you dream, I dream, together we dream

In 2011 while trekking through the Himalayas of Nepal with my friend Steph Reynard, we met Jeff. Actually first we met incredible flags describing children's dreams on them around a local school at nearly 4000m altitude. And it won our hearts.

We interviewed Jeff back then and he won our hearts too and since, life on the road has enabled me to become a more practical supporter of the project and put more energy in to what I feel is one of the great examples of how we can all contribute to a better world for our children.

I feel very grateful for Jeff's friendship and humbled to know someone so committed to creating a platform that empowers children to dream a better world for themselves, to walk the path of their hearts truth and enable Schools to help prepare students to be part of a world they WANT to be part of.

I am a big fan and hence, would like to share a short exchange I had with Jeff on the project and its expansion in to the digital realm (with this Kickstarter campaign), enabling a shared dream, bringing dreamers together in an increasingly digital world.

What is the Dream Flag Project?

The Dream Flag Project is an invitation for students to reach into their hearts, to find what Langston Huges calls their "heart melody," to write about it, often in poetry, to put that on a standard sized piece of fabric, make it sing with color, attach it to a line with others, and share it with the world.
That's the simplicity of the project and the reason it's travelled so far and so deeply--around the world, into innner cities, into remote villages, all over. But at a deeper level, The Dream Flag Project is a path for bringing dreams back into the classroom for a better world.

What does that mean?

It means that when you look at the way education used to work, at least in America and much of the world, "the dream" was to do well in school, get the opportunties that afforded, and "do better" than your parents--to have a material life that's fuller and materially easier. It may or may not have ever been true, but it was a motivating dream for many. And it doesn't work anymore. Students do well in school, go to college, and can't find jobs. They have fewer opportunities than their parents, not more.
The old system was built on a model of continuous growth, a stockmarket that always increases in value. Greater GDP every year. Continuous economic expansion. And, as Jane Goodall tries to point out to everyone who will listen, that doesn't work in an ecosystem. It's a recipe for disaster--a recipie for death.

And The Dream Flag Project? Making stuff out of fabric and hanging it? Where does that fit in?

The Dream Flag Project brings a different kind of dream back into the classroom. It brings a "we dream." It's fundamentally a group experience. Students, inspired by the poems of Langston Hughes or whatever else their teachers provide, are invited to articulate their dreams. Some are simple--like having a chicken on a Dream Flag from a village in Madagascar.  Some are poignant -like the wish for a cure for Alzheimer's from a student I taught this year who lost her grandpa to that disease. Many are global, like the a Dream Flag from a village in western Russia about hoping that people will be kind everywhere or for an end to wars. But all are linked to a line, done in a group, and connected to each other. As in powerful poetry, it's the metaphor of the project that carries the impact. Connecting to others. Knowing you're not alone in your dream.
As it says on our Kickstarter site, "Schools should help prepare students to be part of a world the WANT to be part of. The Dream Flag Project already helps students to imagine that world. DreamLine will help them make it their reality."

How?

Through network and connection, the greatest single benefit we have from the sytem of technology that's part of all of our lives. Connection to others who share a dream, brings strengh and potential for real change. So it's a very open forum. And it's in schools, not outside of schools. That means it's safe for children. The teachers are in charge of making it a safe space through moderated exchange.

What will happen if we create this global network of teachers and students around the world who share dreams?

We don't know. And that's a great thing. Starting The Dream Flag Project, we just invited teachers to have their students take part in a simple process of Dream, Create, Connect, and Share. It's an open framework that's been taken in so many directions, places, and extensions, we never could have anticipated them. In today's educational world, everyone wants to know about outcomes. Like children are being processed and we can predict what we'll turn them into. Like any organic growth process, the outcomes are not completely predictable. We're not machines. Yay! But the growth that comes from connections has tremendous potential to instigate positive change.

It's very simple really. When you look at hundreds and hundreds of Dream Flags, or thousands and thousands, not one, not a single one, zero--say they dream of wiping out all of the so-and-so's or beating everyone in a war. They're about health, about safety, about prosperity. And they're about peace and fairness and harmony. When you create a global way to help children see those goals as tenable, and when they have a structure that supports small actions toward them, who knows what will happen.

