The Way that can be expressed in words is not the eternal Way;
the Name that can be uttered is not the eternal Name.
Conceived of as nameless it is the cause of Heaven and earth.
Conceived of as having a name it is the mother of all things.
Only the man externally free from passion can contemplate its spiritual essence.
He who is clogged by desires can see no more than its outer form.
These two things, the spiritual (Yin) and the material (Yang),
though we call them by different names, are one and the same in their origin.
The sameness is a mystery of the mysteries.
It is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.

In Masterpieces of World Philosophy: “Tao is nameless beginning of things, the universal principle underlying everything, the supreme, ultimate pattern, and the principle of growth.” Huston Smith, the author of The World’s Religions, explained Tao as “The Way of Ultimate Reality—the Way or Principle behind all life, or the Way man should order his life to gear in with the Way the universe operates.” Although no one word can substitute its meaning, I have used the word Truth for it—the “Truth” behind gung fu; the “Truth” that every gung fu practitioner should follow. Tao operates in Yin and Yang, a pair of mutually complementary forces that are at work in and behind all phenomena. This principle of Yin-Yang, also known as T’ai Chi, is the basic structure of gung fu. The T’ai Chi, or Grand Terminus, was first drawn more than three thousand years ago by Chou Chun I. The Yang (whiteness) principle represents positiveness, firmness, masculinity, substantiality, brightness, day, heat, and so forth. The Yin (blackness) principle is the opposite. It represents negativeness, softness, femininity, insubstantiality, darkness, night, coldness, and so forth. The basic theory in T’ai Chi is that nothing is so permanent as never to change. In other words, when activity (Yang) reaches the extreme point, it becomes inactivity; and inactivity forms Yin. Extreme inactivity returns to become activity, which is Yang. Activity is the cause of inactivity and vice versa. This system of complementary increasing and decreasing of the principle is continuous. From this one can see that the two forces (Yin-Yang), although they appear to conflict, in reality are mutually interdependent; instead of opposition, there is cooperation and alternation. The application of the principles of Yin-Yang in gung fu are expressed as the Law of Harmony. It states that one should be in harmony with, not in rebellion against, the strength and force of the opposition. This means that one should do nothing that is not natural or spontaneous; the important thing is to not strain in any way. When opponent A uses strength (Yang) on B, B must not resist him (back) with strength; in other words, B does not use positiveness (Yang ) against positiveness (Yang), but yields to A with softness (Yin) and leads A in the direction of his own force, negativeness (Yin) to positiveness (Yang). When A’s strength goes to the extreme, the positiveness (Yang) will change to negativeness (Yin), and B can then take him at his unguarded moment and attack with force (Yang). Thus the whole process is not unnatural or strained; B fits his movement harmoniously and continuously into that of A without resisting or striving.

The above idea gives rise to a closely related law, the Law of Noninterference with Nature, which teaches a gung fu man to forget about himself and follow his opponent instead of himself; he does not move ahead but responds to the fitting influence. The basic idea is to defeat the opponent by yielding to him and using his own strength. That is why a gung fu man never asserts himself against his opponent, and never puts himself in frontal opposition to the direction of his opponents force. When being attacked, he will not resist, but will control the attack by swinging with it. This law illustrates the principles of nonresistance and nonviolence, which were founded on the idea that the branches of a fir tree snap under the weight of the snow, while the simple reeds, weaker but more supple, can overcome it. In the I’Ching, Confucius illustrated this: “To stand in the stream is a datum of nature; one must follow and flow with it.” In the Tao Teh Ching, the gospel of Taoism, Lao-tzu pointed out to us the value of gentleness. Contrary to common belief, the Yin principle, as softness and pliableness, is to be associated with life and survival. Because he can yield, a man can survive. In contrast, the Yang principle, which is assumed to be rigorous and hard, makes a man break under pressure (note the last two lines, which make a fair description of revolution as many generations of people have seen it):

Alive, a man is supple, soft;
In death, unbending, rigorous.
All creatures, grass and trees, alive
Are plastic but are pliant too,
And dead, are friable and dry.
Unbending rigor is the mate of death,
And yielding softness, company of life;
Unbending soldiers get no victories;
The stiffest tree is readiest for the ax.
The strong and mighty topple from their place;
The soft and yielding rise above them all.

