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So What Does It Look Like?Wrapping up the week here, and I want to share something with you that I’ve started doing this week that I think has positively affected my outlook, no matter how kooky it sounds.I have this little barrel chair in my studio. It was given to me by my grandmother years ago. I remember spinning around and around on it in her house until they had to put a wooden block on the track to get me to stop. I’ve recovered it, and today it’s my reading/thinking/sulking chair. I sit down in this chair at the beginning of every day, and I’ve been giving some thought to the endgame. What does the endgame look like? What is my ideal result? There’s really nothing new about this. It’s called creative visualization. Shakti Gawain wrote a book about this years ago, and it’s “the art of using mental imagery and affirmation to produce positive changes in your life. It is successfully used in the fields of health, business, creative arts, and sports, and in fact, can have an impact in every area of your li

Yesterday I told you that as creators, I think that social media is becoming our worst enemy due to the weaponization of the platforms for engagement and the appropriation of content by aggregators and other entities for their use and engagement. As such, I suggested that there might be a way to reassert control over your creative assets, and that’s what I want to talk about today.You see, I think we’ve got to get back to housing our assets in our own spaces, places that we control. Our own ship, as it were. Years ago, I had a small limited run podcast series called “The Peaceful Pirate,” in which I talked about building your own ship. That ship is your website, your base of operations. In one episode, I mentioned the need to go fishing every day, and by that, I meant sending out bait to all the appropriate places—links to social media, contributing to forums, and things of that nature. I believe you still need to do that. What I don’t think you need to do is give your content to social media. Please give the

On Instagram AggregatorsSo, today on the show I'm going to go over some ground that I've seen trod upon many times already, but I'm not really sure side I fall on. The question is whether or not instagram is good for photographers. To be sure, I follow a lot of photographers on instagram, but there's something else I have found myself following lately, and here's where I have the issue. I'll call them photo aggregators. My beloved state of Maine, for example. I follow DownEast Magazine, which is to my mind the authority on the State of Maine. Their photography...hell, just their iconic magazine covers, are extraordinary. But then there are accounts like For the Love of Maine, which is an aggregator of Maine photography that they repost from other users. Yes, they credit those users, but who's getting the likes here? I find myself wondering what the clickthrough rate is from liking a photo on those accounts to following the person who actually took the photo, and realistically it can't be very high. It's not j

One Small MomentToday I want to talk to some specific friends who I won't name, but I'm fairly sure that this will apply to way more of just them.First things first, I'm not going to insult your intelligence by giving you a bunch of platitudes. In my experience, they're nothing but empty calories. Filler and no substance, they're designed to make the person giving them feel better, not the person who needs help. In some cases, people who need help end up feeling worse. I'm one of those people, so I absolutely understand the feeling. So, no bullshit from me. Cool? Moving on.Let me describe my lack of bona fides right upfront. I'm a guy with a high school education and one year of college because I let my dick do the thinking up to the point that I ended up homeless and friendless. I tried to follow in my Dad's footsteps and join the military and washed right out after six months because I have a mouth bigger than my brain. I come from a family that describing as dysfunctional is exceedingly generous. My dad ha

It might just be the time of year, but I find myself getting discouraged easily. It’s compounded by the fact that we’re coming up on a year since my job sent me home and everything that’s happened since then. The simple fact of the matter is I’m not where I want to be at almost any category of life you care to name. I’m currently making about half of what I was pre-May 2020, I’m struggling with staying in a creative mindset, I’m not necessarily hopeful that I will be able to realize a key hope of mine to regain the position I was previously in, and I’m not finding anything equivalent out there that I can do despite the experience. It leaves me in a pretty depressing place, and I’m not sure what my next move is. So when this happens, I try to move out of the mindset of what I can’t do to figure out what I can accomplish. I believe it starts with talking about the things I am passionate about. Demonstrating some knowledge. Possibly not being so unassuming about it?A lot of the past year had to do with how my fr

Hey, you sick twisted freaks, It's Roley, how ya doin', welcome to the show.I've been doing something the past couple of weeks that has been really productive, and I'd like to share it with you today.  So let me ask you a question:  Is there an hour a day that you've been pretty much screwing off instead of doing your creative work?  What if you instead locked in for that hour and dedicated it to "the plan," or whatever you want to call it?  How much do you think you could get done in an hour without interruption?My answer should be pretty evident; I did 13 podcasts last month.  I edited two albums of photos.  I deep cleaned the ever-living hell out of my studio.  I did a few screen simulations for things I have yet to edit.  I took a class on shooting video.  I edited a video for a friend's podcast.   This month, I plan to keep that momentum up and hopefully add a few more things.  I did it with an hour of dedicated, uninterrupted time every day.   Because I was able to do it with an hour a day, I was able t

Happy Lensday, kids! It's Roley, how ya doin', welcome to the show.Today, I want to talk a little about street photography and the hit and miss nature.  If you're keeping an eye on my Buy Me A Coffee page, you know I've been heading down to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront about once a month to take pictures of life on the beach because I want to capture the side of a beach town that you don't get to see.  Having done that for a couple of months now, I can see a few things I need to improve.   The first thing is the variety of shots I should be taking.  Most of the shots of people are off doing the things you usually see people doing, like walking a dog, riding a skateboard, or riding a bike.  I think a few shots stand out; one that springs to mind is of a young lady looking out the door of a cafe at something off the frame.   However, there's really not a lot of variety because, in the age of COVID, there aren't many people out and about.  Even in the dead of winter, there is at least some action.  Something el