So we want to bring dreams BACK into the classroom--but for a better world, for a we-dream.

Please pledge your support for DreamLine here.

dear burning burning man

Photo: Galen Oakes

Dear Burning Man

As I watched you burning fiercely amongst the 70,000 'Burners' I reflected deeply on these last few years since I left Sydney and the stories I'd been battling with since I was a child. I watched you light up the sky bathed in beautiful fireworks and realised just how there I was. How released I felt and ultimately, how bloody grateful.

As I meditated on you I felt the fire within me burn too; absolutely free, alive and whole. Thanking myself for burning the shame, burning the sadness, burning the fears and burning the fury and the rage. Burning Man, you burn and boy do you burn good.

The BE //Photo: jessicabrookes.photography

What I wondered - as I sat under the stars of the Nevada desert - was what exciting dreams would come to life next? Where would life take me? How would I grow? As the ashes shook away, I finally, sighed with huge relief. I can't explain it but I can bow my head and say thanks. You took away my fears Burning Man and those things can hot bake pretty damn deep.

If all the grit brought me here, in this very hot moment, I thought. Then I have a lot to be thankful for. Except the wrinkles, they've taken a bit of time to adjust to - ironically. But I rather a few lines that crinkle when I smile, than the high security armored heart I'd slogged around for far too long. Yes I feel more than before, the tears come all too easily but yet the joy for living showers me in such inspiration, Burning Man. Like waterfalls of endless potential you rain down the message loud and clear; anything is possible.

To all the Burners, you beautiful celestial beings that make the pilgrimage to this wonderful place, I wholeheartedly salute you. What an incredibly magical place we crafted together, what powerful dust storms we fought (I will not forget cycling straight in to that sculpture!), the boundary pushing workshops we dove in to and dance floors feet kissed while bathed in the breath-taking golden sunsets. I rode my edge Burning Man but I  didn't snap. Even as the storm pulled out the tent pegs and coated everything in a layer of dust. Even then when you pushed me that far. Nope. It was OK.

Burning Man, you are full of such dreamlike wonder. Full of the bizarre, eccentric and fun. You are full to the brim with creative spirit and you are so full of love and everything that's inspired. You are a great place to burn off the pains and exist more fully in the NOW with a smile on the face and a big open heart. And you are extraordinary because you are a collection of creations, selfless and empowered. A giant united heart facing the sunrise and looking forward, day after day. When I rode through the desert and found a watch only to learn that the time said N:O:W - I got the message. A great present from the desert that I offered to the beautiful Temple which was home to so much grief. Somber it was, thank god that got burnt down too! In silence. With plenty tears. And so many people moved by it.

The Temple //Photo: jessicabrookes.photography

Thank you for burning. You have liberated, enlightened and been a space for healing and self expression to a lot of brave people. You have also brought a whole manner of sorts in to one field; from the naked banana pancake camp to the giant penis sculpture.

Here's to more magic, more love and more joy. Let that fire ROAR burners, there's a fire in your heart and your life is the canvas to blaze it on. You don't always need a desert, baby, you've got soul.

So spark it up Burning Man and burn burn burn.

In love with desert light, made peace with the dust.

Jecta x

"Your life is a sacred journey. It is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing, of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love." ~ by Caroline Adams

how not to let the creative journey kill you

I write this from beautiful Cartagena in Colombia where I have based myself under a mango tree (that keeps on dropping them - fortunately not on my head) as a make shift officespace to focus on bringing some very special projects to fruition.

These projects are dear to my heart that I am delighted to invest my heart and soul in to. However with such an investment of my time, I have found old worker bee habits sneaking back from my past life in Adland where, at its worse, I would wake up checking emails on my iPhone and spend the whole day in front of my laptop, unconsciously eat lunches in front of a screen and even work over the weekend in 'always on' worker bee mode (tips and tools for surviving the daily grind here). 

