Sunday, November 13, 2011

Give Me Novocain


Just ran five miles in Central Park while listening to my new playlist, Enzo’s Top Ten Green Day Songs, in an attempt to be a better father and understand my oldest son’s budding adolescent angst.

While I let the constant banging on the drums drive my stride, it was difficult to understand the lyrics; heard a lot of “Mom and Dad don’t understand, I’m in a Rock & Roll band, my mind is about to explode.”

Oh, well, I gave it a shot. Guess it just gets harder to comprehend as each passing day and every fraying synapse of memory widen the gap between me and my own teenage years. Plus, as far as I recall, my frustration then was mostly a matter of pubescent frustration; I don’t recall having any axe to grind or desire for anarchy. Guess, I owe that mostly to my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad.

But than again, I could also blame my relative pacifism on the Disco I used to listen to on my AM radio and tape cassette player—Off The Wall was certainly nothing like American Idiot.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Heavy D is Dead


Heavy D, the overweight luva, was a rap star, musical icon of my youth. He died yesterday, at the age of 44. I’ll be 44 myself in two weeks, so it was a healthy reminder that I am likely not immortal…after all.

Thus, I thought I’d pay tribute by posting a few of his better known lyrics here from his hit song, More Bounce.

Height—six-three, style —swing beat
Name—Heavy D, so just watch me
Car—Chevy - four by four Blazer
Favorite pasttime? Skeeze chaser!
Size—ten and a half, sometimes eleven
Place of rest after death? —Heaven

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Money is the cheapest thing



*Photo still from the film Bill Cunningham New York, a film by Richard Press

"You see, if you don’t take money they can’t tell you what to do. That’s the key to the whole thing, don’t touch money! It’s the worst thing you can do. Money is the cheapest thing. Liberty is the most expensive."

—Superstar NY Times Street Fashion Photographer Bill Cunningham explaining why he didn’t accept payment for the 100 page spreads of photographs he shot for the original Details magazine in the late 80’s.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die- Love what you do

At his Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself.

Click here to view his talk

"Stay hungry, stay foolish." Whole Earth Catalog Farewell

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

"You should never try to be better than someone else, always learn from others. Never cease trying to be the best you can be. That's under your control." John Wooden



Other highlights:

"Your reputation is what you're perceived to be; your character is what you really are."

"They ask me why I teach and I reply, 'Where could I find such splendid company?'

"I had blocks in the pyramid. And the cornerstones being industriousness and enthusiasm, working hard and enjoying what you're doing. Coming up to the apex. According to my definition of success. And right at the top -- faith and patience."

"There was a Major League Baseball umpire by the name of George Moriarty. He wrote something that I think he did while I tried to do in this pyramid. He called it "The Road Ahead, or The Road Behind." "Sometimes I think the Fates must grin as we denounce them and insist the only reason we can't win, is the Fates themselves that miss. Yet there lives on the ancient claim: we win or lose within ourselves. The shining trophies on our shelves can never win tomorrow's game. You and I know deeper down, there's always a chance to win the crown. But when we fail to give our best, we simply haven't met the test, of giving all and saving none until the game is really won. Of showing what is meant by grit. Of playing through when others quit. Of playing through, not letting up. It's bearing down that wins the cup. Of dreaming there's a goal ahead. Of hoping when our dreams are dead. Of praying when our hopes have fled. Yet losing, not afraid to fall, if bravely we have given all. For who can ask more of a man than giving all within his span. Giving all, it seems to me, is not so far from victory. And so the fates are seldom wrong, no matter how they twist and wind. It's you and I who make our fates -- we open up or close the gates on the road ahead or the road behind."

Reminds me of another set of threes that my dad tried to get across to us. Don't whine. Don't complain. Don't make excuses. Just get out there, and whatever you're doing, do it to the best of your ability. And no one can do more than that.

Cervantes. Cervantes said, "The journey is better than the end." And I like that. I think that is -- it's getting there. Sometimes when you get there, there's almost a letdown. But there's getting there that's the fun. I liked our -- as a basketball coach at UCLA I liked our practices to be the journey, and the game would be the end.

Monday, May 23, 2011

The courage to be imperfect, the willingness to say "I love you" first, and the willingness to do something where there are no guarantees...



Excerpted from The power of vulnerability, a TED Talk by Brene Brown

There was only one variable that separated the people who have a strong sense of love and belonging and the people who really struggle for it. And that was, the people who have a strong sense of love and belonging believe they're worthy of love and belonging. That's it. They believe they're worthy. And to me, the hard part of the one thing that keeps us out of connection is our fear that we're not worthy of connection, was something that, personally and professionally, I felt like I needed to understand better. So what I did is I took all of the interviews where I saw worthiness, where I saw people living that way, and just looked at those.

