I look back on it. Tom and Anne Stone along with their son Kawika and brother Pake Ah Mow came over from Oahu, to

Is the Future Here Already?

I am frequently asked this question: “What is it that you do, exactly?” It is actually a pretty fair ask, though I am never quite sure what to tell people. I am involved in a lot of rather unique trades and projects. One of the things is that I operate camera as a specialty camera operator in marine environments. I have been able to create a body of work that is incredibly vast in stills, yes, but also in Motion Picture. The work has gone everywhere and I fondly and flippantly refer to it as digital litter these days. But

Art and the HUman Condition

Again, big HT to Titus Levy for this interesting piece. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/second-opinion/these-nine-artists-will-help-you-understand-future-planet-180963576/#mBT2Bo3J7ibEu9VD.99 Oddly enough of course, it is under one of the pretenses (There are two main ones, Art and Sea) that I am asked to contribute to projects. At Blue Mind Block Island I was to present after Dr Helen Reiss gave an emotionally stirring talk on the value of Compassion. In it she used a film about plastic pollution and the albatross on Midway Island. The film stated basically that the Albatross were under threat from plastic pollution. As one of three Artists presenting at the Summit, it wound

Authentic Activism

The text a few lines below is from a conversation in one of the groups I am in, which is populated by some highly educated people who I have seen to possess fairly valiant hearts. Each wants to contribute to making our planet healthier, and Humanity happier. Our conversations frequently examine activism. This most recent one had me thinking about all the different voices in the world using Causes to drive Companies, rather than Companies to drive change within Culture. Healthy change will always come down to an embrace of Authenticity and Honesty. Here is my response in our conversation

Art and the Peaceful Warrior

This week I wound up shooting a motion picture project for my son’s martial arts company gym Puu Muay Thai here in Ventura. My wife Donna and I, also had a visit from our close friend, internationally acclaimed fine artist Edem Elesh and his 15 year old son Griffen, who I had not seen in over a decade when he was a teensy little guy playing with Donna’s hair as we visited Edem in his Hollywood digs. Simultaneously, my colleague and friend Robb Havassy, let the world know that Surf Story Vol 2 was headed to print after nearly 6

Notes Among Friends

Please excuse any obtuse leanings in this blogpost. It is excerpted from an e mail correspondence discussion amongst a group of people much smarter than I. I admire their knowledge, skill and passion. Friends like that sharpen us. Being sharp is both an asset and virtue. Morning guys, in looking at our socio-cultural structure, I suspect that an efficient thing to do in order for any real and legal transformation of culture and it’s attendant systems to take place (Legal meaning by choice rather than rule or mandate) we would need to work within the systemic program which exists in

Walking Softly

It has always perplexed me, becoming aware of an artist, and watching them as they grow, begin to follow the wrong thing, and then using their art, endeavor to convince others that they would do well, no indeed can only be truly free, if they choose to follow along in the artist’s flawed choice of beliefs. Art is powerful. Like a gun, it can be a weapon of peace, or war. As with any weapon, intention is everything and accuracy matters. Love and peace and hate and war. It is simple wisdom to understand when to engage and embrace each

The Significance of Santa Claus(e)

My Christmas morning began as they all seem to have, today. Being beckoned from sleep, I pulled on sweat pants and sweater and wandered out into the dark at 4 am on what in California was a clear, cold morning. The cold earth against feet which only a few moments ago had been under the covers, sharpened my senses, and bending back I looked up to see the matrix of lights strung out within the dome of a multi hued, dark firmament. I then let it all flow through me from ground to sky and back. And I thank God

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