Thankfully I have not been sick for a long time but I recall the impact the grind was having on my body, mind and soul that required I also gave loving attention to myself as I went on retreats, took up Bikram yoga and did detox cleanses (not ideal in an office environment especially when meetings with clients were often gastronomic and a little over indulgent).

I’ve found that this talk from Jonathan Fields a timely reminder on how we might avoid dying through the creative process while one makes something extraordinary from nothing (Marianna also talks wisely on the value of the emptiness of which creativity is born):

Balancing work with play on tour is a challenge.

I love this lifestyle and I have learned so many cool things; however I need purpose in life and that is to create.

These three 'secrets' are keeping me alive, engaged and turned on. I hope you find value in them too:

1. Ritualise the morning.
Checking emails first thing is not wise and can have one start the day in a responsive mode. Recently, while in love with my work, I slipped back in to this habit. Now I am back to a meditative sitting (or if in a dorm, lying) practice to provide me with a mind re-set to start the day. Personally, I enjoy pranayama breathing and connecting my body with my breath by lifting my arms above my head behind me and back down gently restoratively with breath. Note: if you are sharing a dorm - this looks strange to others. Play cool meditation music (playlist I made here) with headphones to be less of a distraction. As Jonathan explains, mindfulness can help remove the negative story-lines (such as not being good enough) that can hinder the creative process.
2. Move. Move. Move. I enjoy going for a walk with my beloved camera and listening to some fun tunes on my ipod shuffle. Should the climate not be too hot I may even go for a run. Yesterday, after a gruelling Monday, I created the time to visit the beach, do some yoga, meditate and have a massage while I saw my productiveness and sense of calm be restored upon my return. This was the first track that played on my ipod which gave me such a skip in my step.
3. Eat healthily. This is super challenging while travelling; sometimes I just have to humbly accept what I am given as a guest (and forgo vegetarianism). I really recommend applying the Ayurvedic principles and eating fresh fruit and veg! Sometimes I fast for the day and only have fruit fallen from mamma mango tree and I believe that the religious practice of fasting is actually born from intelligence (a modern day equivalent: 5-2 diet). I seem to love myself and my work that little bit more when my snack breaks are delicious pieces of fruit. Also for travellers who need grounding, having the same breakfast everyday is good practice as is a breakfast like porridge with grounding oats and grains.

I hope this gives you some useful tips and insights in to how to ensure the creative journey, with its dark night and all, ensures your mind, body and soul sit in a state of yummy goodness as you bring those beauties to life with a sense of grounding.

natural beauty locked in stone

Egan & Jess in the snows of New England, USA

One of the highlights to my Christmas in New York City was unwrapping a beautiful package from a lovely true and beautiful couple who I met in India and having a stunning piece of jewellery around my neck designed by an inspiring and empowered lady; Jessica Vose. 

Jessica is an artist in love with nature, precious stones and silver, hence she designs and makes stunning jewellery. The package I opened was a collection of amazing stones and their stories, explaining each of their essences. I felt so comforted, protected and empowered by the precious stones that are great for travelling with and I love the deep shimmering blue Labradorite pendant that I wear around my neck believed to encapsulate the Northern Lights. I really enjoy meditating with my crystals that take me back to the giant cleansing crystals the live encrusted within the amazing giants of the Himalayas of India where I felt very soulfully cleansed, connected and true.

I met Jessica in India where she was bringing to life Saraswati Stones inspired by the Goddess Saraswati who is strongly associated with flowing water in her role as a goddess of knowledge. She is depicted as a beautiful woman possessing four arms, and is usually shown wearing a spotless white sari and seated on a white lotus or riding a white swan. 

True to Saraswati's jewel like essence, Jessica asks people to embrace the beauty of nature with earth energy jewellery and I'd invite you to visit her online store and see if any of those beautiful stones call to you too.

Tourmaline

Labradorite

Tigers Eye

my new boyfriend. boo bear.

I was fortunate enough to visit a friend of mine who I met in Buenos Aires at TEFL teacher training. He lives in Vermont and his family kindly invited me to stay for a week while embracing some of the beautiful wonders of the area.

