View allAll Photos Tagged SELF-EXPLORATION
Edting By : Me
Using : The Photoshop
________________________
I need to tell you
How you light up every second of the day
But in the moonlight
You just shine like a beacon on the bay
All rights reserved - Copyright © Yasir Nisar /Max Loxton
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
What is your personal identity and how is it affected by your values?Values are central; they go to the very core of us, to our personal identity. Our principles are perhaps the most important thing as, whether or not we live out our dream or achieve our mission, they are most likely to remain intact. Values are a foundation and a plumb line as well as a moral compass.“We are not in control, principles control. We control our actions, but the consequences that flow from these actions are controlled by Principles.” Stephen R. CoveyOur decisions and actions flow from our principles and in this way our values help to define us; they are part of our identity. Our exploration and discovery of our principles is therefore a discovery of self. As one anonymous observer noted: “Every one of us has in him a continent of undiscovered character. Blessed is he who acts the Columbus to his own soul.”So what do we know about our own identity? What do we value in ourselves and others?Think about the first two questions you are generally asked when you meet someone. If you are from the UK or a large part of the Western world it is likely to be “what is your name?” (usually meaning your first name) quickly followed by “what do you do?”What are people really asking when they enquire about what you do? They are asking about your job, profession or vocation for sure. But the fact that this comes out so quickly when we meet people indicates how highly we rate work in our culture and how closely we identify ourselves with what we do. When people ask what you do they are actually asking who you are. They are hoping for an answer that will help them quickly categorise you.
What do you do?
I went along with this for many years because for many years it was easy. I started out as an army officer working as a bomb disposal expert. This was an easy title, and one I enjoyed using, as it sounded impressive. I enjoyed seeing the raised eyebrows and the endearing look of respect (that I so little deserved as they would have found out if they got to know me better). Next I was a Project Manager, working in the construction industry. Again an easy label, although I must admit it sounded less impressive at parties than something with ‘Bomb’ in the title. But hey, I was married by then so whom was I trying to impress anyway? Well everyone actually!The real challenge came with my next job, working for a rapidly growing church. My job description was constantly evolving and therefore it was hard to describe exactly what I did, especially as I was not ordained. I found I not only had to introduce myself as slightly different things but even then it generally required a long explanation. The process of outlining what I did was just long enough to watch people’s eyes glaze over, stare down their drinks or look furtively towards the exit...Working as a consultant was not really any easier as the title ‘consultant’ has become akin to a dirty word to some people. You may be motivated by helping individuals and equipping organisations but one has a lot of justification to do when people look at you with an expression that seems to imply ‘consultant’ is synonymous with ‘parasite’!And then, at one networking event I had a moment of clarity and started introducing myself in this way: “Hi, I’m Simon, I train dolphins to be government assassins.” Once again I had attained the level of eyebrow movement that I have attained as a bomb disposal officer. Life was easy once again but it did make me think, “Why do people, including me, care so much about titles? What does it say about me?”.
Are we just what we do?
who are we? why what we value defines our identity and character
Are we just a suit? (Son of man by Rene Magritte)
If asked about your identity, like me, you may not initially answer beyond your name and job but of course there is much more to us than that. One way we can discover something more about our identity is by what we think when we look at other people. As we walk down a street, enter a room or sit staring out of a café window we are constantly assessing those around us. We compare looks, wealth, car, house, job, children, happiness, clothes, phone. In conversation this process continues through things like accent, vocabulary, demeanour, politics, religion, aspirations and education.Of course much of what we first think is not real; we try to make a value judgement in a fleeting moment, judging the book by its cover. Not surprisingly this process actually tells us more about us than about the other person, because how we classify the others speaks volumes about how we perceive ourselves. If we are putting someone else in a certain box or on a certain level what does that say about our position? I for one did not think I had a pride problem until I thought about this! Even this internal classification can be somewhat misleading. We all have roles that we play and we often wear masks that represent an aspirational self, the person we want to show to the world, rather than the real us. But even if this ideal self is not the true self we can learn more of ourselves. This is because even if we are aspiring to be something or someone else it once again reveals what we value.What is your worldview? What are your beliefs?
Work, position, pension, benefits package and job title can be important to us. Our perception of our perfect partner, spouse and family can be the more presentable faces of simple base motivators. Money, sex and power have always been identified as strong drivers, even if they are hidden under more subtle layers of respectability. Our identity can also be wrapped up in more ethereal things. Our worldview, philosophy, faith or politics can define us because they affect the way we live.None of these things need to be necessarily good or bad in themselves, but for everything we prioritise we need to ask ‘why’ we care about it so that we can understand it further and get under the skin of our thinking. We need to be aware of the things around which we construct our lives. We need to be certain of the foundation we are building upon.
Worth-ship
If we value something very highly we give it worth above other things or even ultimate worth. We build our lives around it. This prioritising, giving position, reverence or regard was called ‘worschipe’ in Middle English. Today its name is ‘worship’. In other words, even if you do not consider yourself religious we all give something religious value.Here is what David Foster Wallace said on the subject:“Because here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship — be it JC or Allah, bet it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles — is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful, it’s that they’re unconscious. They are default settings.They’re the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that’s what you’re doing.”Values, character, worship, identity David Foster Wallace – Wikicommons
We may not believe in God but we all choose to give something ultimate worth and choose to build our lives around it. It is important that we know what that thing is and ask ourselves why we value it so highly.Digging down to our principles. Self-exploration can be a scary journey but it is an essential one. We need to know about our principles because what happens when these things are challenged or even taken away? What are we left with? Are our values vulnerable? If they come under attack could everything else come tumbling down? We face long-term insecurity if our values are unreliable or temporal things, even if they are good things such as people or useful things such as possessions.
So what are your values? How do they affect your identity?
therightquestions.org/why-what-we-value-defines-our-perso...
By transcending the surface of visual perception, this work explores the subtle relationships between space, light, and time, while inviting viewers to enter this world of infinite possibilities through their own perspectives. It is not only an observation of the external world but also a journey of self-exploration for the artist. The work responds to inner confusion, helping the artist rediscover deeply buried visual memories. Through the medium of imagery, it conveys the artist's unique understanding and interpretation of space and emotion.
以超越視覺表面的方式，探索空間、光線與時間之間的微妙關係，同時邀請觀眾以自身的視角進入這個充滿可能性的視覺世界。這件作品不僅是對外在世界的觀察，更是作者自我探索的一部分。它回應了內心的迷茫，幫助作者重新尋回深藏心底的影像記憶，並以影像作為媒介，傳達作者對空間與情感的獨特理解與詮釋。
This photo follows closely behind the last one I posted and also follows the story of the Armless Maiden. I've mentioned that I've been reading the book The Feminine In Fairy Tales by Marie-Louise Von Franz, which is just excellent. In the book, she recounted a slightly different version of the Armless Maiden than the one I previously knew, and in this one, only the girl's hands are cut off instead of her entire arms.
The story follows it's regular themes, the Maiden gives birth to a child who she is unable to fully care for on her own, and is eventually driven off into the wilderness with her child strapped to her back. She wanders for a while before eventually becoming tired and thirsty, so she stops at a river. She wants very badly to drink from the river but is afraid her child will fall off. Finally though, her thirst overcomes her and she bends down to drink... and her baby falls in the river.
The Maiden is hysterical, standing at edge of the river, weeping, but unable to snatch her child out of the water. At that moment, an old woman appears who calmly tells the Maiden to grab her child. The Maiden tearfully shows the old woman the stumps where her hands should be and says she can't grab her baby. The old woman just repeats, "Grab your baby." Not knowing what else to do, the Maiden reaches out and at that moment her hands are restored. She grabs her child and brings her to safety.
