View allAll Photos Tagged Overcomer
Hi Guys !
Over the past few days i've been wanting to crack out my 10x Objective and finally do something useful with it. The setup i have doesn't exactly make it easy for me to overcome the many problems with stacking at 12-13x Magnification, but i think i have nearly overcome this issue ! :)
Above is the 2mm Head of a small green eyed fly, not sure what they are called - maybe a Doli fly or something.
The struggle with this setup is moving distance so small, such as 0.01mm, to get a stack with everything in focus - the hard bit being you can't see if you have moved the subject through the live view or view finder as the distance is that minute. This lead to taking 371 images, which can take some time. I have had many attempts at doing this over the past few months, this one was worth uploading though !
Each photo was a 2 second exposure, ISO at 400 and using a remote as you need to avoid touching the camera of course..
The camera was setup on the tripod, bellows, extension tubes and then the 10x Objective.
The subject on a pin head on the rail, and i stood behind the light to avoid shadowing on the blue background.
I tried this setup on carpet - never going to work in a million years, so i moved the setup into the kitchen to avoid any movement what so ever, though i still got a bit showing how careful you have to be !
For the amount of pictures the larger image is probably worth a look, not as much detail as i would like though www.flickr.com/photos/sequentialmacro/7583334256/sizes/k/...
Also, i must note, if moving the insect in stacking, you have to measure the distance between the bellows and stacking rail to ensure they are EXACTLY the same, if not the stack goes to dust, i would know this from countless failed attempts.
Hope you like it, have a rainy week all !
Old iron fence EEICo. Summer St., South Boston, Mass. Now gone to make way for Butler truck road & bridge
“One by one she slew her fears, and then planted a flower garden over their graves.”
― John Mark Green
Silver birch clinging on to a sheer slope in a disused slate quarry somewhere above Llanberis.
Midday is not necessarily the best time for photography, but with the steep walls of the quarry in deep shadow the illumination of the young silver birch trees provided a nice contrast.
Well, I have survived the challenging, fulfilling, tough, aggravating, joyful, horrendous
process we call Thesis.
I will be an official graduate from Pacific Northwest College of Art on May 24th when I get to walk and receive my Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts.
What started out as a series of large scale portraits in graphite and soft colored pencil honoring the Goddess, her strength and her beauty, developed into a personal journey to overcome being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Ulcerative Colitis and reconnect to the beauty within myself and my art.
I have created 7 portraits: Here is Amaterasu, the Japanese Shinto sun goddess, ruler of the Plain of Heaven, whose name means 'shining heaven' or 'she who shines in the heavens. She is the central figure in the Shinto pantheon and the Japanese Imperial family claims descent from her. She was so bright and radiant that her parents sent her up the Celestial Ladder to heaven, where she has ruled ever since. To this very day, the Japanese honor Amaterasu with their national flag.
Amaterasu is seen from the waist up and is in the center of the deep permanent yellow, pure orange, and pure kaput mortuum covered page. These colors signify the sun.
She is dressed as a traditional Geisha in a kimono with her hair pulled back in a
traditional chignon and ornamented with flowers, hair pins, combs and beads. A few
strands of hair sweep across her face which signifies her free spiritedness.
Amaterasu gazes towards the left and holds the handle of an open parasol in her right hand. The round parasol mimics the shape of the sun and it’s rays.
Be expecting six more goddesses to appear soon :)
Overcoming Creative Block – Make 100 Things
Source by fancylinda
sharekid.com/a-powerfully-playful-strategy-for-overcoming...
#ShareKid
Model/Hair: Audrey StarksPhotography/Editing/Makeup/Props/Wardrobe: Nico NordströmTeam: Decker Derdeyn, Michael McBride, Mitchell Reiter, Reece Wills
Blog post coming soon with behind the scenes photos! :]
"No more dreaming of the dead,
as if death itself was undone,
No more calling like a crow,
for a boy,
for a body in a garden"
No more dreaming like a girl so in love,
so in love"
Follow Me: niconordstrom.tumblr.com
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/niconordstromphotography
Yosemite National Park.
