I didn't intend to use the blog for personal stuff, but what the heck....I might as well throw a few personal things in the mix. Speaking of mixes, I'm posting the music from my aunt's birthday party. I would send each of you a piece of birthday cake if I had names and addresses. Those of you who know me know it's my thrill in life to match the music to the situation, and how much I love to find new artists (or old artists who didn't get there due attention) and get people excited about their music. Thus, I present the following mix. Surgeon Generals Warning: To be consumed with tapas, cocktails, and the scent of recently blown-out candles. Happy Birthday Aunt Donna and much love!

NEW PROJECT: Thunder in the Desert

I know many of you saw on some of my social networking posts that I was looking for models for a set of new projects. These projects are a series of narrative still images and multimedia vignettes… basically, a merging of my two worlds, film and photography. They’re taking a long time to put together because of schedules, travel, and post-production, but I’m excited with the initial results.

The first story we’re doing is a retake of John the Baptist. We’re using some of his icons and his personal story, but then taking a fashion/editorial approach. Merrick Pickens is playing John for the shoot, which has turned out to be a very fitting choice. We both understand and respect the intensity of his story and want the same elements of repentance and prophecy to come through. We’re having a blast coming up with new takes on his life.

I look at John the Baptist as kind of the Batman of the Bible. He’s intense, brooding and incredibly complex. He has complete confidence in moving in the Lord, yet he’s the picture of humility when he actually faces Him.

We started shooting about a year ago, and shot for 2 days solid, (over 700 frames). We got some really interesting stuff, but the project is continuing to evolve, so we’ll be shooting again whenever both of our schedules are clear.

While the John the Baptist projects takes shape, I’m continuing framing out and casting the other stories, so the model/face call is still open. I’ll continue to post updates as they come. In the mean time, I’ve sprinkled in few of my favs from the first shoot as a sneak preview. Feel free to comment...

The Story Behind "That Girl & Her Dog"

So the title of my blog is “That Girl and Her Dog”. It comes from the Wizard of Oz where the witch (who still kind of scares me a little, by the way) says, “Bring me that girl and her dog.” I never understood why the Wicked Witch wanted Toto, too. I hope she wasn’t going to kill him. That’s a sadistic thought.

Anyway, I have my own Toto. His name is Winston and he out-weighs Toto by 85 lbs. He would still try to fit in a picnic basket, though. He doesn’t have a very realistic self-image. I guess most of us don’t. Anyway, he is the most devoted friend I’ve ever had. I know that whatever I go through, we go through together. Hence the title. If I move into a 350 square foot studio in Manhattan, Winston will be right there on top of me. I’ve decided that every Dorothy needs a Toto. When you’re about to go on a journey, you need someone who is there for no other reason but to support you, and keep you out of harms way, and who doesn’t get mad no matter how many wrong turns you make.

I always said I was going to have a production company or record company or something named That Girl and Her Dog Productions. I think it’s even more fitting for the blog.

Side Note: HAPPY 4TH of JULY!!! This country is a gift.

THE FIRST ONE

On a recent trip to Vegas, I stumbled upon a life lesson. I certainly didn’t go to learn about life. I went to celebrate a huge task being over. The lesson came from the obscurest of places… a slot machine. I had the worst luck while I was there. If I touched a machine, it would just take my $20 and stop winning. My stupidity was that I kept thinking that I would play that machine over and over, thinking eventually I’d hit something that would, at least, give me my money back, so I could walk away thinking, No harm done. However, it never came.

There is a statistical law that I learned about in college. The law states that everything must eventually balance out. If you flip a coin 100 times and you (miraculously) get heads every time, then should you flip it 100 more times you’ll hit tails. The odds will always win, no matter how much of a “streak” you think you ride. This law was my motive for staying at that losing machine. Eventually, I’ll start winning.

However on the last day there, I realized something. Life is a slot machine. Not the fair-balanced, statistically-sound slot machine of my dreams, but the one that seems to never stop loosing or never stop winning. Life is a machine of streaks, and though we’d love to believe that it all balances out, it doesn’t. You may never win. You may never loose. You may be at the highest of highs one minute, but that next pull may take you down to the bottom. You may think all is lost and then instantly you’ve got all your money back and them some. You may be (contentedly) just breaking even. What’s worse, is you may be stuck at a loosing machine in which you’ve invested your trust money for hours then give up and walk away, and the old lady that’s been machine-lurking you sits at the machine you were just playing and gets 5 wilds on the first pull.

The point is that you can’t let life’s unpredictability or imbalance keep you from playing at all. If you don’t risk anything you’ll never know how much it’s all worth. Sure, you’ll go through slumps and streaks, but the idea is to relish those winning streaks so much, that you can remember to keep trying when winning seems like a distant memory.

I write this blog after a series of slumps. Important slumps. Slumps that taught me lessons, that made me value life, and appreciate that I can’t control my circumstances. Shortly put, I’ve learned to trust the Lord, and let life throw at me what it may. This is a new day, though. I stand on the eve of new things, and in this new chapter I’ve decided to risk more, fear less, and love harder. Sure when you risk more, you may loose more, but you also may win more too. I just refuse to live my life afraid.