This is an example of the often-used theme of divine intervention in fairy tales. For the divine intervention to work, there usually has to be an act of faith, even something so small as the Maiden reaching out. She has no idea what to expect will happen, and she has no reason to expect that her hands will be restored, but she takes that step, that first, tiny, difficult step of faith and reaches. Her journey to healing was long and painful, but it came to an end, and quite simply. As the author so beautifully puts it, "One cannot escape one's fate; the whole pain of it must be accepted, and one day, the infinitely simple solution comes." And so it shall for all of us too.
Model: The lovely Aly Darling
Want to be part of my new online photography course, which uses photography as a tool for self exploration? Read about it on my blog, or see my site. It's going to be a really amazing journey and I hope everyone can be a part of it!
*** Vote For Me, no registration needed :) ***
I was was walking the streets of Kensington Market on a recent trip to Toronto and noticed a bearded gentleman wearing a colourful scarf walking toward me. I told him I liked his style and asked if I could take his portrait. Meet Jonathan.
Jonathan (also called Jono by family and friends) is 26 years old and grew up in Toronto. He attended York University for a couple of years and studied Psychology. At some point he realized that this was not the path for him. In October 2014 he decided to travel for eight months spending six months in India and two months in Israel.
At the moment he is pursuing a career in writing and he is also a drummer playing with friends and other musicians. His goal is to inspire people through his writing by seeking truth and also through self-exploration. He enjoys writing poetry and prose and is currently writing a two-part book. He is actually writing Part 2 first which will deal with lessons from self and clarity he has discovered over the years. Part 1 will be about his life story which will provide context for the second part.
I posed the following question to Jonathan:
Q. What are you most grateful for?
A. I am very grateful for the beautiful people in my life. I have a great network of family and friends. This support was especially important when a good friend of mine recently died of an overdose.
When asked how he was dealing with his friend's death he said that it's been a raw, painful human experience and that it was important to deal with his feelings. It made him grateful that over the years he was able to offset tragedy. He is able to see death from a less imminent perspective and see death as a whole. To Jonathan, "Death is implied by life and Life is implied by death". His Jewish Faith also helps with looking at life's events from a higher consciousness.
I thanked Jonathan for taking the time to talk with me. Before I left he told me that one day when he was in India two years ago he wore the exact same clothes and someone asked to take his portrait. When he got dressed this morning and left the house he had a feeling he was going to be photographed again. See previous post for a full length shot of Jonathan.
This is my 8th submission to the Human Family Group on Flickr. You can view more portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family
This is a little embarrassing, but the swamp folk and southern gothic music I've been listening to is starting to edge dangerously close to country music.
Admitting I have a problem is the first step.
Also, this is another sort of things I'd put in the tags if I could: I talked about this a few years ago, but I have new followers. I like posting my photos with proof that I'm human. Zits, mosquito bites, tan lines, imprints from my clothes. I know how to edit those things out. But I prefer not to. The main reason is that humans aren't flawless, and I don't want to contribute to the overload of pictures of perfect looking people. But I also like to be able to see myself in my photos. The main reason I do this is self exploration and therapy. If I start to edit things out, I keep editing things out, and then it's not me.
Edited to add: I'm rewriting my cover letter for a renewed attack on the job front. Anyone want to read it and give me brutally honest feedback? I'm taking it in an entirely different direction, and I'm uncertain about it.
breathwork is the key, first only one minute and later, when you are a master like me, half an hour!
All rights reserved - Copyright © Yasir Nisar /Max Loxton
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted,
manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
If you haven't read Chapter One and you are the kind of person who likes things to be in order, I would recommend you read that first. Sunshine doll and I thought it would be sweet to do a little story. This chapter mentions our flickr friend sincerely sarah. So, here it is: Chapter two!
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“So where are you heading?” asked Sunshine in a sweet, confident voice.
“Well, its kind of not really been decided yet to tell you the truth. I’m just sort of trying to.. you know.. find myself.”
Sunshine quickly turned her head from side to side and looked around the diner. Then she made eye contact with Graham.
“You’re right there!” she said, pointing directly at him (which for some reason she had always been told was rude)
Graham looked back at her with a sarcastic yet humorous smirk that immediately let Sunshine know that he fancied her sense of humor. She wasn’t like the other girls he was usually surrounded by. There was something different about the way she behaved that let Graham know that he was in for quite an adventure.
Once the two new friends were finished dining, they paid the tab and walked out the door. Sunshine looked around the parking lot, trying to figure out which car belonged to her new pal.
“Oh wow, does that bumper sticker say ‘Palin 2012’” asked Sunshine. “Please tell me that’s your car! I call shotgun!”
Sure enough it was. The two were in the car and back on the road in no time. The road was wide and seemingly endless, like something you would see in a music video or a postcard from Arizona. It was already starting to get dark. Graham started to scan the radio for something good to listen to, and more importantly, something to keep him awake.
“We should probably pull over for the night, you look kind of worn out” Suggested Sunshine. “I have an extra sleeping bag with me!”
After a while, they pulled into a rest area that was overlooking a lake. It was surprisingly pleasant for a rest area in the middle of nowhere, and the weather was just right for a campout. There was a family of campers sitting around a glowing campfire, singing songs and roasting marshmallows. Graham attempted to lock his car doors but accidentally hit the panic button by mistake. The family quickly turned around to see what the commotion was about. Sunshine was of course laughing hysterically as she watched Graham try to figure out how to make his car stop making dreadful noises.
After some time, Graham and Sunshine were able to silence the car alarm. The family had resumed their song and marshmallow roasting, and a girl stood up from the campfire and introduced herself to the two travelers.
”Hey there my name’s Sarah. Are you two from around here?”
They both shook their heads no.
“Out of towners? Well sweet!” replied Sarah in an enthusiastic tone. “That’s pretty cool if you ask me! The one thing you should know is that the sunrise here is INCREDIBLE! We usually ring that there cowbell when the suns about to come up, so when you hear it ding-a-lingin’, be sure to hop out of bed because the sunrise is comin!”
The excitement and sound of Sarah’s voice carried throughout the camp site.
“Wow that sounds amazing!” said Sunshine, looking at Graham to see what his response would be.
Nothing but a yawn came out of Graham’s mouth however.
“Oh, um, yes. Yea! Sunrise.. sunset.. yea.” muttered Graham. It was obvious that he was not a night owl, at least not after he had been driving all day. “I’m sorry It really does seem cool. But I’m just too tired to think about anything but sleep at the moment.”
“It’s okay, you have a while before the sun comes up! Why don’t you just put your sleeping bag over by the fire and I’ll fix you some hot coca before you go to bed!” said Sarah.
After the best cup of Swiss Miss either Sunshine or Graham had ever tasted, the two went and got in their sleeping beds. It was late at night and Graham only had one thing on his mind: sleep. However, Sunshine was not quite as sleepy, and wanted to talk.
“Look at the stars! It’s like there always there but you can only see them when you’re at a place like this.” Said Sunshine. “Sometimes, I look at the stars and wish I could see them from every different part of the world. You know they’ve gotta look amazing from France, or Australia, or so many other places.”
“I’ve never thought about it like that” said Graham in between yawns. “But if you think about it, they probably look the same from there as they do here. You just have to know what you’re looking for.”
