This is the sixth essay in POISON, written originally circa 2011, and while it reads like an essay about fitness and training, I was ranting about the self-delusion of personal uniqueness (and its commercial implications).
"Pay attention. Understand your actual current condition. Define realistic objectives. Learn what it will take to achieve them. Execute and hold yourself to the standard you determined was required. Do not allow distraction. Pay attention."
Right there. That's the core of the entire thing: it's in you. It's the one thing that no one can teach you, or sell you snake oil for it.
Do the things that need to be done. When you don't feel like it, do them any way. Once they are done, then go do the things you do want to do. Or not. You put the effort.
Current society steers us towards a heavy dependence on the external when almost everything we need is already within us. All we need do is pause, examine, and then turn the acquisitive, roving eye away from the shiny things that demand our attention.
Actually, I have to say, the idea of a "magic jockstrap" sounds intriguing. I wish I had thought of that. Do mind if I market that? I think I could sell some of that snake oil. The demand for it seems limitless, which just about matches the supply.
That is a really nice photograph....black and white again. Love those.
This is one of my favorite essays from Poison. Its simple, fast, and to the point. It is as punk rock-esque as writing gets, and I have it on repeat in my mind.
The Q and NIK are a fine combo! I switched from NIK to Exposure some years ago and my experience has been very good. And that IR heater was wild; bright red glow that made a color sensor go slightly haywire but the unfiltered sensor from the Mono took it in and recorded something pretty incredible.
"Pay attention. Understand your actual current condition. Define realistic objectives. Learn what it will take to achieve them. Execute and hold yourself to the standard you determined was required. Do not allow distraction. Pay attention."
Right there. That's the core of the entire thing: it's in you. It's the one thing that no one can teach you, or sell you snake oil for it.
Do the things that need to be done. When you don't feel like it, do them any way. Once they are done, then go do the things you do want to do. Or not. You put the effort.
Current society steers us towards a heavy dependence on the external when almost everything we need is already within us. All we need do is pause, examine, and then turn the acquisitive, roving eye away from the shiny things that demand our attention.
Actually, I have to say, the idea of a "magic jockstrap" sounds intriguing. I wish I had thought of that. Do mind if I market that? I think I could sell some of that snake oil. The demand for it seems limitless, which just about matches the supply.
That is a really nice photograph....black and white again. Love those.
This is one of my favorite essays from Poison. Its simple, fast, and to the point. It is as punk rock-esque as writing gets, and I have it on repeat in my mind.
This, "as punk rock-esque as writing gets" is about the best compliment I've received. Thank you.
Every time I see how you used the Monochrom I get that itch again. Stunned that it pulled that much data from the IR of the heater.
Still resisting pulling the trigger. The Q and an aging copy of Nik still work for now.
The Q and NIK are a fine combo! I switched from NIK to Exposure some years ago and my experience has been very good. And that IR heater was wild; bright red glow that made a color sensor go slightly haywire but the unfiltered sensor from the Mono took it in and recorded something pretty incredible.
I’ve looked at Exposure, but I’m somewhat stuck in that “this works” functionality of the Nik suite.
I wondering the Monochrom was more sensitive to IR due to the lack of Bayer filter. In the way that astrophotography cameras are.
Mark…. There is such raw, basic truth in this. Great work
GC
Thank you for tuning in! Sometimes when I review these older essays the ideas remain surprisingly relevant.