Take a moment to go outside today and look at the sky. This shot was taken this morning on my way home from a shoot, the sky was so inspiring, I just had to stop and shoot. Clouds are so cool.
Tag Archive for 'INSPIRATION'
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell is the President of the William V.S. Tubman College of Technology - located in the “City of Harper” in Liberia. Dr. Davis-Russell, having just retired from work in the USA, has chosen to, instead of simply “retiring”, to share her wealth of knowledge and experience from a life in education with a community that desperately needs that assistance.
As a result, Dr. Davis-Russell and her husband have packed up their worldly belongings and moved to Liberia, where they have managed, with the help of a lot of fund raising, to re-build this college of higher education. Continue reading ‘education “building” in Liberia’
High Line in New York started out as a community-driven effort to preserve an abandoned 1940’s elevated rail line through Manhattan’s far West Side. It is now becoming an exciting project that will convert the rail line into a world class linear public space and park that is elevated up to 9m above the ground and be over 22 blocks long. The design explores ideas of community space, landscape, layers of history, environmental sustainability, and plays on the distinct experience of walking on this unusual elevated urban space. The first section of High Line is set to open in 2008. Continue reading ‘parks in the sky’
Sunday I ventured out to a friends property at Fernvale and enjoyed the company of good friends, good food and some great photo opportunities, all mixed in with a decent amount of dirt bikes! I was quite distressed at the severe lack of moisture in this region, what was once lush parts of the Wivenhoe Dam are now barren landscapes of earth longing for a drink. However, nature still smiles and shows her beauty in the form of this wonderful sunset, teasing the earth with it’s full clouds.
There is no more Louis Vuitton. Dolce and his mate Gabbana have retired. Maybelline twisted her lipstick tube shut and fled to the hills. Nike, Adidas, Puma and Reebok stopped expanding and started to teach people how to make their own shoes. Coke was found to contain a sub particle which gave rise to a carcinogen that nearly wiped out America and General Motors returned to making cars that lasted. While some of these traditional brands are in financial positions and have the responsibility to pledge profits to social and envirionmental causes, I hope a range of new advertising messages start to emerge in the consumerist mainstream. Messages about issues of importance, of binding intelligence and of consequential changes in consumer behaviour. Hautlust is one such medium for these messages. Sit back, be affected. One scroll of your mouse and you’re engaged.
Great writers concoct utterly convincing imaginary worlds but how do they feel about the planet they live and breathe in? Does it fill them with hope and pride, or sadden them to their socks? I happened across the Nobel Prize in Literature website which holds the acceptance speeches by Nobel laureates since 1943, including such literary greats as Samuel Beckett (1969), Patrick White (1973), Saul Bellow (1976), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1982) and J.M. Coetzee (2003). Each of their Nobel lectures provide some insight into their view of the world from history, to politics, love, hate, war, peace, art, music, sustainability and of course, writing. The 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Turkish writer, Orhan Pamuk, “who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures”. Pamuk’s lecture is almost a short story in itself, and in part of it he explains why he writes. While his words are inspiring for writers, I also think he speak to any passionate person who is ever asked, “Why do you write/ paint/ sing/ dance/ run/ laugh/ breathe/ live?”
For my first real job after graduating uni I was asked to write a one-page essay on who inspires me as part of the recruitment process. I filled that page quickly with rantings about the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso. Despite this I still managed to get the job! But seriously, this is the person who was the first Dalai Lama to spread Buddhism to the West, who continues to promote the ideal of a free Tibet and who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He’s certainly been my therapy whenever life got me down and wrote the only book I’ve read so many times I’ve lost count – that’s The Art of Happiness. So you can imagine my excitement and surprise when I discovered he’s touring Australia in June this year! The only problem is he’s teaching only in Melbourne and the tickets to the four Buddhist Teachings and Blessing sessions are sold only as a package covering the three days for $300. So a quick calculation for airfares, accommodation and tickets soon adds up to a grand total of about $1000! But my disappointment dissipated when I realised His Holiness is holding a free public talk on ‘Compassion and Kindness’ at our very own Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Wednesday June 13! Continue reading ‘the dalai lama down under!’
An Australian has won a global brief posted on OpenAd.net, the world’s first online market for creatives to pitch ideas in the hope of snaring big prize money. Winning a pitch that asked creatives to convince people to holiday in their own backyards, Melbourne’s Steve Lopez caught the judges’ eye with his campaign Hidden Gems. His work, which used print and digital activity, won him a US $1000! Lopez is a freelance art director who has won a number of previous awards, the most recent being his recognition as a finalist in the John Caples International Awards, an international advertising contest unique in direct marketing.
Jo Smith, UK general manager of OpenAd, told B&T that Lopez’s campaign was versatile enough to appeal to many countries and was impressed with the way the he extended the campaign idea. As would be expected Lopez is thrilled about his latest win. “ I’m over the moon, how can I not be? A brief that allowed a world of creatives to respond, and I was the winner!” he told B&T.
the art of religion
In an idealistic allegory of what our global religious climate could one day be like, San Francisco designers, Mike and Maaike, have created Juxtaposed: Religion. The curated bookshelves, made from reclaimed hardwood, present what the designers consider to be the seven most influential religious texts of our world – Bhagavad Gita, The Bible, The Qur’an, Tao Te Ching, Confucius’s The Analects, Discourses of the Buddah, and The Torah – placed side by side at equal heights. The creative duo describe their limited-edition piece as a way of celebrating and acknowledging the coexistence of religion – 5, 084, 000, 000 people 5360 pages 3,700 years 243 countries 7 books 1 shelf. The piece is the first of their Juxtaposed series of curated bookshelves designed for consulting design firm, blankblank.
As cool as the eco-friendly Green Bags from Coles and Woolworths are, they’ve become quite ubiquitous of late, making it hard to maintain that individual sense of style. Luckily, Queensland-based company, Envirosax, has taken the concept of environmentally friendly reusable grocery bags and added a little bit of glamour. Whether you’re into graphic retro prints, bright florals or a more organic aesthetic, there’s a bag for all tastes. The trendy totes are now making acclaimed appearances at design and trade fairs throughout the world, and are available both individually and in sets of five. And best thing, besides helping save the environment, is that you won’t be seeing them on the arm of every other shopper in Brisbane. Well, at least not yet.
coffee with a conscience
We’ve all heard of the dreaded Latte Factor – how much money we could save if we cut down on all those coffees we buy each week – but now there’s a way to get our daily fix without feeling so guilty. Melbourne-based company, Jasper Coffee, combines its passion for coffee with its desire to ‘re-humanise the coffee supply chain’ by supporting the environments and communities that produce the beloved beans. Jasper was the first Certified Organic Roaster in Australia and is committed to producing all its products using sustainable and ethical practices. Continue reading ‘coffee with a conscience’
2007 must read book
The good folks at Worldchanging.com have compiled a resource book full of great ideas for anyone ready to help change the world. Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the 21st Century is a groundbreaking compendium of the most innovative solutions, ideas and inventions emerging today for building a sustainable, livable, prosperous future. These ideas are easy to obtain, it’s all around us - you just have to tap in! From consumer consciousness to a new vision for industry; non-toxic homes to refugee shelters; microfinance to effective philanthropy; socially responsible investing to starting a green business; citizen media to human rights; ecological economics to climate change, this is the most comprehensive, cutting-edge overview to date of what’s possible in the near future - if we decide to make it so. It doesn’t take much to change the world, just a collective consciousness of thoughtful players. Need some inspiration? You can buy the book locally at Cherry Blossom and get some inspiration for your 2007 resolutions.
