Artists are Always Poor

Next time you walk into a place of business, I want you to notice what's on the wall. Artwork is  busting at the seams! But an artist in todays market has to ask himself, "what makes that art sell, and not other pieces?" Take for instance, Jason's Deli. I walked into Jason's and found myself surrounded by trashy/meaningless looking shots of Europe, in cheap frames, yet someone had the taste to purchase them. What gives those pieces an edge over real artwork? Is it the affordability? Photographers find out very quickly that if you want to sell your art work, there has to be an appreciation for it... and bluntly, photography takes a back seat to canvas in the consumer's mind.

 What people don't seem to understand, is the depth behind a photographic print. In fact, I don't think many photographers know the depth they can bring to a photograph... and as a result we see many photographers with "technically" quality work, but no one will buy it simply because it means nothing to them.

What people don't seem to understand, is the depth behind a photographic print. In fact, I don't think many photographers know the depth they can bring to a photograph... and as a result we see many photographers with "technically" quality work, but no one will buy it simply because it means nothing to them.

 Pictures of trees and flowers are pretty, but if you're trying to sell it framed as artwork, art appreciators will find it lacking purpose. A piece of art should stir something in your soul and you should get a feeling in your stomach saying "Wow"! On the other hand, if you're looking to make money via filling wall space at Jason's Deli, it seems to me that you are a picture-taker, not an artist. 

Please don't miss read me, because there's a huge market for picture-takers, and it's very competitive. I don't belittle the picture taker, because I myself am a picture-taker aspiring to be an artist. But the role of an artist is to guide, and bring people to a deeper understanding of the Creature through their work. 

With that knowledge present, my plight is finding the admiration of art in the common man. Something that will stir the emotion of anyone. I don't know if I've ever had an original thought, but I'm looking for one. That's why I've founded "Harrison J Lloyd Photography & Design LLC. So I can share a gift with the world. 

Say tuned for my website announcement! My website will be brought to you via the genius of Ben Rojas from Washington state.  

In Father's Grace

~Adversarius

One door closes and another opens

The Teenpact chapter has come to a close, but I'll be keeping an extra bookmark there and bring back the memories often. National Convention was fantastic! God gave me the opportunity to worship Him with an incredible team of believers and musicians and He showed Himself in unbridled ways!

Parting is always such sweet sorrow, but why live in the past? I'm trying to occupy my time this summer with my own business! I'm starting a line of note cards and stationary with my photography portfolio that I've been harvesting around the nation. I'm also doing portraiture and selling framed work on the side.

I've decided passive income is the way to make it through college, and establishing myself through the summer is the way to do it. It's like taking a marketing class, a business management class, an economics class, a computer class and a photography class all in one!

It's ironic really... the camera has been out of commission for a while due to my stupidity and inattentive mind. It's on it's way back from Georgia where it was aptly left over a week ago... and I've been starting a photography business without a camera.

“Success is not a place one arrives, but rather the spirit with which one undertakes and continues the

journey.” ~Alex Noble

In Christ

~Adversarius

Meanwhile... back in the bayou

Welcomed home by a hot and humid Louisiana I find myself unexpectedly comforted by mosquito's and thunder storms. Dad continues in his midlife crisis and I sit on the back porch gazing into a sea of flowers and statuary amidst my yard. Saturating myself in as much media as I can get my hands on while I'm away from my fast I spend my time at home pounding my head with music and writing the list of movies I have yet to see.

Three weekers are never easy, and this past one was no exception. North Carolina was a good class. I always love working with Dom and Elise. Our state co over there is wonderful too, so it made for a pretty smooth class logistically. I was thrilled to finally eat at the alleged bojangles I've always adopted as my adjective of choice.

Oregon has a lot of lama, Buffalo and liberals. With a golden lumberjack on the crest of their fortress of a capitol, you'd think the state would be a little more conservative... but kicking students out of the capitol for asking people if they believe in God, reflects otherwise.

The Pacific Ocean was gorgeous though. Cold as ice, but it was kinda cool to be wearing a jacket on the beach. Ankia's hands took a brush with death and caught second degree frostbite. Took a few hours and a trip to the emergency room at 10pm to get them moving again, but she toughed it out pretty well.

The class ran fairly well... my schedule was slaughtered to pieces. Being a PD gets old, and leading worship is missed.

God really showed up in Oklahoma 2. We were all pretty spiritually dry at the begining of the week, and Father really brought us to our knees. It ended up being a great class and it was nice to have the chance to lead worship God again.

Fuzz Thompson's classes = Staff adventures, serious staff meetings, and come to Jesus talks.

Oklahoma has the finest arts festival in the nation, in addition to the best host family to go with :)

In Father's Grace

~Adversarius

Half Dollar

Three months of intense teaching and ultimate Frisbee behind me, and three more months to look forward to. Slaughtered schedules, late nights and coffee really do change lives. I’m learning a little PR, how to deal with people, getting a little taste of legalism here and there in the home school community. Father teaches me more and more about Grace as each day goes by. How to be content in each circumstance, and find Him even in the little things.

I’ve gathered a few quotes that I’ve picked up from the season. Enjoy!