The way of movement in gung fu is closely related to the movement of the mind. In fact, the mind is trained to direct the movement of the body. The mind wills and the body behaves. As the mind is to direct the bodily movements, the way to control the mind is important; but it is not an easy task. In his book, Glen Clark mentioned some of the emotional disturbances in athletics:

Every conflicting centre, every extraneous, disrupting, decentralizing emotion, jars the natural rhythm and reduces a man’s efficiency on the gridiron far more seriously than physical jars and bodily conflicts can ever jar him. The emotions that destroy the inner rhythm of a man are hatred, jealousy, lust, envy, pride, vanity, covetousness and fear.

To perform the right technique in gung fu, physical loosening must be continued in a mental and spiritual loosening, so as to make the mind not only agile but free. In order to accomplish this, a gung fu man has to remain quiet and calm and to master the principle of no-mindedness (wu hsin). No-mindedness is not a blank mind that excludes all emotions; nor is it simply calmness and quietness of the mind. Although quietude and calmness are important, it is the “non-graspiness” of the mind that mainly constitutes the principle of no-mindedness. A gung fu man employs his mind as a mirror—it grasps nothing and it refuses nothing; it receives but does not keep. As Alan Watts puts it, the no-mindedness is “a state of wholeness in which the mind functions freely and easily, without the sensation of a second mind or ego standing over it with a club.” What he means is, let the mind think what it likes without interference by the separate thinker or ego within oneself. So long as it thinks what it wants, there is absolutely no effort in letting it go; and the disappearance of the effort to let go is precisely the disappearance of the separate thinker. There is nothing to try to do, for whatever comes up moment by moment is accepted, including nonacceptance. No-mindedness is then not being without emotion or feeling, but being one in whom feeling is not sticky or blocked. It is a mind immune to emotional influences. “Like this river, everything is flowing on ceaselessly without cessation or standing still.” No-mindedness is employing the whole mind as we use the eyes when we rest them upon various objects but make no special effort to take anything in. Chuang-tzu, the disciple of Lao-tzu, stated:

The baby looks at things all day without winking, that is because his eyes are not focussed on any particular object. He goes without knowing where he is going, and stops without knowing what he is doing. He merges himself with the surroundings and moves along with it. These are the principles of mental hygiene.

Therefore, concentration in gung fu does not have the usual sense of restricting the attention to a single sense object; it is simply a quiet awareness of whatever happens to be here and now. Such concentration can be illustrated by an audience at a football game; instead of a concentrated attention on the player who has the ball, they have an awareness of the whole football field. In a similar way, a gung fu man’s mind is concentrated by not dwelling on any particular part of the opponent. This is especially true when he deals with many opponents. For instance, suppose ten men are attacking him, each in succession ready to strike him down. As soon as one is disposed of, he will move onto another without permitting the mind to “stop” with any. However rapidly one blow may follow another he leaves no time to intervene between the two. Every one of the ten will thus be successively and successfully dealt with. This is possible only when the mind moves from one object to another without being “stopped” or arrested by anything. If the mind is unable to move on in this fashion, it is sure to lose the combat somewhere between two encounters. The mind is present everywhere because it is nowhere attached to any particular object. And it can remain present because, even when relating to this or that object, it does not cling to it. The flow of thought is like water filling a pond, which is always ready to flow off again. It can work its inexhaustible power because it is free, and it can be open to everything because it is empty. This can be compared with what Chang Chen Chi called “Serene Reflection.” He wrote: “Serene means tranquillity of no thought, and reflection means vivid and clear awareness. Therefore, serene reflection is clear awareness of no-thought.” As stated earlier, a gung fu man aims at harmony with himself and his opponent. Also, being in harmony with one’s opponent is possible not through force, which provokes conflicts and reactions, but through a yielding to the opponent’s force. In other words, a gung fu man promotes the spontaneous development of his opponent and does not venture to interfere by his own action. He loses himself by giving up all subjective feelings and individuality, and he becomes one with his opponent. Inside his mind, oppositions have become mutually cooperative instead of mutually exclusive. When his private egos and conscious efforts yield to a power not his own he then achieves the supreme action, non-action (wu we). Wu means “not” or “non” and we means “action,” “doing,” “striving,” “straining,” or “busyness.” Wu we doesn’t really mean doing nothing, but letting one’s mind alone, trusting it to work by itself. Wu we, in gung fu, means spontaneous action or spirit-action, in the sense that the governing force is the mind and not the senses. During sparring, a gung fu man learns to forget about himself and follow the movement of his opponent, leaving his mind free to make its own counter movement without any interfering deliberation. He frees himself from all mental suggestions of resistance and adopts a supple attitude. His actions are all performed without self-assertion; he lets his mind remain spontaneous and ungrasped. As soon as he stops to think, his flow of movement will be disturbed and his opponent will immediately strike him. Every action therefore has to be done “unintentionally” without ever “trying.” Through wu we, a “reposeful ease” is secured. This passive achievement, as Chuang-tzu pointed out, will free a gung fu man from striving and straining himself:

A yielding will has a reposeful ease, soft as downy feathers, A quietude, a shrinking from action, an appearance of inability to do. Placidly free from anxiety, one acts with the opportune time; one moves and revolves in the line of creation. One does not move ahead but responds to the fitting influences.

Establish nothing in regard to oneself. Let things be what they are, move like water, rest like a mirror, respond like an echo, pass quickly like the nonexistent, and be quiet as purity. Those who gain, lose. Do not precede others, always follow them.

The natural phenomenon which the gung fu man sees as being the closest resemblance to wu we is water:

Nothing is weaker than water,
But when it attacks something hard
Or resistant, then nothing withstands it,
And nothing will alter its way.

The above passages from the Tao Te Ching illustrate to us the nature of water: Water is so fine that it is impossible to grasp a handful of it; strike it, yet it does not suffer hurt; stab it, and it is not wounded; sever it, yet it is not divided. It has no shape of its own but moulds itself to the receptacle that contains it. When heated to the state of steam it is invisible but has enough power to split the earth itself. When frozen it crystallises into a mighty rock. First it is turbulent like Niagara Falls, and then calm like a still pond, fearful like a torrent, and refreshing like a spring on a hot summer’s day. So is the principle of wu we:

The rivers and seas are lords of a hundred valleys. This is because their strength is in lowliness; they are kings of them all. So it is that the perfect master wishing to lead them, he follows. Thus, though he is above them, he follows. Thus, though he is above them, men do not feel him to be an injury. And since he will not strive, none strive with him.

The world is full of people who are determined to be somebody or to give trouble. They want to get ahead, to stand out. Such ambition has no use for a gung fu man, who rejects all forms of self-assertiveness and competition:

One who tries to stand on tiptoe cannot stand still. One who stretches his legs too far cannot walk. One who advertises himself too much is ignored. One who is too insistent on his own view finds few to agree with him. One who claims too much credit does not get even what he deserves. One who is too proud is soon humiliated. These are condemned as extremes of greediness and self-destructive activity. Therefore, one who acts naturally avoids such extremes.

Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.
Stop your sense, let sharp things be blunted,
Tangles resolved, the light tempered and turmoil subdued;
For this is mystic unity in which the wise man is moved
Neither by affection nor yet by estrangement,
Or profit or loss or honour or shame.
Accordingly, by all the world, he is held highest.

