Define "Portrait"

A portrait to me is capturing a person in a moment of time- their reaction, personality, emotion, expression, story,  ect. A snapshot of their being.

 Discussion Questions for Dorothea Lange’s – Migrant Mother

• Who is in this picture? How do you think they are related? What do you see in the picture that gives you clues?

     A woman and her two children. The two boys body language of resting and cling to the woman gives the clue that the woman is their mother. Their heads turned away can be interperated as the two boys hanging on their mother for guidence through a hard/tough time they are going through. They all have run downed clothing on and unkempt hair which also gives one the clue that this picture was taken in the Great Depression.

• How would you describe the woman's expression?

     The woman's face is stoic and strong, yet is filled with imence emotion: of frustration, stressed, a bit of dispair and a sense of being lost at the time. 

• What does the woman's gesture tell you about how she is feeling?

      She seems to be thinking about what she can possibly do.... pondering.

• Do you think Lange posed the two older children to face away from the camera? If you think she did, why would she have done this?

      I feel like this is a candid shot that captured these three people in a moment of time during the Great Depression. It shows a portrait of a real woman and her story going through the hardships of  Great Depression. 

• How do you think the public responded to this photograph when it was published in a newspaper?

• Years later, Florence Owens Thompson did not want this picture published anymore because she felt it labeled her as "poor" when she no longer was. If it had been up to you, would you have honored her request? If a subject agrees to be photographed, should they be able to control how the photo is later used?

     I think you should always respect your subject and they should have the overall say in what happens to the photograph in the end because it is ultimatly their face and their identity that is being portrayed. 

Typography Design

I am drawn to the layering in this design.

I wanna see this movie!!

HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4YghiZxHfw&feature=related

BEST MUSIC VIDEO EVER!!! click on it!

Her Morning Elegance.
Click here to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY

Interesting blog on the decrease of down/self time

What Happened To Downtime? The Extinction Of Deep Thinking And Sacred Space

BY THE 99 PERCENTFri Nov 5, 2010

Interruption-free space is sacred. Yet, in the digital era we live in, we are losing hold of the few sacred spaces that remain untouched by email, the Internet, people, and other forms of distraction. Our cars now have mobile phone integration and a thousand satellite radio stations. When walking from one place to another, we have our devices streaming data from dozens of sources. Even at our bedside, we now have our iPads with heaps of digital apps and the world's information at our fingertips.

There has been much discussion about the value of the "creative pause"--a state described as "the shift from being fully engaged in a creative activity to being passively engaged, or the shift to being disengaged altogether." This phenomenon is the seed of the break-through "a-ha!" moments that people so frequently report having in the shower. In these moments, you are completely isolated, and your mind is able to wander and churn big questions without interruption.

However, despite the incredible power and potential of sacred spaces, they are quickly becoming extinct. We are depriving ourselves of every opportunity for disconnection. And our imaginations suffer the consequences.

Why do we crave distraction over downtime?

Why do we give up our sacred space so easily? Because space is scary. During these temporary voids of distraction, our minds return to the uncertainty and fears that plague all of us. To escape this chasm of self-doubt and unanswered questions, you tune into all of the activity and data for reassurance.

But this desperate need for constant connection and stimulation is not a modern problem. I would argue that we have always sought a state of constant connection from the dawn of time, it's just never been possible until now.

The need to be connected is, in fact, very basic in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the psychological theory that explains the largest and most fundamental human desires. Our need for a sense of belonging comes right after physical safety. We thrive on friendship, family, and the constant affirmation of our existence and relevance. Our self-esteem is largely a product of our interactions with others.

It is now possible to always feel loved and cared for, thanks to the efficiency of our "comment walls" on Facebook and seamless connection with everyone we've ever known. Your confidence and self-esteem can quickly be reassured by checking your number of "followers" on Twitter or the number of "likes" garnered by your photographs and blog posts. The traction you are getting in your projects, or with your business, can now be measured and reported in real time.

Our insatiable need to tune into information--at the expense of savoring our downtime--is a form of "work" (something I call "insecurity work") that we do to reassure ourselves.

So what's the solution? How do we reclaim our sacred spaces?

Soon enough, planes, trains, subways, and, yes, showers will offer the option of staying connected. Knowing that we cannot rely on spaces that force us to unplug to survive much longer, we must be proactive in creating these spaces for ourselves. And when we have a precious opportunity to NOT be connected, we should develop the capacity to use it and protect it.

For more leadership coverage, follow us on LinkedIn or check out these recent stories fromFast Company:  

• 5 Things To Do Every Day For Success
• The Creative Brain On Exercise
• Want To Keep (And Motivate) Your Best Employees? It's Not About The Money
• Box CEO Aaron Levie Wants To Liberate You From Your Desk
• How Starbucks Trasnformed Coffee From A Commodity Into A $4 Splurge

I think these are good principles Tony Schwartz came up with to try and live by

Ten Principles To Live By In Fiercely Complex Times

BY FC EXPERT BLOGGER TONY SCHWARTZWed Jul 13, 2011

This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone.

If you're like most people I work with in companies, the demands come at you from every angle, all day long, and you have to make difficult decisions without much time to think about them. What enduring principles can you rely on to make choices that reflect openness, integrity and authenticity?

Here are ten that work for me:

1. Always challenge certainty, especially your own. When you think you're undeniably right, ask yourself "What might I be missing here?" If we could truly figure it all out, what else would there be left to do?

2. Excellence is an unrelenting struggle, but it's also the surest route to enduring satisfaction. Amy Chua, the over-the-top "Tiger Mother," was right that there's no shortcut to excellence. Getting there requires practicing deliberately, delaying gratification, and forever challenging your current comfort zone.

3. Emotions are contagious, so it pays to know what you're feeling. Think of the best boss you ever had. How did he or she make you feel? That's the way you want to make others feel.

4. When in doubt, ask yourself, "How would I behave here at my best?" We know instinctively what it means to do the right thing, even when we're inclined to do the opposite. If you find it impossible, in a challenging moment, to envision how you'd behave at your best, try imagining how someone you admire would respond.

5. If you do what you love, the money may or may not follow, but you'll love what you do. It's magical thinking to assume you'll be rewarded with riches for following your heart. What it will give you is a richer life. If material riches don't follow, and you decide they're important, there's always time for Plan B.

6. You need less than you think you do. All your life, you've been led to believe that more is better, and that whatever you have isn't enough. It's a prescription for disappointment. Instead ask yourself this: How much of what you already have truly adds value in your life? What could you do without?

7. Accept yourself exactly as you are but never stop trying to learn and grow.One without the other just doesn't cut it. The first, by itself, leads to complacency, the second to self-flagellation. The paradoxical trick is to embrace these opposites, using self-acceptance as an antidote to fear and as a cushion in the face of setbacks.

8. Meaning isn't something you discover, it's something you create, one step at a time. Meaning is derived from finding a way to express your unique skills and passion in the service of something larger than yourself. Figuring out how best to contribute is a lifelong challenge, reborn every day.

9. You can't change what you don't notice and not noticing won't make it go away. Each of us has an infinite capacity for self-deception. To avoid pain, we rationalize, minimize, deny, and go numb. The antidote is the willingness to look at yourself with unsparing honesty, and to hold yourself accountable to the person you want to be.

10. When in doubt, take responsibility. It's called being a true adult.

Deadmau5 Concert

 On Saturday I went to the Deadmau5 Concert with my lovely friend Zoe. It was Amazing! awesome beats, and rockin' out was just fucking fun! Anyone who hasn't seen them live, definitely should. Here are some pictures from the night.