Sunshine was pretty sure what Graham had just said made little to no sense. However she smiled and nodded anyways. She thought it was probably time for sleep and she was starting to feel a little drowsy herself. Plus she knew she had a big day ahead of her. It wasn’t going to be all fun and games. From now on, she was a part of a team, whose main goal was self-exploration.
The next morning both Sunshine and Graham were awakened by none other than the cowbell they had heard about the night before. Sarah could be heard shouting “Sunrise people!” which was what they had all been waiting for. Sunshine and Graham crawled out of their sleeping bags and headed up to a hill overlooking the lake. They sat down Indian style in the dew covered grass and waited patiently for the sun to rise. It took a little while but once the sun started to come up, they knew what all the fuss was about. It was the most breathtaking thing either of them had ever experienced. A sunrise with yellows, oranges, reds, pinks, blues, purples, and every color in between was before their eyes. The rays of sunshine peeked through the pine trees on the lake. The golden glow of the sun fell on the faces of everyone who stared in awe at this incredible sight. It was truly breathtaking.
Once the sun was in the sky, the ten or so spectators including Sunshine and Graham began to clap, as if they had just watched a live performance.
“That was so cool!” exclaimed Sunshine with an excited fervor in her voice. “I feel all, inspired now!”
“I knew you two would like it. I just knew it!” said Sarah, proud of her ability to read people like a book. “You just know that when you’re lookin up at that sun, that there’s someone, or something lookin back down at you. Looking after you, making sure you make the right decision.” Sarah paused for a second. “Whoa! That was deep! I need to write that down or something!”
The two travelers said their goodbyes to their camp site friends and packed up their belongings once more. It was inspiring to see such a breathtaking site and it goes without saying that it brightened their day for sure. Sometimes the most beautiful things in life are right in front of us, we simply have to make an effort to get up and look for them first. This journey has only just begun, but already things are starting to make more sense to Sunshine and Graham.
the sun and the moon are some of the most beautiful metaphors to me, both when described individually, and in their relation to one another -- they're one of the metaphors that don't get old to me. comparing eyes and souls to oceans has bored me from the start, but there's something about calling someone sunshine or moonshine that strikes me as very beautiful.
like how the sun can destroy, yet it also gives life; and the moon, how it emits no light of its own, but is constantly lit up by the sun, as its pull on earth's tides waxes and wanes. there's something about that interplay that can easily be anthropomorphized, and in a particularly poetic way.
i'm very interested in astrology, even though i don't believe in its validity beyond what meaning people ascribe to it (i.e., if people choose to believe in it, it's as real as anything else to them. anything that we choose to believe is real). there is something very intriguing to me about the belief that the heavenly bodies have specific, personality-type energies and influence over us. that each one of us is a composite of these different energies, in certain arrangements; the sun giving us a certain life force, the moon the emotional waters that flow underneath, our rising sign the personality we present to the world, mars our primal energy, venus how we relate to others,
i've known a few staunch materialists in my life that completely lambasted me for even entertaining these notions, but i think that's as ignorant as they thought i was, because it flies in the face of what we know about psychology -- our belief creates & destroys routes in the brain. if exploration of systems like astrology and numerology and tarot, and practices like the divination can help someone unravel their psychology and reach conclusions about their life that feel good to them, how can they be wrong? -- there's definitely a potential can of worms that can be opened if we entertain astrology & similar systems without questioning (i.e., what if you meet someone that you hit it off with, but then you notice your signs are "opposing," and it convinces you to end what could have been a great relationship?), but if they're presented & viewed as tools of self-exploration, as metaphors, as opposed to undeniable truths, they're rather innocuous.
all my experiences have led me to believe that the mind is a very holistic thing, an that it should be treated as such. so much can be learned about oneself when we view ourselves through the lenses systems like astrology, numerology, and the tarot. so much can be learned and resolved through making art, music, and poetry. skepticism is important in any field, but there comes a point where it's regressive, and it's time to go "lose our minds" and see what we find.
Silent pantomime performers.
We communicated by me asking questions, talking, guessing, and Chloe nodding her head.
We met in the dining area of a nearby grocery store. I was with my friend Anne and Chloe was with her face painted friend, Rae.
I asked immediately whether it was OK to make pictures and was granted permission.
I then asked them separately to step outside for better light and background.
Chloe wrote down her email address on a piece of paper for me. She also wrote:
"Chloe + Rae - Send us pictures?"
And also:
"Humanity is One Being Wearing many masks, Dancing."
And she drew a heart next to the last word.
Updating:
A couple of days after meeting Chloe and Rae, and after sending them my photos of them with a few questions, I received an email from Chloe which I share here:
"Why the silence?
To break the heavy of everyday life. Miming is public prayer and public play. A reminder that things are not necessarily ordinary. So much gets lost in everyday conversation. Words say what has happened; silence says what is happening now. All of time is one sacred moment.
Miming is a chance to calm the chattering mind, and simply be a witness. Who are you without your words, without your face? Everybody. Nobody. The same spirit moves through all of us.
We live on a goat farm in northern California, and the goats are great teachers. The hardest thing about being a mime is gaining total control of the movements of the body. And the goats have it down. They are pristinely present and attentive to the Now.
What we are attempting here is a practice of play that can bring us closer to our wild, instinctual selves. The goats are also excellent teachers of patience. I don't know
if you've ever spent time with goats, but they are ornary!
Healing from the trauma of dominant culture continues to be a huge challenge. Invoking the sacred clown is one technique. Songs and poems of grief and praise unlock the soul and let our tears and laughter nourish the land.
We use tools of nonviolent communication and practices
of blending with the land and communing directly with nature; to
remember the parts of ourselves that were repressed, rejected, punished, or never nurtured enough to truly blossom.
Living in community provides a little village-shaped container for all of this self-exploration and healing. A community that comes together over what they love, over what they will stand to protect, is strong and can weather the storms.
As we respect nature, she reveals her secrets and teaches us how to live."
Self exploration post loss.
Double exposures on cross processed 35mm Kodak ektachrome e100.
August, 2019. Portland, Oregon.
Silent pantomime performer.
We communicated by me asking questions, talking, guessing, and Chloe nodding her head.
We met in the dining area of a nearby grocery store. I was with my friend Anne and Chloe was with her face painted friend, Rae.
I asked immediately whether it was OK to make pictures and was granted permission.
I then asked them separately to step outside for better light and background.
Chloe wrote down her email address on a piece of paper for me. She also wrote:
"Chloe + Rae - Send us pictures?"
And also:
"Humanity is One Being Wearing many masks, Dancing."
And she drew a heart next to the last word.
Updating:
A couple of days after meeting Chloe and Rae, and after sending them my photos of them with a few questions, I received an email from Chloe which I share here:
"Why the silence?
To break the heavy of everyday life. Miming is public prayer and public play. A reminder that things are not necessarily ordinary. So much gets lost in everyday conversation. Words say what has happened; silence says what is happening now. All of time is one sacred moment.
Miming is a chance to calm the chattering mind, and simply be a witness. Who are you without your words, without your face? Everybody. Nobody. The same spirit moves through all of us.
We live on a goat farm in northern California, and the goats are great teachers. The hardest thing about being a mime is gaining total control of the movements of the body. And the goats have it down. They are pristinely present and attentive to the Now.
What we are attempting here is a practice of play that can bring us closer to our wild, instinctual selves. The goats are also excellent teachers of patience. I don't know
if you've ever spent time with goats, but they are ornary!