Welcome to February, shipmates1. I hope you had an excellent January.  I think I did.  I managed to put out 12 or 13 episodes of this podcast in January, and I managed to get my first supporter at Buy Me A Coffee. Over the course of the month, I received some great validation that I have helped people move forward with what they want to do.  One particular podcaster that I helped a while ago called me his Obi-Wan and mentioned that he wouldn't be podcasting were it not for some mentorship along the way from me.  I have to tell you, as a person that doesn't really need much in the way of validation, I was legit choked up by that.  More than money or recognition or any of those things, the simple act of validation that I'm doing the right thing for people is more than enough for me, and I will continue to move forward and do the right thing for all of you.  That's why we're doing this, that's why I'm here.  And so, we move forward.Moving forward has been on my mind lately, to be truthful.   In my case, moving f

As we close out the month of January, Here's what I hope you've managed to do, and trust me when I tell you this is just as much for me as it is for you.  I hope you've made a list of the things you'd like to get accomplished this year, although I hope you've made two lists—one list with COVID, one without.  I hope you've made a budget.  I want to recommend a website and app called YNAB -- You Need A Budget.  It actually helps make sense of the one thing that causes us the most stress in our lives.  Subscribe to the YouTube Channel.  I'll put it in the show notes.  Try the budget app out for the 34-day free trial.  No, I'm not making any money from this. I like to tell you about the tools I use and whether I find this useful.   I believe this is useful.I hope you've begun setting boundaries in your life.  Not just about what we've talked about previously, but also about time.  I hope you're carving out time--scratch that--I hope you're scheduling time to create, to reflect, and to review. These are the three

If you know me pretty well, you know I have a crapload of bags.  I have briefcases, leather bags, canvas bags. I love bags.  But finding a camera bag that works for me has been a real struggle, and I know why that is: I pack bags like I'm Felix the Cat.  If I even think I need it, it goes in the bag.   The simple fact of the matter is I don't need to take every piece of gear I own with me, but I do need a bag big enough for a few things, and I need a bag small enough to sling over my shoulder and go.   It all comes down to what gear I'm taking with me for what reason.I have found a bag that works for me, and it's the Rugged Sling Bag by Moment.  Now, before I go any further, I'm not being paid for this, I bought my bag like everyone else, and I have not been asked by anyone to review this bag.The bag is made out of sailcloth material on the outside, which is water and fade resistant.   It's got nice YKK zippers that protect your gear from the environment.   The inside of the bag is a bright orange, so it make

I had a bizarre dream once that I'd like to share with you.   I had gotten off a plane in Kathmandu, Nepal.  I was heading for the Himalayas in search of a wise man, an ascetic who had shunned all life's luxuries and niceties.  I found him adorned in nothing but a loincloth meditating by a lake at the foot of the mountains. I waited patiently for him to awaken, and as he fixed his gaze on me, I solemnly intoned the words I wanted him to hear.  "Phil Collins..." I said.  He silently nodded and did the drum break from In The Air Tonight.   I thanked him and made my way back to the airport, and flew home, fulfilled.  I think you could walk up to anyone with your phone and play them 30 seconds of any Genesis or Phil Collins song--even instrumental sections where he's not singing--and very few people would not identify the song you're playing as a Phil Collins or Genesis song.  Why?  Because that gated drum sound is unmistakable.  His playing style is immediately recognizable.  The production of his music is speci

Kris and Matt Reconvene the No Segue Machine and talk DC Riot, Matt's versions of Heaven Hell Purgatory and Limbo, Sci-Fi series, The Waffle House, and more.Matt's drink for January is the Manhattan Railroad, and it will railroad you.  Oh yes.  Yes, it will. 

As the kids say these days, I don't know who needs to hear this, but fuck all the isms and fuck all the ologies.   Unless you're a complete sack of jello, of course.  If you are a sack of jello, please at me because I need to know how you got offended by this.  There is exactly one ISM you need.   Here's how it works.  Say your last name.  I'll wait.  Now add ISM to the end of it.   There it is.   Now you've named it, what the fuck do you do with it?  Well, the straight answer to that is whatever the fuck you want, but let's drill down a bit.  Again, excepting the jello--and what flavor are you anyway--you did survive up to this point with some core beliefs.  You've got some right and wrong concept unless you're related to me directly, and I hope you've got some discipline and ethics, and maybe a goal or two.  If you don't, maybe it's time to write that shit down.See, it's my firm belief that most people know exactly who they are and what they need to do to be who they want to be.  But they don't want to do t