“People who worry are people who are looking around. People who are confident, content, and trusting in the Lord are people who are looking up… Discontentment, complaining, and worry, ultimately, are a reflection on our heavenly Father. Other people determine what God is like based on the way that we respond to His provision.”
~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

We never get better government than we demand, or worse government than we allow.
~ Brad Johnson, Secretary of State in Montana

"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be."
~Thomas a Kempis

Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first — the most basic — expression of Americanism. Thus the Founding Fathers of America saw it, and thus with God's help, it will continue to be."— President Gerald R. Ford, 1974
“You learn more about people’s moral and political behavior if you know their image of God than most any other measure”
~Christopher Bader
“It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate”~ A.W. Tozer

“If there is no God then everything is permitted, only one meaningful decision in life… how I will die.”
~Fydor Dostoevsky

The grass isn’t greener on the other side… so bring a watering can when you jump the fence.
~ A Wise Man
Life is not a matter of holding the good cards, but sometimes, playing the poor hand well.
~ Fortune Cookie

One of the greatest sources of energy is taking pride in the work of your hands.
~ Spokes

In Father’s Grace
~Adversarius

3 week stretch

Three weeks on the road... not a jaunt to say the least, but still a thrill. Great classes, fantastic experiences and new mercies every morning! A strenuous trip with so many challenges, and a lot of room for God to work. Through these three classes I've learned so much about myself and the rest of my team. Being able to tailor the program to different audiences and personalities can be such an art. Pet peeves become very apparent on classes as well... I have never thought of myself as having many pet peeves but I've really started to get a feel for what I can handle and what drives me crazy. God's really been showing me that teaching really needs to become focused on those who are being taught, and not just the material. To really have depth in a course that could otherwise become monotonous, you must really have a passion for your students and a drive to see them grow. To start every day with a purpose and stay "I'm really going to pour myself into this kid" is really something that I've stuggled with, but I've come to realize that's the only way I'll really be successful as a teenpact intern. To be an ambassador of Christ to these kids is the highest calling I could be given, and I only pray that I would keep it in the forefront of my mind.

On a political note, I got the inside scoop on Huckabee from the Arkansan conservatives. They tell me they're scared of a Huckabee administration due to his lack of fiscal conservatism and foriegn policy, but that he would make a great vice. With my man Mit out of the race, I think we all know the only hope for conservatives is a McCain/Huckabee ticket. McCain really has to convince conservatives that he'll represent them well and the only way he'll be able to do that (because he can't) is through Huckabee. McCain is really so far from conservative and frankly I don't know how he's the GOP pick as of now... illegal immagration policy... trash! I will grant him this though... he can beat a Hillary! He'll be able to take on a liberal, democratic woman pretty well. Now a McCain/Obama race is a little scary.

Obama sounds so good... he's an excellent speaker and he appeals to the emotional side of a naive society. Watching CNN today and looking at the contrast between Hillary and Barack I heard them speak for about ten minutes each and say absolutely nothing. Barack said nothing, just like Hillary said nothing... the difference was, he did it well. He can sound very good and never have any merit to a thing he says!

Anyway... all that rambling to say "vote for Jesus" cause he's the only one that can get us out of here alive anyway.

It was such a joy to work with Mr. Tim Echols in Georgia. To be able to get a hands on look at the program straight from the potter's hand really is priceless. I appreciated the fact that he always looked for news ways to implement a new experience for the students. Having nearly 50 alumni in GA 1 was very demanding on a Program Director and really required a creative mind to give them something new.

Other random rivets in Harry's life = new lense with a 2.8 aperature and a trip to the hawaii class coming up Friday! Total stoke to work with Kirstin again as well as Fuzz and Aaron! In Father's Grace
~Adversarius

The Intern Walk

I'm beginning to comprehend what an incredible task God has put me to. The responsibility of teaching your piers and the flexibility of giving yourself to Father as a vessel to use as He pleases. It's going to be quite a challenge... learning right along with the ones I'm teaching and not always feeling adequate for the task. But I have no excuse to say I'm inadequate, for that would indeed be a statement of unbelief. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and I simply need to trust Him to follow through. I find myself saying "God if You tell me what tomorrow holds, I'll trust You today" but His never fails to remind me that He's God and I'm not. "Trust Me, My son" He says, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." This season is forcing me to go deeper with my heavenly Father because without that depth I can never truly bring Christ to the rest of the world. You can't give away what you don't own and what I desire more than anything is to see kids around the nation come to know Christ in a very real way. God is reality! If the culture could simply understand that, it would make all of our problems so much more simplistic. God is so applicable to every day if we just let Him be who He is!

Trusting that he'll give me the words to say... because like Moses I am slow to speech and my mouth can't always catch up with my mind. It is truly a gift to be able to communicate thoughts. It's one thing to ponder random deep thoughts, but to be able to logically make any verbal sense of mine is beyond hope. I know Father will give me the opportunity to grow in that fact during this season along with many other logistic/physical/spiritual quirks and habits I bring.

My God is the God of life! The provider, protector, healer, and omnipresent friend. Taking confidence in that if the first step to trusting in Him. His Grace is sufficient for all my needs.

So in Father's Grace

~Adversarius

Weddings

I had the opportunity to follow a wedding photographer last week, and she was able to teach me the ropes of an average wedding.

I'm coming to understand that placement is key for most events. You have to know the event well and the chronological order in which the action will unfold. My goal was to try and create the same kind of picture story that I've been working on in the past.

It was easy to get some really fun shots with great subjects like Juan and Kendal. They're naturally such a

happy couple so it was easy to capture a lot of emotion.

Mrs. Heather Bush did that actual photography for the wedding and she graciously allowed me to tag along. It was great to get some firsthand experience in that field of work so that I could apply it to the photojournalistic site of the isle.

Obviously I spent a lot of time on the dance floor. That seemed to be where most of the action was and where the bride and groom spent most of their time during the evening. The whole wedding was so full of life and such a joy to watch!

This shot really came as a surprise to me. I can only guess that the lighting has something to do with my flash going off at the same time as Mrs. Heather's.... so I have to admit... as cool as it may look... it is an accident.

Always room for improvement

~Adversarius