Galapagos Islands Archives - ZO Magazine https://zomagazine.com/category/zzc/galapagos-islands/ Wed, 22 Sep 2021 15:23:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.3 https://i0.wp.com/zomagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Separator-circle-w.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Galapagos Islands Archives - ZO Magazine https://zomagazine.com/category/zzc/galapagos-islands/ 32 32 65979187 HORIZON OF CHANGE — Nature’s Anomalies https://zomagazine.com/method-to-the-madness-natures-anomalies/ Thu, 31 Dec 2020 20:22:26 +0000 http://zomagazine.com/?p=18212 The post HORIZON OF CHANGE — Nature’s Anomalies appeared first on ZO Magazine.

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January | HORIZON OF CHANGE

Method to the Madness: Nature’s Anomalies

By Tricia Stewart Shiu

Method to the Madness: Nature’s Anomalies – Read by Tricia Stewart Shiu

It is a part of human nature to find logic and meaning in our lives. Patterns and even pigeon-holing are common to our thought processes.

Then, there are those experiences that defy logic. Like the events of the last year. Although we may have different beliefs and explanations about why and how the events unfolded and the outcomes that followed, there is one unifying truth: something irreversible has happened. There is no going back to anything resembling last year’s definition of normal.

We stand stunned, on the precipice of a new year, unsteady in anything we once believed or understood as true.

Now what?

ARTISTIC ALLEGORY | LE MOT JUSTE

What is next on this oddly familiar, yet strangely undefinable journey?…

…Some things remain the same. The sun rises every morning and sets every evening. Other than that, the landscape and the people upon whom the sun rises, are changing more and more with each passing day. The answers can be elusive and the questions, numerous.

Quantum physics answer some burning queries, but not all. Religion has, yet another frame to place upon uncertain times. Perhaps, more esoteric methods can be used like psychics or mediums. Everyone is searching for something solid, anything logical on which to base their next theory.

Therein, lies the interpretation of our own understanding.

Sometimes, our “go-to” oracles are spot on, but other times, not so much, and when all seems like it might be gobbled up by a barrage of questions like: “what’s next” or “what if,” the best course of action is to look at “what is.” By doing so, we can gain a much needed moment of rest to gather our equilibrium.

In other words, it might be appropriate to gain some distance, from our perspective. Treat it all as a grand experiment and look at our lives, in a broad, general sense.

 

In an experiment, getting a “baseline” measurement, upon which we can compare and contrast all other observations is important. Then, afterward noticing the unusual, the inconsistent, and the “stand out” effects or anomalies, can offer insight into a question or course of action (if there is any to be taken.)

A recent article in Bright Side called, 9 Anomalies Proving That Nature Can Beat Anyone — Just Look at Its Power says, “…nature has a lot of other tricks up its sleeve like lakes that disappear overnight, raining fish and other amazing things that are so scary and impressive, people often try to provide explanations for them that are far from correct.”

Some even believe our entire planet is one big anomaly, Trevor Nace, Senior Science Contributor at Forbes, backs this summation up with several worthy examples, one of which is that “Earth is the only planet known to sustain liquid water, which covers 71% of the world’s surface. Liquid water is essential to life as we know it and is believed to be the key prerequisite to finding life on other planets.”

Anomalies are not random. If they are viewed from a perspective of wonder and awe, these irregularities can create a sense of hope and encouragement.

Rudyard Kipling, the poet, summed up managing the madness of life by saying, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…” In short, our circumstances do not define us, however, our response to those events does.

The next time an earth-shattering news event floods your feed, remember the consistently inconsistent occurrence of nature’s anomalies. There could just be a method to the madness, even if it is not.

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NOSTALGIA — Mom and Pop Art https://zomagazine.com/nostalgia-mom-and-pop-art/ Tue, 01 Dec 2020 02:58:30 +0000 http://zomagazine.com/?p=17705 The post NOSTALGIA — Mom and Pop Art appeared first on ZO Magazine.

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December | NOSTALGIA

Sociologically Subjective: Mom and Pop Art

By Tricia Stewart Shiu

Sociologically Subjective: Mom and Pop Art – Read by Tricia Stewart Shiu

“A revolution is on the way, and it’s partly because we no longer take our standards from the tweedy top. All over the country young girls are starting, shouting and shaking, and if they terrify you, they mean to and they are beginning to impress the world.”

Pauline Boty, The Public Ear, 1963

Simple and subjective, our upbringing can be a revolutionary, driving force or an authoritative, divisive wedge to artistic flow. Throughout the history of Pop Art, both masculine and feminine powers have defied and defined artistic sensibilities.

Mothers have had a profound influence in creative endeavors. Whether by actually creating Pop art or through motherly channel—that messy, one-of-a-kind, umbilical connection that has birthed some of the greatest artists and movements in history.

