And it was just getting good.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
The End?
The End?
Today's prompt made me think of Da Vinci and the connection between seemingly opposite, disparate things. Every ending is a new beginning. I think that although it is the end of the course, we all have learned so much about the creative process and have gained practical tools that we can carry to our residencies and beyond. The course may be ending, but we all have new beginnings that are quickly approaching. This course inspired me to get a new sketch book, which I hope to fill with lessons learned, successes and mistakes, and thoughts for innovation. Endings bring new beginnings and I am ready to fill page one...
Day 39: The End
My Way
And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
...
- Frank Sinatra
I think that this final post is bittersweet. I've enjoyed and struggled along the way with the entire semester and the course. I always looked forward to what the class had posted. Although I'm glad to be nearing the end of the semester, I will miss the blog prompts. Go forth and innovate.
The End
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again
Okay, so at 36, am I too old to be quoting The Doors? Perhaps, but old habits die hard. At one time I could recite the entire lyrics to most Doors albums in my sleep, though I admit that I now had to look the words up to check my memory of them. When Doug told me that the post prompt for today, the last prompt, was "the end," these words were the first thing that popped into mind.
It's been a really fun class. This class, focusing on the self, on thinking ~ creativity ~ innovation and harnessing the power of the mind -- served as a nice balance in contrast to some of the other classes offered this term. I really enjoyed the books that we read for class, the case studies, and the projects. I really enjoyed our in-class discussions. Although structured, I never seemed to know where we'd end up once we got going. And we were always pushing it time-wise, with so much to say in only two short hours. I think our desire to keep talking past the bell says a lot.
This challenge of daily prompts has been tougher than I thought it would be. How hard could it be to just post something on the blog everyday? It turns out that, when everything else in the world is going on, sometimes it was harder than you would think. That being said, I'm happy with the work I produced, for the most part, and had fun doing it. I was always consistently surprised and impressed with the work of the other fearless four who took the class. Good on ya, too!
So for this last post, I thought I would take a picture of the hallway in my apartments, as I thought about this class walking to my unit after Doug dropped me off (thanks for all the rides, Doug and Donnie!). I went with the metaphor of the light at the end of the tunnel. I think we are all starting to see it. Fourth semester coming to an end, fifth about to start. Our countdowns to Orals in full effect, stresses of relocating starting to ramp up.
We will march forward, new found skill sets and ideas in hand, and hope to make a difference wherever we go, whatever we do. Making a difference is all we can strive for, right? I hope we stay in touch, either via email, Facebook, LinkedIn - or even the blog!
Because I look forward to hearing from how y'all are doing, and exchanging stories down the road of how we took LTC Bonica's teachings, and did cool sh** with them.
Good luck, and keep innovating. Keep stealing like an artist. Y'all will see me out there somewhere. Fakin' it till I make it.
Valdez
Valdez
The light at the end of the tunnel
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Self Portrait
Self Portrait
For today's theme I wanted to take my original photograph (I was inspired by Donnie's post) and add a twist. I thought about Inside the Box and Gore and how they recommend taking an existing product and reframing it. I liked how Inside the Box discussed identifying critical components and the method of subtraction. What components comprise my self-portrait could be subtracted without making it unidentifiable? I always thought that the necessary attributes of self portraits are the eyes and the nose, but like the Mona Lisa, is a self-portrait the same without the mouth? I played with the portrait to see if the slimmest portion of the picture were still identifiable and which parts could be subtracted. The photos attached were part of that process.
self-portrait
"You are a mashup of what you let into your life." - Austin Kleon
Literal:
and figurative:
"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." - John 6:35
Who are you? what you let into your life. Every day, every minute is a choice of what you let in and what you keep out. We are a work in progress.
Literal:
and figurative:
"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." - John 6:35
Who are you? what you let into your life. Every day, every minute is a choice of what you let in and what you keep out. We are a work in progress.
Day 38: Self-portrait
Self-portrait
10 lbs lighter than when we started the semester...
despite all of my stress eating!
Self-Portrait(s)
For today's prompt of self-portrait, the forces of the universe shifted directions, aligned, and gave me two great opportunities.