What do these people have in common? ...These are whole-hearted people, living from this deep sense of worthiness...And so here's what I found. What they had in common was a sense of courage. And I want to separate courage and bravery for you for a minute. Courage, the original definition of courage when it first came into the English language -- it's from the Latin word cor, meaning heart -- and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect. They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others, because, as it turns out, we can't practice compassion with other people if we can't treat ourselves kindly. And the last was they had connection, and -- this was the hard part -- as a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were, which you have to absolutely do that for connection.

The other thing that they had in common was this. They fully embraced vulnerability. They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. They didn't talk about vulnerability being comfortable, nor did they talk about it being excruciating -- as I had heard it earlier in the shame interviewing. They just talked about it being necessary. They talked about the willingness to say "I love you" first, the willingness to do something where there are no guarantees, the willingness to breathe through waiting for the doctor to call after your mammogram. They're willing to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out. They thought this was fundamental.

Friday, May 20, 2011

"If we taken man as he is, we make him worse. But if we take man as he should be, we make him capable of becoming what he can be." Goethe

In this rare clip from 1972, legendary psychiatrist and Holocaust-survivor Viktor Frankl delivers a powerful message about the human search for meaning -- and the most important gift we can give others.

Viktor Frankl: Why to believe in others

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Leverage Relationships With Successful People

The following bit of advice comes from this week's newsletter for our insurance agents at my company. I thought I'd share it with others. The technology has changed, but it rings much like the ancient wisdom of Dale Carnegie, who wrote "Showing a genuine interest in others not only wins friends for you, but may develop in its customers a loyalty to your company."

"Build closer relationships with the 12 most successful women you know (family, friends, clients, community leaders, as well as civic, secular and religious leaders). Use Google, Bing or LinkedIn to research their interests. Look for opportunities to help them meet their goals. Then call them and invite them to meet over coffee to exchange ideas, talk about interests and ask their opinions."

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Dale Carnegie

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Let's Revive the Golden Rule

THE CRIME BOSS:Leading a life of crime, if only in my mind...


The Crime Boss
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

Part of a series of portraits of people in public that were taken September 26, 2010, while serving as the New York City Adviser for Microsoft's launch of its foursquare photography app.

New York City, May 18, 2011

“He who profits by a crime commits it” —Seneca

I took this photo while walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, not really knowing what I was going to capture along the way.

I would see an suspecting victim and then shoot from the hip. This is one of the shots that I liked most. Made me feel like I had arrived before Wee Gee had to, before all the blood and guts were spewed all over the hard city streets. I felt like I had captured crime in the making.

Or at least that's what my wild imagination made me feel...

Life is simply a little more exciting when you let your imagination tell the story. I've got three young boys, so I am reminded that kids do it all the time. Its a shame that we tend to lose that as adults.

Don't be afraid to use your imagination today. It can help sustain you through another boring one. God knows life in a cube can be awfully monotonous.

True crime writer Jack Olsen once commented in Esquire magazine about the alleged fabrications in Truman Capote's runaway bestseller In Cold Blood:

"I recognized it as a work of art, but I know fakery when I see it," Olsen said. "Capote completely fabricated quotes and whole scenes... The book made something like $6 million in 1960s money, and nobody wanted to discuss anything wrong with a moneymaker like that in the publishing business."

Capote replied, "Jack Olsen is just jealous."

*

“I hate this "crime doesn't pay" stuff. Crime in the United States is perhaps one of the biggest businesses in the world today.” —Peter Kirk


© Lorenzo Domínguez, All rights reserved, 2010.

BE INSPIRED
Read the #1 Bestselling Photo Essay and Artist Biography
in 2010 & 2011 on Amazon—
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*

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Be a leader, be someone that is kind, audacious and helps to push the boundaries of love. —Lady Gaga

“For those of you that are being bullied, know that the problem is not inside of you. Know that it is insecurity inside the person that is bullying you. And for those of you who don’t feel bullied, take it upon yourself to be nurturing. Be a leader, be someone that is kind, audacious and helps to push the boundaries of love.” Lady Gaga

I can’t say whether or not I am a fan of Lady Gaga’s music. That said I am now a certified avid fan of her social activism. Surprisingly, I am enamored by what she has to proselytize as guest editor for today’s Metro NY. Please read, if only the piece called, ‘Be a leader and push the boundaries of love.’ "Today we have learned in the agony of war that great power involves great responsibility."— FDR

Click here to read one of her more moving editorials.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

THE LITTLE THINGS


The Sound of Sleep, 9
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

“If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” —Anita Koddick

Yes, t’is the season for galoshes, parapluies (paraguas) and Mom’s chicken soup; belated April showers and the coming of the monsoons of summer pests—rats, bedbugs and the dreaded mosquito. Be grateful that we are reminded that it is always the little things that truly count.