Elevation 7,150 feet = aprox. 2179.32 meters
Over looking the Glacier Point. Half dome and Nevada Falls seen across the valley.
6174
TAG 20 Things about me (English)
Pra quem ainda não leu em português: m.flickr.com/#/photos/142058145@N07/27885393326/in/set-72...
1 - Resuming to not turn in drama, then in my childhood I didn't gain dolls and I had few toys. I had a plush clown when I was five, it was my first toy. But I had (and still have) a lot of fear, clown panic... (I stayed with him for two days and I buried him because of the phobia, then I was afraid of my mother would find out and dug him up, but I never found him again.) So I've never been interested in going to circus. Then I won a little train and a little horse at age 8 and these were my only toys during childhood ... My dream was to have a Barbie, but I could never have. Sometimes I played with those of the neighbor, they were all beautiful and everything original. But it wasn't always that I could play
2. My first Barbie was when I was 17, very late. I was so happy I felt like a child, I played a lot, there came the second, third ... Until I discovered the articulated Fashionistas so I didn't wanna know about the non artculated anymore so I gave them all, later I saw that they didn't take care of them, I saw them all faded in the hands of the children to whom I donated ... I was very sad because they did not give value .... when I was a child I dreamed a lot to have.
3. For me for a long time only existed Barbie, when I saw the Monster High for the first time I though they were ugly, I delayed to enjoy them and today I love. ... It took me much longer to discover the Pullips it was only the end of 2015 that I went to research about them and fall in love, also fall in love with Blythe as well, but since the money is short I had to decide between both and I stayed with the Pullips for being less expensive, already come customized and matte. I still want to have a Blythe but I don't know if I'll have an Orginal Takara or one of the similars... Icy, TBL, Basaak,Tangkou, Facture or Jecci5 in future.
4. As a child I was very creative and I created stories, but now I can't do stories for my Pullips 'cuz for me they're all cute and sweet. Maybe when I can buy another clothes for them my imagination will flow better. Always keeping the stock clothes isn't cool.
5. I love drawing, but my style is manga and comics when I try to draw dolls that have different proportions (in this case disproportionate ones) I still have a little difficulty, but I'm already improving in this type of format.
6. I love animes and manga my favorite is Sailor Moon. Others that I love is Sakura Card Captor, Rayearth, Full Moon, among others.
7. I love pink, when I was a child I really liked yellow and hated red, this taste for colors was changing and today my favorite is pink! I do like red but it's there in the tenth position along with yellow that I still like today, but not that much. The color I least like is navy blue.
8. I'm a very shy person, I don't like to stay in places where there are a lot of people and this shyness always disturbs me. But I'm a calm person, so I don't get angry so easely.
9. I have many phobias I'll mention a few, I'm afraid of the clown figure (as I said), of insects (But I collect toy insect) dark (Although lately I have overcome this fear and sometimes even prefer the darkness), I am afraid of elevators, escalators, of height at last many fears.
10. I love very much cute stuffs. I'm always in love with ribbons, plush toys... etc.
11. I have a dark side sometimes, when I put the pink aside a bit (almost all mine is pink) and I want to wear everything black, skull bracelets, spikes etc, I even dye my hair pink and various other colors and finally bluish black, but later I regretted it because it took a long time to leave the color off (I'm blonde). For me is pink or is black. I use other colors but I feel better between these two.
12. I'm a lazy person, but I'm effortful when it needs.
13. My dream is to live in Japan, but it's still far away.
14. I love studying languages since childhood, I speak (almost) fluent English and Spanish. I speak some in Turkish, Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, Esperanto and German. I am very easy to learn the spoken language, but the writing that breaks the head a little.
15. I'm a vegetarian with the goal of becoming vegan one day, I'm too fresh to eat. I love pudding and salty. I love broccoli pizza. I do not drink anything alcoholic and I do not smoke.