I was walking down the hall at the AMEDD Center and School and ran into one of my old soldiers, WO1 Carlos Rivera. We last saw each other in 2003. Seeing him was a real treat as he was one of my best soldiers, we won Soldier and NCO of the Year at Ft. Belvoir right before I got out. Great to see that he went on to become a sergeant first class and is now a brand new warrant officer. He looks pretty much the same.
Another cool story. This is CW3 Jonathan Richardson. I met him on June 28th, 1995, the day that I drove up to Portland, went to the Military Entrance Processing Station, and raised my hand to enlist. The staff sergeant that was working with me introduced me to Jonathan. It turns out that he had also signed up to be a 91A (Medical Equipment Repairman). We sat next to each other on the plane to Missouri, attended Basic Training together at Ft. Leonard Wood, and attended tech school at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center together. After that, our paths diverged, and I didn't see him again until a few years ago at the 2012 AAMI Conference. I bumped into him again today! He's teaching the class that my other friend, Carlos, is now in. The old guard Chief Warrant Officer teaching the new guard, the "wobbly ones." We went to lunch and I snapped a pic.
You have to love the AMEDD Center and School. It's a small world. Sometimes the Army makes it even smaller.
I was walking down the hall at the AMEDD Center and School and ran into one of my old soldiers, WO1 Carlos Rivera. We last saw each other in 2003. Seeing him was a real treat as he was one of my best soldiers, we won Soldier and NCO of the Year at Ft. Belvoir right before I got out. Great to see that he went on to become a sergeant first class and is now a brand new warrant officer. He looks pretty much the same.
Another cool story. This is CW3 Jonathan Richardson. I met him on June 28th, 1995, the day that I drove up to Portland, went to the Military Entrance Processing Station, and raised my hand to enlist. The staff sergeant that was working with me introduced me to Jonathan. It turns out that he had also signed up to be a 91A (Medical Equipment Repairman). We sat next to each other on the plane to Missouri, attended Basic Training together at Ft. Leonard Wood, and attended tech school at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center together. After that, our paths diverged, and I didn't see him again until a few years ago at the 2012 AAMI Conference. I bumped into him again today! He's teaching the class that my other friend, Carlos, is now in. The old guard Chief Warrant Officer teaching the new guard, the "wobbly ones." We went to lunch and I snapped a pic.
You have to love the AMEDD Center and School. It's a small world. Sometimes the Army makes it even smaller.
That's me in the front right. That's Jonathan in the 2nd row, second from the left.
Self Portrait
I decided to take a current self portrait based on the busy last week of 4th semester. I staged the picture but I think it shows what many of us have been feeling this week.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Toys
Titan's Toys
Today's prompt made me stretch my creative process. Admittedly, there aren't too many toys that are inside the box of my home, school, or immediate environment. I wanted to capture my dog Titan's toys since I thought that this was most relevant to today's prompt.
Angry Dinosaur and WoodBoy
I did a series of silly photographs featuring Angry Dinosaur, Misanthropic Pig, WoodBoy, WoodMan, SideKick!, and R2. You can see some more here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/23119666@N03/sets/72157625765534484
Day 37: Toy
So, all day I've been toying with the idea of skipping this post,
but here I've attempted a different kind of subtraction.
In this photo, what I find most alarming is the absence of toys.
This room is often littered with toys from bow to stern.
This room is so peaceful without toys.
Toys
For todays prompt I recreated something my children seem to enjoy doing. You take a box of toys, dump them on the floor, and then leave to go play with something else!
Toy
"Oh, Ken.....do you really think that achieving simultaneous
cost, quality, and access is impossible...?"
Friday, April 18, 2014
Iron: A Blogjam of Ideas
Iron.
Idea #1 Knee-jerk response. Take a picture of my iron, the one that has gotten me through grad school (so far).
#2 Second thought. Take a picture of the armpit of my green polo shirt that has the impression of an iron, blackish burn marks on it. Me: "I need to get a new polo! I burnt my green one ironing it somehow." Linc: "Iron? Too much. Wash and wear, really."
#3 So then I thought I thought I'd log onto the blog. Damn. Irons already abound! Need to do something else.
#4 Google Iron. Etymology. Nothing really inspiring. Type all the letters of the alphabet before the word iron in the search bar. AIRON BIRON (a hockey player comes up) CIRON DIRON EIRON FIRON KIRON (Russian tennis player). This is getting me nowhere.