ARTISTIC ALLEGORY | LE MOT JUSTE

For example, the one and only female founder of British Pop Art, shook things up during her short time on earth (she passed at age 28). Pauline Boty (1938-1966) continued to create art through a pregnancy, cancer diagnosis during a pre-natal exam and birth of her daughter, sketching the Rolling Stones and releasing her final painting BUM, which was commissioned by Kenneth Tynan for “Oh, Calcutta!,” just months before her death. If you don’t, immediately, recognize her name, that is because her entire body of work was put in storage following her passing and was only released for exhibition after 1993. Boty, dubbed the “Mother of Pop Art,” delved deeply into the emotional undercurrent of society. What is most amazing, is that those themes, specifically the sexualization of women, are still, highly relevant today.

An article, “11 Female Artists Who Left Their Mark on Pop Art,” describes her art as: “Disorienting and experimental, Boty’s segment departed from those of her male compatriots—as did her practice. Rather than the cool detachment of a Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein, Boty’s works sprang from involved interest, referencing political subjects like the Cuban Missile Crisis.”

Although, there seem to be several “Fathers of Pop Art”—Richard Hamilton, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, to name three—the latter, garners the title for stellar, motherly influences in “fatherly” artistic advances.

Because Warhol was sick, quite a bit, as a child, his mother would sit with him for hours and they would create art projects together. Julia Warhola, said, “I buy him comic books. Cut, cut, cut. Nice. Cut out pictures from comic books.”

Warhol’s complicated bond with his mother would go on to spark one of the most well-known Pop Art pieces of all time. “In fact, the most eminent of Andy’s imagery—Campbell’s tomato soup can—was drawn from the nostalgy of his mother giving it to him for lunch every day after school.

Following him to New York City, his mother continued to collaborate with her son as Warhol’s artistic star began to rise.

“Julia Warhola had artistic aspirations herself, but it was her son’s passion that she fostered from childhood,” says Katie White in, ‘Thanks, Mom! 6 Famous Artists Who Loved Their Mothers So Much They Made Them Their Creative Muses.’ “Occasionally, her own pieces were given their own platform, as with her publication Holy Cats—a book filled with her whimsically drawn depictions of beatific cats—which she signed, not with her own name, but as “Andy Warhol’s Mother.”

Sociologically speaking, parental influence is highly subjective and fraught with judgement and opinion with regard to Pop Art. The best part of any movement, is riding those waves of heated judgements and influential understandings while, each of us, remembers exactly from where we came. Remembering is the key.

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Empirically Ephemeral: Stop Your Belly Aching and Get to Work https://zomagazine.com/empirically-ephemeral/ Fri, 30 Oct 2020 00:59:35 +0000 http://zomagazine.com/?p=16907 The post Empirically Ephemeral: Stop Your Belly Aching and Get to Work appeared first on ZO Magazine.

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NOVEMBER

Empirically Ephemeral: Stop Your Belly Aching and Get to Work

By Tricia Stewart Shiu

Empirically Ephemeral: Stop Your Belly Aching and Get to Work — Read by Tricia Stewart Shiu

 

The concept of “art” has taken on a whole new meaning. In fact, just about every task associated with producing a creative work, can be relegated to a daily chore or task with all the weight and drudgery of Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a hill.

 

But isn’t creativity supposed to be fun?

Empirical – verifiable by observation or experience

rather than theory or pure logic.

  Ephemeral – Fleeting. Lasting for a very short time.

ARTISTIC ALLEGORY | LE MOT JUSTE

Wishing you were anywhere but here? It might be the most apt wish you’ve ever had, given our current circumstances. Nothing is permanent.

 

Is it harsh to expect productivity amidst all of the upheaval and uncertainty occurring around the globe, right now?

 

Perhaps—and yet, in this unprecedented, historically significant time, all measurements, bars set and/or limitations created have blown any semblance of “expectations,” to bits. Where’s the bottom? Or, for that matter, where’s the top of the spectrum? Are we anywhere that is significantly measurable?

 

For a minute, imagine that everything that is “trending” on social media reflects a broader sense of societal expectations and desires. Although, trusting polls and trends may not be the most viable way to measure a creative movement or event, watching several trends, over time, can be very telling.

 

Without even knowing it, we have gravitated toward the ephemeral. That fleeting experience that continues to open the floodgates of creativity and content. The very platform on which, SnapChat was built.

 

“Ephemeral content is a kind of content in a photo or video format that disappears after a certain period. It provides the viewers or audience a small window to see the content and engage with it. The concept of short-lived content on social media platforms was first seen back in 2011. Picaboo, the printing company headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States, first used this concept along with Snapchat. They mainly focused on providing a way to send photos or videos related to anything that disappears within a few seconds.” says a Crowdfire app article “5 Reasons Why Ephemeral Content Will Keep Gaining Popularity in 2020 & Beyond.”

 

Effortlessly, freely and fleeting, we are moving into a realm of possibilities, only don’t look away—even for a second—you might just miss it.

 

The best part is, no one is taking anyone else’s word for it. The do-it-yourself, TikTok, gotta-try-it, viral videos, show that we embrace an empirical approach to our lives and livelihoods.

Who knew that when SnapChat launched on July 8, 2011, that their globally used app would be embraced by every single one of us. Even if you haven’t used the incredibly popular app, it is possible that you are consuming content at a rate, on your own terms, that is much faster that even one year ago.

