New Years Commitments

"You won't see me writing resolutions, instead I do commitments". ~Melissa Galt, interior designer and social media extraordinaire.

I really like Melissa's approach and attitude toward setting goals in the New Year. I have a strong belief that 2011 will be my biggest year yet, in terms of photography opportunities and collaborations. I feel like all of the stepping stones are in place and I just have to start walking down the path. I've been my own roadblock for too long. As social as I seem, I am a bit of a hermit. This year, I am going to push myself out of my comfort zone and seek opportunities to meet and work with people I have always hoped to work with. For example, I want to shoot photos of Fiona Apple. That is going to be one tricky goal to achieve, but a few of my life goals are already starting to materialize, so hopefully I can add that to my list...

Here's which goals are around the corner:
-to have one of my images be published on the cover of a novel (happening this month)
-to create and sell a photography book (happening in February--if I ever get my act together)
-to collaborate with my favorite contemporary painter, Robert Townsend (happening now)
-to meet Dave Grohl (pending...)
-to meet Steve Martin (happening in February)
-to meet all the members of 311 (happening in March)
Yes, the last three are really life goals of mine, don't laugh. ;)

REMEMBER: "What you create tomorrow is built on what you act on today." (Melissa Galt, again) SO GET GOING!!

A Wake Up Call to ALL Photographers and Artists

I want to share a email that I received recently:

Hi :)

I work for an Advertising Agency in London and were looking to do a fun “happy” campaign in and around the UK – It will be to launch a range of DVD`s and could be used on posters, in store and press ads.We really love your “The whole story” image – how would you feel about us possibly using this image to inject ‘happiness’ to the public! I completely understand if you don’t want to and I hope you don’t mind me asking,

Kind Regards, (Their name)

And here was my response:

Hi (Their name),

Thank you so much for contacting me. I am very flattered you would like to use my "The Whole Story" image. I would love to sell the rights to your advertising agency for print campaign usage. I rely on my photography to earn a living and I hope you understand why I can't give the image away for free. If you would like to negotiate a usage fee, I would love to move forward with this project!!

Hope to hear back from you,

~Jena~

Now here's the lesson: Yes, I am flattered and yes, I would LOVE to see my work used in an international campaign where it will potentially be seen by millions of people but let's get real. If you haven't already, you NEED to stop giving your work away for free. Not only does undermine your work, but it undermines ALL artists' works if ad agencies and companies can find photography and artwork for free. I know this ad agency may never respond to my email (they haven't yet and it's been four days since I sent it), but it's a matter of self-worth and principle. The sad part is I already know what they're going to do next: get back on flickr and search for someone who is willing to give their photography/artwork away for free in exchange for the excitement of seeing their work in print. Don't let this person be you. Start charging for ALL usage of your work (and if it's really creative/unique/one-of-a-kind, charge A LOT). If all photographers/artists do this, then more people will be able to earn a living as photographers/artists. By helping yourself, you will be helping an entire industry of struggling creatives. As for the ad agency, they should know better.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." ~Albert Camus

Since it is such a nasty/gray/rainy day in L.A. and the east is getting pummeled with more snow... I figured we could all use a little sunshine.

Here are two galleries I created, FULL of summery photos from fellow flickrites:

Swimming Pool: http://tinyurl.com/yzwao7t

Sunbathers: http://tinyurl.com/ygpyjj8

Spread the warmth!!

Buddhist Blessing for the New Year!!

I'm not a Buddhist, nor do you need to be to enjoy this blessing. May 2010 be one of your best!! Happy New Year!!

Just as water flowing in the stream and rivers fills the ocean, thus may all your moments of goodness touch and benefit all beings, those here now and those gone before.

May all your wishes be soon fulfilled as completely as the moon on a full-moon night, as successfully as from the Wish-Fulfilling Gem. May all dangers be averted; may all disease leave you.

May no obstacles come across your way and may you enjoy happiness and long life.