16. I am very problematic, I have rhinitis, sinusitis, hypothyroidism (lately it has worsened and I gained a lot weight), I have depression and anxiety attacks. I am deaf in my left ear because of an accident that happened to me when I was in my first days of life.
17. I love to sing, my favorite styles are pop, pop rock, brb, dance and electronics.
18. I love cats and everything related to cats, if I could I would have thousands and give love to them all. I have a female kitten named Lilly.
19. I have been married for almost four years and my husband entered the Dolls hobby because of my influence.
20. I'm detail person, perfectionist, when I wanna do something I revise the maximum that can to it to be in my taste, I hate when a detail goes out of place .... When I go to buy in stores the dolls I take several equal to see which is the best.
And that's it .... Forgive me for the very large text and for those who have read so far, thank you very much. ❤😍
This is a Hutson Brothers postcard showing the scene from Fleet Street looking east towards Ludgate Circus and Ludgate Hill with St. Paul’s Cathedral in the distance. The postcard was posted in January 1936, but the photograph is from 1930. The Star newspaper was a London evening newspaper and I can just remember the news vendors call of “Star, News and Standard”, referring to the Evening News and the Evening Standard. The Star was taken over by the Evening News in 1960. The placard on the back of the paper van refers to the death of Dr. William Sandford Whitcombe aged 65, the Harley Street specialist. On 16th April 1930 he was found at his home in Holland Road, Kensington, suffering from extensive burns from which he later died, the inquest was told that he took the drug Veronal for his insomnia and had apparently collapsed onto a gas fire receiving the burns injuries. The Doctor’s wife was represented at the inquest by a Mr. Fearnley-Whittingstall, now where have I heard that name before? Mr. Oswald, the West London Coroner, found that Dr. Whitcombe had been overcome by a dose of Veronal which had caused him to accidentally fall onto the gas fire. The drug, Veronal, was the first synthesized Barbiturate which was available commercially and was the sleeping pill of choice although prolonged use leads to an accumulation in the body and can cause an inadvertent overdose. The City of London police constable on traffic duty is wearing a white cape to aid his visibility when directing traffic, I think that the City of London police was the only force to issue white capes, but I may be wrong about that.
As if this Joshua tree didn't already have enough trouble, trying to exist in a crack between two huge rocks. But then something caused its trunk to snap
Villa Rufolo is a building within the historic center of Ravello, a town in the province of Salerno, southern Italy, which overlooks the front of the cathedral square. The initial layout dates from the 13th century, with extensive remodeling in the 19th century.
Originally belonging to the powerful and wealthy Rufolo family who excelled in commerce (a Landolfo Rufolo has been immortalized by Boccaccio in the Decameron), it then passed by inheritance to other owners such as the Confalone, Muscettola and d'Afflitto.
Around the middle of the nineteenth century it was sold to the Scotsman Francis Neville Reid who took care of a general restoration, resulting in today's layout.
The villa is entered through an opening in the arched entrance tower, and after a short street a clearing is dominated by the Torre Maggiore: the latter facing the bell tower of the cathedral in Ravello, overlooking the terraces (upper and lower) as well as overlooking the Amalfi Coast and the Gulf of Salerno with flower gardens that are in bloom most of the year.
Of particular interest among the rooms of the villa is a large courtyard elevated like a cloister and some rooms forming a small museum.
The German opera composer Richard Wagner visited the villa in 1880. He was so overcome by the beauty of the location that he imagined the setting as the garden of Klingsor in the second act of Parsifal. In commemoration, every year the lower garden of Villa Rufolo hosts a Wagnerian concert.[Wikipedia]
"Overcoming a fear takes a lot of courage most of the time, but after doing it, it's one of the best feelings ever."
Watch on large! Press "L".
Today was amazing, I just lied in the sun thinking of possible concepts to shoot, and somehow I came up with this (I've gotten better at coming up with ideas), and at once I went indoors and fixed the props.
I had to take out a sea of legos out of the box I was using, then searching in attic for my mothers old galluses. Then hoping that no one would see me with all this I went out into the forest, and I felt extremely happy.
