Straight from Colombia

Hey everyone. Haven't posted in ages, need to get back on track with this site. But for now I'm on vacation in Cartagena, Colombia, and I wanted to share one of my favorite new images. We had just gotten into the old city, dropped off our bags, and headed over for some of the best ceviche in the world at la cevicheria. These two kids came up and started rapping for us which was unexpectedly awesome, I'll make sure to post some of the video for you to see. Tipped them some pesos for their performance and asked for a quick picture, couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

A Quick 9/11 Recollection from Jackson Barnett

Hello,

Has it really been ten years since 9/11? Sometimes it seems like less but sometimes more. I’m not sure because I don’t know how to tell time.

Ten years ago I was in fourth grade with Chris. We were at Laurel Oaks Academy. It was a little private school.

I remember 9/11 distinctly even though it was so long ago for me. We were in Mrs. Pascal’s reading class. I’m sure I wasn’t paying attention. Someone came into the room and told us that a plane had accidently hit something called the World Trade Center. I was in fourth grade. I had no idea what that was. I just imagined someone crashing into a building with one of those AirHog remote control toys. A little while later, another teacher came into our room and whispered something into Mrs. Pascal’s ear. Her face went white. It was usually white but much more pale than normal. I was a fairly bright kid. I’m not anymore but back then I knew something was going on but didn’t really get what. We weren’t allowed to know anything at that point and we kept on learning about books.

As the school day wore on, kids in my class kept getting pulled out of class until there was less than ten of us left. I remember being mad, wondering why my mom didn’t pick me up early from school like everyone else? Then, at some point in the afternoon our class was marched to the front office where we were sat in front of a TV and shown what was going on in the country.

I don’t think it really registered with me then. What I was watching was horrific in the worst way but for a fourth grader with no context of world events outside of Nickelodeon, I couldn’t really grasp the magnitude of what I was seeing.

My mom’s friend picked my brother and I up from school and dropped us off at home. I came into the house and saw CNN on the big TV with the image of the World Trade Center falling to the ground right before my eyes. My mom walked into the room and she was crying. That’s when it hit me. I had never seen my mom cry until then. All I knew was that whoever did this had made my parents, the best people in the world cry and I only remember being mad about that.

Now, I’m a slightly less mature nineteen year old fully aware of the effect 9/11 has on my generation as a conscious defining event. One of my professors said that these men who did this were evil geniuses and masterminds. He’s wrong. Any fool can destroy a building. I’ve had enough experience with Lego to know this first hand. It takes a truly incredible group of people to build and rebuild with strength and hope like we are today.

Photo of the Day - Chase Jarvis NYC Exhibit

Hey everyone. Haven't posted in awhile, like usual these days (unfortunately). I've been in Orlando the past couple days staying with some friends and getting ready to head back to Miami for school. When I was in DC this summer I took a quick trip with my brother and friend to go to NYC for the weekend. I made sure to stop by Chase Jarvis' Dasein exhibit at the Ace Hotel. The photos and setup were very interesting, and you can read more about it over on his site. This photo stood out, probably because of its disturbing nature, but weirdly captivating. The photo ellicits such an unnatural response; being confronted by the startling subject matter is uncommon and I think the reason why one wants to keep investigating the photo visually.

Ecology of Love ft. Pharrell Williams

Came across this interesting short film featuring Pharrell Williams the other day and thought it was worth sharing. I'm a big fan of Pharrell, not just for his music but for his insight and involvement in the art world, various global issues, creativity, sustainability and other realms. He is very socially conscious, uses his resources to support great causes, and I love that. I actually got to see him speak on a panel with Bill Clinton at a Clinton Initiative event that was held at the University of Miami awhile back. The film, aesthetically, is fantastic. I'm still digging for the deeper meaning, and how I can relate to it, but haven't quite found that yet. Nonetheless it intrigued me, and though it was definitely worth sharing here. Let me know what you think of the video, I'd love to discuss it. Enjoy!

Malcolm Gladwell at Cannes Lions 2011

I stumbled across this video interview with Malcolm Gladwell at the Cannes Lions 2011 International Festival of Creativity, and thought it was worth sharing here. The questions are quite interesting, and Malcolms responses are witty and insightful. It's only a couple of minutes, so take a look and feel free to share any thoughts in the comments below. I think I am going to startin posting more interesting content like this, so if you think thats a good idea let me know, if not, let me know that too.

Photo of the Day - Chelsea Market Clock

Stumbled on this clock hanging in Chelsea Market in NYC. The market is awesome, so make sure to check it out, right underneath the very cool Highline park when you're in the city. 

Photo of the Day - St. Maarten Sunset

Photo of the Day - Vintage Paris Pano

Hey everyone. Haven't posted in a while and wanted to get a new photo up. I had been working on this pic for quite some time, ended up with a hefty .psd file over 1gb! This is a handheld pano shot I took in Paris last summer, I like the vintage look. I've been posting a lot recently on 500px, the site is incredible, so make sure to check it out. Here is my profile. Hope you like it!

Photo of the Day - Purple Rope

Photo of the Day - Shwoods

Hey everyone. This is a quick shot I snapped of my new sunglasses I grabbed while on the beach in St. Maarten. I stumbled on this lesser-known brand called Shwoods through a friend of mine. All of their glasses are made of entirely hand-carved, sustainably sourced wood and they are really cool. They are the "Canby" model and are made of Zebrawood. I got them with Carl Zeiss Polarized lenses, which are definitely worth the extra couple bucks. Fair warning, if you are going to order them make sure to do so well ahead of time. When they say hand made, they mean it, because it took just over a month from ordering to receive them. It was a long wait, but well worth it. I love to support small sustainable companies like this, the glasses are very unique, look great, and are reasonably priced. Make sure to check them out!