Inspiring media forms

Lately I've been getting very inspired by media forms that I've never had the opportunity to work with. I don't have a camcorder, so I've never directed or shot any video stuff, and I never spent enough time with the painting utencils and canvas,that my uncle bought me years ago, to actually learn how to paint. Every month I spend 7 dollars on Creativity magazine, and I'm always on creativity-online.com to see what's new. Friday I found out about the AKQA backed, Future Lions competition. The competition is to basically help new young talent get recognized on a global scale; and the brief is simply (relatively) to choose a global brand, and create an advertisement an any media form that wouldn't have been possible 5 years ago. I wish I knew about this competition when I was in school, but hopefully (with my fingers and toes crossed, and a prayer sent upward) I can one day get an advertising award as a professional. However, it's a real cool competition and it's bound to inspire many, for this ever so changing world.

The art work that is above is the background of the Future Lions website. I'm not sure if it was painted or if it was somehow put together using the computer; but I love it. The large brush strokes and the quality of the cat-like figure on the right corner have a nice feel to it. If that piece was for sale, I would buy it, frame it, and hang it up in my apartment. This artwork has inspired me to want to learn how to paint. It could possibly become a hobby of mine, but I want to learn, moreso for if an idea comes to me, that fits best in a painting form, I could reach into that pocket of the utility belt and make it happen.

This month's Creativity magazine is dedicated to directors. I read the whole roundtable discussion, and it struck something in me to want to just grab a camera and shoot something. On my digital camera I have a video recorder, so I just recorded the rain, thunder and the lightning (today's weather) from my apartment window, but that didn't feed my need. I have a graduation party coming up in a couple of weeks and hopefully I can get enough money from it to buy a camcorder and quiet that hunger.

Verses for today (June 27, 2008)

This morning I was reading the book of Jonah; It's only 3 chapters, but I needed to read it a couple of times because, even though there are a lot of lessons to learn from this book, there seemed like there was something in particular that God was communicating. It wasn't until after I did the cross referencing, that I realized what was being taught.

The book of Jonah starts with these two verses (Chapter 1:1 and 2):

1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry (cry out) against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

So Jonah was commissioned to go into the city of Nineveh and warn them that they need to repent, and if they didn't God's wrath would be upon them. So verse 3 reads:

3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Because Jonah disobeyed the Lord, there was a huge storm that came to affect the waters that the ship was on. So the captain of the ship and everyone on it wondered who brought this disaster upon them; and Jonah let them know that the storm came because he fled from the Lord. Jonah didn't want them to suffer because of him, so he told the people on the ship to throw him overboard...and they did; and the water became calm again. However, while Jonah was in the water, "a great fish" (as said in verse 17) swallowed Jonah.

Jonah was in the belly of the "great fish" (Matthew 12:40 says it was a whale) for 3 days and 3 nights, and he prayed to God and he repented; and then as Chapter 2:10 says:

10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomitted out Jonah upon the dry land.

Chapter 3:

1 And the word from the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee

So Jonah arose, went into the city of Nineveh and cried out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." (chapter 3:4); chapter 3 verses 5-9 speaks of how all the people of Nineveh repented. Verse 10 then reads:

10 And God saw their works and they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did not.

Jonah witnessed all of this, and he was angry with himself because of not obeying God the first time, and told God that he is better off dead than alive.

Chapter 4:4:

4 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? (is it right for you to be angry?)

After a different chain of events, God asks Jonah again in verse 9:

9 Doest thou well to be angry...?

and God ends the book of Jonah saying in verse 11:

11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?


These are the verses that I was lead to while I was cross referencing:

Proverbs 16:32:

32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh the city.

Proverbs 14:29:

29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding; but he that is hasty of spirit (short of spirit) exalteth folly.

and Proverbs 19:11 and 12:

11 The discretion of man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over (overlook) transgression.

12 The king's wrath is as the roaring lion; but his favor is as dew upon the grass.

The answer to the question "Doest thou well to be angry?" is "no". If it was good for one to be angry, God wouldn't have spared Jonah, those in Nineveh, or us.

Olympic Goosebumps

As soon as I posted my previous entry, I saw this commercial and got the goosebumps. I think the Olympics has a place in a lot of people's hearts and memories, and Morgan Freeman's narrating voice was the cherry on top. I've been listening to a lot of different music lately because I'm going to buy a camera soon and start filming some "commercials" for my portfolio. Stay tuned for that.

Suited and booted

Today I was watching the NBA Draft (by the way, 3 people from Detroit went: 2 from my brothers' high school, and one from my high school), and I saw how all the prospects were suited up; Stuart Scott said, "For NBA Draft day you definitely can't get a suit off the rack, you need to get it custom made". This comment set up this picture that I took earlier today which I thought was hilarious....any jacket from off the rack $5...CRAZY.

Update from Monday's Entry

Yesterday on my lunch break, I went back to the location of where I saw the guy trying to steal the batman poster....and it looks like he succeeded.

Stealing

Tonight I left work at about 10pm and decided to take a cab home. While I was in the cab, I looked out the right window and I saw a guy trying to steal a Dark Knight movie poster out of the pay phone ad frame. There's always times when I wish I had my camera, but today I didn't have it; even if I did, I would have looked like I was trying to get him in trouble or something. Anyhow, even though it was technically illegal, I think it's cool that Batman has a place in people's minds and hearts, and that the poster was designed in such a way to make someone want to steal it. Tomorrow I'll take my camera to work and see if the poster is still there. Check back tomorrow to get the update.

I almost died when i saw this

Funny Laugh

This guy's laugh is pretty funny. I actually know him, but he doesn't want his name revealed.

Sony Xperia

If I wasn't a Mac user, this might not be a bad device. You can check out the features 

here.

BMW dresses well

BMW has always been my favorite car make: because of the style of their cars and that independent mindset that they stand for. Not sure how great of a practical car it would make, but it's definitely cool to look at.

Just looking

Lately I've actually had the time to sit back, look at photo albums of my family, and just think about life. 

It's amazing thinking about the different stages of my life: pre-school, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and now "the real world".

When I look at photos of myself back in elementary school and middle school, I just think "J, you didn't know anything. I mean you knew a little, but not as much as you thought." And then I see the middle school pictures, and I think to myself, "J, you didn't know anything. I mean you were at a good knowledge base for that age, but you didn't know as much as you thought." And now, which is so crazy to me, I see pictures of me in high school, and I think, "J, you didn't know anything, definitely not as much as you thought, but, you had a good head on your shoulders." Soon I'll be able to say how much I didn't know while I was in college, but I'm still fresh out, so for now I can tell you how much I know and how smart I am.

I think it's good to observe and analyze yourself on a regular bases; it helps us realize the things that we're doing, and it gives us the opportunity to impress our future selves.