Category: Photography

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Coffee With a Friend

I have been thinking more and more about things that make me happy and why I don’t spend enough  time doing them. I have come to the conclusion that there is definitely a creative side of my brain that is not being flexed enough and I must do and intend to do more about that. When I started this blog, I noticed that as I filled the virtual pages, I felt better about things in general. There was no specific Bob Briskeything I felt better about and I don’t know if the family noticed, but it was very obvious to me the I had a smile on my face a bit more often. The act of writing was helping me express whatever creative stuff was trying to ooze from the right side of my brain and I feel better on the days that I do write.

The welding class that I just finished had the save affect on me. Every Saturday I had that creative outlet that allowed me to relax, clear my mind of work related issues and just have fun creating. You may think that welding is not creative but you would be wrong. From afar i looks like the welder is just melting two pieces of metal together, but it is more than that. In order to be a good welder you need to know your equipment very well. Some welders describe it as being one with your machine, almost a zen like experience. It reminds me of that movie “Breaking Away” where the father of the bike racer explains that he had this set of tool for cutting rock (he worked in a quarry cutting limestone) that allowed him to cut the stone as if it were butter. He knew his tools so well that he could perform at his peak every day, cutting through stone almost effortlessly. That is how I feel when I am creating something. I am living in the moment with a smile on my face truly enjoying what I am creating. 

The reason I scheduled my coffee meeting this morning was to pick the brain and exchange ideas with my friend Bob.  I referenced Bob and his photography career in my post Party Like It’s 1979 from earlier this year. I have always enjoyed Bob’s work and I actually got more interested in photography after working with him on the “LION” our high school newspaper.  I wanted to exchange a few ideas with him and see if I was going down the right path with some things I am thinking about.

Bob had some great ideas and our conversation quickly turned to our kids, careers and even a few possible business ideas. We both agreed that this was a productive meeting and that we should continue our dialog over the next few months to see what happens. I can’t wait to see what he has in mind.

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Party Like It’s 1979

My older brother had a party tonight for all of his patients, family and friends. He wanted to have an open house at his dental practice in Hinsdale, to show appreciation for all the people who have helped him become a successful cosmetic dentist. He has done cosmetic work for many of the news personalities you see on TV every day and various Olympic athletes who have sustained tooth damage during events.

Anyway I had planned on stopping by for a quick visit to see Mike and the rest of the family (Mom, Dad and my brother Joe and his kids were there as well), but I ended up staying for almost 3.5 hours. Turns out many of our old classmates were there so this was a good chance to catch up. None of them were in my graduating class but they were guys I knew from the class ahead and the class behind me.

One of the attendees was Bob Briskey of Briskey Photography who had shot my wedding and has been doing before/after photos for Mike for quite a while now. I had not seen Bob (my fault) for about 10 years and I found out that in addition to his day job, he is teaching photo classes at Morton College in Cicero Illinois. I wish I could do weeknight classes as I would love to attend some of Bob’s sessions. If you have ever thought about getting better with your camera or want to expand your creativity, I highly recommend Bob as an instructor. Check out their class schedules and look under ART to find his classes (he is listed as R Briskey).