May those who are always respectful, honoring the way of the elders, prosper in the four blessings of old age, beauty, happiness, and strength.

~Adopted from the Pattanumodana blessing-chant

Truly Inspiring: Michael Wolf

German-born author and artist Michael Wolf was raised and educated in the United States and has been living in Hong Kong for 15 years, a decade of which he has spent as a photographer. Wolf's work focuses on vernacular culture, particularly Chinese culture. His projects range from thought-provoking portraits to grand-scale gallery installments that beckon the introspection of society as a whole.


What first caught my eye was Wolf's 100x100 collection. For this project, Wolf photographed residents living in Hong Kong's oldest housing project, Shep Kip Mei, where each living space measured 10 x 10 feet. I was eager to peer into each room to see how individuality played a role in conceptualizing the limited space. After viewing a handful of photographs, I was left speechless. Instead of mind-numbingly satisfying my voyeuristic eye, I was left wondering: What personal possessions would I [be able to] keep if I only had 100 square feet?

Other projects by Wolf serve a similar slice humble pie. One such installment titled The Real Toy Story, consists of 16 images of Chinese toy factory workers surrounded by 16,000 plastic toys. The result: a powerful juxtaposition of imagery that invokes morality.

For this exhibit, Wolf scoured thrift shops in California for toys (all of which were made in China); sanded the back of each toy; glued several magnets to each toy back (45,000 magnets total); installed 30 large panels of sheet metal to a gallery wall; and covered the wall with the toys. It took three people working 10 hours daily for three days to attach all of the toys to the walls.

What impresses me most about Wolf's work is the level of dedication to his craft. Both projects were simple ideas which he took to a impressively higher realm. Seeing projects of this magnitude inspire me to conjure grand-scale ideas of my own which I hope will one day impact others as much as Wolf's work has impacted me.

More information about Wolf and his work can be found in this interview or on his website.

10 Great Photography Quotations

To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see. ~Elliott Erwitt

I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don't find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges. ~William Albert Allard

Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask "how," while others of a more curious nature will ask "why." Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information. ~Man Ray

It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary. ~David Bailey

You don't take a photograph, you make it ~Ansel Adams

Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again. ~Henri Cartier-Bresson

No place is boring, if you've had a good night's sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film ~Robert Adams

There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer ~Ansel Adams

Your equipment DOES NOT affect the quality of your image. The less time and effort you spend worrying about your equipment the more time and effort you can spend creating great images. The right equipment just makes it easier, faster or more convenient for you to get the results you need. ~Ken Rockwell

If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera. ~Lewis Hine

Keep Me In Your Locket

Stumbled across these vintage photos that are too good to keep to myself:




Enjoy the weekend!! XOXO

Spotlight on: Photographer Bill Wood

I felt like I hit the jackpot when I recently discovered Photographer Bill Wood's expansive collection of 1950s and 1960s Americana!!

Wood spent nearly 40 years photographing local businesses, showrooms and product displays in Fort Worth, Texas where he owned and operated the Bill Wood Photo Company. His photographs were not meant to be artistic in composition or style, but Wood's authentic -- borderline deadpan -- portraits predate a style emulated by today's photographers.

After his death in 1973, Wood's family decided to sell the negatives of his work. Wood's collection would have not reached mainstream media had actress, and avid photo collector, Diane Keaton not purchased 20,000 of his negatives. Keaton kept the negatives in storage and would occasionally make contact sheets, each time finding hundreds of images she loved. With the help of freind Marvin Heiferman, Keaton turned the archive into an exhibition and book project.

"Some of us can just never get enough imagery, never enough staring at stills. It's a hunger. It's a real hunger, it's a starvation. You need more and more, there's never enough looking. Ever," Keaton has said of the project.

In May 2008, Keaton and Heiferman curated an exhibition titled "Bill Wood's Business" at the International Center of Photography in New York City. You can find a copy of the book containing Wood's work here.

