Blazing a new path... (the end)

Many of you have been kind enough to drop me a line wondering where I am as of late, and I'm flattered to say the least. I find it necessary to be honest, because of the time and effort so many of you have placed in coming to my site and sharing in my journey one way or the other. Over the course of this past year, I realized just how much time I was spending locked in front of a computer screen, typing away--partiuclarly with the blog. When all was said and done, there was this false sense of comfort that ensued, and while I don't mean to be judgemental, I just realized there was a lot that I was missing out on (i.e., fun things like singing High School Musical on Playstation with my daughter, or chasing trains with my son, or pushing forward with new artistic and challenging endeavors).

Blogging just wasn't for me, and still just isn't my thing. I enjoyed all the wonderful people I came in contact with, but I found myself wanting more "real" contact that could sustain itself more in my memories, rather than in the virtual world where "total hits" and "visitors" and "traffic" and all that jazz had consumed me--again, it just wasn't my thing.

For those who have cared to ask, I am currently at work on a short film that will head into production this July. I have never felt more confident about a film than I have about this one, and I can't wait to start shooting. What will I do with it when I'm done? Who knows? Maybe I'll destroy it like a Tibetan mandala.

I am also hard at work with my newest hobby: Building a G-Scale Garden Train City in my backyard with my children. I have a full-feature script that I have also been working on, which is top secret, so secret, my wife doesn't even know I'm working on it (Heck, I wonder if she will ever read this?). I am also working on a special photography project that I hope to unleash real soon, and I am looking forward to seeing my wife grow in her business as a children's photographer. I continue to be her biggest fan, and it just never ceases to amaze me how wonderful she is as a photographer.

I am learning a lot about what it means to be an artist, a true artist. In many ways, I find myself having to let go of so much in my life, all the excess baggage that has hindered me for so many years as an artist. I'm fortunate because I don't have to worry about making a living with my art, and that has made all the difference. I haven't had to compromise my ideals as an artist or worry about money. I can simply create for the sake of creation and satisfy the demons and angels inside that scream for creative release.

So, that's where I have been, and that's where I'll be: starting over. Blazing a new path. A REAL path. One that will sustain itself forever (hopefully) in my eyes and in the eyes of my children.

I wish you all well in your lives, and if there is anything to be gained by this post, it is hopefully the fact that you are no longer reading this, because you have realized that what I say really doesn't mean a thing. What matters most is the fact that we realize that we only have one life to live, so we better make each minute count. I certainly have no desire to die with my finger on the right mouse click, so I better......

taking shape...

Well, it has been some time my friends, and while I can say I have been busy with PROJECT CHILDHOOD (it's right around the corner), there has been little pockets of opportunity to dabble with new subjects: TEENAGERS. I blocked a two-day period for the shoot and I feel like the results were awesome. Take a look at a few of the shots. You can see the rest at onwardfilms.com

On a sidenote, I have to admit something that maybe my other writers out there can relate to: there is a story brewing inside and it's starting to find its way to the surface. Characters are beginning to speak to me, locations are popping into my mind. Scenes are developing and this fictional conflict that I have been living with for several months now is not only beginning to take shape, but it is also preventing me from sleeping at night. All I can say, is it's going to be big.

May all of you find the peace that you so rightfully deserve.

wonderful changes... wonderful new people

There are wonderful changes taking place at Onward Films, and I can't wait to share it with all of you--in due time. Perhaps the biggest change is my revamping of Project 4/23 into a bigger and better machine--entitled PROJECT CHILDHOOD--that will ultimately instigate more positive change about how we view children than the original project. Please check out the new blog at PROJECT CHILDHOOD to read up on all the great things going on and all the great people jumping on board to help support it.

I hope all of you will continue to be as supportive as you have been in the past. Together, we can (and we will) be the voices for those who sometimes cannot speak for themselves.

still pressing forward...