Healing from the trauma of dominant culture continues to be a huge challenge. Invoking the sacred clown is one technique. Songs and poems of grief and praise unlock the soul and let our tears and laughter nourish the land.
We use tools of nonviolent communication and practices
of blending with the land and communing directly with nature; to
remember the parts of ourselves that were repressed, rejected, punished, or never nurtured enough to truly blossom.
Living in community provides a little village-shaped container for all of this self-exploration and healing. A community that comes together over what they love, over what they will stand to protect, is strong and can weather the storms.
As we respect nature, she reveals her secrets and teaches us how to live."
So, hi.
Finally setting myself a project of some sorts, with intentions to finish it! So we shall see what the next year brings. I've changed a lot in the last year, I grew three inches.. did some self exploration and boosted my creativity.. and I plan to do some more in the next year. So I may be a completely different person by the end of this project, who knows?!
365/365
When I told people I was about to embark on a 365 project last year they thought I was a little crazy. Well anyone that knows me will tell you that when it comes to photography I actually am a little crazy and slightly obsessed. Doing something that I love everyday for a year didn't sound too bad to me at all, in fact I relished the thought of it. I didn't want to do a 365 project just for the sake of it, I actually had a few reasons for doing it and there were some tangible things I wanted to get out of it. Firstly, I wanted to challenge my creative skills on a daily basis. For a while I had felt that my creative juices were not what they once were and I needed to do something to remedy that. Secondly, I wanted to put into practice some of the photographic theory I had absorbed from books, magazines and the web. It's one thing reading about a technique, but it's another thing to put it into practice and I'm a firm believer that the best way to learn is to do stuff and experiment. Learn it the hard way and it will stay with you forever, and I have learned lots of things the hard way! Lastly I wanted to test my ability to follow this crazy project through to the bitter sweet end. I can say now that when times where tough, this last goal was what kept me going. When it came right down to it, I was determined not to let the project beat me. That sounds quite negative, but there were times during the year when I just wanted the project to be over. I guess in hindsight, deciding to dedicate your time to something on a daily basis when you have a three year old little boy and a second baby on the way does not make for easy times ahead. Especially when a little bundle of joy (Ellen) arrived on the 6th of May and wasn't in the least bit interested in sleeping! Having said that, there's probably no good time to start something like this because who can tell what a new year will bring.
I decided at the beginning of this project that I would't limit myself to a particular theme or genre. I wanted to have the freedom to photograph anything and everything that caught my interest. Looking back over the shots I have taken, they are quite random ranging from still life, landscapes, macro, self portraits, and product style shots. I have read quite a lot of photography books that talk about finding your style. I can safely say that after 365 days I still have not found my style. Everything interests me from a photographic point of view so a style or signature look is kind of hard to pin down and in my humble opinion is kind of overrated. Only a small amount of photos that make up my 365 project were planned shots. Most days I just carried my camera with me everywhere I went and stayed on the look out for something that interested me. The shots that were planned mostly came about because of bad weather or knowing that I would be under pressure at work or had some family commitments. At the beginning of the project I wanted to document my lighting setups and described my daily photos in detail. I tried my best to do this but I feel most of my energy went into shooting which left me with little time to write detailed accounts. However, I do have a nice little collection of shots complete with lighting setups and I'm happy about that. If you have been following my project over the past year you will know that one genre of photography that I particularly enjoy is street shooting. I would have loved to do a lot more street shooting on this project but it wasn't always possible.
This project has been a kind of self exploration. I suppose any project that lasts a year would include a little soul searching and question asking. Above all else, my determination and self discipline was tested the most. There were days when I was very close to posting any old photo just to get the day over with. Now I'm not saying that I'm ecstatic about every shot in the project, but I am happy with the vast majority of them. For anyone out there thinking about embarking on a 365 project I would say go for it. There will be tough days but the end goal is so worth it. Right now I'm proud of the photos I have taken but most of all I have a revived sense of what I can achieve and my self confidence, in photographic terms, has increased to the point where I am now looking around for a serious photographic project, maybe something along documentary lines.
Lastly I would like to thank some people. Thank you to all my Flickr contacts and to those who have commented and faved my shots. Thank you to those who have followed my blog, my facebook entries and tweets. I would not have completed the project without your positive feedback. I have made some great online friends over the course of the year and I hope these friendships continue after this project. I'm afraid to name names in case I miss someone out, but you guys know who you are. Many thanks. Lastly I would like to thank my family. Thanks to my little buddy and son Jack for giving me some great photos and classic expressions. Thanks to my daughter Ellen for teaching me the importance of sleep and of course for some beautiful baby shots. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Nicola. Thank you for making it possible for me to complete this crazy project. Thank you for listening to my obsessive photographic ramblings, putting up with me taking over the kitchen table for the year, disappearing up to my home office to "GET A SHOT", putting up with me never being happy with my work, bringing my camera everywhere. But most of all thank you for loving me. I'm a very lucky man.
Happy 365 and New Year to everyone!
Did I hear someone say "52 Week Project" ?
Strobist info :- SB900 on background 1/2 power. SB600 camera left at 1/80 power.
Shot details :- ISO 200, 35mm, 0 ev, f/10, 1/250
Stunning bedroom designs for teenage girls. Teenagers usually their time to searching for identity and self exploration. To that end, every teenager women fill their days to explore their feminine sense, we present some teens room interior design for women who can become your... freshomedaily.com/?p=18339
#Bedroom, #Colorful-Interior-Design, #Feminine-Minimalist-Design, #Teenagers, #Teens-Room-Design
A silent pantomime performer.
We communicated by me asking questions, talking, guessing, and Chloe nodding her head.
We met in the dining area of a nearby grocery store. I was with my friend Anne and she was with another face painted friend, Rae.
I asked immediately whether it was Ok to make pictures and was granted permission.
I then asked them separately to step outside for better light and background.
Chloe wrote down her email address on a piece of paper for me. She also wrote:
"Chloe + Rae - Send us pictures?"
And also:
"Humanity is One Being Wearing many masks, Dancing."
And she drew a heart next to the last word.
Updating:
A couple of days after meeting Chloe and Rae, and after sending them my photos of them with a few questions, I received an email from Chloe which I share here:
"Why the silence?" I asked
"To break the heavy of everyday life. Miming is public prayer and public play. A reminder that things are not necessarily ordinary. So much gets lost in everyday conversation. Words say what has happened; silence says what is happening now. All of time is one sacred moment.
Miming is a chance to calm the chattering mind, and simply be a witness. Who are you without your words, without your face? Everybody. Nobody. The same spirit moves through all of us.
We live on a goat farm in northern California, and the goats are great teachers. The hardest thing about being a mime is gaining total control of the movements of the body. And the goats have it down. They are pristinely present and attentive to the Now.
What we are attempting here is a practice of play that can bring us closer to our wild, instinctual selves. The goats are also excellent teachers of patience. I don't know
if you've ever spent time with goats, but they are ornary!
Healing from the trauma of dominant culture continues to be a huge challenge. Invoking the sacred clown is one technique. Songs and poems of grief and praise unlock the soul and let our tears and laughter nourish the land.
We use tools of nonviolent communication and practices
of blending with the land and communing directly with nature; to
remember the parts of ourselves that were repressed, rejected, punished, or never nurtured enough to truly blossom.
Living in community provides a little village-shaped container for all of this self-exploration and healing. A community that comes together over what they love, over what they will stand to protect, is strong and can weather the storms.
As we respect nature, she reveals her secrets and teaches us how to live."
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/discuss/72157633469671...
