photography by wasim.

Tag: technology

My Experience In Trey Ratcliff’s The Arcanum – Level 3: Wasim The Inspired!

So this is where it all got real.
The experiences, the Networks, The Challenges. It’s all part of the process here in The Arcanum, but all of it, at first, seems a bit disconnected, another virtual forum, albeit a more positively engaging one sans the trolls and the, but, still,

I am now Wasim The Inspired!!

And with that, things immediately get a bit more serious. As I started seeing streams of notifications and happenings within the community and cohort, I won’t lie, I started to get a bit overwhelmed and intimidated. People were engaging with each other, Hangouts were happening, weekly challenges were being levied, leveling ups were going on, and I was watching it all, wondering how and where to go from here. Where do I fit into this madness? So as an apprentice, learning from a master, I figured that not only was it was well within my boundaries to ask my master, the one, the only Robin Griggs Wood, for help, but, well, it was my responsibility to do so. So I did, and she responded so graciously and thoroughly, that there was no longer any reason, or excuse, for me to put this off. I was starting to feel the kick in the arse I so badly desired and got involved in this thing for.

Levels 3 and 4 go together…sort of. This is a stage where in one level, it’s my responsibility to put together an album of 10 images, in which I then have to ask my fellow apprentices in the cohort to set up a Google+ Hangout, and in that, they critique my images and help me choose the 5 that I will take with me into Level 4, a critique session with my master, Robin Griggs Wood. Mano a mano. A bit nerve-racking? Perhaps. But exciting? Yes. Definitely. My peers are going to give me critical feedback, and my master is going to finally tell it like it is and guide me to the next level in my creative journey.

So I put together a gallery mixed with some of my favorites and some that I was looking to see what others thought of. Perfect opportunity. While I was about to pop my Google Hangout cherry after just returning from an unplanned visit to the dentist, I was fortunate in that we almost immediately went into a screenshare, sparing my fellow apprentices the sight of my drooling half-numb face in favor of some purty colors and images.

I have to say, this was really really really really really really really really nice. This sort of engagement is something has been missing from my photographic journey completely. I’ve mostly relegated my work to online venues, and the social side of it all, well, seemed a bit of a chore rather than a necessity. Until now. This is the perfect venue where I immediately felt comfortable because I knew that this wasn’t a ego boosting show and tell or a pissing match or soapbox of any sorts (sorry L.A.), but it was a group that was on the exact same journey I was. They were dedicated to improving and growing and evolving in their respective crafts, and it just felt right. Hearing their ideas and thoughts truly brought to light SO many things I never even considered. I even ended up with a few alternate processings of some of the images that I ended up liking more than the originals. Immediately validating the value of such feedback, something that’s can be hard to get on board with, especially in such a traditionally solitary and personal pursuit as photography.

But I loved it. And I have a gallery of images I’m proud of to present to my master. And perhaps most importantly, because of this session with my apprentices, I was able, perhaps for the first time, to succinctly state what my goal and mission in my photography and work is:

To try to induce that childlike wonder back into the jaded adult mind.

To aim to straddle fantasy and reality, and push the fantastical in everyday existence right the point where you have to ask yourself whether or not this can actually be real and come away with an ‘I supposeeeee so.’ And if they’re trying to convince themselves, then all the better, for perhaps it’ll awaken a part of their mind they’ve ignored for a while.

In other words, an attempt to provide a reminder that, in addition to all our everyday worries and concerns and responsibilities – basically, the crap – just outside our bubbles, awe-inspiring beauty and curiosity still exists on a massive scale. Even more so than when were kids. We just might have to look a wee tad harder, but that could only help us appreciate it that much more.

My experience in Level 4, my first face to face and image review with my master Robin Griggs Wood, is coming in a few days. To find out which images I took with me to present to her and what happened, check back here or sign up for the mailing list in the right column to be notified as soon as I post it.

And in case you missed it, click here to read about Levels 1 & 2.

For more of my madness, take your pick: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Ello: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy

November 2, 2014
My Experience In Trey Ratcliff’s The Arcanum – Levels 1 & 2

So if you haven’t heard of it yet, you need to hear of it before yet. Like now. Right now. It’s the future of learning and education, it’s based on the master/apprentice model, it was created by Trey Ratcliff, and it’s called The Arcanum.

The idea is simple…a master chooses an apprentice, and the apprentice learns the craft. The craft in this case is photography. The execution…is seemingly brilliant. Using today’s technologies – everything from real time screen sharing and VR on-location sharing – mixed with a structured and tiered leveling system, and you have yourself what could be a glimpse into the future of education.

Here’s a quick video that’s worth watching to give you a primer of what it’s all about:

I submitted my application when I first heard about it late last year, and once beta ended I actually heard from a master, Ollie Dale, who was interested in my application and asked me to be an apprentice. While I was insanely humbled, I had just been involved in an automobile accident and my finances weren’t exactly in order, so what I was waiting for for 6 months, I had to turn down. Luckily, soon after the accident madness died down, I was asked by another master, Robin Griggs Wood. And if you don’t know Robin yet, GO check her out. Her work is incredibly inspiring and surreal. I could NOT find it in myself to turn down the rare opportunity twice, so I freed up the room on the ol’ Visa, and boom! Here I am. A registered and active student apprentice to a bonafied master photographer and artist!

Our first assignment in Level 1 is to provide 5 images to be critiqued, along with a description of ourselves and our goals for those images and what we’d like to get out of all of this. This one was easy, but served as an introduction to the private group, my cohort, of fellow apprentices under Robin. We see each others work, get get to know each other a bit, and we share our journey with each other.