What made my stay more remarkable was that one member of the family, never knew that I was actually staying under the same roof. His name is Aiden, he’s 7 years old (due to be 8 on Christmas day), affectionately known as Boo Bear, and I evidently am his new girlfriend.

Boo Bear is such an interesting character. Hyperactive doesn't even cut it. In the mornings, as I stealthy lock myself in Kyle’s sister’s bedroom, I awaken to the sounds of a very loud child slamming doors and stomping through the hall. Hence, he is what in the modern world would be termed as “a special needs kid”. I seemingly have great taste in men.

Besides having great admiration for Boo Bears mother Nancy and his family who have resisted school teacher’s insinuations that he is a child that should be put on drugs or kicked out, I can’t help but feel that this is a story that many parent’s in this day and age are having to face.

He just doesn’t fit in the box.

Some say that trauma in early life, as in Boo Bear's time pre-adoption, can create challenges in development. This may be the case, however it can also be argued that there’s a box that hasn't evolved with the consciousness of the world around it.

This box being an educational paradigm saying that a child with special needs should be put on drugs, on therapy or socially excluded.

Don’t get me wrong, Boo Bear is certainly special. He craves a lot of attention and by being incredibly disruptive, creates stormy moments in the household and at school that require the family to delicately handle his need for control. Equally at school he has a ‘safe room’ and several teachers. Discipline is challenging for him because he wants to control every situation he’s in and when he feels he doesn't have that, things ‘get big’ which escalate and escalate to a point of self-destruction.

I am not a psychotherapist. A mere traveler am I seeing the world and all its shifts and madness, however, I hope that besides getting over me quickly enough once I go, I also hope Boo Bear finds his place in a world yet to evolve beyond medicating him and trying to force him in to a box.

The time we spent together among his toys (the 'softy party') renaming one “Booger Bear” and collaborating on a very eclectic salad will forever be treasured in my memory. Despite sometimes high-fiving my hand waaaay too hard, I mastered a trick to ensure the next girlfriend that comes along gets treated gracefully; "Darling, remember, I'm a flower".

Bless his heart... What a naughty little child he is. 

I want to share this alternative medication for certain special children as something to consider. I am not joking neither recommending beyond just something to think about.

For wild child reference (and laughs).

the power of introverts

This is a lovely insightful talk on the importance of solitude in a world that, especially in the West, values extroverted people of action and often louder, charismatic voices over the more introverted, yet creative minds.

I love spending time with myself. Cooking myself dinner or going for a nice walk to the beach or in the woods. I also love connecting with people and sharing ideas, however, much of my travels I have enjoyed my time alone in nature and moments getting to know myself.

The lesson I learned is not to take solitude to extreme - I am very blessed to have a family that loves me and friends that enjoy my company. However, in those introspective moments I had some fantastic ideas and inspirations that I know I wouldn't have found chatting to a bunch of backpackers in a busy cafe or guesthouse regardless of how inspired the conversation was. I love going in to my 'cave' and working on projects without the distractions of extroversion.

Some tips:

1. Stop the madness for constant group work; freedom, autonomy, time alone in workplaces and schools
2. Go to the wilderness, unplug and get inside our own heads; explore in solitude
3. Share your joy, whether your an introvert or an extrovert, the world needs you

Have the courage to speak softly.

gromits unleashed & beautifully caught in bristol

I studied in Bristol (UK) and so its always been a city close to my heart. It holds a lot of special memories for me and is one of my favourite cities in the UK to wonder around in. Especially with the cardiovascular workout of getting up the near vertical slant of Park Street.

On 1 July 2013 the ‘Gromit Unleased’ charity art exhibition was launched in Bristol and it’s surrounding area. Spearheaded by Aardman, the unique art trail featured 80 giant, 5ft high Gromit sculptures, individually decorated by an eclectic mix of well-known and local artists, designers and celebrities in order to raise funds for the local children's hospital.

The sculptures were distributed around the area with one also placed at London Paddington Railway Station. It's such a clever way of bringing a new dimension to the city while promoting a great cause. Bristol tourism staff estimated that the exhibition generated as much as £58 million for the city during the two-month display, with visitors coming from all over the UK and from as far afield as the United States and Japan to marvel at these giant sculptures.