#5 Iron. Ironic? Something with that?
#6 Iron Man? What can I do with that???
#7 Ironside! The cop show from the sixties (or was it seventies?) about a detective played by Raymond Burr who fights crime from his wheelchair. Get it? Wheelchair? Ironsides? Maybe I'll make a meme. So I Google image Ironside, and ...
#8 I end up with lots of pictures of Michael Ironsides, one of the staple bad guys of the 80s and 90s. Really only played a good guy once that I can remember. The teacher turned sergeant in Starship Troopers. Maybe I'll write an ode to Michael Ironsides. Loved him in Total Recall ...
#9 Wait. Ironsides. Plural. Reminds me of Old Ironsides, the name of the 1st Armored Division at Ft. Knox. Let me Google image that. But instead I get ...
#10 Lots of images of this beautiful old ship. The USS Constitution. It was an old naval vessel that they were going to decommission. But then Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. wrote this poem about it, and both Holmes and the ship shot to fame. Save the ship! People rallied, people petitioned. People raised money. And the ship was saved. It is now the oldest remaining American ship that is still afloat. I have included the poem below, with the next idea.
Aye tear her tattered ensign down
long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar;--
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee;--
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!'
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
#11 Oliver Wendell Holmes. Why is that name so familiar? Wasn't he a Supreme Court Judge? Google. No, this Oliver Wendell Holmes lived in the 1800s and was a physician, poet, physician, lecturer and author based in Boston, according to Wikipedia. Oh, now I see. I was thinking of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.. Why was I thinking of that Holmes? Right. Because I read about him when I looked up Justice Benjamin Cardozo, the justice who wrote the principal opinion for Schloendorff vs. Society of New York Hospital. "Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body..." It's all coming together. Coincidental integration.
#12 Back to Old Ironsides. I find the logo. The one that was ubiquitous while I was stationed at Ft. Knox. The one that was the name of one of the roads that ran through post. Visions of tanks and heavy armor and hot humid Kentucky days spent sipping now forgotten brands like Clearly Canadian.
#13 Reading about the history of Old Ironsides, and catching a funny story. The name of the unit comes from Major General Magruder, who was in a pinch. It was 1940 and Patton had just named the 2nd Armored Division "Hell on Wheels." The 1st Armorded Division lacked a name. General Magruder held a contest but none of the entries really grabbed him. Then, a moment of genius. Magruder had just bought a painting of ... you guessed it - Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution, during a fundraiser aimed at maintaining the famous fighting ship, and Magruder decided to name his unit after it. He saw similarities between the "spirit of daring and durability" in the ship as he did in his tanks and the rest is history. You can check out the whole story at the link below.
Idea #14 Call it a night! I'm going to bed!
Idea #1 Knee-jerk response. Take a picture of my iron, the one that has gotten me through grad school (so far).
#2 Second thought. Take a picture of the armpit of my green polo shirt that has the impression of an iron, blackish burn marks on it. Me: "I need to get a new polo! I burnt my green one ironing it somehow." Linc: "Iron? Too much. Wash and wear, really."
#3 So then I thought I thought I'd log onto the blog. Damn. Irons already abound! Need to do something else.
#4 Google Iron. Etymology. Nothing really inspiring. Type all the letters of the alphabet before the word iron in the search bar. AIRON BIRON (a hockey player comes up) CIRON DIRON EIRON FIRON KIRON (Russian tennis player). This is getting me nowhere.
#5 Iron. Ironic? Something with that?
#6 Iron Man? What can I do with that???
#7 Ironside! The cop show from the sixties (or was it seventies?) about a detective played by Raymond Burr who fights crime from his wheelchair. Get it? Wheelchair? Ironsides? Maybe I'll make a meme. So I Google image Ironside, and ...
#8 I end up with lots of pictures of Michael Ironsides, one of the staple bad guys of the 80s and 90s. Really only played a good guy once that I can remember. The teacher turned sergeant in Starship Troopers. Maybe I'll write an ode to Michael Ironsides. Loved him in Total Recall ...
#9 Wait. Ironsides. Plural. Reminds me of Old Ironsides, the name of the 1st Armored Division at Ft. Knox. Let me Google image that. But instead I get ...