5 FRIDAY FAVORITES

Some of these sites have been among my favorites for a loooong time and some I've just discovered:

1. As you can see, I looove making lists. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this little gem. Such a simple and wonderful idea!!

2. Flickr is heaping with all sorts of talents but this has always been one of my favorite photo streams. Zalita makes all of those edible goodies in her shop "Cupcake D'lights" in Durban South Africa. Everything looks too good to eat!!

3. Kewlest worldwide art project idea: A Home For Alice. People from all over the world send a Polaroid picture of their house (along with a little text about why they feel at home there) to Alice who displays it on her blog. The entire collection has already been displayed in a few galleries across the globe AND... "At the end of the project, all the best pictures will be collected to become a book, that will relate the whole adventure." AWESOME.

4. Lately I've been obsessed with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. There is nothing more romantic than a TRUE Hollywood love story that lasts a lifetime. You can watch their story here.

5. Zooey Deschanel + Joseph Gordon Levitt = 500 Days of Summer. August 20th can't come soon enough!!

MY ALL-TIME FLICKR FAVORITES!!!!

Images that I return to again and again:
1. Untitled, 2. Nopal, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. Black Tongue, 7. holga. venice beach, ca. 2005., 8. Narcissist, 9. RidgeDeer, 10. usattheparker, 11. clockwork fish, 12. Donky_Desert, 13. an english pool, 14. monument_bus_2l.jpg, 15. sandiego_12, 16. poison apples, 17. Untitled, 18. Florida Pool, 19. Airstream, 20. Untitled, 21. My Office, 22. it's showtime, 23. Fire Island surf #1, 24. view from our hotel room, 25. Primo Amore, 26. Double-Fisted Double-Dipper, 27. Untitled, 28. No Matter What, 29. superslide polaroid, 30. trailer

photographers include: lou o'bedlam, stoopidgerl, redbuttons, hal bergman, won7ders, fotones, zenbombed, ilisu, charlynw, eyetwist, juliagaldo, daniel minnick, evenstar0586, jen gotch, tinkernoonoo, bluecitrusart, iso-50, iilii-n, aquaticdream, 7-how-7, prettypertelote, buradori, melaniecoles, davebias, dipanna, casoulbyrd, ed bopp.

I'M BACK!!!!! (on Blogger)

I spoke to an old friend today who I haven't seen to in SEVEN years!! The last time I saw him was during the summer after high school graduation. After a few Instant Messenger conversations (He wanted to date me, told me he was better than my ex but I got back together with my ex), we stopped talking completely. No hard feelings. Just went separate ways and took separate paths that never crossed until recently. As we chatted on the phone today, we summed up the past seven years of our lives in a mere 15 minutes. How we met our significant others, his new house, our job histories... in a matter of sentences. It just amazed me how we whittled 2,555 days into a small bullet points. Have our lives been that uneventful or was there just too much to tell??? I'm hoping for the latter.

And so, my message to you is this: Get up, get out. Do all the things delayed by procrastination!! Do something worthwhile, significant. Learn something new. Travel. Make a difference. Use the 24 hours given to you each day wisely. Live life to its fullest, not solely for an interesting story to tell but for an interesting path to unfold.

As for me and blogger, I've been M.I.A since November. My last real post hasn't been since September!! Since then I: was able to spend my birthday at home with friends and family; attended my cousin Vincent's wedding (the first big wedding in my immediate family!!) and was one of the bridesmaids; voted in this year's election and was ecstatic with the results; launched my professional website (jenaardell.com); met Melissa Galt who has truly been an inspirational and motivational force; got a twitter account (I'm addicted); took a dip into the craft fair vending scene; attended Tony Hawk's charity event where I met Bam Margera; was a semi-full-time nanny for four weeks; worked a 12 hour shift on Thanksgiving at the L.A. auto show where I finally got to sit in a Smart Car; bought far too many things for myself on ebay; got over my annual winter cold; and was able to see one of my all-time favorite movies "Sunset Blvd" in theatres (58 years after its release) as introduced by Nancy Olson, one of the few remaining cast members!! And in less than one week, I will be heading home to spend the holidays with my family and friends. :)

And now we're up-to-date...