The Gromit statues animated the city for ten weeks from 1 July, before being auctioned to raise funds to support the expansion of Bristol Children’s Hospital.

I met the talented photographer Steve Hyde at my family's guesthouse in Braunton, Devon (shameless plug) on a recent visit and he explained more about a project he has worked on as part of the exhibit in order to bring the Gromits to life in an interesting way after going on the Gromit treasure hunt and capturing each one on his camera.

"I’m a proud Bristolian and I love walking around the city so it seemed quite natural to pack my cameras and set off with my wife, Linda, to photograph a few Gromits one sunny day in early August.

We started with Gromit No.39, ‘Stat’s the way to do it, Lad!’ outside the Aardman building and worked our way down through the docks, into Millennium Square and onward from there. We were not alone though. We had to queue at most sculptures and found most of them by simply following the crowds. Grommiting seemed to have taken the city by storm! By the end of the day I had photographed eighteen Gromits and was hooked.

We went back into the Bristol the same week and visited another 20 Gromits. I returned for a third session a week later but this time used my bicycle to get around the Gromits outside the central Bristol area.

We drove out to get the remote Gromits and finally with 79 in the bag I bought a train ticket for London and set off to photograph ‘Gromit’ at Paddington. I had a few odd looks when I told people I was going to London to do nothing other than photograph a Gromit sculpture but having photographed the other 79, in my world, I didn’t have any option other than to go. I’m glad I did as well. I felt quite good knowing I’d completed the task."

Steve decided to bring the photo's to life in an engaging and innovative way.

"When I reviewed the pictures after our first trip out I began to think what could I do to make my efforts a little bit different, especially as I didn’t have my kids or grand children (they’re much too old or young for that) or anyone else I know in my shots. It was then I came up with the idea of converting them into polaroid style shots using a conversation action in Photoshop.

Although it might seem a little bit crazy using top grade professional equipment ,which is honed to producing large super sharp, well exposed shots, to generate under exposed fuzzy 3inch square images, I really liked the results. As a photographer I was also forced to totally re-think the way I composed the shots with the final polaroid result in mind and that was quite a challenge. Of course, no amount of photoshop trickery can ever really produce a genuine Polaroid copy but the results are still something a bit different from what I would have expected to produce at the start of the project."

All eighty sculptures are featured in the book with a few portraits of Steve's favourites towards the end.

Steve sends thanks to everyone involved for getting the project out there, promoting the city, generating loads of cash for a great cause and providing so many people with a lot of enjoyment over the last ten weeks or so.

great digital goodness

Everyday we continually witness the evolution of awesome technology enabled communication. Sometimes I struggle to keep up. Which is why I've been lazy and given you a brief installment :)

Google’s Christchurch Person Finder
Technology is coming to the aid of those affected by last night's earthquake in Christchurch. Within hours of the devastating 6.3-magnitude quake, Google's "emergency response team" had set up a simple web tool to help people request and post information about missing friends and relatives. The person finder, embedded below, already has 4300 records of both missing people and those who are letting their terrified relatives know that they're safe.

Set up by New Zealand's Earthquake Commission, the simple website lets users tweet to #christchurch, or #eqnz or #ChristchurchQuake to give information about people who are trapped or where damaged buildings and even payphones are located. The site also lists reports as they come in from residents including live pictures and where working ATMs can still be found.

Oscars streamed live, for a small fee of course.
Just thought it topical to share the latest innovation from the Oscars (award show starting in one hour) check out the latest socialisation of traditional media via their live streaming of the awards ceremony, behind the scenes, twitter feeds and other bells and whistles.

HOME a film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand: Something for you to watch tonight

HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being. When it comes to environmental policies such as climate change legislation, land conservation, or bans on oil drilling, a grasp of the science and economics behind the issues might seem essential. But polls show that people tend to base their views on ‘gut’ feelings and personal philosophies. As we know in advertising, targeting the heart, therefore, might sway minds when numbers can't.