I think the greatest thing about this model is the sense of accountability. After I submitted my Level 1, and was ‘leveled up’ by my master, I saw the stream of work people were submitting on a regular basis and, well, it got a bit intimidating. I kind of froze for about a week or so wondering if I was in way over my head, but then as I dug deeper, I realized that everything that was happening was all extremely encouraging. People weren’t judging anyone or anything, they were helping each other out. That’s when I actually started to feel ‘bad’ about not completing my assignments and interacting with the group – not because of guilt, but because, well, you realize you’re going to get out of this what you put into it, and if you put nothing into it…well…you get nothing out of it. And I wasn’t here to get nothing out of it.

A 135 year old moreton bay fig tree.

So I finally manned up and got crackalackin’ on my Level 2. The assignment there was to peruse the Grand Library of inspiring and educational videos available to the members of The Arcanum, find one that spoke to me, and apply the technique. Since I was in a bit of a rut, the one I found and that spoke to me was Rick Sammon’s “Top Ten Techniques To Get Inspired”. So I took a few of those techniques, got out of my little comfort zone, and headed out to a town I’ve never been to that’s relatively close by, Santa Paula, California, the “Citrus Capital of the World.” The gallery of images you see in this post are from that excursion, all taken with a Samsung NX3000.

Anyhow, if you want to join me and see how this thing goes, enter your email and subscribe to my updates right there in the right column. I’ll provide regular updates of my experience in The Arcanum here as I continue on and get deeper into it.

And if you haven’t yet, check it out at www.TheArcanum.com, see what it’s all about, and if you’re feelin’ it, fill out and application, wait, and see what happens. You never know what synapses might start firing and what doors may open up. Perhaps I’ll see you in my cohort…

To read about my experience in Level 3, click here.

For more of my madness: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

August 20, 2014
Education: 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.

His main angle coming at ‘Education:Disrupted’ was “Enhancing Creativity and Learning Through Music, Media, & Technology – To come away with valuable new insights and practical connections for more successfully executing our visions and creating meaningful impact on the future of education.” As the founder of EarthTones, a non-profit dedicated to music and film to promote social change, and as a Grammy-nominated producer, he seems to have a pretty good handle and vested interest in and his passion truly shined through.

Education Disrupted Artist Panel. Wasim Muklashy Photography

The people he brought together in this room provided some of the valuable ideas and insights that were brought to the table were truly inspiring and many of which were pivotal shifts in the approach towards teaching future generations in useful and effective ways. A lot of it was waaaay over my head (these people have some serious brain activity going on…), but some of the standout moments for me were:

–Nolan Bushnell, Founder of Atari and BrainRush (and the guy who gave Steve Jobs his first job), emphatically stating that that “change is coming” before laying out his ‘5 Rules for Learning’ (extreme time pressure, active every 5-10 seconds, spaced repetition algorithms, adaptive to each student, add schema when possible). His statement “Even a wrong answer is knowledge” certainly stuck with me, as did his most incendiary proclamation that “The classroom is dead and we just don’t know it yet.”

–Esteban Moctezuma Barragan, the Executive Chairman of Esperanza Azteca and President of Fundacion Azteca, who has put together over 50 youth orchestras in under-developed areas around the world, stating “it’s much better to practice values than to teach them.”

–Jennifer Groff, Vice-President of Learning and Program Development for MIT’s Learning Games Network, who gave us a pretty incredible look at how emerging gaming technologies are helping children learn and retain in classrooms like never before.

–Erik Gregory, Chief Field Officer for Pearson, who traveled to just about every country in the under-developed world, conducting field research for methods of learning that work best, provided the following anecdote – Noticing that there were no textbooks being used, he was compelled to ask ‘where are the textbooks?’ The answer was ‘Well, if you see anyone with a textbook, they’re most likely being punished.’ As a representative from the world’s largest textbook publisher, that struck him hard…and that’s when he knew that the education system needed a serious overhaul…quickly.

-Christopher Nicholls, the Executive Producer of Disney Interactive’s “Fantasia : Music Evolved” even showed up to give us a super secret sneak peek at what has come from the almost 5-years of development the game-changing video game – an insanely interactive experience in which your hands and movement and actions actually conduct the orchestra in magical real-time, teaching children music through fun, personalized, creative interaction.

Perhaps one of the highlights of the day was the closed-session roundtable that culminated in an adjoining room after the presentations. It was a constructively heated discussion that covered topics ranging from how to work within the current systems and how to work outside of them, and the benefits of each approach all the way to how much digital interaction and customization is possible and essential for effective efficient implementation. Brains were picked, alliances forged, and ideas blossomed.

As if that wasn’t enough, to top it all off and stay true to the theme, the team behind Education: Disrupted brought in an artist to live-illustrate the entire event from beginning to end. Patti Dobrowolski of Up Your Creative Genius was documenting what was happening through colorful live illustrations as each speaker presented, as well as during the roundtable that followed. At the end of the event, many of the participants were blown away by it and couldn’t help but express that it was one of the main things they were taking away from this event, and all asked for images of the final piece for their own collections.

And hence, it worked – the art helped the message engage the brain.

Success.

Education Disrupted Panel 3 full_Wasim Muklashy Photography.

Anyhow, here are some images from that event, and to keep up with what comes out of it, check out EarthTones.org and www.WhyMusicSeries.com and follow along with everything Frank and his organization are doing. Some exciting stuffs going on…

March 6, 2014