Shooting a concept that you love, must be one of the best feelings ever, even better if it turns out good, as it did today.
Stranger project
So this is my first stranger in the project... took me three days to overcome the fear. I'm really not the chatty type when it comes to asking permission. Maybe that'll change eventually :)
Captured in the streets of Copenhagen Denmark
I'm very open for constructive criticism! Thank you
Update:
My girlfriend and I were walking inbetween brief showers of rain when i spotted this guy. I guess a have a thing for beards :)
I approached him and asked if I could make a portrait of him for this project and that it would take less than one minute. He agreed with a shrug on the shoulder. I grabbed my camera took two steps back, lowered my ISO a bit (wrong choice), took 4 pictures and then thanked him. And we both went our seperate ways as a new shower was beginning.
My theory and workflow is founded on the notion that the best pictures are being made within the first 5 frames after that people tend to become very selfaware, which shines through.
This picture is #1 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
Huh, nearly finished, all I need now is stickers!!!!
I worked hard to get to the result I got - not only did I need patience to get all the parts but I had to find a solution to overcome the not available part 6222 in dark green (the 4x4 round part with hole for the dome). I found a solution with Star Wars set 7930 which had dark green stickers that covered the needed piece nearly perfectly. That way everything is 100% Lego but and the colour isn't too far off.
The engine negotiates curves perfectly, I just needed to change the pivot point of the magnetic coupling so it can be pushed from a motor behind.
Nagasaki, like many cities in Asia rose out of a protected inner harbour. Nagasaki lies at the end of a long inlet and as a result has traffic problems to overcome. So, like others, they built a bridge to span Nagasaki Bay.
Nagasaki Megami Bridge, the newest bridge in Nagasaki, is the longest cable-stayed bridge on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu.
The bridge deck at 65m above the sea, can accommodate large-scale luxury cruise liners into the port.
Opened in December 2005, this cable stayed bridge connects the south side and west side of Nagasaki, divided by the port of Nagasaki.
It`s a great landmark as it`s the first recognizable symbol of Nagasaki as the Cruise Ships first arrive into Nagasaki Port
Not a bad place to spend sunset. The hike up was short and very steep but the awesome lookout was a great payoff. Heres a shot of my number one model enjoying the colors change over Mt Rainier.
I must apologize on the lack of sharpness this was hand held and the wind was gale force you could hardly stand up!
INSPIRATION: We're trying to be the most alternative couple on earth
CLAUDE: thrifted scarf, 2 secondhand Ts, Old Navy hoodie, F21 girl jeans by way of Rag-O-Rama
LORENA: Hobby Lobby bandanna, DIY Robots Shall Overcome T, Delia*s mini, mismatched American Apparel socks, Happy Socks
SHOES: Claude and I are wearing identical PF Flyer Bob Cousy All Americans
WAYFARERS: Claude got his from Michael who was randomly given them at a party, mine are from Fred Flare and relensed in my prescription by Global Eyeglasses
SEE ALSO: Wardrobe Remix Couples Edition 2.0
The Path of the Rovingian Nomad Monk - Overcoming the Comfort Zone by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)
The Path of the Rovingian Nomadic Monk: Overcoming the Comfort Zone
Structure and Reflection on the Pillars of Transformation
The Initial Challenge: Leaving the Comfort Zone
The greatest challenge lies not only in gathering the courage to face the unknown, but in taking the first step to abandon the comfortable routine. The comfort zone is so called because it offers security and predictability, making inertia a difficult force to overcome.
Although the unknown causes fear, it is the act of starting that demands the greatest effort, as it requires breaking with passivity and making a conscious decision for personal growth, even if this implies temporary discomfort. As the saying illustrates: "a ship in harbor is safe, but that's not what ships were built for."
The Journey of the Rovingian Nomad Monk
For a Rovingian nomadic monk, the first step is to overcome their comfort zone, motivated by the desire to explore new landscapes and cultures, respecting religious and worship differences, always with the humility of a pilgrim of the world. This transition is not merely a physical displacement, but represents a true inner transformation.