Tell someone you love them today. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”—Mother Theresa

Monday, May 2, 2011

Dare to be enlightened


Dare to be enlightened
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

There is one place where you can usually depend on finding adventure, wisdom, inspiration and joy—take advantage of what some people have taken years to create, open a new book today instead of turning on the television; dare to be enlightened, rather than simply be entertained.

“That is a good book which is opened with expectation and closed in profit.” —Amos Bronson Alcott



BE INSPIRED
Read the #1 Bestselling Photo Essay and Artist Biography
in 2010 & 2011 on Amazon—
25 Lessons I’ve Learned about Photography…Life!

*

Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Art of Being Thankful

Many of you may have seen something about Nick already, a phenomenal motivational speaker who has not let the fact that he has not had limbs since birth him hold him back. His message bears repeating over and over again.

I implore you to watch; it is a great exercise in humility and appreciation.


Nick Vujicic, Being Thankful

Friday, April 29, 2011

Happiness Between The Spider and The Fly

SAD, BUT TRUE:
“In an age when everyone is ‘overworked, underpaid and trying to multitask,’ a phone call is likely to be an unwelcome interruption, so it should be avoided…”
—J. Whitmore.

Considering all the phone numbers, voicemails, e-mails, bulletin boards, and IMs my “friends” and I actively use, I quickly counted more than three dozen channels of communication:

Art of Happiness blog comments
Art of Living blog comments
Cell phone
Cell phone texting
Cell phone voicemail
Efax
Facebook chat
Facebook comments
Facebook mail
Flickr comments
Flickr mail
Flickr posting
Foursquare posting
Goodreads mail
Goodreads posting
Google Buzz posting
Google chat
Google e-mail (Gmail)
Google phone
Google SMS texting
Google video chat
Home phone
Home phone voicemail
Hotmail e-mail
In person
LinkedIn mail
LinkedIn posting
My website e-mail
Scribd posting
Snailmail home
Snailmail work
Twitter posting
Work e-mail
Work Fax
Work instant messaging
Work phone
Work voicemail
YouTube posting

Today’s ever-expanding web of communication and networking is both an entrapping bane that raises the bar of expectations and diminishes our ability to be patient, to focus, and engage people in a meaningful manner that nurtures intimacy and relationships—as well as an opportunity to inspire and influence others.

Happiness lies in the balance between being the gregarious spider and autonomous fly.


Don’t call me, I’ll text you, april 29, 2011, amNewYork

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Expectating


Expectating
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

Photo taken September 26, 2010, Brooklyn, New York York at High Street subway platform.
© Lorenzo Domínguez, All rights reserved, 2010.

The Importance of Not Succeeding
April 28, 2011, New York City:


25 years ago Professor Shapiro told our Sociology class, "Sometimes in life 'closeness' counts. Like in horseshoes, hand grenades, and dancing." I think if you want to be happy that rule applies far beyond that short list. Striving for success is not synonymous with achieving perfection.

Basketball’s greatest player, Michael Jordon, once said, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. Lost more than 300 games. 26 times I was trusted to take the game winning shot and failed. I have failed over and over again and that is why I succeed.” It is often simply a matter of trying, not always just getting it right.




*

BE INSPIRED
Read the #1 Bestselling Photo Essay and Artist Biography
in 2010 & 2011 on Amazon—
25 Lessons I’ve Learned about Photography…Life!

www.25Lessons.com

Subway Stories
Photos from the New York City Subway
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1055070

*

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Ladies


The Ladies
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

Photo taken January 11, 2011, New York City, 6 Train downtown
© Lorenzo Domínguez, All rights reserved, 2011.

It's About Quantity, Not Quality
April 26, 2011, New York City:


Over the years I’ve heard overachievers proclaim, “It’s about quality” when it comes to spending time with their children. I’ve come to realize that’s not true. Kids just want to spend time with you, no matter what you’re doing.

Hence, I took the day off to do just that. I’ve missed my kids’ spring concerts for 5 years now. Today, I’ll be there—it’s a surprise. Afterward, were going to play Wiffle Ball in the park.

