Lose this day loitering—‘twill be the same story
Tomorrow—and the next more dilatory;
Each indecision brings its own delays,
And days are lost lamenting o’er lost days.
Are you in earnest? seize this very minute—
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Only engage, and then the mind grows heated—
Begin it, and the the work will be completed!
”
Do small things. Trust me.
Some of us get so over or underwhelmed by our ideas, dreams, and goals that we end up making no progress towards them. Some ideas are so big that they are daunting to even begin. Some ideas are so mundane as to be seen as unimportant to begin today. Some ideas are so complicated or advanced that we feel intimidated or unworthy of beginning. Just do something. Do some small thing. The smallest manageable thing that you can do. Because oftentimes it’s enough. And you’ll feel so much better about yourself.
Water seeps from a decommissioned mine near the old Ironton townsite in western Colorado.
Photographs by Andrew Stephen Goodrich.
Los Angeles.
2011.
Photograph by Andrew Stephen Goodrich.
Los Angeles is full of awkward absurdities. Anyone who has ever made “Hollywood” a vacation destination must know. The fact is that Hollywood itself is nothing more than the name of a subdivision (the sign once read “Hollywoodland”). The fact that Hollywood as most people know it, the famed sidewalks with stars embedded (the imagery is almost too perfect: us pedestrians treading on the celebrated), is dirty like the streets of the French Quarter, lined with homeless and reeking youth. So many of us dream of heading West, an illusory Promise. But the fact is that dreams come to L.A. to die. Our roads are sliding into the ocean. Tar and natural gas bubble up from the ground along Miracle Mile, sinking the streets. Every waitress is an ‘actress’; everybody here to prove something to somebody because they heard this was the place to get it done. Meanwhile, these quiet, leftover places surround the city. Looming. Watching. Waiting to move in.
Wish I had a photo credit for this. If anyone knows, please let me know so that I can add…
Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self-Reliance”
Etch that last line into your mind forever: “It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.”
If this doesn’t leave you feeling insignificant (in the best way) and in utter awe of our natural world, you might be dead. Check your pulse.
HDR timelapse by Dustin Farrell
Tappi Tíkarrass - Dúkkulísur - Björk
This pretty much blew my mind when I saw it. Björk performing when she was just a little girl. She’s got stage presence even at that age, sure, but when she starts singing about 1:30 in?! Dear lord! Some people are just born to do this stuff. Others will live their entire lives trying to live up to them.
I’d love to hear more recordings of her at this age.
Rants, raves, thoughts, and photographs. Interested in the music, business, marketing, photography, film, quality, technology, philosophy, nature, camping, beer, people.
Ask me Anything
theBLOG via email