A gung fu man, if he is really good, is not proud at all. “Pride,” according to Mr. Eric Hoffer, “is a sense of worth that derives from something that is not organically part of oneself.” Pride emphasises the importance of the superiority of a person’s status in the eyes of others. There is fear and insecurity in pride because when a person aims at being highly esteemed and achieves such status, he is automatically involved in the fear of losing his status. Then protection of his status appears to be his most important need, and this creates anxiety. Mr. Hoffer further states that: “The less promise and potency in the self, the more imperative is the need for pride. One is proud when he identifies himself with an imaginary self; the core of pride is self rejection.” As we know, gung fu is aiming at self cultivation, and the inner self is one’s true self. So in order to realise his true self, a gung fu man lives without being dependent upon the opinion of others. Since he is completely self-sufficient he can have no fear of not being esteemed. A gung fu man devotes himself to being self-sufficient and never depends upon the external rating by others for his happiness. A gung fu master, unlike the beginner, holds himself in reserve, is quiet and unassuming, without the lest desire to show off. Under the influence of gung fu training his proficiency becomes spiritual, and he himself, grown ever freer through spiritual struggle, is transformed. To him, fame and status mean nothing. Thus wu we is the art of artlessness, the principle of no-principle. To state it in terms of gung fu, the genuine beginner knows nothing about the way of blocking and striking, and much less about his concern for himself. When an opponent tries to strike him, he “instinctively” parries it. This is all he can do. But as soon as his training starts, he is taught how to defend and attack, where to keep the mind, and many other technical tricks—which makes his mind “stop” at various junctures. For this reason whenever he tries to strike the opponent he feels unusually hampered (he has lost altogether the original sense of innocence and freedom). But as months and years go by, as his training acquires fuller maturity, his bodily attitude and his way of managing the technique toward no-mindedness come to resemble the state of mind he had at the very beginning of training when he knew nothing, when he was altogether ignorant of the art. The beginning and the end thus turn into next-door neighbours. In the musical scale, one may start with the lowest pitch and gradually ascend to the highest. When the highest is reached, one finds it is located next to the lowest. In a similar way, when the highest stage is reached in the study of Taoist teaching, a gung fu man turns into a kind of simpleton who knows nothing of Tao, nothing of its teachings, and is devoid of all learning. Intellectual calculations are lost sight of and a state of no-mindedness prevails. When the ultimate perfection is attained, the body and limbs perform by themselves what is assigned to them to do with no interference from the mind. The technical skill is so automatic it is completely divorced from conscious efforts. There are big differences between the Chinese hygiene and the Western hygiene. Some of the obvious ones are Chinese exercise is rhythmic, whereas the Western is dynamic and full of tension; the Chinese exercise seeks to merge harmoniously with nature, whereas the Western dominates it; the Chinese exercise is both a way of life and a mental cultivation, while the Western exercise is merely a sport or a physical calisthenic. Perhaps the main difference is the fact that Chinese hygiene is Yin (softness), while Western is Yang (positiveness). We can compare the Western mind with an oak tree that stands firm and rigid against the strong wind. When the wind becomes stronger, the oak tree cracks. The Chinese mind, on the other hand, is like the bamboo that bends with the strong wind. When the wind ceases (that is, when it goes to the extreme and changes), the bamboo springs back stronger than before. Western hygiene is a gratuitous waste of energy. The overexertion and over development of bodily organs involved in Western athletics is detrimental to one’s health. Chinese hygiene, on the other hand, throws its emphasis on conservation of energy; the principle is always that of moderation without going to the extreme. Whatever exercise there may be consists of harmonious movements calculated to normalise but not excite one’s bodily regimen. It starts out with a mental regimen as a basis, in which the sole object is to bring about peace and calmness of mind. With this as a basis, it aims at stimulating the normal functioning of the internal process of respiration and blood circulation. Handwritten Essay by Bruce Lee dated May 16th 1962

After all, your life isn’t in danger when it comes to creativity (at least for some of us). And for most of us, getting creative is an enjoyable activity.

However, to share your creativity to the world and put yourself out there takes tremendous courage. It take somebody who has dedication, determination, and most importantly, bravery.

But how do you remain courageous amidst all of the doubts, fears, and naysayers that jump out at every corner? How do you hold onto your faith when the expectations seem hopeless? And how do you keep marching on with your head up high?

There’s many different ways to deal with fear that I’m sure you’ll find on your own pathway to creativity. In the meanwhile here’s some of my own that I’ve learned along my own journey.

1. You’ll never be a true master: While you can be a master at whatever you do eventually, you’ll never have true mastery over something. Which isn’t to sound depressing but rather, uplifting. Because you no longer have to worry and wait until you know how to do everything perfectly. And besides, I think the journey is much more fun when there’s always something new to learn.

2. Stay cool, stay classy: I think this is one of the most important rules and one that I have fortunately followed most of the time. No matter what the critics, haters, and criticizers say, remain calm and collective. If you feel angry or depressed about it, feel that way in your own privacy. But whatever you do, don’t explode out in the public. It can only create more drama. By having class and character, it gains you respect in the end, regardless of what the other said. [Note: You can argue back if you need to. Just make sure that your rebuttal is calm, collected, and cool.