The challenge ceases to be the fear of what is "out there" and becomes the detachment from what is "in here," requiring conscious management of emotions and expectations.
Central Pillars of Transformation
Activation Energy
Just as in physics, initiating movement consumes more energy than maintaining it. The secret lies in not waiting for the fear to disappear, but acting based on a conscious decision.
Pilgrim's Gaze
Humility is fundamental to ensuring safety on the journey. Those who present themselves as "masters of truth" encounter resistance, while those who present themselves as "learners of the world" are received with open arms in diverse cultures.
The Holiness of Difference
Respecting the beliefs and religions of others goes beyond tolerance; it is recognizing that each cultural expression is a unique manifestation of the sacred.
Purpose as an Anchor
Having a clear and transformative goal sustains the courage needed to face daily discomfort and keeps the traveler focused on growth.
Destiny is the Path
For the learner of the world, there is no end point, only constant presence in each new culture, valuing the moment and the experience.
Growth Requires Discomfort
Personal evolution occurs outside the comfort zone. Temporary suffering, or "growing pains," is an inherent part of the learning process and should not be seen as punishment.
Light Baggage
Internal detachment—from prejudices, expectations, and ego—allows activation energy not to be wasted on unnecessary burdens, making the journey lighter and more productive.
Experiencing Solitude as an Internal Dialogue
Learning to enjoy one's own company transforms solitude into a serene, free, and conscious internal dialogue. This pillar prevents the pilgrim from becoming a fugitive from reality, allowing them, when facing silence, to discover that true home is not a place, but a state of mind.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
O Caminho do Monge Nómada Rovingiano: Superando a Zona de Conforto
Estrutura e Reflexão sobre os Pilares da Transformação
O Desafio Inicial: Sair da Zona de Conforto
O maior desafio não reside apenas em reunir coragem para enfrentar o desconhecido, mas sim em dar o primeiro passo para abandonar a rotina confortável. A zona de conforto é assim denominada porque oferece segurança e previsibilidade, tornando a inércia uma força difícil de superar.
Embora o desconhecido cause temor, é o ato de iniciar que demanda o maior esforço, pois exige que se rompa com a passividade e se tome uma decisão consciente em prol do crescimento pessoal, mesmo que isso implique desconforto temporário. Como ilustra o ditado: "um navio no porto está seguro, mas não foi para isso que os navios foram feitos".
A Jornada do Monge Nómada Rovingiano
Para um monge nómada rovingiano, o primeiro passo consiste em ultrapassar a zona de conforto, motivado pela vontade de explorar novas paisagens e culturas, respeitando as diferenças religiosas e de culto, sempre com a humildade de um peregrino do mundo. Essa transição não é apenas um deslocamento físico, mas representa uma verdadeira transformação interna.
O desafio deixa de ser o medo do que está "lá fora" e passa a ser o desapego do que está "aqui dentro", exigindo uma gestão consciente das emoções e das expectativas.
Pilares Centrais da Transformação
Energia de Ativação
Assim como na física, iniciar o movimento consome mais energia do que mantê-lo. O segredo está em não esperar pelo desaparecimento do medo, mas agir baseado numa decisão consciente.
Olhar de Peregrino
A humildade é fundamental para garantir segurança na jornada. Quem se apresenta como "mestre da verdade" encontra resistência, enquanto quem se coloca como "aprendiz do mundo" é recebido de portas abertas em diversas culturas.
Santidade da Diferença
Respeitar os cultos e religiões dos outros vai além da tolerância; é reconhecer que cada expressão cultural é uma manifestação única do sagrado.
Propósito como Âncora
Ter um objetivo claro e transformador sustenta a coragem necessária para enfrentar o desconforto diário e mantém o viajante focado no crescimento.
O Destino é o Caminho
Para o aprendiz do mundo, não existe um ponto final, apenas a constante presença em cada nova cultura, valorizando o momento e a experiência.
