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Johnny Cash is one of my personal heroes. He was authentic and truly didn’t care what the establishment thought about what he did. He always looked out for the underdog because more than a few times in his life, he was one. He recognized drugs and alcohol were killing him and he did something about it.  He came out against the Vietnam war when it wasn’t popular for a country singer to do so.

He was one of the greats both on and off stage so here’s to you Johnny! RIP brother.

This song says it all

If you can’t see the video click here.

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On this thanksgiving I’m thinking about some of the things I’m most grateful for. There are too many to name but… here goes:

Family – to be sure I have a great family. For the most part everyone is happy and healthy. They have always been supportive even in my craziest endeavors.

Some I’m closer to than others. My brother Ryan in Colorado has taught me a lot over the years about how to live life free. My mother is always a phone call away and ready to listen. My daughter is kind, artistic and my daily partner on this trip.

Friends – I have some great friends. Some I talk to often and some I rarely need to talk to, just knowing they are on the planet doing their thing is enough.

My work – I skate through this life doing things that I’m passionate about. I’m most grateful for my independent spirit. The theory that, if you do what you love you will be a success, is no longer a theory. I live it. Drown out the critics and keep your eye on the prize. You can’t fail.

All the best,
Brent

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The photos that Mr. Potter took at a health care expedition are very telling. Pictures of Americans being treated in cattle stalls. This event changed his perception and helped drive his leaving the insurance industry.

I’ll bite my tongue and let you draw your own conclusion. No matter which side of the fence you are on and especially if you are on the fence, please take a few to watch this very interesting interview.

If you can’t see the video follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QwX_soZ1GI

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Humans are no different. We are taught our limitations early and then live our lives based on that belief system. Our beliefs form our reality, not the other way around. If “I can’t do this because x” is my mantra then it is real. It’s a powerful realization that the only thing holding me back is me. It has virtually nothing to do with the outside forces that I perceive to be standing in my way.

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“Getty Images is committed to protecting the intellectual property rights and livelihood of the artists whose work we license. NORML is engaging in unauthorized use of Getty Images photographer Lisa Jack’s photograph of President Obama. Despite our requests, NORML continues to exploit the image without any license or permission of the copyright holder. Ironically, they even post a copyright notice on their infringing poster. We reject their position that this use is protected as fair use, as it is neither parody nor satire, and their fair use position is particularly troublesome given that NORML stands to profit from selling the posters. This unauthorized commercial use of the photograph constitutes copyright infringement, and Getty Images will aggressively pursue this matter as the copyright representative of the artist.”

In my humble opinion, the leaders over at NORML need to lay off the ganja when making crucial decisions. There is no getting around the fact that they are using this image for a commercial endeavor. Fair use does not apply to how this image is being used. A few questions to my bong smoking brothers and sisters:

a) do you really want to piss off the artistic community?
b) do you want to piss off the President who could possibly help your cause.
c) do you want to tangle with Getty Images? They have seriously deep pockets and it sounds like they are willing to go all the way on this one.

The decision to use this image was stupid. The decision to not cease using it is beyond moronic and offensive to people who try to make a living with their art.

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In my case it’s been 38 years as of today. Since I heard this quote about a week ago I’ve been thinking about it.

I am grateful for my life. It hasn’t always been easy and still isn’t at times. And to be perfectly honest I’ve felt less than grateful lately which is one of the reasons I’m writing this today.

I have a beautiful daughter who is wise beyond her years. I have a mother that embodies unconditional love. I create art and on good days I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I’ve experienced more than my fair share of amazing people in my life. I’ve lived much longer than I ever thought I would. The upside to being me far outweighs the down.

So what do I leave? I don’t know really. Maybe it is a masterpiece. Maybe it’s small things like teaching my daughter through examples, good and flawed. Being kind to someone that doesn’t receive a lot of kindness. Whatever it is, I’m more open than I’ve ever been to what life has in store.

All the best,
Brent

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I resisted the urge to get involved in yet another form of social networking but since all the cool kids are doing it I figured what the hell. I’ve been on Twitter for about 10 days now and I’m hooked. It’s a great way to get quick bits of info from friends, other people I follow (mostly related to art and photography.)It also helps me get the word out about deals. events, shows or really anything. A great little tool!

So… join me on Twitter. I’d love to hear what you have to say in 140 characters or less.

http://twitter.com/nakedgypsy

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If you haven’t read the story about the Air Force 1 “photo op” you can read about it here.

The White House has taken quite a beating over this and Louis Caldera, the director of the White House Military Office, has now resigned over the incident.

I agree that it was a little short sighted to do this over Manhattan without letting residents know, considering 9/11. However, all the headlines seem to focus on the $328,000 price tag. Now… that seems like a lot of money but photo shoots cost a lot of money and on that scale I’m surprised it wasn’t more. I’ve worked on shoots for Home Depot that cost more and the subject of the shoot was siding and garage doors.

It’s the cost of doing business for companies and yes for the government. If Bush would have been a better marketer he may have left office with an approval rating higher than 26%. And then again… maybe not.

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