*

BE INSPIRED
Read the #1 Bestselling Photo Essay and Artist Biography
in 2010 & 2011 on Amazon—
25 Lessons I’ve Learned about Photography…Life!

www.25Lessons.com

Subway Stories
Photos from the New York City Subway
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1055070

*

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Midnight (Naked) Cowgirl, published in TRVL Magazine


The Midnight (Naked) Cowgirl, published in TRVL Magazine
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom


Photos published in TRVL, the #1 Travel Photography Magazine
New York City, March 6, 2011:


This is one of three of my photos that were recently featured in TRVL Magazine. They include:

A Lover’s Goodbye
Gotcha!
The Midnight (Naked) Cowgirl

TRVL is the #1 Magazine App in the Apple iTunes App Store. This premier photography magazine is published in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and was created and published exclusively for the iPad.

Get TRVL for your iPad FREE on iTunes

See TRVL on Facebook
www.facebook.com/trvlzine

*

NEWS YOU CAN USE
February 27, 2011, Savannah, GA:
All Language Kindle versions of #1 Photo Essay are .99 cents in March!


In celebration of my marriage on February 27, 2011 in Savannah G, all Kindle versions of Amazon’s #1 Best Selling Photo Essay and Artist Biography, Photography…Life!, will be .99 cents for the entire month of March. This will include both with photos and without photos versions.

25 Lessons is now available on Amazon, in paperback, English, Italian, Portuguese and French.

ENGLISH
Paperback
Text only
With photos


ITALIAN
Text only
With photos

FRENCH
Text only
With photos

PORTUGUESE
Text only
With photos

Sunday, February 6, 2011

.Savannah Spirit vs. Facebook: How Fb Censored a Sexy Art Show and Pissed off the Art World


.Savannah Spirit vs. Facebook: How Fb Censored a Sexy Art Show and Pissed off the Art World
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

Photo Credits: Photo still from Jacob Pander and Marne Lucas's film The Operation, ©1995

Savannah Spirit vs. Facebook
February 6, 2011, New York City:

Sex, Lies and Videotape in the 21stCentury and how the Art World is facing off against Facebook

What do sexy art shows and Facebook have in common?

Well, absolutely nothing, if you ask Goldman Sachs. Or at least, that is what they would like potential investors to believe.

Rumors are that the recent purging of all-things-racy on Facebook is due to the upcoming IPO.
Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky garnered a $50 billion valuation after taking $1.5 billion funding for Facebook from foreign investors. This funding round was made infamous by the controversy and ire it stirred up in the investment world.

To the chagrin of Goldman's clients in the US, the offering was only made to overseas investors because the firm was concerned that “recent media coverage could have violated securities guidelines installed to rule private investments.”

This fear apparently also prompted a wide sweep of content on Facebook, for a number of members accounts were taken off for reasons officially unknown.

One particular victim, whose social networking exile drew a lot of attention and ire from the art community, was Savannah Spirit, the curator of the hit show Hotter Than July:A Sexploration, which is currently showing at NY Studio Gallery.

This incident has drawn so much attention that it even attracted New York Magazine art critic, Jerry Saltz, who chose the show as one of his picks of the week, calling Savannah a “whip-smart curator” in his review.

For certain, the show is sexy. Its unifying theme is “what feels good and what gets us off,” bringing together a group of work from various artists that represents sex without judgment or shame.

The thrust of the exhibition is to show that much like sexual pleasure, a powerful piece of art, can “carry the participant to a new level of consciousness. Hotter Than July flirts with you and f..ks with you, just enough to leave you wanting more.”

Understandably, the show is meant to stroke and provoke, which it apparently did enough to alarm the censors at Facebook to take action.

Ms. Spirit excitedly told me the whole story over dinner last week at Fanelli’s Cafein SoHo.

On Saturday evening, January 15th, the night after the show opened, Savannah was home alone. Prompted by a slight bout of loneliness, she logged onto Facebook to see what her 2,000+ fellow artists and friends were up to.

She was shocked to see that when she logged on she received a message informing her that her page had been disabled.

Taking a big bite of her burger Savannah explained to me, “I wasn’t happy, because I couldn’t get on, and so I couldn’t get off either.”

Later that evening she discovered that her BFF Marne Lucas, who also happens to be one of the featured artists in the show, had also been given the boot off Fb.

Being a woman-of-action, Ms. Spirit immediately told her friend, artist Chris Lee, about this and he proceeded to post a note to the site, notifying the masses that Savannah had been banished from the virtual world by Facebook. Another friend and fellow artist, Greg Letson, also set up a group page dedicated to her reinstatement.

Needless to say, Savannah was miffed. “I was incredulous. Being on Facebook is important to my business and my life in general. And I wasn't about to let Facebook dictate my future and my work.”