Frederick Elwell painting in Butcher Row.
An art trail which showcases the work of painter Fred Elwell, who was born in the town in 1870 and spent most of his life living in North Bar. Elwell's paintings show Yorkshire men and women at work and play, and the trail features 22 replicas spread across Beverley's streets, some standing in the same places they were painted.
Seated Nude in the Studio
(or The Model)
1935
by
Frederick W. Elwell R.A.
(1870-1958)
It was customary for artists to develop their understanding of the human form by sketching the nude figure from life.
Fred Elwell was no exception and several of his early works focus on the nude. He then abandoned the subject for many years but returned to the naked female form with Seated Nude. which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1935.
Much has been written about the voyeuristic appeal of the nude, however, in this instance Fred shifts the emphasis away from the nude as a provocative subject intended for the male gaze and focuses on the subject of self-exploration.
Here we see a self-assured woman engaging with her own likeness as captured on canvas.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_William_Elwell
www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/frederick-willia...
History of the Shaolin Temples
There are few historical entities that engender as much debate, confusion, and acrimony as the nature and reality of Shaolin. We have heard distinguished university professors categorically deny the existence of either Shaolin or its problem-children Tongs; that only authenticated accounts by the Communist Chinese government are to be trusted; or that the temples are fictitious, based on stories in old novels.
The following accounts are taken from sources who 1) practiced the specific kung fu styles to Master level from the "supposed" temples, 2) learned their arts AT those temples before the temples were destroyed, or 3) were taught by practitioners from those temples. Also, our sources were corroborated by at least three individuals (standard rule of evidence accepted by most professional journalists). The masters, however, have declined to be named for the reasons that 1) they do not want to engage in controversy--the information is here to accept or reject as you like (as directed by the last lesson of the Buddha), 2) they have assumed new names after leaving China because, as refugees, did not want their families to suffer for their actions. Having said that, and agreeing in advance to protect the confidentiality of our sources, we have been told that...
The Shaolin order dates to about 540 A.D., when an Indian Buddhist priest named Bodhidharma (Tamo in Chinese), traveled to China to see the Emperor. At that time, the Emperor had started local Buddhist monks translating Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese. The intent was to allow the general populace the ability to practice this religion.
This was a noble project, but when the Emperor believed this to be his path to Nirvana, Tamo disagreed. Tamo's view on Buddhism was that you could not achieve your goal just through good actions performed by others in your name. At this point the Emperor and Tamo parted ways and Tamo traveled to the nearby Buddhist temple to meet with the monks who were translating these Buddhist texts.
The temple had been built years before in the remains of a forest that had been cleared or burned down. At the time of the building of the temple, the emperor's gardeners had also planted new trees. Thus the temple was named "young (or new) forest", (Shaolin in Mandarin, Sil Lum in Cantonese).
When Tamo arrived at the temple, he was refused admittance, probably being thought of as an upstart or foreign meddler by the head abbot (Fang Chang). Rejected by the monks, Tamo went to a nearby cave and meditated until the monks recognized his religious prowess and admitted him. Legend has it that he bored a hole through one side of the cave with his constant gaze; in fact, the accomplishment that earned his recognition is lost to history.
When Tamo joined the monks, he observed that they were not in good physical condition. Most of their routine paralleled that of the Irish monks of the Middle Ages, who spent hours each day hunched over tables where they transcribed handwritten texts. Consequently, the Shaolin monks lacked the physical and mental stamina needed to perform even the most basic of Buddhist meditation practices. Tamo countered this weakness by teaching them moving exercises, designed to both enhance ch'i flow and build strength. These sets, modified from Indian yogas (mainly hatha, and raja) were based on the movements of the 18 main animals in Indo-Chinese iconography (e.g., tiger, deer, leopard, cobra, snake, dragon, etc.), were the beginnings of Shaolin Kung Fu.
It is hard to say just when the exercises became "martial arts". The Shaolin temple was in a secluded area where bandits would have traveled and wild animals were an occasional problem, so the martial side of the temple probably started out to fulfill self-defense needs. After a while, these movements were codified into a system of self-defense.
As time went on, this Buddhist sect became more and more distinct because of the martial arts being studied. This is not to say that Tamo "invented" martial arts. Martial arts had existed in China for centuries. But within confines of the temple, it was possible to develop and codify these martial arts into the new and different styles that would become distinctly Shaolin. One of the problems faced by many western historians is the supposed contraindication of Buddhist principles of non-violence coupled with Shaolin's legendary martial skills. In fact, the Shaolin practitioner is never an attacker, nor does he or she dispatch the most devastating defenses in any situation. Rather, the study of kung fu leads to better understanding of violence, and consequently how to avoid conflict. Failing that, a Buddhist who refuses to accept an offering of violence (i.e., and attack) merely returns it to the sender. Initially, the kung fu expert may choose to parry an attack, but if an assailant is both skilled and determined to cause harm, a more definitive and concluding solution may be required, from a joint-lock hold to a knockout, to death. The more sophisticated and violent an assault, the more devastating the return of the attack to the attacker. Buddhists are not, therefore, hurting anyone; they merely refuse delivery of intended harm.
The Shaolin philosophy is one that started from Buddhism and later adopted many Taoist principles to become a new sect. Thus even though a temple may have been Taoist or Buddhist at first, once it became Shaolin, it was a member of a new order, an amalgamation of the prevailing Chinese philosophies of the time.
Other temples sprung from Henan. This happened because the original temple would suffer repeated attacks and periods of inactivity as the reigning Imperial and regional leaders feared the martial powers of the not-always unaligned monks. Refugee Shaolin practitioners would leave the temple to teach privately (in Pai) or at other Buddhist or Taoist temples. In rare cases, a new Shaolin Temple would be erected (Fukien, Kwangtung) or converted from a pre-existing temple (Wu-Tang, O Mei Shan). Politically and militarily involved monks (such as the legendary White Eyebrow and Hung Tze Kwan) would be perpetual sources of trouble for the generally temporally aloof monks.
The Boxer rebellion in 1901 was the beginning of the end of the Shaolin temples. Prior to that, China had been occupied by Western and Japanese governments and business interests. The British had turned the Imperial family into an impotent puppet regime largely through the import and sales of opium and the general drug-devastation inflicted upon the poor population. This lead to the incursion of other European powers, including Russia, France and Holland, and later the Japanese and Americans. By the late 1800s, China was effectively divided into national zones, each controlled by one of the outside powers (similar to post World War II Berlin, on a hugely larger scale). The long standing animosities between China and Japan worsened, and extended to include all other "foreign devils" as well. Coupled with the now almost universal disdain by the Chinese for their Empress, a Nationalist movement with nation-wide grass-roots support was born. Among the front line soldiers of the new "order" were the legendary and near-legendary martial artists--many Shaolin--known as Boxers (remember how Bruce Lee, in his films depicting these times, refers to himself as a Chinese boxer...). Though their initial assaults on the military powers of the occupation governments were not entirely successful (many believed in Taoist magical spells that would make them impervious to gunfire), their temporary defeat would lead to a more modern reformation that included adopting modern military weapons and tactics.