3. You’ve got nowhere to go but up: One of my writing heroes is Stephen J. Cannell. Not because he was born a genius. But rather, he grew up with the notion that he was talentless and not a genius due to his dyslexia. But you know what? It made him a writer. Because he realized that if he was the “worst” writer, then he had nowhere to go but up. And that’s what you have to realize too. That no matter where you currently are at, you have nowhere to go but further on up.

4. Take it with a grain of salt: Don’t let it get to your head, good or bad. If someone gives you a bad review, laugh about it. If someone praises you, nod your head and leave it at that. Because not taking yourself too seriously will keep you from being arrogant and it will also keep you from having a self-depreciating attitude.

5. Love the future, don’t hate it: The future can be a scary place. It’s an area of great expectations but also of great uncertainty. But not knowing what’s in store makes it exciting. Because who knows, perhaps you’ll stumble upon something far beyond your wildest goals. I’m not sure if I’ll achieve my goal to be an author who can make a living at it. But the journey so far has brought me plenty of wonderful surprises and lessons. And I’d rather be open to whatever comes next, then be bitter over not knowing if I’ll achieve my goals or not.

6. The worst that can happen, isn’t the worst that can happen: Imagine the worst that can come out of creativity. Everyone thinks your book is unreadable, your art is an eyesore, or you can’t play a decent chord. You stand there in front of everyone as they laugh and throw tomatoes at you. Now is that bad? Of course it is. You might live like a depressed hermit for a while. But is that the worst that can happen? Are you lying in a hospital bed or jail? No. Don’t get me wrong. If you don’t feel ready yet, practice your craft. But otherwise, try to remember that the worst that could happen isn’t really the absolute worst.

7: You’re never the worst: Just like taking everything with a grain of salt, it’s also important to remember that while you might not be the best at what you do, you’re probably not the worst either. If you have passion and you’re practicing at it, trust me, there’s someone far worse at it than you are.

Rising above your creative fears is not always an easy thing to do. As I prepare to release my own novel Drift on December 10th, it feels like I’m going to need more courage than I ever had before. But you know what? You don’t have to be a hero to feel invincible. All you need, is just a little courage.

Andrew Cyrus Hudson is a writer as well as a reviewer for ComicAttack.net . Originally from the San Bernardino Mountains in CA, Andrew Hudson now resides in the San Fernando Valley and is planning to move to wherever life takes him next. Along with working hard on getting the word out for Drift (coming out on December 10th, 2011), a mainstream fiction novel mixed in with some elements of horror and even mystery; he’s also writing Strange Happenings, a science-fiction anthology coming out Summer of 2011 and revising Poem for the Wolves, an epic science-fiction novel about relationships, poetry…and explosions.

http://andrewcyrushudson.com
http://andrewcyrushudson.com/drift/
http://comicattack.net/category/journalists/hudson/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=577943880
http://twitter.com/hudsonian

Have you been in a situation lately that has challenged you to the brink of abandonment? It happens to the best of us and most people who are successful will have to face some form of adversity throughout their life. I have been in precarious situations in my life and no matter what the predicament is I can tell you that there is always a way out.

The philosophy of Jeet Kune Do states that “not being restricted by style, and yet disciplined by one, not being a slave to form (a given technique), but nevertheless making it perfect and knowing the right moment when to use it, all the while always adapting to the changing situation.” You have to adapt & change like “the nature of water.” If you apply this to the adversity that you are facing currently then you will see that you can simply change your way of thinking to adapt to the environment that you are in.

Lee warned, that pre-set routines, over-analysis, over-technicalizing, all these things, made martial arts not only inefective, but dangerous in an actual fight. See you read, and read, listen and listen, to old rhetoric, and restrict yourself to a given form, a given technique, at the moment of truth you work under those restrictions, and as Lee warned “the mind isn’t free.” Restricted by a way of thinking, a pattern, an inability to adapt, on the street it may not just lead to injury it could even get you killed. The only way to combat this is to free your mind of any negative thoughts.