Defiantly, she created an avatar for her avatar—SavannahSpirit-wascensoredbyfb, so that she could temporarily reconnect with everyone until this matter had been resolved.

Savannahhad a pretty good notion as to why Facebook had kicked her off, but still felt it was clearly unjustified.

“Marne and I believe that we were kicked off because we were posting imagery on the Hotter Than JulyFacebook event page that was 'sexually suggestive' (Those are F…book's words, not mine). That’s hypocrisy at best, because a well-known pornography magazine has THREE pages on Facebook alone—Playboy Mag, Playboy UK, and Playboy TV. So what's the deal? Where do they get off telling me I’m ‘suggestive,’ when they let Playboy on? How can some people slip through the cracks while others don't? Facebook obviously needs to realize that there is a BIG difference between great erotic art and pornography. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg should come see the show. He might learn something.”

Holding her finger up she added, “And by the way, this censorship issue goes way beyond Marne and I. I believe the art community is extremely tired of people getting kicked off because of their work. If there is a way to figure this out with Facebook I would be game. The problem is, Facebook has us by the balls and we are too dependent on this site because it monopolizes our network of friends and associates. I would consider paying to be on a networking site that allowed me to own my images and say whatever I wanted. Unfortunately, there isn't such a space, just yet.”

Entrepreneur and all-around-entertainer extraordinaire, Splurt Zillionz, is likewise perturbed by all the recent changes that affect the art industry, a community of millions that has embraced Facebook and made its virtual home. He recently explained, “They don’t let you put links up to your website anymore. Or at least now they bury them, so that it is hard to find.” He suspects that it is make way for the billions of dollars of advertising revenue that Fb will garner once it goes public. “They don’t want us putting up links, because it takes users away from Facebook. They even have a bigger margin on the right for advertising now.”

In 2010, Facebook’s online advertising revenue reportedly grew to $1.86 billion, more than doubling last year’s toll at the cash register of $740 million.

Incidentally, last week, a 39-year-old Staten Island man, Mustafa Fteja, filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Facebook for essentially cutting him off from his social circle, according to the New York Post.

Denying that he did anything inappropriate or that he was spamming, Fteja said he has tried for months, since September, to get a response from Facebook and be reinstated, but to no avail. He is seeking monetary damages, as well as the restoration of his account.

With more than 600 million users, who now spend more time on Facebook than they do on Google and or any other website, the social network has emerged as the place to go and be on the Internet. Apparently, it is also the place to meet, communicate and keep up with all our friends as well, and being kicked off is tantamount to, or worse than, losing your cell phone, your e-mail accounts and your high school yearbook.
Savannah, is happy to report that both her and Marne’s accounts were eventually restored, just in time for the Hotter Than July Closing Party, which will take place this coming Saturday, February 12.

The sassy and saucy curator adds with a smirk, “Facebook had impeccable timing. Being kicked off there drew so much attention to the show, that I am almost grateful. If I hadn’t been booted, Jerry Saltz may not have come down to see the show. For that I have to thank Facebook. Their ignorance became my bliss.”

“And in a way, it looks like I got off on Facebook after all.”

NY Studio Gallery is located at 154 Stanton in New York City.

For More Information:
www.savannahspirit.com
www.nystudiogallery.com


Continue reading on Examiner.com: www.examiner.com/fine-arts-in-national/savannah-spirit-vs...


NEWS YOU CAN USE

Popular Kindle Reader Site, DailyCheapReads.com, Features the #1 Best Selling Photo Essay on Amazon. New paperback version of 25 Lessons released on Amazon.


25 Lessons has been the #1 best selling photo essay on Amazon for both 2010 and 2011and is currently featured as a recommended Cheap Read on the popular Kindle Reader site, dailycheapreads.com.

25 Lessons is also now available in paperback on Amazon.

Click here to read the full review..

For More Information:
www.25Lessons.com


WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 25 LESSONS

"The book has been the best investment in my life." PD, New York

"I don't think I've ever read as moving a piece on the craft of photography in my life. Most pieces on photography are more tech manual in approach, this one really touches my soul...it's going to really impact my life." Phyllis Johnson, photojournalist and author of Being Frank with Anne

"We received our copies of 25 Lessons today and began reading it as a class - it is truly amazing." Paul Scott, Head of Photography, St. Boniface's Catholic College in Plymouth, UK

"In many of my conversations on great photographers, I frequently mention Lorenzo's work. His sequential photographs...are nothing less that a visual urban poem. It has been my pleasure to watch Lorenzo's rapid growth as a leading photographer of our time."
Jim Van Meter, Rochester, NY, USA