The withdrawal of western forces was prolonged over many years, and by the end of World War I saw China in an almost feudal state of civil war. Not only were national troops fighting loyalists, but both sides had to fight the Japanese (who still held much of the northern Manchurian region of China) as well as many powerful, regional warlords. Many parts of China were virtually anarchies, but by 1931 almost all non-Asian occupants had been successfully driven out (with the interesting exception, in the late 1930s, of the volunteer American airmen known as The Flying Tigers, who helped repel Japanese forces prior to World War II), and the major combatants within China were the Nationalists and the Communists. Both sides displayed the typical jingoistic attitudes of forces in mindless warfare--if you aren't with us, you are against us. Neutrality meant nothing except the possibility of a later enemy. Consequently, Shaolin and other monks were routinely murdered by soldiers from both sides. One result of this program of murder was the exodus of many monks into the hills, or abroad, with the hope that Shaolin knowledge might survive even if the temples themselves did not.
The temples were unfortunate victims of war in a land that had abandoned its historical practice of respecting posterity and ancestors. All were ransacked and looted by various armed groups. O Mei Shan Temple ("Great White Mountain"), in Szechuan Province, was situated on a mountain top and deemed by Chinese officers to be a fitting target for artillery practice. It was shelled in turn by Nationalist and Communist armies. In a fitting twist of fate, this one-time site of medical and natural history knowledge was rebuilt by the Communists in the mid 1970s, and now stands as the National Park and Research Headquarters for the panda preserve.
There are various stories coming out of China today referring to the history of Shaolin, particularly over the past 300 years. However, many of these stories are suspect (compare Chinese accounts of Tiananmen Square with CNN news coverage), with the more commonly "authenticated" versions coming from government records. The fact that Chinese authorities outlawed Shaolin and martial arts practices makes any story about their history from such sources suspect. The prevalent wu-shu styles originated as a result of a compromise between the post-World War II governments and the national need and history of having a martial arts tradition. Wu-Shu, however, was not designed as a martial art (strictly illegal), and claims to the contrary date back only a decade or so, following on the popularity of Kung Fu.
What is Karate?
"True karate is this: that in daily life one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility, and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice."
--Gichin Funakoshi
Karate can also be described as a martial art, or fighting method, involving a variety of techniques, including blocks, strikes, evasions, throws, and joint manipulations. Karate practice is divided into three aspects: kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring).
The word karate is a combination of two Japanese characters: kara, meaning empty, and te, meaning hand; thus, karate means "empty hand." Adding the suffix "-do" (pronounced "doe"), meaning "way," i.e., karate-do, implies karate as a total way of life that goes well beyond the self-defense applications. In traditional karate-do, we always keep in mind that the true opponent is oneself.
To understand this we must first review our concept of Karate. Karate appears fearful and destructive to many people. Movies have contributed to popularizing Karate in the wrong way. There are also many people who think that Karate is only a type of calisthenics or, perhaps, even a type of dance. This shows undeniably the lack of a proper view of what Karate really is.
Karate is a martial art, for many people it is a way of life, and it shares the common aim with Judo, Kendo, Aikido, the tea ceremony, calligraphy, and Japanese flower arranging of cultivating through physical and spiritual training. It is also within reason to claim that Karate, as the original martial art, through physical and spiritual training and discipline, makes the impossible possible, even to the unarmed, and helps one in pursuing the aim of his life. A physical training so strict naturally involves a demanding psychological training as well. Karate is a method of unifying the body and spirit and of making human life at once broader and deeper.
"Karate" is a combination of two Japanese words, "Kara" meaning empty or open and "Te", meaning hand, and is therefore used to describe a style of unarmed combat. Karate not always had this meaning of empty hands, this modern phrase started in a meeting of the Okinawan masters sponsored by an Okinawan newspaper, at which the use of the T'ang character in the word Karate was discussed. The ideograph for Kara was altered to erase the Chinese connection for political reasons. So, the character " T'ang" (Kara) was replaced for "Empty" (Kara).
It is generally accepted that the origins of karate are to be found in India (525 A.D.). The credit is given to a Buddhist priest named Daruma Taishi,also known as Bohdidharma, who was the third child of a king and a brilliant student of Zen. Daruma studied the attacking techniques of animals and insects and the forces of nature, and, combining these with a special breathing technique, he created the basis for a legendary system of weaponless fighting and mental concentration. Daruma created in China the Shao-Lin temple in the province of Honan and in that monastery he instructed other monks in his particular style of unarmed combat.
The system developed at the temple gradually disseminated throughout Asia, spreading to Okinawa, Korea and Mongolia. By 1130 A.D., aspects of this system had even been incorporated into the indigenous military disciplines of geographically and culturally isolated Japan.
The Asia fighting arts were historically taught and refined in secrecy, as their practice was routinely prohibited in different regions. Consequently, various regionally and family-based styles and schools evolved, one of these being the Kempo style of Okinawa.
By 1901, Kempo was being taught openly in Okinawa, and in 1916, was demonstrated in Japan by master Gichin Funakoshi. There, under the name of Karate, practical applications of the system were further refined and united with the Zen-based philosophy of the Japanese disciplines. The popularity of karate as both a martial art and a sport spread quickly in Japan and beyond, contributing to the development of diverse systems and schools.
Kyokushin Karate is a discipline through which practitioners may find clues to assist them in their own spiritual development and self-exploration. It is also, importantly, a martial art, encompassing philosophical considerations of life and death, struggle and survival. It is a practical form of self-defense, emphasizing (at the initial stages) kicks, punches, blocks and body movement. It is an intense physical activity, which directly benefits mental conditioning.
"Kyokushinkaikan" is comprised of four Japanese words:
Kyokushin Karate is characterized by requiring of its participants, tenuous training, conditioning and realistic contact while sparing. Kyokushin karate-ka believe this contact is necessary in order to fully appreciate the resiliency of the human body and spirit and to prepare for any serious confrontation. The word "OSU" and the phrase "osu no seishin" (perseverance under pressure) succinctly summarize the essence of the Dojo Kun, written by Sosai Mas Oyama and Eiji Yoshikawa.
Kyokushin philosophy is further reflected in the following maxim:
"... One Thousand days of training, A beginner; Ten thousand days of training, A master."
Masutatsu Oyama
Master Funakoshi
Gichin Funakoshi is widely considered the primary "father" of modern karate due to his efforts to introduce the Okinawan art to mainland Japan, from where it spread to the rest of the world. Born in 1868, he began to study karate at the age of 11, and was a student of the two greatest masters of the time, Azato and Itosu. He grew so proficient that he was initiated into all the major styles of karate in Okinawa at the time. For Master Funakoshi, the word karate eventually took on a deeper and broader meaning through the synthesis of these many methods, becoming karate-do, literally the "way of karate," or of the empty hand. Training in karate-do became an education for life itself.
Master Funakoshi was the first expert to introduce karate-do to mainland Japan. In 1916 he gave a demonstration to the Butokuden in Kyoto, Japan, which at that time was the official center of all martial arts. On March 6, 1921, the Crown Prince, who was later to become the Emperor of Japan, visited Okinawa and Master Funakoshi was asked to demonstrate karate. In the early spring of 1922 Master Funakoshi traveled to Tokyo to present his art at the First National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo organized by the Ministry of Education. He was strongly urged by several eminent groups and individuals to remain in Japan, and indeed he never did return to Okinawa.
Master Funakoshi taught only one method, a total discipline, which represented a synthesis of Okinawan karate styles. This method became known as Shotokan, literally the clan or the house of Shoto, which was the Master's pen name for his poetry, denoting the sound of the wind blowing through pines.