 

Pandemics, cultural upheavals and economic crises have a way of making even the most ardent planners, take pause when there are simply no plans to be made. Especially, when it comes to art. These types of world events have a way of bringing the focus of everything we do for our home and ourselves to the pragmatic.

To recap: we are moving toward our ever-changing goals in a “prove it or lose it” manner. Those “goals” include how we creatively express ourselves or, for that matter, how we move about our lives and experience the world.

Being present, is the entire premise of the book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. By deeply connecting with each moment, however fleeting, Tolle says, it is possible to find infinite peace.

“… the psychological condition of fear is divorced from any concrete and true immediate danger. It comes in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension, dread, phobia, and so on. This kind of psychological fear is always of something that might happen, not of something that is happening now.”

 

It doesn’t make sense, on a variety of levels, to avoid staying present. Personal safety, is a top choice. To keep everyone safe, you must stay alert and aware. But, if you’re sitting in your own home, minding your own business and not operating any heavy machinery, what does it matter if your mind wanders? Who says that a little theorizing or “what-ifing” is harmful?

The problem is that, given enough time and attention, your mind can wander into some pretty dangerous territory. Tolle weighs in on this by saying, “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly – you usually don’t use it at all. It uses you.”

That’s where getting your hands a little dirty comes into play. There is nothing wrong with thoughts if they are followed by some well documented empirical research. Test whatever you’re questioning out. See what will happen if you do, whatever it is that you’re theorizing. Ask good questions.

 

Sometimes isolation is the very thing to spark a revolution of one. You’ll never know, unless you try.

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Collective https://zomagazine.com/collective/ Tue, 07 Jan 2020 04:39:32 +0000 http://zomagazine.com/?p=8450 The post Collective appeared first on ZO Magazine.

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January 2020 | COLLECTIVE

Collective: The Art of Being Alone

By Tricia Stewart Shiu

“Beautiful People” – Jason Upton

Some people run from it, others crave it and for some it thoroughly nourishes their soul. Depending on how it’s viewed, being alone can be a blessing or a curse.

The inevitable truth is, at some point, we will all be alone. So what are you going to do about it?

Inevitable doesn’t have to be a bad word. In fact, many introverts find aloneness essential as a way to recharge their batteries. Moreover, as the bulk of the labor force has been outsourced or moved to a consulting category, a wave of entrepreneurial thought leaders have been born. Without the structure of a typical work environment, both business and personal independent sensibilities must be cultivated in unique and unconventional ways.

ARTISTIC ALLEGORY | LE MOT JUSTE

But back to the burning question …

How can you maximize your “alone time“?

“The Pilgrim” © Nigel Cox – Oil on Linen

First of all, stop calling it alone time. Imagine instead that you were communing with a collective intelligence. By doing so, you are creating a foundation on which you can build an entirely new manner of receiving precious creative insights, intuitive hits, loads of resources and, most importantly, a reservoir of peace.

Who couldn’t use all of those things?

© Eric Cox

Einstein said some of the best ideas can come while in the shower. Makes sense, since when you are alone in the shower and hitherto occupied with any manner of ablutions, your mind is free to relax and allow the flow of ideas to pour forth.

So, while you are experiencing your newly found foundation, you can actually perform some self-care, in the process.

Imagine the freedom of having no one to judge, bear witness, or interrupt your personal process.

In “PMA the Science of Success,” Napoleon Hill says the following:

“Accurate thinkers never act on freely offered opinions without giving them the closest scrutiny; they permit no one to do their thinking for them. They obtain facts, information, and counsel from others, but they retain the right to accept or reject it in whole or in part.“

This type of process requires, no mandates, a separateness and clarity only offered by being alone. To think for oneself is one of the most precious gifts one can offer to oneself. Of course, it is always helpful to have other people handy for support or suggestions, but there is no substitute for taking time out to double and triple check with yourself.

It is only then that one can approach any situation with clarity and confidence.

“Out of the Fog” © Jaeda DeWalt

Hill also says, “Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.”

Gender references aside, Mr. Hill’s point is timelessly accurate. To truly gain the power necessary to transform one’s thoughts, focus and concentration are required and, typically, experienced while one is alone and bringing dreams to reality, requires a deep relaxation and inward focus.

Finally, as for experiencing the collective consciousness, being truly alone is the only way to do so.

Depending on your desire and personal preference, dipping a toe into the quiet pool of self-discovery may be a challenge, at first.

The gift will come over time with practice and the rewards maybe surprising.

Perhaps you might discover a part of yourself you never knew? Maybe you will remember something, long forgotten? One thing is for sure, the stronger the foundation of personal fortitude, the more profound the outcome.

Being alone is truly a burgeoning artform — one that can connect you with a collective intelligence, create a foundation on which you can forge new pathways to receive precious creative insights, garner intuitive hits, gather many resources and, most importantly, a reservoir of peace.

Imagine if everyone took the journey of honing the art of being alone. Just imagine a world of presence, creativity and peace.

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