Continuing with the idea of this 100s list. I now will present 11-20 of concept, people, and things that have influenced my life.
11) Friends: Surrounding yourself with people that think like you and feel like you is a freeing feeling.
Friendship is a beautiful thing because true human connection is the very variable to which the human condition is centered around. I love my friends because each seem to represent something different in me. They also push for me to win my battles and are there when I cant. It is true that no man can truly be an island.You need people to bring laughter and hope into your life. That's why its so important. I really believe in the power of people- That's why I believe in my friends.
12) Music: A Pop allegory with a beat and killer hook.
To say that my music taste is eclectic is an understatement. There is so much about music that I love. Artist with a passion and talent carrying soulful tunes through the waves. I love a beat with a strong hook and sadly have fallen for pop junk way too often, but anything that carries a good sound is definitely on my play list. I guess I spend about 4 hours a day on average listening- But don’t ask me the words to any song.
13) Chocolate chip mint ice-cream: A wonderful emerald colored confection of mint and chocolate.
I don't know how chocolate chip mint ice-cream influences, but it does. I think that some of my most fondest memories was eating ice-cream. Its almost the only food I can think that has given me so much joy in life and how wonderful is that. I have always loved the taste of really good food and when your feeling down, only this minty goodness can perk you right up. I guess if coffee influences me so can mint chip ice-cream-yum, where's a spoon?
14) Journals: A hint of your life captured in a few words.
Secretly I have always kept a journal. I think for the last five years or so I have written everything in it. Mostly Its how I feel or what event has shaken me to the core. Writing lets me really focus my heart and mind. How I feel about something really only makes sense once I’ve written it out.
15) Stanley Kubrick: Filmmaking marvel and a profound creator.
Have you ever seen a Stanley Kubrick movie? If the answer to that question is no, then you are missing out on one of histories greatest visionaries in the film medium. His voice and passion was unparallel to any filmmaker of his time. I remember first watching A Clockwork Orange- and from the very first frame was completely mesmerized. Its his ability to tell a story with such gritty naturalistic bombastic force that has given his art such impact. Its the unnerving terror felt in The Shining and the brilliance of his conjured nightmares for Full Metal Jacket that has put him on this list. 2001: a space odyssey is a ridiculously underrated work of science-fiction noir and his power to provoke a response from his audience hasn't been matched, only copied.
16) Black Shoes: A man with a good pair of shoes is no man at all.
I like shoes that are reliable and have a strong fashion focus. Its funny really how much shoes have affected how I feel about myself. One of the first things people notice about a man is his shoes. Apparently a book came out that categorized men by what type of shoes they wore. Is it true? Can my shoes say everything about my personality? Maybe. I don't know, but what I do know is that a pair of shiny black shoes with a hip look is all I ever want to wear.
17) Batman: The dark knight lives as a symbol of a hero and a torn identity.
I've never read the Batman comics or really watched the campy series, animated series, or movies- But there is something greater that I get from Batman. When I was around 11, I came up with the idea of a series that dealt with the cape crusader as more of a man torn between the identity of a hero and his familiarity with the complex lives that we all live. His arsenal of gadgets, the rockin car, and of course the bat cave were all in my concept- But there was also the intrapersonal dynamics of his life (Robin, Batgirl, Alfred) and his love (Catwoman). I spent years coming up with the idea and writing each episode until I came up with 161. Then I just stopped, because somewhere along the line I noticed that every hero needs myth as part of his arsenal.
18) Water: A metaphor for the essence of a flourishing thought.
So many things on this list have shaped me in one way or another. Its interesting though to think of water this way. I love the rain, I could listen to it for hours and its so peaceful and calming. I love the ocean because the waves have always crashed so dramatically as if a symphony is playing right before your eyes. Its also water that I've been around when challenging contemplative thoughts in my head- as I sat on benches and looked out to see endless oceans or calming lakes I never felt more at peace. Water is cleansing and pure and its good for you. it has influence.
19) Hope: A feeling of ambitious ingenuity in ones own heart.
For me hope keeps my dreams alive. I constantly hope for things, but I know that one must always take an active part in their life in order for things to get done. I believe in prayer, because it gives you the chance to feel very passionate and strong for people and causes on this earth. I hope for a world that is better and for myself to constantly live up to the challenges put in front of me. Its also prayer that helps me up when I stumble into depressive states of being. I'm not that interested in hope without action, though- because I have always believed that one charts his own destiny.
20) Photography: In an instant the image is captured and the feelings begin.
A photograph says so much and I love the way that a picture can speak to you. I respect whatever I take a picture of....Its in a moment in time frozen where the meaning can later take shape. Everything can be art with a photographers eye. I haven't been doing photography for long, but pictures move me because they seem to speak volumes about their subject. Its hard to look at photo and not wonder about why it was even taken? What provoked the artist to capture that image forever stored in its own time? I love how a good picture can make amazing conversation for hours.
The first twenty parts of this 100s list is now finished and I find myself wondering how each of these things fit into my life and how important each one really is to me. So far the list has been easy, but I know that later down the line that it will get harder to decipher all the things that have influenced me in my life. It feels ambitious, because some are so easy to point out, but when I think of them- I can think of twenty more to go with that. This is what makes me who I am....I guess.