#10 Lots of images of this beautiful old ship. The USS Constitution. It was an old naval vessel that they were going to decommission. But then Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. wrote this poem about it, and both Holmes and the ship shot to fame. Save the ship! People rallied, people petitioned. People raised money. And the ship was saved. It is now the oldest remaining American ship that is still afloat. I have included the poem below, with the next idea.
Aye tear her tattered ensign down
long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar;--
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee;--
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!'
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
#11 Oliver Wendell Holmes. Why is that name so familiar? Wasn't he a Supreme Court Judge? Google. No, this Oliver Wendell Holmes lived in the 1800s and was a physician, poet, physician, lecturer and author based in Boston, according to Wikipedia. Oh, now I see. I was thinking of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.. Why was I thinking of that Holmes? Right. Because I read about him when I looked up Justice Benjamin Cardozo, the justice who wrote the principal opinion for Schloendorff vs. Society of New York Hospital. "Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body..." It's all coming together. Coincidental integration.
#12 Back to Old Ironsides. I find the logo. The one that was ubiquitous while I was stationed at Ft. Knox. The one that was the name of one of the roads that ran through post. Visions of tanks and heavy armor and hot humid Kentucky days spent sipping now forgotten brands like Clearly Canadian.
#13 Reading about the history of Old Ironsides, and catching a funny story. The name of the unit comes from Major General Magruder, who was in a pinch. It was 1940 and Patton had just named the 2nd Armored Division "Hell on Wheels." The 1st Armorded Division lacked a name. General Magruder held a contest but none of the entries really grabbed him. Then, a moment of genius. Magruder had just bought a painting of ... you guessed it - Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution, during a fundraiser aimed at maintaining the famous fighting ship, and Magruder decided to name his unit after it. He saw similarities between the "spirit of daring and durability" in the ship as he did in his tanks and the rest is history. You can check out the whole story at the link below.
Idea #14 Call it a night! I'm going to bed!
Source: http://yankeetirade.com/Old_Ironsides.html
Iron(s)
I walked around my apartment today looking for iron things. I came up with an iron, cast iron pan and my 1911. I'm not happy with this post but it is friday and I am lowering my standards.
Iron
“Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.”
-Leonardo Da Vinci
I sought inspiration for today’s prompt and was surprised to come across a quote by Leonardo Da Vinci. I felt it would be appropriate for the course, not only because it was derived from him, but because it also speaks to many of our discussions about how the daily posts help us to routinize the creativity process. Da Vinci states that we must continually work on refining our creativity skills and sharpening our minds. I think that this course has really made me appreciate that process.
Day 37: Iron
IRON
As Easter
approaches I
reflect on the
IRON that
nailed Jesus
to the cross on what we IRONically call good Friday.
These nails were only part of the torture and suffering that
HE endured
for me. As
I reflect on
HIS sacrifice
I am reminded
of the lyrics of
a country song:
"I will cling to the
old rugged cross
and exchange it
someday for a
crown."
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Morning
When I read the prompt today I thought of breakfast. I had plans to make bacon and eggs and then take a picture. After working with my Op Mgmt Group, taking the toyota tour and then going to a study session I do not have time to make breakfast (plus I'm not even home). So this prompt turned into a closed box exercise. This week has been busy and I thought about my morning routine.
Get up, get ready, eat breakfast in the truck, start studying in class.
Get up, get ready, eat breakfast in the truck, start studying in class.
Morning
In the same old spot, a similar position,
Work piled up, not without warning.
Extending the day, pushing back bedtime,
More to do, can't wait until morning.
Day into night, night back into day,
My sense of today slips away.
Bleary eyed, fueled by caffeine,
The solitude of night is sadly serene.
The sky was red, black, and now it is grey,
I've completed my tasks, all is okay.
But
I never said goodbye to yesterday,
It is gone forever
And now I'm in mourning.
Work piled up, not without warning.
Extending the day, pushing back bedtime,
More to do, can't wait until morning.
Day into night, night back into day,
My sense of today slips away.
Bleary eyed, fueled by caffeine,
The solitude of night is sadly serene.
The sky was red, black, and now it is grey,
I've completed my tasks, all is okay.
But
I never said goodbye to yesterday,
It is gone forever
And now I'm in mourning.