"Lorenzo is a master. His body of work is some of the very best online and may very well be some of the best being done in the medium today. His street work follows in the tradition of Paul Strand, Cartier-Bresson, Garry Winogrand and Larry Friedlander. Lorenzo's 25 Lessons are...as seminal as Ansel's dissertation on the zone system. I found them to be reenergizing, perceptive and extremely useful. I have been touched by his story, his writings and by his work. I can't imagine anyone not being so."
Barry Shapiro, Los Angeles, CA, USA

"Lorenzo...has a passion for life, photography and writing. He is a linguistic genius, a storyteller through words and pictures. He captures with his camera the world as he sees it, its feelings, love, beauty and all it has to offer..." Brenda George, Adelaide, Australia

"As an oncologist, my primary job is not only to add days to people's lives, it is to add life to people's days. Lorenzo's book has provided me with a great instrument through which I can further become the counselor, healer and confidant my patient's demand. It has reignited in me the passion, warmth and compassion which are sequential for me on a daily basis to be the best physician and person I can be and I've encouraged all of my patients and families to share in his masterpiece as laughter, love, and imagination are the ultimate weapons against grief and despair. Secondary to Lorenzo's great influence in my life, I continue to use his writings and photography as a means to inspire my patient's to express their deep inner emotions as a way to reflect on their understanding of disease and in developing goals of therapy. I recommend his book to all." Mike Rotkowitz, MD, New York City

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Unmotivated Motivational Speaker Reviews 25 Lessons


The Unmotivated Motivational Speaker Reviews 25 Lessons
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

A special thanks to David Stoddard for posting a tongue-in-cheek review of my book, 25 Lessons I've Learned about Photography...Life.

David writes:

"I am on lesson 7 of the 25.

The one which has stuck with me the most to this point is “Use Your Imagination”. I won't go into the details (mainly because I don't necessarily remember them as much as how they affected me). This was the first chapter to make me want to print small posters of quotes and paste them around the office.

Use your imagination is a reminder to use the creativity each of us has (and yes, believe it or not, we all have our own imagination. It helps make possible what we and others feel might not be possible. And it makes living just a bit more fun. Read the book. You'll see what I am saying."

To read the full review, click here.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

A Grey Snow Day


A Grey Snow Day
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

Seeing Snow Day a Different Way
New York City, January 25, 2011:


Snow day, again.

Alas, I'm off to work. I tried to appreciate it this morning by imagining I was in grade school, looking out the window, watching the snowflakes fall.

Alas, I grew up in California. It snowed once there, for five minutes, when I was in fourth grade.

When I came to New York for grad school it snowed and I skipped class to run down to Central Park, it was my first winter wonderland. I was happy then.

Thus, as I began my traverse to the office I was reminded of the stark and sullen differences between adulthood and childhood.

I thought about how petty my anger is whenever my boys climb hills of snow and carelessly walk through the slush at street corners. Usually, my frustration is due to worrying about them taking a misstep and falling into the street and being run over by oncoming traffic or knowing what comes next—they’ll walk into the house and drag dirt and snow everywhere. And then, inevitably, I’ll have to clean it up.

Ultimately, I often end up scolding or laughing at myself, because, after all, I think, "Relax, they're wearing snow boots. What good are they if you aren't allowed to walk in the snow with them? Let them have a little fun..."

I also fret over how stern and crusty and sour and tainted I've become in my “old” age. I constantly remind myself that I should worry less and let go more; let the boys enjoy life while they can. In fact, I tell myself that I should dare enjoy it with them.

Alas, I've learned that as we grow older and assume more responsibilities—children, mortgages, and marriage—struggling to keep our stodgy and stifling job to support everything, well knowing we are lucky enough to have a job and that we should likewise appreciate that we have kids, a home and a partner to handle and share it all with—what I've learned is that as a responsible adult, akin to the tumbled-over baby carriage I saw this morning, you quickly abandon your childhood and forget how wonderful life truly is.

Thus, I was inspired this morning.

Lately, I’ve simply trudged off to the office, making a bee-line to the subway, without taking note of the beauty that surrounds me. Although I always have my camera at my hip, I’ve rarely used it.

Today, I made an effort though and I was immediately reminded of how beautiful life truly is.
I also took note of how important it is to make the effort to see things differently, to look at people, places and things from various angles and POVs (points of view).

Moreover, I realized that we should consistently attempt to view what is intangible in our lives differently as well—our circumstances, the different opinions and perspective of others, and our problems….which usually stem from the latter.

