“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it, we go nowhere.” -Carl Sagan ** From me to you, There’s This Week’s Monday Kick In The Yahoo! ** Think it!
creativity
A Monday Motivational Kick In The Yahoo – August 18, 2014
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.” -Henry Ford ** From me to you, There’s This Week’s Monday Kick In The Yahoo! ** Move Mountains!
Read More5 Photo Projects You Can Start And Finish In A Weekend
So this one's going to be a little different. I recently had the insanely humbling experience of being a guest on the popular Improve Photography podcast with Jim Harmer. We recorded the show with the understanding that it could, or could not be, posted. Well, the team at ImprovePhotography.com were gracious enough to post it this week. The topic we discussed was '5 Photo Projects You Can Start And Finish In A Weekend,' and
Read MoreA Monday Motivational Kick In The Yahoo – August 11, 2014
"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wises grows it under his feet.” -James Oppenheim ** From me to you, There’s This Week’s Monday Kick In The Yahoo! ** Feel It!
Read MoreA Monday Motivational Kick In The Yahoo – August 3, 2014
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination." -Albert Einstein** From me to you, There’s This Week’s Monday Kick In The Yahoo! ** Feel It!
Read MoreEducation: Disrupted - A Fascinating Peek Into The Future Of Education
So I had a pretty privileged experience about a week ago. A man I do a lot of work for over the past several years, Frank Fitzpatrick, organized and hosted and produced “Education: Disrupted” at Pepperdine University, an event that may have laid the groundwork for a meaningful shift in the paradigm of how education is approached. It’s no secret that the current education system has its fair share of challenges, and methods of keeping students interested, engaged, and motivated seem to have become ever-elusive memories of a not-so-distant-yet-forever-ago past. Having already introduced his Why:Music interactive education initiative to everyone from Perimeter Institute to Singularity University and TEDx, Fitzpatrick seemed ready to stir some new questions into the mix, likely one of his big motivators in producing this thing.
Read MoreNew Photo App, OKDOTHIS, Feeds Creative Block To The Fishes!
in Journeys
It happens more often than I like to admit - I want to make images, but either I’m not feeling inspired, or there’s always the lame default ‘I don’t have my camera’ excuse. But more and more lately, that hasn’t been the case as I, along with the rest of the world, always have a camera with me. In my case, it’s an iPhone, and I’ve found myself using it more and more, perhaps not for paid gigs and official shoots, but for, brace for it…FUN! So there goes that excuse. But I was still left with the ‘I’m not feeling inspired’ nonsense.
Enter OKDOTHIS.
It’s an app.
It’s barely been out for a week.
But I’ll tell you this right now - this thing is gonna be big.
It’s the brainchild of photographer Jeremy Cowart and at its core, OKDOTHIS is a never-ending photographic scavenger hunt in which the items being searched for are sourced by those who download and use the app. Basically, those that have the app can create a ‘DO,’ they put it out there for the world to see, and then if you’re part of that world, you go and ‘DO’ it…and by ‘DO,’ I mean take and upload a picture that fits that respective 'DO.'
For example, a current ‘DO’ is ‘fog.’ It’s that simple. Now you upload a picture of something that, in some way, however loosely interpreted, incorporates fog.
The current list of popular DOs range from “Let us peek inside your notebook,” “View out the window,” “Look up,” “Make now look like then,” to “Unexpected beauty,” “Interesting typography,” and “Create a mystery. Make them guess.” And all the DOs fit into a myriad of categories that include everything from ‘Art’ to ‘At Home’ to ‘Giving Back,’ ‘Kids,’ ‘Fashion,’ ‘Travel,’ ‘Outdoors,’ ‘Pets & Animals,’ and at least a dozen more. You name it, it exists.
The best thing about this is that, sure, it may not lead to your latest masterpiece, but it provides a gift far more valuable than that, it helps continually ignite ideas and approaches to both the ordinary everyday, as well as the extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime. Basically, it comfortably forces inspiration. You no longer just look at things, you start to really truly see…everything. Hell, it’s basically zen in an app (ok, perhaps that’s taking it a bit too far, but it’s kind of neat that an app is actually encouraging your eyes and attention to move away from the screen and actually pay attention to the world immediately around you).
I’ve only been an OKDOTHIS user for about 3 days and it didn’t take me long to realize that it was a godsend. I have already found myself uploading over 100 images, some taken as a particular ‘DO’ inspired me, and some that I’ve had before, and now have found a new home and audience. Anyhow, right now it’s only for iOS, but I have a feeling they didn’t quite know how popular this thing would be, so I wouldn’t be too surprised to find it on other platforms soon enough.
The video is below, and the website is www.OKDOTHIS.com. If you decide to join in on the fun, make sure to find and follow me on there - my user name is @wasimofnazareth!
Just DO it!