Where to Begin Except at the Beginning

Where to Begin Except at the Beginning

Now that blogs are so passé, it's time for me to give it a try. My name is Brian and I'm a curious guy, someone what has been trained in art and designed while working in such diverse fields as video production and horticulture. I'm a baby boomer, but you'll figure that out soon enough through my tastes. There's no focus on this blog, although I do plan to react to current art, writings, and music, as well as going back to highlight some of the things that I really enjoy.

Be forewarned; I have very eclectic tastes, and this blog will be an excuse for me to ramble. That's the point; as long as I am excited about something, I'll write about it, trying to coherently express my thoughts. Feel free to disagree with me. I'm a writer, video producer, artist, and musician, amongst other things, so obviously I don't mind biting off more than I can chew. And I'll try to avoid politics. Doubtful that I can come up with anything more absurd than the daily tweets, anyway.

That should get the politics behind me. The video above is at least six years old; if I thought things were bad then, what do you call our current situation? However, the important point isn't whatever opinion I may hold (registered independent, for the record), but that I bothered to write and record that song. Then, after the fact, being motivated to turn it into a music video gives a glimpse of how far I'm willing to go to express myself. I am all about creativity and personal expression, and I am deeply impressed by people who can do it well and have a unique viewpoint, whatever the art form.

I've had the privilege - as well as paid the price - of trying out nearly every form of self-expression, from acting to landscape design. I've published pieces (a long time ago) and wrote many scripts, I was an artist who did everything from the painting above to murals to the most basis paste up and commercial art, I've been musician whose primary instrument is the guitar but who has learned to apply my skills to whatever is needed to finish the song, and I've produced and directed literally thousands of videos. And those are only the major categories.

I'm also a private person and I like a degree of control in my life. Not a control freak; you can do what you want. Years of experience has taught me that control freaks are genetically designed to try and be in control. I'm not a control freak at all, but I have serious problems when others try and tell me what to do, how to act, when to stand up and take my hat off, etc. etc. etc. Naturally, parents, bosses, spouses, children, family and friends all take away from your ability to control your own environment, and they do it with the best of intentions in most cases, sometimes even thinking it is for your own good. We haven't even gotten to the evil bastards that fill the world.

Controlling your own environment and your own life is a goal you can spend your entire life trying to achieve, only to fail at every turn. Society and religion try to control us from birth, poverty and ignorance limit our horizons before we can even make out first decision. That's where art comes in; it can be used as the ultimate push back to all the forces that do have a degree of control over you. It can be subversive, subtle, or blatant. That doesn't matter; it must be cathartic, otherwise don't bother.

That's as close to a manifesto as you get, and it's also probably the only life coaching I'll dispense as well. The most important thing is to make you own mistakes and to pay for your own way. That way, you won't have regrets when you get old and serious forces like illness really start to shrink your opportunities. While you're young and dumb, best to fly the freak flag high. Just don't hurt anybody along the way.