After further consideration, the California District Attorney's Association felt that they could not entirely offer their support to Project 4/23. As many of you know, this would be greatly detrimental to the purpose behind the project, since the press conferences were supposed to be the unifying factor that connected everybody whether it was through the local media attention or through the main website where individuals could find inspirational shorts aimed at celebrating childhood.

At first, I felt compelled to go on the offensive, perhaps because I feel so adamantly about this cause. And while I am still struggling to see how giving fifteen minutes of one's time is too much to ask, I cannot in good conscience allow any negativity to be cast on the main goal of ONWARD FILMS, so to pressure DA's to give fifteen minutes of their time would just seem absurd.

My goal was that they would want to do so, and truth be told, I will continue to support the CDA and all the work that they do on a day-to-day basis to help protect children, and I ask that you do the same. I also ask that you take the time to contact District Attorney Mike Ramos, and thank him for his support, since he was after all, the ONLY DA to offer his support.

I suppose beyond the surface of this change of events is some life lesson, one that teaches of persistence in the face of adversity and the fact that we cannot always mold others to our way of thinking (even if it is something as noble and much-needed as raising awareness for child abuse victims).

But the one lesson that will always remain constant not below the surface, is the fact that I will not be swayed from believing that we have a moral and legal obligation to protect children; therefore, I will continue to speak for those who cannot sometimes speak for themselves.

My question now remains for the 58 DA's in California: Without pressure, will you take fifteen minutes out of your day on April 23rd?

my daily dose of joy

One of the great joys I have is loving my job as a video instructor. My students bring me so much happiness, and never cease to amaze me at what they are able to accomplish at such a young age. Last year, three of my students were fortunate enough to receive coveted internships with NBC (two in NYC and one in San Diego). Here is a clip from a short piece that ran on Time Warner. I'm so proud of you Brenda and Michelle. Check out SEGMENT 1 and SEGMENT 2.

congratulations to lars the great...

Gina Lee Photography (my beautiful wife) recently held a really cool contest for all her clients and I had asked her if I could offer a short film as part of the prize package. I can't wait to film Lars baking his cookies. Who knows what forces will try to stand in his way as he sets out to bake the perfect cookie. Only time will tell, so stay tuned for further details.

Michelle, his mother, actually won the contest, and it's worth seeing all the hard work she put into winning. While all the entries had their own special touch, it was hers that stood out in the end. Please check out her entries at gina lee photography. Each one will make you think about your own life (in a good way) and all that we have to be thankful for.

my signature...

I had someone ask me the other day about that little flash of light found in a lot of my pictures. For those unfamiliar with photo/film lingo, it's actually called a lens flare, and its placement in my work has a story that dates back to June 18, 2004. What follows is a passage I wrote for a series of photos I took of my daughter after a Disneyland trip:

"It happened shortly after I laid my daughter down to sleep. While recuperating from our trip to Disneyand earlier that day, that ever so present fatherly intuition I hve come to value tells me to check on her one last time. Slowly, I push the door open and glance in, careful not to wake her up, but I am too late. There she is, leaning up against the inside of her crib, both hands stretched upward towards the sky.

"She is babbling, for that is all she can do at this early point in her life. My daughter is nearly fourteen months old, and as I watch her, undetected, I wonder to myself--who is she talking to?

"Having had a profound experience as a young child myself with what I truly believe to be an angel, I can't help but see the beauty in a child's arms reaching for the sky."

Picture this...

Thanks to District Attorney Mike Ramos, in one week I will present Project 4/23 at the bi-annual California District Attorneys meeting in Santa Barbara. I am hopeful that everybody will join forces to protect our children.

I have received several inquiries as to what you can do to help, so I've made a list:

First, realize that this is a revolution we are talking about. This is about fighting for the rights of the abused. Fighting for children. It's about giving them a voice. It's about preserving the future. Our future.

Project 4/23 is about taking one day and creating a unified front with one goal: TO CELEBRATE CHILDHOOD.