The Ones We Love

check out TheOnesWeLove.org to see some of my polaroids as well as other beautiful shots from photographers from around the world that honor the people who mean the most to them.

my photos can be seen here. (just click the arrow to the right after you read my little blurb).

simply inspiring...

ohhh Oprah, you always have the most inspirational guests.

i'm watching her show right now (yes, at 2 am) and i am in awe of her guests today. they are all people who are actively making a difference in the world simply by following their true calling -- a deep-rooted desire to help others.

one woman, Genevieve Piturro, started the Pajama Project after she realized children in shelters sleep in their street clothes. fast forward five years later, she has collected and donated over 85,000 pairs of pajamas!!

thanks to Oprah and her generous audience, they gathered 32,046 pairs of pajamas for Genevieve's program as well as raised $20,000 for the Pajama Project!!

the next guest, John Wood left his eight-year-long career at microsoft (which earned him millions) after an eye-opening trip to Nepal. John saw 75-80 kids crammed into a small, one room school with dirt floors. after john saw the school's "library" only contained 20 books, most being backpacker cast-offs that were inappropriate for children, he vowed to make a difference. "One of the teachers said to me, 'Many people have told us they will come back, but nobody ever does.'" so John started Room to Read, a literacy organization that helps children in Nepal and Vietnam by donating books and building libraries and schools.

"I was feeling the pull," he says. "I thought, 'It's been a great eight years, but I'm making wealthy shareholders wealthier. Meanwhile, there are 800 million people in the developing world lacking basic literacy. … What kind of a man am I if I don't go face this challenge directly or devote my life to this? … [People thought] 'Oh, you're having a mid-life crisis, and i thought wouldn't it be a crisis if i didn't follow my heart and make a difference?" John said.

John hopes to achieve his goal of building 20,000 new libraries by the year 2020!!

the final guest, Barbara Franklin began clipping (and hoarding) coupons in order to collect food for local poverty-stricken families. with the help of local church members, Barbara was able to start collecting coupons in large quantities, saving her hundreds at the grocery store.

"[Once] my bill was $187, but when I finished [using coupons], I paid $3.02," she said.

Barbara's program started by helping 10 families, then grew to help 100 families and then 1,000. Now, Barbara runs a food pantry (and a program named Action Against Hunger) that feeds 1,500 families a month!!

In addition to running a food bank, Barbara also runs after-care center for children, a Section 8 program and a senior drop-off food program as well!! Barbara was one of the semifinalists of Volvo's Volvo for Life Awards, earning her recognition for her continual service to her community.

one thing the women had in common... a supportive spouse!! which makes me thankful i have such a supportive boyfriend (as well as an uber-supportive mother, grandmother and family).

something to keep in mind: if you want to SEE a difference, MAKE a difference. (you can quote me on that!!)

other great mantras to keep while starting your personal crusade to help others (which by the way, is a FANTASTIC new years resolution):

"The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all." ~Leo Rosten

"Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful." ~Author Unknown

"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can." ~Sydney Smith

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ~Winston Churchill

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal." ~Albert Pike

"Find a need and fill it." ~Ruth Stafford Peale

"If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart." ~Arabian Proverb

"The vicious count their years; virtuous, their acts." ~Samuel Johnson

"Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker." ~Helen Keller

"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." ~Aldous Huxley, Time Must Have a Stop

and my new favorite:

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito." ~Betty Reese

now go out and help people by volunteering, donating or by committing to one random act of kindness per day... i garauntee you'll feel as uplifted as those who are receiving your generousity.

i love stories like these...