“For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.” Martha Washington

*

NEWS YOU CAN USE
Popular Kindle Reader Site Features the #1 Best Selling Photo Essay on Amazon

New York City, January 23, 2011:

25 Lessons I’ve Learned about Photography…Life! has been the #1 best selling photo essay on Amazon for both 2010 and 2011 and is currently featured as a recommended Cheap Read on the popular Kindle Reader site, dailycheapreads.com.

25 Lessons is on sale for only 99 cents (text only) and 1.99 (for text and photos) for one week, through Monday, January 31.

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Sunday, January 23, 2011

Popular Kindle Reader Site, DailyCheapReads.com, Features 25 Lessons


Popular Kindle Reader Site, DailyCheapReads.com, Features the #1 Best Selling Photo Essay on Amazon
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

Popular Kindle Reader Site, DailyCheapReads.com, Features the #1 Best Selling Photo Essay on Amazon

New York City, January 23, 2011:



www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-about-photography-ebook/dp... has been the #1 best selling photo essay on Amazon for both 2010 and 2011and is currently featured as a recommended Cheap Read on the popular Kindle Reader site, dailycheapreads.com.

25 Lessons is on sale for only 99 cents (text only) and 1.99 (for text and photos) for one week, through Monday, January 31.

Click here to read the full review.

For More Information:
www.25Lessons.com

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Decisions


Decisions
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

*Original illustration by James Sternberg, excerpted from Grave Decisions by David J. Craig, Columbia Magazine, Winter 2010-11

Traversing the Impasse: Learning to Make Good Decisions

New York City, January 11, 2011:


“This way or that way?”

For a brief moment this morning I found myself at an impasse.

I was at 111th Street and Madison Avenue and found that a construction crew was impeding my usual way workward.

Scanning the alternatives, I noted that my second choice was also blocked by snow and ice. Being that I was wearing wingtips, rather than workboots, I was frustrated.

Taking a deep breath, I then realized that I could simply stay on the same side of Madison that I was on, walk a block south and then cross the street at 110th.

It was seemingly an insignificant moment, but I soon realized that it was also a keen reminder about how to optimally make decisions—especially if it involves having to make decisions with others, especially if you are doing so within a relationship.

Being 43 years old, having had dozens of relationships, having once been married for 12 years, and now, being on the brink of getting married again, I’ve learned that often relationships break down because couples do not know how to make decisions together.

And that’s a key difference between couples that are simply dating or living together, and those that get hitched. Matrimony is designed to segue into other sacraments of life—having children, buying a house, moving to the suburbs, having a stable—but rather boring—corporate job, and accumulating innumerous debts and social obligations. In turn, thousands of decisions, both big and small, both on a daily basis and over the long run, quickly become integral to the relationship.

As a result, couples are apt to be challenged from the onslaught. For it is quite natural for each individual to bring their egos, their idiosyncratic wants, needs and desires, and the 20-30-40 years of life experience that have molded their preferences, as well as how-and-why they make decisions. Thus, it should be no surprise that all these things lead to discord, lead to irreconcilable differences, and ultimately, lead to divorce—more than fifty percent of the time.

Hence, being halted at that corner this moment was a good reminder about how to make good decisions—patience, remaining calm and composed, as well as sincerely considering all the alternatives and perspectives (of your significant other) can be vital to making decisions that benefit and help your relationship prosper, rather than tear it apart.

Read more essays, stories, musings, poems and prose like this at Literary Central!.

Monday, January 3, 2011

En Foco | Celebrate 2011 with a Free Nueva Luz


En Foco | Celebrate 2011 with a Free Nueva Luz
Originally uploaded by lorenzodom

In collaboration with Daylight Magazine, En Foco is pleased to offer a FREE download of Nueva Luz's latest issue.

It features an article,A Latin Paradox: Mexico + Afuera by me, Lorenzo Dominguez, and commentary by Daylight's Michael Itkoff, on the work of Alejandro Cartagena, Alejandro Chaskielberg and Teru Kuwayama. Click here to download your free version of Nueva Luz Volume 15#1.

Please feel free to share it with your friends and family. Feliz Año Nuevo from En Foco & Daylight Magazine.

My abbreviated 1,000 word article follows, and the complete 4,000 word essay will be published soon on En Foco's blog.

The Latin Paradox through Mexico + Afuera

(originally published in Nueva Luz, Fall 2010)

En Foco’s recent exhibit at Aperture in NYC, Mexico + Afuera: Contemporary Mexican and Mexican-American Voices, was one of many events held in celebration of México’s Bicentenario Independencia this year. However, its relevance extends far beyond the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic population in the US—increasing four times faster than others, projected to contribute to 60% of the country’s growth between 2030 and 2050, and by 2050 will constitute 30% of the nation's population. Currently, 66% of that population is of Mexican heritage.

