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.

25 Lessons is currently #1 in the following categories on Amazon.
#1 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photo Essays
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Artists, Architects & Photographers
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Entertainment > Photography > Photo Essays

Click here to read the full review..

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.

*

The #1 Bestselling Photo Essay & Artist Biography in 2010 on Amazon, 25 Lessons I’ve Learned about Photography...Life!, is now available with 25 Spectacular New York City street photos as a Google eBook, which can be stored and read online for only $3.03!

Google eBook
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For More Information
www.25Lessons.com