Public, personal and maybe press

Feel Is useful to focus on some basic broad zones of connection with others where for everybody you have public and personal, and for some they also get press. Where yeah press is when strangers feel interested in all kinds of things, and can ask all kinds of questions, including personal.

The public zone is where you present a public persona, which is how you present for instance when walking out the door, or especially when out on the town, like going out on a Thursday night. Which can impact how people see you! Which is just natural without saying that is good or bad, or anything really but a reality of being noticed, maybe.

It can be interesting to pay attention to that public self in comparison to the personal one that people close to you, like family and friends may get versus those standardized behaviors we learn if brought up civilized for handling ourselves out and about in a civilized society. Leads to a joke you can sometimes hear people mutter as a pertinent question--was person brought up by wolves?

We're very much usually trained and get that public persona as a result, which now can include web! Which is very public when you put up things public, in a new way than how things worked before.

And for some the public persona can be dress up in a formal way like if pushed to something religious as I was, as a child. And have pondered things like suits, as to what does a suit really mean? Why do people wear formal things? And now I suppose is to send one kind of message. While walking around dressed casual can say something else, including how comfortable you feel presenting that way there.

The extent to which the public has a right to know things about you can be judged by a meta perspective by looking around at what YOU expect to know from others.

Like we expect that person in a police uniform patrolling the streets to be an actual police person. And you can expect that couple with those small children to be adults responsible for them with a legally recognized position of some sort. Or if fear otherwise may need to go find that police person for help.

Public reality helps us as communal creatures as we do often very well at getting along, which can be lost in the concerns about when we don't. But that is with a LOT of public information expected, though some can struggle in areas, like does the public have a right to know relationship information?

That ring on the finger for the married, traditional still in my country and many others is an answer that says, yes. The public actually does have expectations in that area which have been worked out over a lot of time.

For those who also get press attention that can be a problem though, as to the relentlessness of scrutiny, and questions about how much should be shared. While notice for personal it shouldn't be, but then can be, if that information is given inappropriately by those close to you. And it's no surprise that public figures can have special problems in the area of what the public should know.

Out and about whenever, it is interesting I think to look around at what people feel a need to tell you, with what they wear, how they present, even more so than what they say. As you walk around and people are communicating so much from their public selves so quickly, to so many.

And where does it matter most, how you present? I think for most public and personal are the two, and even for those who get press those matter most, as of course you want to present well for those close to you, and with the public? Well you get on the wrong side of the public and you recognize all the ways we humans work to have a society that keeps things in check, like back to that police person as just one.

Thankfully I think for most, the effort to do well in the zones that matter is an effort that we all get to appreciate. And civilization depends on that effort. When out and about, if you do go out tonight it might be fun to notice just how you move through those zones. I think for most it is so fluid you barely notice. Which is about skills that I think matter a lot and is fun to me to recognize.


James Harris

Three attention zones Thursday

Found myself thinking about attention a LOT which is usual actually. And going to talk some ideas on it, in three zones on Thursday with a scheduled post.

And think have a system now for doing the subject of the announcing post on Sunday.

Still this post seems so short so far.

Well these Sunday announcing posts may simply be short and I don't have a problem with that being the case. Not so much thinking about talking anything about the foundations of the blog. And not sure if there is anything else might go here, for now. But yeah lots of open space available.

May as well wonder about what else might go here.

For now though, that's it.

Morning sunlight reminds

Something about being awakened by sunlight always lifts my mood. And feel lucky when that opportunity is there versus being pushed by some alarm and a time pressure to be some place, to need something more abrupt and certain.

Each day does offer renewed possibility because there ARE more options as light fills our particular world, if only because there are more others up and about, as anyone who has wandered late night empty streets may note. And for me there have been many times when have looked forward to sunlight creeping into a room, during a gloomy night pondering too many dark thoughts.

That brightness coming through the windows first slowly, then with ever greater intensity can remind of so much. Literally brightening up perspective with that constant which has sustained our world for so long where thankfully science can give us a proper perspective.

For prior humans though there was so much mystery. And even unfortunately at times a sense of responsibility, as if something so important might depend on what they did. Our comfort in the Sun has a detachment that nothing we do matters to whether rises or not, but how would they know?

Getting up and getting ready can have a ritual that is comforting as well. And in there somewhere, yup, making the bed. To me that best sign that am still keeping with the basics, as if not done, then something is wrong. Maybe the mood is still dark in some way.

Right to one of the best rituals of all for so many--morning coffee. Which to me is also a lot about signals of freshness--new opportunity and possibility as opened up with the new start, which every single day, potentially brings.

Daily traveling in many ways from darkness to dawn, good sleep the best vehicle, I like the morning sunlight as a reminder to appreciate much beyond me which might take for granted.

The more blissful mornings the better to me is a basic wish. May the Sun greet you with kindness from a place of warmth, comfort and security. Or if not there wish find such soon.

As day brightens and greater movement begins is always about some possibility.

Then get that day going, and get some things done.


James Harris

Thoughts on sunlight and mood Monday

Getting back to scheduled posts to me is also about inspiration. Which has me thinking about constants in our lives that can matter a LOT, though constant means can be background.

And have a scheduled post for Monday.

Feel better now with an established structure which seems flexible enough for me to be creative, while fitting within a framework where others can have expectations, which is still challenging enough.

So there are scheduled posts announced on Sunday. If none scheduled, then no announcement.

