“Duality is the real root of our suffering and of all our conflicts.  All our concepts and beliefs, no matter how profound they may seem , are like nets which traps us in dualism.  When we discover our limits we have to try to overcome them, untying ourselves from whatever type of religious, political, or social conviction may condition us.  We have to abandon such concepts as “enlightenment,” “the nature of the mind,” and so on, until we no longer neglect to integrate our knowledge with our actual existence.”
Chogyal Namki Norbu

“The discipline of suffering, of great suffering—do you not know that only this discipline has created all enhancements of man so far? That tension of the soul in unhappiness which cultivates its strength, its shudders face to face with great ruin, its inventiveness and courage in enduring, persevering, interpreting, and exploiting suffering, and whatever has been granted to it profundity, secret, mask, spirit, cunning, greatness—was not granted to it through suffering, through the discipline of great suffering?”
Friedrich Nietzsche

“All real philosophers have been artists in the realm of concepts”
Rudolf Steiner

Life stubbornly steams forward, I confront each new day as a locomotive at full steam, is careful not to jump its tracks.  I have a lot to do right now and a lot to tell.  First I’d like to apologize to the readership for not posting, and for not recently posting on either Sunday or Wednesday.  This is due to my noted lack of discipline, indeed the greatest challenge I hope to confront this summer.

Advertising XL, that is my life right now, yes i’m a sell out.  Allen Vogel, master of the still life, indeed sunday and wednesday you will be privy to my work in the next four weeks, however Allen has put me under oath to not give his secrets, as he so generously shares them to our class.  Last Monday, I was handed to key to a studio, fully equipped and functional, the space ready to be filled by whatever creativity I have.  This summer im am confronting my limits of patience, skill, technique, and vision.  Ive prescribed myself a huge dose of work, an opportunity to clear my mind and better my soul.  I shall see just how far I can push the technique and concept of my craft.

This post marks an end to my Maryland Eastern Shore series; its a symbolic parting of sorts and I need to focus on the here and the now.  Photography too often demands those who practice it, to be stuck in a perpetual state of review. I love my photographs of the Eastern Shore, not because they are unique photographs, but because Im simply in love with my place of origin; the personal history, the backwoods culture.  The very Idea of it  is intoxicating to me. However, at the present time, I have to move on and stop looking backwards, the Shore will always be there, but things will never be the same.  Sadly I am no longer the backwoods bumpkin i wish I could be; life was easier close to the land. I would put my ear to the ground and hear the pulse of the earth, basking in silent wonder as her veinS spread the essence of life.

Now I am close to theAmerican world of consumerism, excessive billboards, malignant industry, and so-called innovation. Thus nature’s pulse is drowned out by the airplanes and cars, these noises deaden my longing for the Shore. I feel like a machine in routine, as if im the shutter in my studio’s sinar, opening and closing, as an allowance for a brief exposure to the greater world of mankind and its demanding punctual pace. Look out world, I may just photograph a can beer, then drink 18 more and when im really fucking wasted i’ll yell at the top of my lungs! You fucking assholes! Its easy to see why im mad. Howard Beale “The Network”

Ive been thinking more about the blog, the idea of a blogging. What is it that we are actually attempting to do here? Is this some outward expression of everyone’s desire to talk about themselves? Or are we here to create a collective understanding of the enigmatic nature of, life, art, and culture? I ask myself these questions to help clarify purpose, something I constantly do in my life.  Its extremely hard to vocalize the implications of the virtual world, in its proper contemporary context and understanding.  Currently, we create terms for things that we dont complete understand, and these terms are enough for novel experiences and ideas to exist comfortably in our accepted scope of reality, ie. blog, internet, server.  I find the nuanced role and importance of the virtual world is inadequately defined by our current language and cultural assumptions.  We are the children of the globalized Internet age.  What are the implications of a virtual collective such as this? Yes we are creating our own culture, but is this a salon? or is this public art? is this more akin to a country club or the ymca?

Well after thinking this over having a number of conversations with Matt Kelley about some things this past week, I have a proposition, nay, a contextual declaration. Sunday and Wednesday here to confront the polarizing tribal mentality that surrounds Art, life, and philosophy in contemporary society. Isolationism and the “hippster” (im hot and your not) mentality can only be seen as a plague of contemporary understanding and knowledge. This site is a tool of community organization, and serves no promotional or self-interested function outside of that.  Jesus was a community organizer and I would even so far as to say that this collective blog, Sunday and Wednesday, exists as a paradigm best understood as a post-religious uprising.  We meet twice a week and if you reading this you are already a member of our growing congregation.  Rather than preaching, our authors are here to hold a conversation and to listen to each other talk about work, life, and Art.  This conversation has designed new avenues for listening and providing feedback. Obviously the site is not free of flaw, or omnipotent; but this site is holy enough to demand mutual respect for all contributors and readers; Most importantly, the sacrament of this temple is our mutual goal and duty of sharing our work and what has come to pass, in hopes of better understanding its significance. Enjoy the last pictures of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Happy Sunday, thanks for visiting.

lablogotheque: Man Man Man Man #2 Man Man #3