Hey, I don't know who needs to hear this but just because you have a camera and like photography, you don't ever have to go pro no matter how many times your friends tell you.  Look, your reasons are your own.  I certainly have mine, and chiefly among them is that I love photography and don't ever want to put myself in a position where I hate it.  One of the reasons I like talking about several different platforms that I'm interested in is that I don't spend all of my time on just one.  I can work or play in the photography space for a little while, and when I get to a natural stopping point with a project, I can move to writing, podcasting, or anything else.  Now, would I love to have this effort at new media become a full-time business?  Yes, I would.   I would also like to hire or contract people who are better at photography than I am.   I would also like to know some people manage to squeeze 27 hours' worth of work into a 24 hour day.  I'm not very good at time management.  If I were, I wouldn't have to

This may or may not be a really long one today, kids.  It's a pretty straightforward point if I don't end up confusing you with my half-baked, meaningless babble.  I have a friend that had a character he invented--I think it was for a short story if I recall correctly--who had a saying.  Who we are now is not who we're going to be at the end.  I was reminded of this recently when I re-watched "The Time of The Doctor," which is Matt Smith's last episode of Doctor Who.  He says, “...We all change when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives. And that’s ok, that’s good, as long as you keep moving, as long as you remember all the people that you used to be..."And you're saying to yourself right now, "Roley, C'mon.  Timelord Regeneration as Life Lesson?"  Sure.  Why not!  People find reasons to do things on the side of a freakin bottle of Heinz 57 if they're looking for it.  Usually, as I said a couple of Mondays ago, I try to capture where I am at the end of a year and set out some go

This business of creativity that we're engaged in has its challenges, that's for sure.  And Last year was definitely a challenge for all of us.  Now we're in 2021, and for sure, the coronavirus hasn't gone away yet.  In fact, if the past is prologue, then by the time you hear this podcast, we might be in the middle of a spike from people being stupid on Christmas and New Years'.  At my day job, I've been told that we'll be at home until the end of March, so that will make it a full year that I will have been at home.  Of course, part of it was without a job, but the principle is the same.   And this got me to thinking, well, why?  Well, speaking in the general sense, we're all a bunch of fuckers, that's why.  It's easy to blame the virus for things, and certainly, the virus is to blame to a point.  Because we've had the chance to mitigate this, and we could have been working our way towards normal months ago.  This fall and winter rise in cases didn't have to happen.  But of course, we had Labor Day, Hallowee

I have something I want you to marinate on for a second.  Take this and weigh it.  Every time you take a picture, you have the opportunity to share with people how you see things in a way no one else can.   But to do this, you need to start seeing things the way a photographer does.  You need to train your eye to see things to shoot.  The advent of digital cameras and smartphones is absolutely wonderful, and it allows everyone to take thousands of pictures of anything and everything. Still, there is one thing it took away:  The scarcity mindset.  The kind of mindset you cultivate when you know you only have 12 or 24 exposures on a roll of film.  You've got to be pretty sure that the shot you take is a good one, and the way to be really sure that you're taking that good shot is by developing a photographer's eye for things.  One of the things I used to do with my old Pentax back in the day was I would frame things up and work out the composition.  I didn't have any film in my camera; I just raised the camera t

This week, I'm thinking about the concept of boldness.  Taking chances.  I don't know about you, but I've not exactly been keen to step up and do something out of the ordinary, and I've been wondering why.  Is it because of the past year?  Is it because I've set expectations of what I should or shouldn't do?  Am I assuming you have expectations of what I do?  Am I just scared?  Maybe a little of all three if I'm honest with myself.   That said, back on episode 372 of this fine bit of poddlement I talked about a period of self-reflection on turning 50 and what I was and wasn't willing to deal with anymore.   The more I think about it, the more I'm not willing to be afraid of taking chances with what I do.  More to the point, I'm dropping some baggage related to it.  For years, I've had this battle in my head about being one thing all the time or being Roley, who is not one thing all the time.  I got reminded of this the other night listening to an album that should have never been made.  Lou Reed's Metal Machi

Something new for your earholes.  Cinema VeriTardy, where I watch all the movies I've never watched and provide a real-time commentary track.  In the first episode, I watch The Room (2003) Starring The Golden Gate Bridge.  It should star the Golden Gate Bridge as many G.D. times they show it.  This movie might have lost money, but whoever they bought the stock footage from made out pretty well.  It also stars a football in what has to be the best acting job in this movie.  This movie is brought to you by whiplash lawyers, for the amount of time it took the actors to go from zero to WTF in any random scene. Enjoy!  

As you're listening to this, we're about 2 weeks from what will hopefully be an uneventful inauguration here in the US.  Joe Biden will become President of the United States, and Donald Trump will hopefully go away.  I doubt it, but I'm hopeful.  As we end this terrible chapter in American History, I look around, and it's just mind-boggling.  The amount of damage done, the number of things we have to fix now.  Hundreds of thousands dead.  Millions out of work, So many slipping into poverty because of what's happened this year.  But all of this needs to serve as a reminder of something we all should know and act accordingly.  There is no one coming to help us. There is a lot of talk, and a lot of hand-wringing and many pearls clutching, but no action.  We can't count on some stimulus, unemployment assistance, the next administration, or even the basic things any person should have at this point.  No one's going to save us.   So, we're gonna have to save ourselves.  Well, what does that mean?Well, I'm not quite