Social Consciousness
In my travels and also in my work here in the US, I often have projects and events thrown at me, or that I simply stumble across. Some I embrace, some I do not. Behind each of these somewhere is a person holding a bow. They have started a fire. They do this with a flaming arrow.
I have a friend here who works for the Ventura Visitors Bureau. Her name is Kathleen Fitzgerald. Her bedroom name (the name we all use for her in private) is Firestarter. What she does is identify the need, come up with a potential idea, launch a flaming arrow. That arrow lands in front of the group which could be the potential solution if they take some of the flame, and simply run with it. Of course they could choose not to. The fire will either take hold and generate it’s own momentum, or die. There are no other alternatives.
Our children are sort of like that. We started a fire when we birthed, educated and mentored them. They are our contribution to a world that does what it will, when that arrow lands.
Seth Godin has this to say about the concept.
I was placing nails in the wall of a restaurant in Santa Barbara one day, hanging a show of my work, curated by a friend. Her husband and I were having a chat as we whacked nails. He had recently graduated from film school and is a brilliant cinematographer. My query: “So what are you going to do, now that you are done with school?” His response: “Oh I think that I am going to try this music thing. “Â My response was “Really? That is a tough one, but you never know. What are you gonna do for songs?” ” Oh I have these songs which I wrote for Kim. (his wife) I think that I am gonna start there.” My response was “Wow cool, be interesting to see where that goes” One of his sweet songs and evidence of his flaming arrow is right here.
Bullseye. Jack is like that a lot, one of those people whose aim is generally better than many of us.
A vital firestarter is right here. Drew Kampion.
One of my editors and friends Dina Pielaet sends this very poignant message.
The world needs flaming arrows.
Firestarter Shawn Alladio
Scuba Steve and Firestarter Brian Nevins
Firestarter Swain
Firestarters Jen and Dafoe
Mary, the Partridge Twins, Jeanette Ortiz: Firestarters
Firestarter Shinny
Firestarter Jon
Life is a wave
Click on any of the images in the gallery to read it’s back story. Launch your arrow. Fan a fire. Do something, it will be the most fun you have ever had.
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- Social Consciousness
Chinatown View SF. The analogy is simple.
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- Firestarter Shawn Alladio
Shawn Alladio concepted K38 Rescue, a global organization which trains in rescue boat operations and mentors vast amounts of people from the rescue community and beyond. Flaming arrows.
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- Scuba Steve and Firestarter Brian Nevins
Brian Nevins was a Brooks student when we met. We have traveled the world together. Today his career in photography has him traveling to all manner of places I would never ever have gone. One of my flaming arrows, he launches his own. An "A list" human being whose work embraces and fires social change.
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- Firestarter Swain
Tyler Swain was a Brooks Student at one point. He answered an ad for a room to rent at my house many years ago. A lifeguard, surfer, cinematographer,producer, cameraman and friend, he travels the globe with various production companies, always landing in the middle of the most unusual places. When I heard that Heath Ledger had died, I called Tyler as he was supposed to be with Heath on a project as he was engaged with Heath's fabulously creative company The Masses. The short of it was, that he had stayed in LA to shoot something. Tyler quietly participated in the task of mitigation that occurs when one of us checks out unexpectedly. He sent me this image the other day from somewhere on the road. I have zero idea what he is doing there, but I know fire is involved.
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- Firestarters Jen and Dafoe
A wedding image of Jen Wooten and Rob Dafoe. Jen rode her way into the top 5 in the US in pre Olympics qualifying in Dressage last year. Rob started off as Quiksilver's first pro snowboarder and the maker of some of the first extreme snowboard films as the sport launched. Today he is a film maker. This is from their wedding a few months back. The number of arrows these two launch in their separate careers as athletes and creatives really makes me wonder what will occur should they have children. I hope that they do. The world needs flaming arrows
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- Mary, the Partridge Twins, Jeanette Ortiz: Firestarters
This image is on one of my social network profiles as my photo. The reason is not because I get to hang with a bunch of beautiful girls and am bragging that. It is all about the arrows. I brag that aspect. Advocates of social and cultural change and members of the Betty B Tribe and my dear friends and collaborators.
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- Firestarter Shinny
Shanniah Alladio, daughter of Shawn Alladio. And you can hear the arrows and smell the smoke already
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- Firestarter Jon
This one surprised me. As I sat in the audience at his High Scool graduation ceremony and heard him encourage the entire class to expand their vision and tell the entire school he would most definitely not be going to college right away, but be traveling. Then he chose Muay Thai fighting, this most peaceful person in the world. Then he traveled to Thailand having saved all his own money, so that he could study under a World Champion and experience a new culture. He called me after getting out of the ring from a bar in Thailand where he just had his first big fight. Under all the commotion that goes on in one of those places I could hear his amused voice. “Hi Dad” ” You okay? ” I had asked. “Yea, but I think the other guy is kinda pissed off. I won” “Oh why is he mad?” “Someone just told him that this was my first real fight. He does this for a living” Gotta love firestarters.
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- Life is a wave
Your attitude is your surfboard: Drew Kampion
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- Flame Out
We had just heard of Heath's death and walking through the streets of SF, I turned the corner and was leveled by this image. At first I did not include it in this blog. But it nagged at me. I never got to meet Heath. The way things were going, I reckoned that our paths would eventually cross. I never expected it to be on the streets of one of the few cities that I love however. Some people are like that. Even after they are gone, or you think that they are done, one of their arrows goes whizzing by your head. This one was straight to the heart.
Flame Out