HOME is a carbon offset movie streaming free on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU


Kinect childrens imagination (like what I did there?)
Chris O’Shea is a Kinect Hack. He’s brought the imagination of children to life through storytelling, performance and technology in a bid to encourage children to get excited about storytelling.

Little Magic Stories from Chris O'Shea on Vimeo.

Very cute demonstration of creative utility.

being a misfit

I have just finished reading a great book called "Thinque Funky" by a funkadelic Swede named Anders Sorman-Nilsson, a futurist, a trend spotter and inspiring speaker. His book asks us to look and prepare for the future, with an understanding of what is needed to progress to the next chapter. The world of web 3.0, digilogue technology, androgynous culture and creative commons.

At the TEDx talk on Friday, Anders presented his perspective on the minds we need to evangelise this movement; the misfits. The misfits who are willing to push new thinking, who drive positive change, forward-looking innovation, and solve problems creatively, and that without them your organisation really cannot compete.

Obviously as a misfit myself, I am 100% on board, but despite my bias I welcome you to take a look for yourself at his blog and appreciate the below ;)

why we choose?

Dan Ariely the author of Predictably Irrational uses interesting optical illusions to demonstrate our thought process (and decision making). Our intuition fools us in to thinking things in a certain way. Like an optical illusion even when we know what the right answer is we still don’t see it.

Which is longer?
(They're both the same)

The idea of illusions is that our senses feed us information however it is not a true reflection of reality. Information is provided to us courtesy of our brain, which has a set of rules for dealing with situations so that what we see is actually very different from reality in specific, repeatable, predictable ways.

The same thing applies to consumer behavior. For example, when something costs more and people expect it to be better, they actually end up seeing and experiencing it as being better. One of my favourite (and equally frustrating) product examples of this is Tiffany. Oh the weakness. But why? Well a brand is considered premium when we believe it is worth the price. And to feel that good with a shining Tiffany bracelet on is oh so worth it. Remember 'perceived quality' is one of the key brand associations that has proven to drive financial performance.

It’s like an illusion, the way that we process the information is not a function of what is out there, it’s a function of what is happening in our brain. Most of our understanding of the world comes from our brain not from our senses. We think we see with our eyes but much of what we see is happening within our brain even the way we feel about it.

Ariely uses a great example; when you lie on your back and look at the sky, you believe you’re seeing blue however the reality is that only a small part of your eye can detect that colour. If you extend your arm out in front of your face and hold your hand in a fist, that’s the only portion of your eye that can detect blue. The rest of your eye isn’t supposed to see blue. We don’t see blue because of our eyes, we see it in spite of our eyes. It’s our brain that is doing all the work to help us detect blue. The same thing happens when we process other information: Price, quality, etc. In all those cases, it is our brain that drives our expectations and determines much of our final experience.

Ariely believe that we have two types of rules for our behavior. One type concerns market norms which involve how much you pay for things, how much people charge you and so on (a banking rate for example). The other type is social exchanges that have to do with fairness and warm fuzzy feelings (the 'why', the connectiveness we feel, the empowerment etc). Both of these relationships are perfectly reasonable and have advantages and disadvantages. Marketers need to understand the particular advantages and disadvantages that come with both of these relationships and perhaps more importantly the failure that can occur when the relationship is in the middle and not compelling enough in either direction.

How to start a movement

Here are some learnings from Derek Silvers TED Talk:

• A leader needs the guts to stand out and be ridiculed
• If you’re the lone nut who starts a movement, who goes out there alone, nurture your first few followers as equals – its about the movement not about you
• The first follower is an underestimated form of leadership in itself - he shows the others how to follow
• A movement must be public, new followers emulate the followers not the leader
• Leadership is over glorified; the first follower transforms the lone nut in to a leader (if we’re all trying to be leaders it’d be ineffective)
• As more people join in, its less risky, so those who were spectators now have no reason not to get involved - they won't stand out, they won't be ridiculed, they may be part of the in crowd if they hurry (Tipping point)

So, find your followers, embrace them as equals and have the courage to follow and show others. how to follow

The Future of Publishing

A very clever way to demonstrate the change publishing is undergoing at the moment. It says embrace your customer as partners in the process, let them inspire creative ideas to guide and validate the content you produce, regardless of the packaging.