Morning
Morning
Morning
Morning is a great time of reflection for me. It signals the start of a new day, with fresh possibilities. I got a picture online and tried to add a dark film over to signify the light breaking through the darkness of night for a new day. I also tried to integrate a Da Vinci technique by listing the first thing that came to mind with respect to my senses for morning:
Sight- pink and orange watercolor sky
Sound- birds chirping
Taste- bitter coffee
Smell- fresh grass from morning dew
Touch- warm soft blankets
IDE teams up with IDEO
The International Development Enterprise (IDE) group has teamed up with IDEA to create a free toolkit that non-profits and NGOs can use to affect change in the world.
Check it out!
http://www.ideo.com/work/human-centered-design-toolkit/
Check it out!
http://www.ideo.com/work/human-centered-design-toolkit/
 |
| http://www.ideo.com/work/human-centered-design-toolkit/ |
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Reflection
Five minutes to spare!
I took this photo at sunset this evening. I like the outside inside quality of it. The reflection of my apartment interior is subtle, almost ghost like. The look of it reminds me of the reflection on the side of a wet, slimy bubble, floating around a happy child on a summer day.
Reflection
Twelve months of study
May not have been sufficient
To rearrange neural code
Though many of us wish it
Reflection
Reflections
Today's prompt made me think of reflections in water. Although the image is a bit distorted and replicated, I appreciate the soft qualities of reflections in standing water.
Reflection
I was reflecting on all the prompts we have completed this semester. My morning ritual now includes checking for today's prompt and then checking the blog to see what everybody posted yesterday.
I don't do many written posts. We only have a few prompts left so I thought I would try a haiku. It was harder than I thought it would be. Getting the 5-7-5 structure is easy, getting something that makes sense is hard.
I don't do many written posts. We only have a few prompts left so I thought I would try a haiku. It was harder than I thought it would be. Getting the 5-7-5 structure is easy, getting something that makes sense is hard.
Lowered
my standards
Found
occasional success
Five
more to complete
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Soft
Soft
I tried to utilize Inside the Box thinking to identify objects in my immediate environment that embodied soft. I found napkins, blankets, towels, and tissues, but thought that the seat cushion provided a varietiy of different twists on the soft theme: soft lighting, soft texture, soft edges, and soft coloring.
Soft
I am going to steal like an artist for todays post. I really liked Valdez's Rothko attempt from an earlier post. I think the soft edges in rothkos paintings suit todays theme. I used the MS paint program and thought some of the brush tools were pretty effective.
Here is my attempt, I'm calling it a Rothdez!
Soft
Day 34: Soft
Soft is the Tenderfoot that reverently sings these words:
Softly falls the light of day,
As our campfire fades away.
Silently each Scout should ask,
"Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honor bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Have I done and have I dared,
In everything to Be Prepared?"
I find it humbling that the institution that made me such a strong individual
starts with such a soft and malleable youth and molds them into hard men.
W
W W
Monday, April 14, 2014
My Ideas, My Boss's Property
Cool story that made me think of this class.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/14/opinion/my-ideas-my-bosss-property.html?referrer=
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/14/opinion/my-ideas-my-bosss-property.html?referrer=
spirit
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, I guess I think that maybe there's something after we die, but I don't know what."
"None of us do."
"True, but I don't even like to think about it."
"Aren't you worried?"
"What, about being wrong? About going to ... Hell?"
"Yeah."
"I told you. I really don't think about it."
"Seems kind of risky."
"Maybe."
"Think you might change your mind when you get older?"
"I might. I've thought about that."
[laughing] "Really?"
"Yeah, sure, why not. Kind of like cramming for The Big Test."
[laughing more] "Stop."
"What? I'm serious! I might be going to church everyday when I'm 80. Have a lot of making up to do."
"I don't think it works like that."
"How do you know?"
"I go to Church!"
"And they talk about that?"
"Well, maybe not exactly."
"So then?"
"Well, I'm just saying it seems kind of risky."
"Why?"
"I don't know, like your gaming God."
"Gaming God. I like the sound of that."
"Sounds like a movie."
"Or an album."
"Yeah."
"Wanna jam?"
"Okay. Let's go. I'll grab a sixer and a pack of smokes."
"Sounds risky."
"Ha ha."
Spirit[ed Away]
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