With these staggering statistics in mind, the work presented by photographers Chuy Benitez, Dulce Pinzón and Monica Ruzansky in Mexico + Afuera offer a powerful look into what will become one the most important cultural influences in the US in the 21st Century.

Dulce Pinzón
Dulce Pinzón understands that although our growing numbers are significant, our influence and power are not yet proportionate to the population we represent.

Her series The Real Story of the Superheroes portrays native Mexicans working in NYC, who devotedly send back money to their families.

Her work is a satirical documentary “featuring ordinary people in their work environment donning superhero garb, thus raising questions of both our definition of heroism (in this post 9.11 world) and our ignorance of and indifference to the workforce that fuels our ever-consuming economy.” She further explains, “It is easy to take for granted those who sacrifice immeasurable life and labor in their day-to-day lives for the good of others, because their humility makes them invisible.”

Chuy Benitez
Nonetheless, representatives of Generation Y believe times are changing. A national survey of 18- to 25-year-olds in 2007 found that two-thirds believe immigrants strengthen American society. Also, a survey of political values released last year, further testifies that "This is a more tolerant generation than its predecessors.”

Born in 1983 on the East Side of El Paso, Texas, photographer Chuy Benitez agrees, “I think we are moving toward a better understanding, where one culture will not dominate over the other. I’d like to believe that eventually we will live in a society where multiple perspectives are accepted. In turn, no one will have to lose their identity, anymore. “

Chuy now lives in Houston, an environment that offers a myriad of moments that reaffirm his beliefs. Benitez is known for his large panoramas that document his community’s experience of what it means to be Mexican-American and what social tactics they use to “fit in.”

His detailed photographs capture the essence of the community—birthday parties, a Day of the Dead procession, mariachis playing in the local super market—scenes that depict the value Mexicans place on living life to its fullest through our commitment to family and friends.

Alas, for an older generation, some of us still find that the world is not as tolerant as we would like it to be. Not everyone celebrates life like we, Latinos, do. In turn, our emphasis on the extended family, on the pride we place in our heritage, and our value on taking it easy, can, and often does, leads to culture clashes.

Monica Ruzansky
Monica Ruzansky understands.
“I completely agree—family is very important and meaningful to me. I found that the value is somewhat lacking in the US. Back in Mexico, we emphasize quality time with friends and family—a day of big family meals and long conversations—this is probably the single most important thing for us, it fulfills us like no other pastime,” she recently relayed over the phone.

Ruzansky’s work in the Mexico + Afuera show represents the life that she left, and occasionally longs for, back in Mexico. These photos represent a two-year journey she made into the streets of Mexico City at night.

She explains, “The project was created while I drove around with my friends. Ultimately, I collected glimpses of stories hidden in darkness, ones only barely revealed by the headlights of my car. There is no need to see the beginning or end of each story; some are isolated fragments of people’s lives, while others are the landscapes that frame these stories.”

The Latin Paradox
Malcom Gladwell in his best-selling book, The Outliers, begins his story of success with the tale of The Roseto Mystery. In 1882, Italian immigrants from Roseto began settling in the hills of Pennsylvania over the decades that followed. In the 1950s it was discovered that even though heart disease and heart attacks were epidemic in the US, it was virtually absent amongst the people of Roseto.

Subsequently, studies concluded that “it wasn’t diet or exercise or genes or location” that ensured the health of these people, rather it was their way of life—their community, the extended family clans, their humility, and a plethora of civic organizations. Many of the same values that Hispanics still share today.

Thus, it is not surprising that a recent study released this year concluded that “Hispanics have the highest life expectancy in the US.” However, considering that Hispanics have some of the highest rates of diabetes and obesity today, these results surprised many in the medical community.

Yet, to many of us, it is no surprise at all, because quite often we do not define or achieve success, longevity and our purpose in life in the same way that the majority culture does. Rather, life is made meaningful by how hard we work, how close we keep our friends and family, and how tasty Abuela’s albondigas are.

Ultimately, successful acculturation for the burgeoning Latino population will likely not be a matter of shedding one culture for another, but rather, will consist of finding a balance between the two, an adaptation of the best of both, based the values that each individual desires to pursue.

So, Is Brown the New White?—probably not, for although Hispanics will undoubtedly wield a much stronger influence as our numbers grow, what we offer is simply a different perspective on life—one which many of us love and cherish, one which is showcased by the brilliant work exhibited in Mexico + Afuera, and one which is embraced by many Latinos in America today.

*

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