Crescimento Exige Desconforto
A evolução pessoal ocorre fora da zona de conforto. O sofrimento temporário, ou "dor do crescimento", é parte inerente do processo de aprendizagem e não deve ser encarado como castigo.
Bagagem Leve
O desapego interno — de preconceitos, expectativas e ego — permite que a energia de ativação não seja desperdiçada com pesos desnecessários, tornando a jornada mais leve e produtiva.
Viver a Solidão Como Um Diálogo Interno
Aprender a desfrutar da própria companhia transforma a solidão em um diálogo interno sereno, livre e consciente. Esse pilar impede que o peregrino seja um fugitivo da realidade, permitindo que, ao enfrentar o silêncio, descubra que a verdadeira casa não é um lugar, mas um estado de espírito.
Ύμνος των λόγων του Θεού
I
Η βασιλεία στον κόσμο αυξάνεται.
Η βασιλεία διαμορφώνεται,
αυξάνεται στους ανθρώπους.
Καμιά δύναμη δεν την καταστρέφει.
O Θεός περπατά μες στον λαό Του.
O Θεός ζει με τον λαό Του.
Όσοι αγαπούνε τον Θεό,
ευλογημένοι είν’ εξαιρετικά!
Έχεις δεχτεί, ποτέ,
τις ευλογίες του Θεού
ή αναζήτησες τις υποσχέσεις Του;
Με το φως Του οδηγό,
θα ξεφύγεις εσύ
απ’ τις δυνάμεις του σκότους,
θα σωθείς.
Σ’ έναν κόσμο γεμάτο σκοτάδι,
δεν θα χάσεις το φως
που σε οδηγεί.
Θα 'σαι κύριος
σε όλη τη δημιουργία,
μπροστά στον Σατανά, νικητής!
II
Μακάριοι όσοι υποταχθούν στον Θεό.
Στη βασιλεία Του θα ζήσουν.
Μακάριοι όσοι Τον γνωρίζουν.
Θα τους δώσει τη δύναμη
της βασιλείας.
Μακάριοι όσοι Τον αναζητούν.
Απ’ τον Σατανά θα ξεφύγουν.
Όσοι αφήσουν
πίσω τους τον εαυτό τους,
της βασιλείας του Θεού
τον πλούτο θα βρουν.
Έχεις δεχτεί, ποτέ,
τις ευλογίες του Θεού
ή αναζήτησες τις υποσχέσεις Του;
Με το φως Του οδηγό,
θα ξεφύγεις εσύ
απ’ τις δυνάμεις του σκότους,
θα σωθείς.
Σ’ έναν κόσμο γεμάτο σκοτάδι,
δεν θα χάσεις το φως
που σε οδηγεί.
Θα 'σαι κύριος
σε όλη τη δημιουργία,
μπροστά στον Σατανά, νικητής!
III
Στην πτώση του μεγάλου δράκοντα,
εσύ ψηλός θα σταθείς,
και θα μαρτυρήσεις,
τη νίκη του Θεού.
Στη γη της Σινίμ,
εσύ θα είσαι ισχυρός,
θα λάβεις ευλογίες του Θεού
για τα δεινά σου.
Το σύμπαν όλο θα δει,
μέσα σου, τη μεγάλη δόξα Του!
Έχεις δεχτεί, ποτέ,
τις ευλογίες του Θεού
ή αναζήτησες τις υποσχέσεις Του;
Με το φως Του οδηγό,
θα ξεφύγεις εσύ
απ’ τις δυνάμεις του σκότους,
θα σωθείς.
Σ’ έναν κόσμο γεμάτο σκοτάδι,
δεν θα χάσεις το φως
που σε οδηγεί.
Θα 'σαι κύριος
σε όλη τη δημιουργία,
μπροστά στον Σατανά, νικητής!
Μπροστά στον Σατανά, νικητής!
Μπροστά στον Σατανά, νικητής!
Μπροστά στον Σατανά, νικητής!