Approach those who are giving you negative feedback and attack it with a postive notion. Solicit their input and make suggestions. Reach out to mentors by essentially giving back. It’s not about the medium it’s about you as a person. When you stop worrying about what people think and start to adapt to a particular style that works in your favor then people will begin to acknowledge you.

Jeet Kune Do isn’t a style, its a way of thinking; it is the entire reasoning behind Lee’s approach. You must always remember that there is no spoon. Spoon Boy: “Do not try and bend the spoon—that’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth.”
Neo: “What truth?”
Spoon Boy: “There is no spoon.”
—The Matrix
When Neo visits the Oracle in The Matrix, he sees a young boy in the Oracle’s living room who is bending a spoon in mid-air. The boy, dressed as a Buddhist monk, bends the spoon just by looking at it. When Neo approaches him to learn the secret, the boy tells him that in order to bend the spoon, Neo must bend only his mind. In the Matrix, the spoon doesn’t exist—it’s just a code or a program that tells Neo’s brain that he’s looking at a spoon. Neo’s mind, on the other hand, does exist. What he sees before him is not a spoon, but rather an idea his brain has created of a spoon—his own perception. He can change reality by changing his perception.

Neo remembers this exchange as he becomes more confident in his ability to break the rules of the Matrix. All he has to do is remember that the rules he breaks aren’t actual rules. Just as there is no spoon, there is no gravity, there is no time—all these things are lies the machines tell his brain. Neo can fly, for example, because he can see gravity is a false construct. Once Neo understands that “there is no spoon,” then he realizes that he can do the impossible. Finally, you should only use these tips as a guideline. True inspiration can only be acheived by you. You have to find a way to combat negativity on your own. It will be different for each individual. Find what works for you and then discard what doesn’t.

[sws_blockquote_endquote align="left" cite="" quotestyle="style01"]Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. – Bruce Lee

[/sws_blockquote_endquote]

It is my conviction that we each control our own destiny. On my facebook profile you can see that I am a very creative individual & I post a lot of inspirational photos that inspire me. I was on the Abduzeedo blog looking at Typography Mania and I came across this picture in reference to the passing of Steve Jobs.

This particular quote made me think of a line that I heard in a track by Y Society entitled “This Advice” Insight opens up on the beautiful production by Damu and says, “What are we here for?/ There must be more than grades or scores/ Obeying laws, staying employed, confrontational wars/ Some are sacred and pure who remain poor/ Where’s the golden doors?/ Some feel they’re open ’cause they slowing our shore/ When hope was the cure many ignored through the Betty floors/ Steady jobs, lost marriage, divorce, grownups immature/ The core of the problem is a mystery / Decisions affect history/ Persistence leads to victory/ Some wish to injury/ These kids we don’t relate to – but what does it mean?/ Hip-Hop connects us yet it’s strange / That respects change/ Ask ‘em what they want to be when they grow up / Who molds them? ‘It’s outta control’/ Is what they say to themselves when they get old/”

I meet lot of people who all vary in opinion. I don’t think that working more or working on behalf of others is altruistic. I do believe that we live the most fulfilling moments of our lives inspiring others and doing what we love to do. At the moment, I have no place to go. I don’t have anything except for my creativity. Is it because I refuse to work to acquire wealth for someone else? No, of course not. I am a graphic designer. I will always utilize my creativity towards my advantage. Everything begins with choice. I choose not to love my craft and to spend as much time as necessary doing what I love to do & vicariously inspiring others. When no one wanted to give me an opportunity I chose to create an opportunity for myself. I may not be where I plan to be ideally, albeit, I know that time will come. I’m on the pursuit of happyness.