So Nei Chu
The defeat of Japan and the subsequent indignity of Occupation almost proved to be too much for Mas Oyama, who nearly despaired. Fortunately for all of us, So Nei Chu came into his life at that time. Master So, another Korean (from Oyama's own province) living in Japan, was one of the highest authorities on Goju Ryu in Japan at the time. He was renowned for both his physical and spiritual strength. It was he who encouraged Mas Oyama to dedicate his life to the Martial Way. It was he too who suggested that Oyama should retreat away from the rest of the world for 3 years while training his mind and body.
MAS OYAMA
Masutatsu (Mas) Oyama was born Yong I-Choi on the 27th of July, 1923, in a village not far from Gunsan in Southern Korea. At a relatively young age he was sent to Manchuria, in Southern China, to live on his sister's farm. At the age of nine, he started studying the Southern Chinese form of Kempo called Eighteen hands from a Mr. Yi who was at the time working on the farm. When Oyama returned to Korea at the the age of 12, he continued his training in Korean Kempo.
In 1938, at the age of 15, he travelled to Japan to train as an aviator, to be like his hero of the time, Korea's first fighter pilot. Survival on his own at that age proved to be more difficult than he thought, especially as a Korean in Japan, and the aviator training fell by the wayside.
He did however continue martial arts training, by participating in judo and boxing, and one day he noticed some students training in Okinawan Karate. This interested him very much and he went to train at the dojo of Gichin Funakoshi at Takushoku University, where he learned what is today known as CyberDojo home pages.
His training progress was such that by the age of seventeen he was already a 2nd dan, and by the time he entered the Japanese Imperial Army at 20, he was a fourth dan. At this point he also took a serious interest in judo, and his progress there was no less amazing. By the time he had quit training in Judo
Mountain Training
When he was 23 years old, Mas Oyama met Eiji Yoshikawa, the author of the novel Musashi, which was based on the life and exploits of Japan's most famous Samurai. Both the novel and the author helped to teach Mas Oyama about the Samurai Bushido code and what it meant. That same year, Oyama went to Mt. Minobu in the Chiba Prefecture, where Musashi had developed his Nito-Ryu style of swordfighting. Oyama thought that this would be an appropriate place to commence the rigours of training he had planned for himself. Among the things he took with him was a copy of Yoshikawa's book. A student named Yashiro also came with him.
The relative solitude was strongly felt, and after 6 months, Yashiro secretly fled during the night. It became even harder for Oyama, who wanted more than ever to return to civilisation. So Nei Chu wrote to him that he should shave off an eyebrow in order to get rid of the urge. Surely he wouldn't want anyone to see him that way! This and other more moving words convinced Oyama to continue, and he resolved to become the most powerful karate-ka in Japan.
Soon however, his sponsor informed him that he was no longer able to support him and so, after fourteen months, he had to end his solitude.
A few months later, in 1947, Mas Oyama won the karate section of the first Japanese National Martial Arts Championships after WWII. However, he still felt empty for not having completed the three years of solitude. He then decided to dedicate his life completely to karate-do. So he started again, this time on Mt. Kiyozumi, also in Chiba Prefecture. This site he chose for its spiritually uplifting environment.
This time his training was fanatical — 12 hours a day every day with no rest days, standing under (cold) buffeting waterfalls, breaking river stones with his hands, using trees as makiwara, jumping over rapidly growing flax plants hundreds of times each day. Each day also included a period of study of the ancients classics on the Martial arts, Zen, and philosophy.
After eighteen months he came down fully confident of himself, and able to take control of his life. Never again would he be so heavily influenced by his society around him. (Though it is probably safe to say that his circumstances were also probably never again as traumatic!)
Bulls, Challengers, and the Godhand
In 1950, Sosai (the founder) Mas Oyama started testing (and demonstrating) his power by fighting bulls. In all, he fought 52 bulls, three of which were killed instantly, and 49 had their horns taken off with knife hand blows. That it is not to say that it was all that easy for him. Oyama was fond of remembering that his first attempt just resulted in an angry bull. In 1957, at the age of 34, he was nearly killed in Mexico when a bull got some of his own back and gored him. Oyama somehow managed to pull the bull off and break off his horn. He was bedridden for 6 months while he recoverd from the usually fatal wound. Today of course, the animal rights groups would have something to say about these demonstrations, despite the fact that the animals were already all destined for slaughter.
In 1952, he travelled the United States for a year, demonstrating his karate live and on national televison. During subsequent years, he took on all challengers, resulting in fights with 270 different people. The vast majority of these were defeated with one punch! A fight never lasted more than three minutes, and most rarely lasted more than a few seconds. His fighting principle was simple — if he got through to you, that was it.
If he hit you, you broke. If you blocked a rib punch, you arm was broken or dislocated. If you didn't block, your rib was broken. He became known as the Godhand, a living manifestation of the Japanese warriors' maxim Ichi geki, Hissatsu or "One strike, certain death". To him, this was the true aim of technique in karate. The fancy footwork and intricate techniques were secondary (though he was also known for the power of his head kicks).
Kyokushinkai Karate
Martial art created by Sosai Masutatsu Oyama in 1955. It is a style of karate focuses on strenuous physical training, especially kumite and tameshiwari, though it also inludes kihon, kata, self-defense techniques, and weapons. It is the utilization of circular movement in the execution of techniques that distinguishes Kyokushin Karate from the traditional styles of Karate that rely on simple linear motion. Kyokushin Karate is characterized by requiring of its participants, strenuous training, conditioning and realistic contact while sparring. Kyokushin karate-ka believes this contact is necessary in order to fully appreciate the resiliency of the human body and spirit and to prepare for any serious confrontation.
The kanji (Japanese characters) calligraphy, worn universally on the front of the gi, simply means "Kyokushinkai", which is the name given by Sosai Mas Oyama to the karate style he created. It is composed of three characters:
Kyoku meaning "Ultimate".
Shin meaning "Truth" or "Reality".
Kai meaning "Society" or "Association".
Kan = Building, School
Kanku
The symbol of Kyokushin Karate is the Kanku, which is derived from Kanku Kata, the Sky Gazing Form. In this kata, the hands are raised and the fingers meet to form an opening through which the sky is viewed. The top and bottom points of the Kanku represent the first fingers of each hand touching at the top and the thumbs touching at the bottom, symbolizing the peaks or ultimate points. The thick sections at the sides represent the wrists, symbolizing power. The center circle represents the opening between the hands through which the sky is viewed, symbolizing infinite depth. The whole Kanku is enclosed by a circle, symbolizing continuity and circular action.
K-1 Kickboxing
While the sport of Boxing having its long history since the age of Roman Empire and a very large population base in its amateur and professional practitioners, with its techniques having been thoroughly experienced, researched and evolved, it makes us to think that the "Sweet Science" is almost coming to be at a point of its perfection.
In comparison, while Muay Thai has its own history, Kickboxing is a new sport now gaining a world wide popularity, and the population is still small. The world of Kickboxing is also not as unified yet, as there are many organizations in the world having their own championship tournaments with different rules. Also the lines are thin between this sport and other full-contact or semi-contact fighting tournaments. There are still many new ideas and techniques coming out in Kickboxing, with a large help from the variety of already existing Martial Arts such as Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu and many others.