από το βιβλίο «Ο Λόγος Ενσαρκώνεται»
Πηγή εικόνας: Εκκλησία του Παντοδύναμου Θεού
Όροι Χρήσης: el.kingdomsalvation.org/disclaimer.html
My daughter would run and scream if one of these "daddy long leg" spiders came anywhere near her....now look at her. She aint scared of no spider!
Overcoming substantial light pollution to capture a Supernova in a galaxy 14 million light years away with a Seestar 50mm digital telescope. It's amazing! This type of affordable technology has opened the door to the absolute novice and give experienced astronomers an easy and fast setup to enjoy the night skies and more. This is an unsolicited testimonial, letting the world know, if you have interested in astronomy, it can be easy and affordable for most everyone.
I captured an image of a supernova in a highly light polluted sky where I could barely count 20 stars above my head.
Ok, this encounter takes a bit of explaining. I saw him briefly over a week ago. He was busking in downtown Toronto and I was hurrying to class. It was such an unusual sight tha I asked him if I could grab a photo and he gave the ok. It was a somewhat cluttered photo and I wanted to do better but he was in the midst of performing and I was running late for class. I also suspected this young man might have an interesting story to tell and I hoped to catch him on my way home to explain my project and find out more about him. It was not to be. He was gone when my class finished. Meanwhile, I googled his website and discovered that my intuition about an interesting story was correct. His background was beyond amazing. I was even more motivated to meet him again and get a better photo along with a chance to speak with him. The next couple of times I looked for him downtown he wasn’t there. Today, on my third attempt to complete the encounter, there he was. Meet Takahito from Japan – also known as Duckman.
What I had learned from Takahto’s website that impressed me so much was his triumph over adversity and his positive spirit which I felt was a message that belonged in the Human Family project for its power to inspire. His story involves growing up in a single parent family with a mentally ill mother. He lost his two siblings at an early age and the unexpected loss of his onlyh friend. He suffered both emotional and physical abuse from mother and was removed from the home to live in an institution. He discovered the power of a smile to make others happy and adopted a false smile because it brought positive responses from others, something which in turn brought him pleasure. You can read Takahito’s version of this story on his website at www.tk-entertainer.com if you scroll to the bottom of the page. I was left with two feelings after finding out about Takahito. First, I was shocked that anyone would grow up in such disadvantaged circumstances. Second, I was filled with admiration that he found his own way to overcome such extreme adversity and not only survive, but thrive – through entertaining and bringing pleasure to others.
Today was my lucky day because when I exited the subway station downtown, I could hear the sound of Takahito’s plastic drumset. I had my camera ready and caught him between acts. I greeted him by name, reminded him that we had semi-met a week ago, and that after reading his website I was greatly impressed by his story and by his personal strength and positive energy. He shook my hand with his yellow-gloved duck hand and said “Thank you for reading it.” I quickly explained my Human Family project and said I had not had time to tell him about it last week, but would he participate? He said he would be glad to. I managed a couple of different poses, chosen by Takahito, and asked him where he got the strength to overcome his difficult childhood. He said “Making other people happy made me happy.” I asked what message or piece of advice he would like to share and he said “Have a bigger cup.” When I asked what he meant he said “It’s hard for me to explain.” I was concerned that our conversation was distracting him from performing for the lunch-hour crowd which is probably when he makes the most income. I did learn that he is in Canada on a 6 month visa so perhaps I will meet this remarkable young man again. I think we all have much to learn from his inspiring story. We exchanged contact information and he was delighted when I made my contribution to his fund and thanked me warmly.
This is my 549th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Follow-up:
Takahito was kind enough to write me an email explaining the meaning of his message “Get a bigger cup. It was so nice that I quote it in full.
"'Get a bigger cup'
I think everyone has a cup in their hearts. that can hold stress or sadness.
When I was a kid, the cup was really small. I cried a lot. I was stressed a lot.
then When I got over my past, I've got the biggest cup.
when the cup is full which means that you cannot do anything properly.
All I'm trying to do is absorbing the spilling water from people's cups^^
because my cup is the biggest. And if you can see the way of thinking that you have a cup, It would help people to be optimistic like me."