One of the most inspiring stories that I have is the story of Chris Gardner, Entrepreneur & CEO who describes his story in “The Pursuit Of Happyness.” This is a true testimonial to those who don’t believe. If you are dedicated and you work towards your ideals no matter what anyone else says and if you have belief then you will succeed. I’m asking you to believe. Not only in my conviction to bring about metamorphosis. I’m asking you to believe in yours. The will is everything. You don’t have to be a hero to feel invincible. Creativity Takes Courage. Here are some tips on how you can improve your productivity and be on your way to living a fulfilling lifestyle

Bolster Your Creative Output By Activating Your Red Zone
A Manifesto For Free Raducals Less Paperwork Less Waiting More Action
Ending Business As Usual 10 Insights On Rethinking Work

If any of you are familiar with basic economics then you know that wealth is created by production not consumption. Wealth has to be created. “The people who create wealth are the farmers who grow the wheat for the dough and tomatoes for the paste; those who harvest the milk for the cheese; the food processors who turn raw commodities into pizza ingredients; the entrepreneur who comes up with idea to sell pizza; the bank that decides to invest capital in a pizza store; and the delivery guy who brings the pizza to your door. Each of those actors creates wealth. Consumers then destroy the wealth that was created (in this case by eating the pizza).” – brian Stow In order to grow America needs a catalyst of startups.

Designers are emerging steadfast and more companies are being created now than ever. The  advancing desire among designers to bring their user focus, specific expertise, and propositional thinking to the ancient techniques of startups promises to be a welcomed metamorphosis.</p><p> This is especially the case with IDEO. A design & consulting firm in CA who take a psychological personal approach to design.  “The emerging trend represents a headlong crash of creativity into capitalism.” Today’s most innovative start-ups are successful because they’ve learned to think differently & creative. More and more agencies are turning to user experience designers as they want to engage their audience in a more creative way.

Uncertainty and ambiguity are directly linked to the part of our brains where fear and anxiety are active.  This makes the creative process difficult and taking risks towards innovative ends frightening. Creatives need to become entrepreneurs to inspire greatness in others.  “All the great and inspiring leaders and organizations in the world, whether it is Apple or Martin Luther King or the Wright Brothers, they all think, act, and communicate in the same way and it is the complete opposite to everyone else…”  Simon Sinek explains his theory on how great leaders inspire action. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action The encouraging news is that we are seeing an emergence to capture the imagination and energy of a new generation of young designers & creators.  You don’t have to be a hero to feel invincible. Creativity Takes Courage!

For further reading: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665120/designers-are-the-new-drivers-of-american-entrepreneurialism

http://capitalismtoday.blog.wku.edu/2010/03/15/production-not-consumption-creates-wealth/

Feel Free To Download Here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MPCHGI7Q | http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4WGB2FB9 | http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WS2VRYL0

I have been very busy and I have not had the time to update my blog, but now I have some time so I am taking this opportunity to give back. I am making a free calendar for August for all the Leos that are celebrating their birthday.  The wallpaper will also be available in all sizes according to your desktop or laptop. Thank you for all of your support. You don’t have to be a hero to feel invincible. Creativity Takes Courage! 

“The first place I slept was at a donut place,” he said.

One day he came across a copy of Vogue magazine and knew instantly he wanted to be a clothing designer. Making pieces out of scraps, he cobbled together his first show at 17 in Ohio but knew he had to get to NYC to make his dreams come true.

After several trips to New York, he secured a backer and debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2005 to much praise. He seemed well on his way to success until his investors pulled the plug, and he was once again left homeless and destitute. )WWD reports that Manivong is back and showing his latest collection — a collaboration with Ally Hilfiger — at the upcoming New York Fashion Week).

The Documentary, “DRESSED” is a compelling story of a young clothing designer, Nary Manivong, who defied the odds of a broken childhood and homelessness to reach his ultimate dream, a show of his collection at New York Fashion Week.
A truly inspiring story that unfolds against the backdrop of the fashion industry in New York.
Woven within his story are accounts and commentary from leading fashion industry experts, students and designers who relate their own perspectives about what it takes to make it in the highly competitive world of fashion.

“Dressed” is a documentary that traces the steps of designer Nary Manivong through exactly this process. The kicker, though, is that Manivong was abandoned by his parents when he was 14 and was forced, with his brothers and sister, to fend for himself while growing up homeless on the wrong side of the tracks in Columbus, Ohio.

The film follows Manivong as he struggles to pull together his first Fashion Week presentation by working two jobs and relying on the generosity of his network of friends.