Kickboxing has taken into a form around 500 years ago (some say it's longer) in the country of what's now Thailand, called Muay Thai or Thai Boxing. Most of the kickboxing styles in the world is based on Muay Thai, including Japan, Europe, and Australia. In Muay Thai match, the fighters are allowed to:
Kick and knee to the leg, body, head
Punch to the body, head
Elbow to the body, head
Back spin punch
(They used to allow head butts and throws)
What's dominant in America is the American-style kickboxing, which is started out as a full contact Karate tournament with the basis of boxing. It allows kicks to the waist above only, and there is no elbow and knee strikes. There are many Kickboxing organizations in the world having their own championship tournaments. The organizations are, to name a few: W.K.A., W.K.C, I.K.K.C., K.I.C.K., P.K.F., P.K.A, I.S.K.A., etc. Savate is a French version of kickboxing. San Shou is a Chinese kickboxing started out from Kung-fu, allowing throws in addition. And so is Draka from Russia. Shoot-boxing is started out in Japan and is a combination of Muay Thai with throws.
Out of what seems to be an disorganized situation in present kickboxing world, there came a kickboxing event called K-1. Originally a full-contact Karate event that became a huge success in Japan, it is now considered sort of a unified tournament of striking Martial Arts where any styles and organizations can freely compete in it --- as long as they adhere to its rule. It's tournament rule is similar to that of Muay Thai without elbow strikes. So far the champions from many styles of striking-based Martial Arts have competed in it, such as Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai, Kung-fu, Taekwondo, American Kickboxing, Draka, Capoeira, Shootfighting and No Hold Barred (UFC, Vale Tudo). It has been a huge success in Japan and in Europe, and now it is also becoming big in the US.. It is said that the idea of K-1 event is a very important step in the development of Kickboxing and the Martial Arts in general.
My tour to kashmir provided me a chance to do my own catharsis, experiencing the un-experienced things, undergoing a remarkable journey of self exploration.
This Image depicts my own feelings of self-exploration and self-identification.
my favorite photos here > www.flickr.com/photos/roderickma/sets/72157623272274082/
my photo sets here > www.flickr.com/photos/roderickma/sets
self portrait
Seen in The Moderated Score My Self Portrait group
May 2006 Scavenger Hunt "Cards on the Table" -- last day of the month, mining the archive for anything that will do.
May 2006 Scavenger Hunt: "Full Circle"
FreakyChick1978's picture reminded me of the Tarot's potential for "Full Circle".
I am by no means a mumbo-jumbo kind of person, and I'm sure these things can't tell the future. However I like the idea of using the manifold associations and ideas in each card as a springboard for brainstorming and self-exploration.
The main picture cards, or "Major Arcana" tell the story of the "Fool's journey". An introduction may be found here. At the beginning, we see the fool about to step blindly over a cliff. At the end: "The Fool turns to take that final step along his final path, and finds, to his bemusement that he is right back where he started, at the edge of that very same cliff he almost stepped over when he was young and too foolish to look where he was going." ... "Ending, in a sense, where he began, beginning again at the end. The world turns, and the Fool journey is complete."
This is a reproduction "Tarot of the Bohemians" deck, 1896 and usefully out of copyright.
A portrait series exploring the feeling of dysphoria. Disconnection between the self and the reflection, between presence and perception.
Photos by MoudBarthez.
Model's ig: @Maariaaan. Helsinki, Winter 2025.
Explore #103
This is not a selfie. It's a beautiful Naples sunset with me in it, or is it?
The Selfie: cultural narcissism or enabled self-exploration as a by-product of technology?
The 2013 Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year was Selfie. Some even say that Selfie is the idea of an era.
Today, you don’t need to be a talented portrait painter or have deep pockets to have portraits of yourself. Now with cell phones or digital cameras with a tripod and a mirror you can have fun… taking pictures of yourself.
Selfies began to appear on Flickr in 2004. Of course, young women are the largest population of selfie posters online, and obviously, mostly men comment on them. On Flickr, many of these men manage to find all the pretty women taking selfies and have made this voyeur activity their favorite past time and some even their obsession, to comment on all of them.
Of course, many argue that selfies offer the opportunity to show different facets of yourself: your artistic side, glamorous side, silly side and often even other “sides” and more private aspects or yourself that otherwise nobody would be able to see (I think you know what I mean).
What do you think?
High school students from across the state came to Sacred Heart University in late June 2017 to participate in SHU Journey, a six-day retreat of faith learning, self-exploration, music ministry, prayer, liturgy and community service. On day two, the participants enjoyed a free night of fun at Nutmeg Bowl in Fairfield. Photo by Mark F. Conrad 6/26/17
He cerrado mis ojos y ahora todos hablan... El mundo tiene paz, a mí me la han negado. Los murmullos continúan arrullando mi sueño que ahora parece nunca acabar.
Sueño contigo, siempre hablando de la libertad como si fuera una amiga tuya a la que has dejado marchar, tomas de mi mano y vuelves a insistir que las reglas uno debe de cumplir.
Te escucho a lo lejos, despierto has de estar, velando mi sueño junto con los demás. Los demás.. a quienes siempre ignoré. Quiero ignorarte, porque escucharte me pone mal. Es absurdo lo que dices y quiero corromperte, despertar y enseñarte cuánto bien puede hacerte pecar. Pero aquí estoy yo dormida, mordiéndome las ganas y comiéndome mis fantasías, porque muy callada esperaré a que tú quieras despertarme otra vez.
Apps Used: Art Studio, Image Blender, Glitche, Pixelmator, Snapseed, Photo Toaster
This piece is about the human journey. We all travel through life, and sometimes wonder about what defines us, what makes us happy, what holds us back. I've recently given this a whole lot of thought, particularly about what keeps me from achieving my goals... this piece is about that self exploration.
Self exploration post loss.
Double exposures on cross processed 35mm Kodak ektachrome e100.
August, 2019. Portland, Oregon.
An art trail which showcases the work of painter Fred Elwell, who was born in the town in 1870 and spent most of his life living in North Bar. Elwell's paintings show Yorkshire men and women at work and play, and the trail features 22 replicas spread across Beverley's streets, some standing in the same places they were painted.
Seated Nude in the Studio
(or The Model)
1935
by
Frederick W. Elwell R.A.
(1870-1958)
It was customary for artists to develop their understanding of the human form by sketching the nude figure from life.
Fred Elwell was no exception and several of his early works focus on the nude. He then abandoned the subject for many years but returned to the naked female form with Seated Nude. which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1935.
Much has been written about the voyeuristic appeal of the nude, however, in this instance Fred shifts the emphasis away from the nude as a provocative subject intended for the male gaze and focuses on the subject of self-exploration.
Here we see a self-assured woman engaging with her own likeness as captured on canvas.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_William_Elwell
www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/frederick-willia...
Part of a series ‘Outside Reflections’ a series of self portraits exploring perceptions I think people see me as, want me to be , and what I am. Self exploration introspection on a journey to navigate through false realities I find most damaging.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
On Tuesday evening, I trekked over to Jackie Battenfield's lecture at the University of Florida in Gainesville. She outlined her book, The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love. Sounds too good to be true, right? I actually came out with all sorts of ideas and tremendous enthusiasm for the challenge of becoming a professional photographer. I received a free copy of the book, and I spent much of today immersed in self exploration with guidance from Chapter 1. Still processing at this point, and still feeling positive!
At 8 PM, I found myself without a photo, and still quite focused on business-y thoughts. After a few ho-hum attempts at shooting the ceiling, a nail in the wall, and Muggle the cat, I turned to my favorite photo assistant for inspiration. Zack suggested that I photograph this sparkly Christmas ornament. I pulled a MacGyver and scotch taped the ornament to my bathroom mirror to achieve the reflection, angle, lighting, and background. I applied antiquing and vignette treatments in Lightroom Beta 3, and there you have it!
Today feels like a confession kind of day.
I'm in need of some self-exploration.
Decisions, decisions.
©Caitlyn Witt
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