I just finished reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I have always known of this book but never read it or even knew very much about what is was about.
I really wasn’t prepared by how relevant it was to so many situations occurring globally at the moment. The mass migration of populations due to climate changes, infrastructure collapse and economics, the refusal of a system to help and indeed the full demonisation of those in transit.
The language is beautifully simple and yet says so much about strength, sadness, suffering, perseverance and dignity.
Write down what you value; what standards you hold for yourself and for others. Write about your dreams for the future and your hopes for your children. Write about the struggle of your ancestors and how the hardship they overcame shaped the person you are today.
Write your biography, write down your memories. Because if you do not do it now, you may forget.
Write a list of things you would never do. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will do them.
Write a list of things you would never believe. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will either believe them or be forced to say you believe them.
Humanist radicalism … seeks to liberate man from the chains of illusions; it postulates that fundamental changes are necessary, not only in our economic and political structure but also in our values, in our concept of man’s aims, and in our personal conduct.
To have faith means to dare, to think the unthinkable, yet to act within the limits of the realistically possible; it is the paradoxical hope to expect the Messiah every day, yet not to lose heart when he has not come at the appointed hour. This hope is not passive and it is not patient; on the contrary, it is impatient and active, looking for every possibility of action within the realm of real possibilities.
– Erich Fromm from “The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness”
Also:-
The situation of mankind today is too serious to permit us to listen to the demagogues — least of all demagogues who are attracted to destruction — or even to the leaders who use only their brains and whose hearts have hardened. Critical and radical thought will only bear fruit when it is blended with the most precious quality man is endowed with — the love of life.
Watching the likes of Tony Blair and his -ites get so passionate against a distinctly democratic surge in the Labour Party with the legacy they left, makes one wonder why they didn’t think of applying that kind of passion in keeping the Tory Swing Voters they’re so adamant they need.
I missed this from Channel Four News a few weeks ago, it addresses some key points I think.
“When I look at ‘New Labour’ I wonder whether it wasn’t like trying to light a bonfire on a frozen lake – looked marvellous, bright lights, shining white, but you melted away your own support.”
One of the perks of doing this often is that it takes away the stigma of it being a big deal. So with this being the first for a while, let’s get on with it
It’s very difficult to ignore the news at the moment, it’s on my mind a lot, as I am sure with many others. There are terrible things happening to many innocent people. Just so you know this rambling meaninglessness has the days events weaved into its substance, if it’s not overt.
Making stop motion with an iPhone would appear to be living the dream, although I wouldn’t know because I live in Android. Would like to check out all those arty iPad apps though.
“Making films is all about—as soon as you’re finished—continually regretting what you’ve done. When we look at films we’ve made, all we can see are the flaws; we can’t even watch them in a normal way. I never feel like watching my own films again. So unless I start working on a new one, I’ll never be free from the curse of the last one. I’m serious. Unless I start working on the next film, the last one will be a drag on me for another two or three years.” — Hayo Miyazaki
This quote is completely robbed from a beautiful, beautiful picture essay by Victoria YingOn Sketchbooks, read it NOW.
Legendary animator who gave me life changing advice when I was a student continues to dish out the sermons when I find her on the Twitter many many years later.
Gove got the chop, which is mildly cheering, because he wantonly ground the education system into the ground. But you can still slap him for free, if you wish.
A stop motion trailer by Jim Batt for the supernatural thriller The String Diaries.
I'm just patenting the term "singularity crash" for when your Maya scene crashes, saves itself, fails, so deleting the project, ie ITSELF.
Been having a terrible time with the render farm and Maya, had the last PC die loudly in my face and decided to upgrade to Mavericks and Maya 2015, (with one of those new Mac Pro vase things supplied by my company). Anyways things are moving forward but still having a touch of trouble with hanging renders on the network. Getting a man to look at it, etc.
Friend and former colleague Jonathan Doe has, bold as brass, starting uploading his “sketches” to the twitter. Follow him.
Finally(ish). Andy Serkis being generally awesome on a podcast with the Nerdist people. I think a lot of what he has said about Mocap and animation and acting has been taken out of context in the past (particularly by me), the man is an artist and a visionary and any talk, inspired by work he has done, of either animation, or actors not being needed in the future, is largely conducted by idiots. Anyways enjoy.
Okey doke. That’s it. Children begin the (not as long as I remember) school holidays today, hopefully it will bring bigs things for us all. In a good way obvs.
Paul Greer 