“Dressed” also examines the struggles young designers in general go through and features interviews with such fashion types as Paper magazine’s Mickey Boardman, Simon Collins from Parsons the New School for Design, Barneys New York’s Simon Doonan, fashion consultant George Furlan, “The Fashion Designer Survival Guide” author Mary Gehlar, designer Nanette Lepore, consultant Fern Mallis, Robert Verdi and more.

At a screening of the film at New York’s Soho House hosted by Tommy Hilfiger (his daughter Ally is starting a contemporary fashion business with Manivong called Nahm), Manivong admitted the process of making the film was challenging.  “This shows that you can be a self-taught designer and succeed,” Tommy Hilfiger, also self-taught, mused to StyleList.  Dressed directed and produced by David Swajeski and executive produced by Maryanne Grisz, was released Feb. 4 in New York City, Feb. 18 in Philadelphia, and Feb. 25 in Columbus, Ohio. You don’t have to be a hero to feel invincible. “Creativity Takes Courage.”

Fore more additional info.  http://www.dressed-themovie.com/

This article is dedicated to the Blog Action Day Poverty Fund as part of the Jacob Cass Group Writing Project, together with a PayPal donation. The proceeds go directly to the fund to help stamp out World-wide Poverty. You can visit the official Blog Action Day site here.

Now, for the article…

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A few years ago, when I left the Coventry University School of Art and Design, England, I landed a freelancing contract just a few days after returning home. How? I quite literally spammed some design companies!

STAGE 1: POSTING TINS WITH NO EXPLANATION

The first stage of this marketing campaign was very simple. I posted out empty tins/cans of SPAM meat in the post. After eating the SPAM (it tastes OK on a sandwich — there’s millions of staving people out there, I wasn’t going to waste it), I targeted a few design companies that I would like to work for and stuck a stamp directly onto the cans with their addresses and posted them. Yes, that was it. Just an address with no explanation on the tins.

I repeated this process over several days, until each company I targeted received about 5 tins through the post. Here in the UK, if you post something with a stamp on it, and it’s not hazardous, the ‘posty’ has to deliver it, so the SPAM got through okay.

My hope was for staff at the targeted design companies to ponder the meaning of the SPAM tins. I hoped it would create discussion between team members, with bemusement with each and every can posted to them. I anticipated reactions like this:

What the heck is this? Another tin of SPAM…this is the third one this week! What’s it all about?

Hay you guys, does anyone know who posting this SPAM? If someones playing a joke on me, which one of you is it?

Well, I found out later than I did promote discussions like this…read on…

STAGE 2: POSTING A SPAM-BRANDED FOLDER WITH MY CV

After I had finished posting of the SPAM cans, I waited a day or two, then sent out a folder showing a tin of SPAM on the cover stating “You’ve Been Spammed” (shown in the image below).

The folder was about A5 in size and opened up like a four-page brochure.

When opened, my covering letter and CV (printed on A4 paper) were folded in half and tucked inside the mock-up SPAM can, as shown in the three images below.

This folder was designed to put to rest all discussions and curiosities surrounding my “Spamming Campaign”. My covering letter contained this text:

Title in Spam-Shaped box at top simply said: What?

Dear Sir/Maddam

I am a recent graduate from the Coventry University School of Art and Design seeking employment. As a former student, I’m hard-up and living off SPAM — so your Post-Box has been Spammed rather than your In-box to let you know who I am!

Ok, I’m not really living off SPAM, but I am looking for a job in a company such as yours in this region. I believe that I could be a benefit to you and your clients…[and so on].

STAGE 3: THE JOB OFFER

Well, those curious reactions I was banking on to land me a job was a reality. I was invited to do various free-lancing work at Wobble Design Ltd in Leeds, UK. When I went to work there on the first day, the design team told me the reason I got the job was for my ingenious marketing campaign. They said they were curious to the reasons they was receiving my little empty cans of tin meat, and it promoted many discussions between them and the architecture firm next door!

So, if you’re wanting to stand out from the crowd, be different and do something unusual. If you want a Graphic Design or any other job, just be creative, be different and set yourself apart from the crowd. You never know where it will lead you.

But if you’re fed-up with hearing about SPAM, heres a lovely photo for you instead. Enjoy!

Image copyright here

Have you marketed yourself in an outreagous manner? If so, did it get you anywhere? I’d like to hear your stories…