And seriously, lets all get over Gaga.

What Is Missing? By Silvie Bolcher

Sylvie Blocher is a famous French video artist. I went to her exhibition today at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art and I was totally blown away by the stunning visuals, insights and stories she presented. Her work What Is Missing? features people from Penrith unveiling their unspoken needs, hopes, dreams and desires, and was created while Sylvie Blocher was in residence in Penrith as part of the C3West Project. It talks to identity, culture, meaning in life and what people feel is missing in Australia.

Documentary Film Making

I decided last month that I would learn something new and with a passion for making things and having ideas I thought I'd explore film as a new medium for storytelling (having previously fondled with photography, art, drama, film editing and radio once upon a time, I thought this could tie these together nicely).

Documentary filmmakers, no less than dramatic screenwriters, strive to tell strong, often character-driven stories that have a beginning, middle and end, with something at risk, rising tension, and a narrative arc that keeps viewers actively engaged. In fact, my lecturer said he could tell from the first frame whether a film maker has got it right or whether he's going to bore the audience to tears over the course of the film.

So what I learned yesterday was actually quite fascinating albeit simple.

What makes an amazing documentary idea?

1.Strong Idea / Subject
The subject is not the idea. The idea is broader akin to a theme rather than a subject. This is a hard concept to abide too when creating ideas but here's an example for my project:
Idea: Survival
Subject: Living on the streets of Surry Hills

2. Tell a story
This apparently helps a lot. Have a story in mind that can be broken in to 3 sentences. The first; how the story starts, the second; what happens in the middle, the third; how it ends/what the event is. Unlike dramatists, documentary filmmakers can’t create characters, plots and story lines, but must instead find them in the raw material of real life. Hence, a story which doesn't culminate to anything, isn't much of a story.

A good way to look at the parts to the story is:

1. The Tease
2. The Body
3. The Conclusion

3. Ensure its meant for this medium
A good story needn't be told via a documentary film. Ensure that there's something unique about the piece that merits film. Ensure there's visual insight which can be accompanied by music. Otherwise you might be better off writing an article or a book.

4. Remember the artists voice
You're the artist. What is your opinion? What is your aim? Why are you best equipped to create this documentary? What makes you an expert? This is where research comes in to play about why this documentary is being made.

Something I also learned, is that without the passion for the subject, you will struggle. This passion and drive will keep you focused in the small hours and keep you committed to finishing the piece whether it takes months or years to complete.

5. Illuminate
What story needs to be told? A documentary serves to inform and illuminate, quite simply to illustrate an element of life that has not been shown before.

And so there's the starting point. Its a little harder than it looks and there's a lot more to come but I think this a great approach to have when creating something in order to tell a story.

My next lesson? Treatments...

A helpful presentation on documentary storytelling below.

The Mechanics of Documentary Storytelling

View more presentations from acarvin.

My Holga and I.

The Holga.

Hong Kong 1982. The manufacturing and production hub of the world is burning at a full flame. As with their neighbors in Japan and China, photography is an intense national hobby and obsession. New camera designs and productions are churned out daily, feeding the huge domestic and import markets. From within this world of manic creation and innovation comes the Holga, a distinctly un-modern and somewhat prehistoric throwback to the early days of camera mechanics.

The concept is simple - a minimal and inexpensive camera using medium format 120 film. It would contain only the bare necessities for photo mechanisms, and provide a cheap and accessible alternative for students and enthusiasts to dip their toes into the otherwise very expensive world of medium format photography. Reflecting the shining landscape around them, this new camera is named after the term "ho gwong," meaning "very bright." After throwing a European spin onto this phrase, the moniker "HOLGA" is minted. This dead simple camera is met with a warm welcome, establishing a strong yet small base of Holga aficionados. Birth, death, celebration, ritual, and everything in-between is caught on lo-fi medium-format emulsions - amplified and focused through the plastic lens of this bare bones, oversized camera.

The Holga Cult Following.

