With a pen and camera
I think I’ve seen just about everything this election year. It won’t get the best of me in spite of it. So, after conferring with my buddy, Humphrey, we determined that he is another option for the ballot. Humphs may not have fluency in diplo-speak and he doesn’t speak from both sides of his mouth [jaw?], but he will be honest about things…and you will know it.
Spread the word. You’ll feel in the dumps, if you don’t vote for Humphs!
Ferrari. What comes to mind other than the obvious. Luxury? Exclusivity? Formula 1? Art? Engineering? History? Passion and Soul? You can add your own to the list. For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt that many things designed and made in Italy were objects in possession of a soul. From appliances, cuisine and fashion to industrial design, mechanical engineering and art, Italy’s portfolio of world-renowned brands are the stuff of dreams and much more. However, there is one brand that has an aura all its own, one that’s genuinely global in scale and scope.
Between the poles and across the hemispheres, no other brand stirs as much passion, approval, loyalty and emotional ownership. When Enzo Ferrari created his eponymous company, he put into motion more than a company. Ambition, passion, problem-solving and yes, art, were made manifest in his cars, first in racing, then in street-legal sports and GT cars.
What factors played into the creation of Ferrari, the brand?
Passion This is a must-have, a non-negotiable intangible that’s expressed in determination, faith in oneself, desire and ambition.
History There are no overnight successes. Powerful brands have a narrative. Properly framed [read: small beginnings to small victories to world-wide success], Ferrari took to heart his mission to produce race cars that were designed to win AND deliver an aesthetic unlike others on the track. Certainly this mission carried over to street cars. Ferrari’s history is important to the brand’s mystique and attractiveness; the company smartly uses history to enhance its position in the exotic car market.
Standing Out Powerful brands deliver consistency and a promise on quality. Not to be flip, but early on, Ferraris weren’t consistent with quality and reliability. However that has changed. In just the past 20 years, they’ve produced products that are wholly different from other sports cars. One thing is certain, when you see a Ferrari, it does stand out. If you’re fortunate to drive one, its performance also stands out across a variety of areas [acceleration, braking, steering, sounds from the engine bay and exhaust pipes and so on]. Proper positioning is part of standing out and the company manages this extremely well.
Value You can successfully argue that no one needs a Ferrari [or anything that speaks of luxury, for that matter]. The brand’s real value goes beyond the sticker. Emotional ownership and exclusivity fuels value; the sticker price reinforces limited production quantities as well. Ferrari markets its brand through careful licensing, merchandising, events and affiliations. Put another way, mortals like us can still feel part of the Ferrari brand, mystic and experience. Their online store demonstrates this because it promotes a sense of inclusion: we can’t afford the cars, but we can feel and show our admiration for the brand via jackets, bas, mugs, watches, caps, T-shirts, office accessories and more.
It is the night
My body’s weak
I’m on the run
No time to sleep
I’ve got to ride
Ride like the wind
To be free again.
Christopher Cross
When you encounter a vista, or even a myriad of details that are attached to work [read: deadlines, projects, concurrent goals, e.g.], what do you see?
Everything is subjective when it comes to expressing oneself with a painting, a short story, and a photograph. I know I’ve missed a few other examples, but I listed the aforementioned for expediency.
Whether you’re taking a picture, painting a landscape or creating a marketing communication plan, sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees, and on other occasions, every nuance, every detail and purpose comes into clear focus.
While it matters where you’re looking, other times what matters more is what you are “seeing.”
As much as I love being in Manhattan, I also love being just outside of it, in particular, just across the river in Brooklyn. There’s plenty of “city” to be found and experienced, but thankfully, the parks are terrific reminders to take it slow once in awhile.
Some call it a creative block. With credit to Franz Kafka, I feel a lot like a chrysalis because there’s something in me dying to get out, to be expressed and heard. How many times have we sat [or stood] at our work stations wondering how-in-$%@!!-name can we get something done. Where are the words, the concepts, the visual elements that when properly assembled, delivers the key message? The message can be one of benefit, of productivity, of prophylaxis, or of exclusivity. You get the idea.
Of course, all of this is figurative, but I would say that the photo of the tunnel suggests that I can see a “way out,” but I’m a bit unsure of how to get there. I’m inside the chrysalis, evolving, developing a collection of ideas, hoping to create something altogether different if not unique.
The wife-husband duo of Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley are the indie pop group, Tennis. The music and lyrics to “My Better Self” is a heart-felt, rhythmic poem about several things, not the least being how we struggle with words to bring clarity to how and what we feel. This is my favorite stanza, which also happens to be the bridge of the song:
If I don’t use words
Then each sound goes unheard
Utterly senseless without nouns and verbs
But symbols suggest they are fit to possess
A purposely function
That cannot be met
Copyright-All Rights Reserved, Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley
When I first saw this wonderfully creative piano, melancholy hit me. I love the energy and imagination in its installation. However, seeing the keys made me think of days past when I just about played every day. I went through some photo files and this image crossed my screen. It was taken at the Paradise City Art Festival in Massachusetts. Then the proverbial light bulb went off.
Our upright piano, one we’ve owned for decades was a lovely gift from my mother-in-law. But like many things mechanical, especially those made of wood, the instrument became harder to keep in tune, notwithstanding the sticky keys in the scale that begins middle C. Our grandsons now “play” with this piano. Literally. Trucks, a plastic hammer, puzzle pieces, blocks and small enthusiastic hands have travelled the keys. Those small hands make the most discordant of chords, but at least there’s a type of bang-bang-bangbangbang kind of rhythm in the effort.
The epiphany came to light a few short weeks ago [pun intended]. I had asked the president of the local music community school if I could use one of their piano rooms to practice, this during my lunch hour. Eileen is an empathetic, enthusiastic and erudite person; she was kind enough to grant permission. I’ve started playing again and recalled reading an article about the brains of piano players. The one thing I’m focusing on here is the fact that playing an instrument can really help one’s thinking. Perhaps it’s why I’ve longed to play again, yet I really like playing for the sheer love of it, for playing and feeling from heart and soul. I have no evidence that shows improvements to my memory, problem solving or time management, which is fine with me. I’m more right-brained anyway.
For me, playing a musical instrument engages me in therapeutic and cathartic ways.
A touch soft, but acceptable for a 90mm lens shot wide-open at 1/8 second…
Yes, the fireworks were entertaining, but the sunset was soul-searching…I was lucky to have both….
Carlo Centeno 