It is my strong belief that only after we come to see childhood as something worth preserving, can we hope to cut down on the abuse that takes place in our great nation.

QUICK FACT: Approximately every ten seconds, a case of child abuse is reported in the United States. You must realize and come to believe that YOU can make a difference.

Once you accept the power of your voice, it is time to act.

The web is a powerful tool. Email is a powerful tool. The networks that we have created are powerful tools, and so now it's time to put them to use for something that will change the way society starts to view childhood.

1. Start a blog or use the blog you already have to speak about Project 4/23. Encourage people to contact their District Attorney as a show of support. (Click here to find your County DA.) Please understand that DA's are used to receiving negative feedback all the time. Send them your praise for the efforts they are making, because I can assure you that every DA is committed to fighting for our children.

2. Send out an email to all of your friends and family and encourage them to do the same. Spread the word about Project 4/23. Feel free to link to my site: www.onwardfilms.com. This isn't junk mail. This is a revolution and remind them that by taking part in this project it will link them to the change that will take place. We will be able to sit back on April 23rd and see our efforts come to fruition. We will be a unified front fighting for our children.

3. Link or my blog or your blog to your website or a friend's website.

4. If possible and appropriate, consider asking your boss to link it to his/her site.

5. Talk about it as if the life of every child depends upon it.

6. Be creative and find other ways to spread the word.

We can no longer sit back and hope that someone else is doing their job. We must be the change that we hope to see in society. We are the change. Our voice is the change. Our actions are the change that will chip away the horrible stories we are forced to hear every week about some baby being tossed off a pier or locked away in a cupboard, bound with duct tape for days without food.

This is reality and it is happening before our eyes. I commend you for your efforts and I thank you for all that you are doing, and all that you will do. Please, the time has come to stand up for our children.

I love my chair

Hanging out with The Leap Frog Gang...

Spartans in the Orange Grove

Say hello to my Little Spartan. Last week we took a walk up to my favorite park and just hung out taking in the scenery. Ryder stumbled upon the orange grove and found time for a snack break, but not until he jumped up and down on a tree stump.

thankful for the buzz....

I must admit that I'm fairly new to the blogosphere, and at first, I was a little hesitant (thank you, Gina), but in recent months I have come in contact with so many kind people, and just today, I was awarded a Good Buzz Award. No matter what it is, to have Project 4/23 recognized in any shape or form means so much to me, because the topic of preserving and protecting childhood is a subject that is not only dear to my heart, but one that others are willing to take on wholeheartedly as well. Thank you.

COMING SOON: I just received wonderful news about Project 4/23. I can't wait to share it with you. It's HUGE!

Until next time.

a day at the park with my son...

This past Sunday Ryder and I took off to Prospect Park for a little father and son time, and we found all kinds of surprises: a blue toy, two oranges, a palm frond, and a beautiful view of the valley.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and it's the little moments like this that make my life all the more special. Thank you Ryder.

My first volunteer...

When the call went out for volunteers to help with Project 4/23 Silvia was the first person to step up and I can't thank her enough. Taking on this project means so much to me, and the fact that I have only met Silvia and her beautiful family only once means even more, because she has placed a lot of trust in me. You may recognize a few of the children in a picture she sent to me. You can see them in their own little shorts at Onward Films. Stay tuned for a look at the first District Attorney who has agreed to sign on, and my second volunteer who was kind enough to nominate me for blog of the day.

Our Christmas Light Display...

let the project begin...

All in one day, I had such great news come my way. One district attorney agreed to take part in Project 4/23, and someone with a gracious heart agreed to volunteer her time--all in one day. I am going to do something special to let you know who they are hopefully in the upcoming week, so stay tuned.

High School Musical Under the Stars

While one of the great joys of my Christmas display is being able to give a little slice of holiday cheer to the community, my main joy comes from the smiles of my children--which is exactly why I chose to put together a High School Musical display.