Over the next 10 years, Holga enjoys a popularity explosion. A global community of photographers, students, creative types, and generally fabulous individuals see the simplicity and ability of Holga, and fully embrace it. This cult following organises around the Holga, praising its insane characteristics, unpredictable effects, and stunning results. Teachers and professors actively employ the Holga as a training tool - simultaneously teaching their students the fundamentals of photography while opening their minds to new and unexpected techniques. The very features that many would consider to be fatal defects in a "normal" camera have become the most treasured assets of the Holga new school.

Today, the Holga movement is expanding every single minute, with new devotees, organisations, and online sites spreading like wildfire. Photographic exhibitions are held in some of the most prestigious galleries on the planet; showcasing the work of one of the most unlikely artistic tools ever employed. Competitions, interactions, and communication are tossed around the online & offline communities, encouraging and amplifying the excellent work of the Holga obsessed. Ironically, as camera design becomes more technical, automatic, and sophisticated, Holga's low-tech appeal grows stronger and stronger for us; those who relish its quirky and unpredictable nature. While designers around the world are racking their brains to create increasingly more advanced and complex cameras; the Holga will continue to grow as a steadfast counterculture item, taking away the complications of technology and simplifying the equation to four critical elements - your eye, the lens, the film, and your subject.

And so, here I am, riding around Sydney on my push bike taking random snapshots of the city whilst fulfilling a few things I enjoy in life; exercise, creation and a dabble in to counterculture.

Today I picked up my photo's from my first batch.

(Note: My first! This means that things can only get better.)

Enjoy.

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity...

I've been reading a beautiful book called Eat. Love. Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert (courtesy of @nikkistammers)

Sometimes I read it and aside from the writers slight neurotic episodes, I feel like its my own thoughts I am reading. May be this is why its a best seller (no I didn't mean my thoughts are best sellers more the writers ability to engage deeply with readers). Either way, I love the fact that I am taking something back from it. More than entertaining my moments.

Unlike me however, Elizabeth Gilbert manages to put many of my random thoughts in to a coherent sentence, chapter and novel which is an incredible skill. Props to her.

Talking about inspiration, creativity and the genius, she spoke at TED. Just like her novel, she articulates such a sensitive and fascinating subject so well, that I cannot deny, has very much inspired me to approach creativity from a different stand point and I hope it does you too.

Kubrick & The Age of Information

There's something about Kubrick, his films I mean, they've all got that "weird and wonderful" element with a dash of maverick camera techniques and strange story lines.

I stayed up Sunday night to watch Space Odyssey and I have to admit I was a little mesmerised by it. The classical music, spacial and clever filming. The story itself is a little bleak in many aspects and massively open to translation but its forgivable.

That said however, something I really appreciate is this website which in a really nice way captures and explains the underlying themes of the movie: http://www.kubrick2001.com/

This movie cleverly depicts the rise and fall of mankind. I don't necessarily believe in it but there are some elements which you can appreciate:

In 1968 (the year this film was made), the focus was on technology, logic, science, precision etc. that which writer Daniel Pink calls "left-brain thinking" which gave us the Information Age where "if you were good at math and science, become a doctor. If you were better at English and history, become a lawyer. If blood grossed you out and your verbal skills needed work, you'd become an accountant."

Now they say, comes the Conceptual Age - thus ruled by artistry, empathy, and emotion. Quite a leap from the Information Age but equally dependent on the fact that those previous developed machines, computers, automation etc. to do the left brain thinking for us (if not better) leaving those "creative types" in their element. Creating ideas. Philosophising possibilities. Doing things that a computer can only facilitate and not do.

Its an interesting time... As Pink says: Last century, machines proved they could replace human muscle. This century, technologies are proving they can outperform human left brains - they can execute sequential, reductive, computational work better, faster, and more accurately than even those with the highest IQs. (Just ask chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov who as the world champion has played and lost to chess programs).

I chose not to pursue a Law career after spending 5 years studying the subject. In hindsight I think I was a good public speaker who enjoyed a good argument which in fact was probably more reliant on my ability to empathise and be creative with the facts as opposed to regurgitating rules around them.

Anyway, Mr Kubrick RIP.