And Tuesday is JUST for promotion. So any posts on a Tuesday should be promotional which gets to the commercial aspect of the blog. Where promotion should be around concept of great referral which is an idea in progress as to what that functionally means.

And Saturday remains a free day, with no postings, so far. Which turns out is great for me. Have seen how hard it can be to put up content with just the days used.

Thanks for reading! To me the sharing something I think MIGHT be interesting is the fun. Is gratifying if can find evidence that is shared too.

And Sunday is also a day to talk the foundations of the blog, and how things are supposed to work.

Which is also a reference for me.

Glad to be back to scheduled posts

So Friday is my most free day for anything as just labeled it a discussion day. And glad for that while admitting looking forward to when would be more from others as thinking positive. That is more about volume turns out. While blog now has reach, which needs. Building volume is about doing things like actually doing scheduled postings.

Feel free to comment here or am looking to Facebook with my jstevh page there as also possible a spot where can get some feedback! Yeah, still working on it. But yeah is really I think about volume and is still early yet.

Musing about art is something have wanted to do for MONTHS so felt good to get it out there, and also talk my perspective on what art is.

Is interesting to pursue, for those who do. That art thing.

So now looking to continue with scheduled posting but not sure if there will be one next week. Sunday tells on that one. Inspiration have decided is not as much on command as I first wished, when began this blog. Which is ok. I like the work, and want it at a level where I can come back, and look at it, and keep feeling good about it. Which does NOT mean just grinding something out.

Is interesting to me as Sunday approaches and am quietly asking myself that question, is there something in there? Just really wanting to get out?


James

Art is not just about you

Safer to trust art than those who may dismiss it. Art, to me is so fascinating as it is so personal and global.

Art echoes throughout human history.

There is a deep connection between art and humanity, where maybe a bit of pressure and need to fit into a small space, inspired my favorite answer to the question of what it is. That was expressed in a tweet in response to a question from San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in its feed:

.@SFMOMA I think art is the purest expression of our core humanity. Is sharing in a way that resonates with the human soul. Time irrelevant.

— James Harris (@jstevh) September 4, 2015

To me? I get the best lines sometimes. And think I capture the timelessness aspect of art there, but will admit fear on the potential fragility. That art can be lost is known, but that can also be taken away.

Like with Roman art where time took much, but quite a bit got preserved from the ancient city of Pompeii in a unique tragedy, as a volcano dumped tons of ash on the city, killing most of its inhabitants.

But some Victorians came across the reality of the ancient world centuries after, which clashed with their culture and its views about the visibility of sexuality. Lots was explicitly sexual, and Victorians pushed their temporary views as world has moved on, against what should have been carefully preserved as belonging to humanity. And the Victorian period came and went, but the destruction wreaked upon Roman artifacts was of course lasting.

While some may debate how much was actually art, regardless just for historical perspectives would have been so much better if they had separated their feelings and prejudices from the question of preservation.

How one feels is transient. People come and go. But some individuals act from feelings which in an unfortunate opportunity can impact much. Which gets me thinking about erotomania.

Turns out some people can feel like are in love with someone never met, which is usually a celebrity. Which sadly leads to any number of news stories, like if break into a home, or even worse attempt some assault or succeed in a murder, like if decided was spurned. Such people can be said to be moved strongly by the art of someone else, and fail to separate that personal feeling from the public reality.

And the simple idea I think is to just accept that art is not just about you. It's not just about me. Art is bigger than all of us.

That art is not just about you is one of those things which I think can bug people.

After all you can appreciate art.

It takes people appreciating it for it to be considered art, which can be a controversial subject as well when people debate, over whether or not something IS art.

If can move you so personally, how can art not be about YOU?

And there is the conundrum I think. To me? Art is about some shared human core which can somehow transcend boundaries like space and even time, so that art from thousands of years ago can still resonate with us today.

Looking to ourselves for reference is not wrong. And I definitely tend to the meta in lots of things.

But when you see that art, which can be about so many things, like a picture with a model in a photograph, or a great painting, and she's smiling beguilingly at you? No she isn't. Or he isn't. Or someone transgender is not.

Why is worth it to remind that art at its best can appeal to millions or maybe even billions? That's not about me.

That is about art.

That art can seem to be smiling at you. Is smiling at something else that somehow only the artist understands in that creative moment from some place we may never completely understand? Or is the artist a tool for something greater smiling through outside of even the artist's understanding?

There is that endless question too then about art: art, how do you move me?

The silence we can fill with our own words, but those unlike the art will slowly drift away in time.

Silence can be there for generations to ponder as long after us, as long as there are humans.


James Harris

Wednesday some musings on art

Have a post coming up this week. On Wednesday will have some musings on art, which I think is a political subject or can be. Guess I'm taking a somewhat political angle.

So yeah returning to scheduled posts. And will be more ongoing I think. Work continues with other aspects of the blog, but feel like figured much out.

And to remind, there are days for scheduled posts, which are announced on Sunday, and a day for promotional things, and a day for discussion. While Saturday has been clear from the beginning, and no intention of changing that now.


James

March 8: And post is up, but coming back to add a note, as realized finally mentioned an organization, but is NOT on Tuesday. My original thinking was highly restrictive as to not even mentioning unless there was some kind of promotional thing or paid endorsement in place.

New view is there is a promotional day, which is Tuesday, so people will know. More writing freedom then. Not much likelihood any would think otherwise with organization mentioned but figured should note.  ___JSH