Tue Sep 11, 8:38 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - A British couple have shacked up in a budget roadside motel for more than 20 years because they love never having to do the laundry or cooking, they said Tuesday.


David Davidson, 79, and his wife, Jean, 70, first tried out a Travelodge hotel while visiting a sick aunt in 1985 -- and were instantly hooked.

Their room -- near Grantham, east central England off the A1 trunk road from London to Edinburgh -- overlooks a car park, but is also within sight of a slip road that trucks rumble down day and night, jazzing up the view.

"We get great rates because we book well in advance and we even have our own personal housekeeper. All our bed linen is laundered, too. It doesn't get much better than that, does it?" said former Royal Navy sailor David Davidson.

The couple have spent around 100,000 pounds (200,000 dollars, 150,000 euros) renting rooms which cost them as little as 15 pounds (30 dollars, 22 euros) a night.

The motel is renaming their room The Davidsons' Suite and mounting a plaque in the reception to mark their 10-year anniversary.

The couple, who initially lived in a Travelodge in nearby Newark before moving in 1997, have kept their old flat in Sheffield, northern England, and return every fortnight to collect the post.

The Davidsons exchange Christmas presents with the staff, dine out at a roadside eaterie across the car park and watch the traffic go by.

"There is always something outside our window. Our room looks out to the car park and a busy slip road where lorries pass through the night," David Davidson said.

"We do have to be a bit choosy about what we keep in our room as it can fill up easily."

His wife added: "We don't get hit with huge heating bills over the winter and its safer than a lot of places these days."

The couple do go for trips abroad -- but stay in a Travelodge.

"Some will think David and Jean Davidson bonkers to have spent the last 22 years living in a hotel," said the Daily Express in its editorial.

But their room rates are "not more than many people's mortgage payments, the housework is done for them and they do not pay utility bills. What's not to like?"

isn't that the greatest?!!!! not a bad idea either... hehe.

rediscoveries.

lately i've been rediscovering things...

such as 43things.com: a website i discovered a few years ago that allows you to create a list of 43 goals, posting your progress and have the satisfaction of checking off the goals you've already accomplished. you can see how many other people have the same goals and you can comment on other people's items/goals. there are millions of goals to select, or you can create your own.

but don't worry, there's already a "learn to control animals mind, set a whole bunch of animals free, and have the tigers guard my secret base while i have the monkeys and gibbons steal gold at fort knox and then start a fake buisness as a front for my revolt of the animals to reclaim the world" goal. the funnier part is... 40 people have listed this as a goal.

here's are my 43things. i encourage you to make your own account. it's a fun site. i've already started to swim more and write more short stories. :)

there are also sister sites like 43places that allows you to list places you want to travel. you can also keep track of and comment on places you've already visited.

ever decide to throw some old cds in your rotation???
here are albums i've rediscovered and am currently listening to:
tonic's "sugar" (great to listen to at work).
stone temple pilots's "tiny music" (ditto).
dave matthews band's "under the table and dreaming"
next, i'm moving on to the beastie boys. :)

thanks joan didion.

i finally started reading joan didion's "we tell ourselves stories in order to live," a collection of her non-fiction short stories and novels. i carefully absorbed every perfectly structured detail and even reread some stories i've already read and i feel inspired. didion is an author i aspire to emulate. and now i finally feel like writing short stories and poems again!! i should have picked up one of didion's novels earlier because for the past year i've been in a slump, but now i've got ideas, lots and lots of ideas and i'm starting 7 things at once because i don't want to lose any of these precious details i've created today on the beach. :)

thanks miss didion.

p.s. honorable mention goes to "open city," the spring/summer 2002 edition. seeing what is being published (especially if i think i can do better), gives me hope. no offense to the contributing authors...

but i can't touch joan didion. she is light years above me. i can only hope that through osmosis, my writing will one day reach an iota of her magnitude. oh how amazing it would be to meet her.