LANCE RIVAS

Have you ever had one of those moments in life where you think that something would never end? Like in Junior High, Kids cant wait to get to be a high schooler and that day never comes soon enough. But then the Senior soon-to-be graduate looks back and says it was too fast. Im at that point right now. Although I am not in high school I'm in my 3rd year of college. Im looking at life as it is spinning faster and faster and there is nothing to do but run with it. The other day I was driving home from a photo shoot in Downtown Orlando and I started to laugh uncontrollably. In the car I was grumbling that I didn't get enough exposure on the face in some photos and that they were not paying me enough, I then realized my first photography gig was IN downtown and it was non paying. It became a thistle in my side thinking that when I started to do my photography I did it because I loved light and I loved stories, and now here I am thinking about not getting paid enough, not having a better exposure (which it wasn't that bad in the first place). It was in that moment I started laugh and realize life was getting faster. I call my parents and my parents call me every so often. By so often I mean every other day. I love them they truly push me to follow my dreams. I watched my dad go from being a worker to being an owner and my mom the same. They showed me that normal people who never had a high school education can make it happen. I graduate in December and I couldn't be more nervous. Its that senior soon-to-be graduate mindset. When will the ride stop, and when it does, can I ride it again?

      I watched the worst opening in history the other day! Heroes. TERRIBLE!!! I love the show, at least the first season. It was unique, it was "purple cow". For those of you who dont know why I keep referring to a purple cow is because of a book by Seth Godin called.... guess..... you got it, its "Purple Cow".  it's main point is market something unique in a mass of bland products. I apply that to everything. My music, my photography, my movies, my everything. How can I make something thats already been done and is basically a product that everyone already has and make something that looks completely different. Anyways, thats the basis for my rant. Heroes was good for a season because it was unique. So in all, today I want to know how to make teamwork and connecting together pieces that normally wouldn't fit something... unique. 

    I was talking with a friend about a few things over a cup a coffee tonight and I thought I'd spill this out into the blogo-sphere. In America we have the tendency to be self serving in our prayers and in our way of doing philanthropy. For the non religious person, we give in order to receive. Think about it. We  do community service for what? The betterment of mankind? No, we do it so we can get something back. Maybe its recognition, maybe its so we can call on favors later down the road. We usually have an underlying tone in the reasons why we give. Sure ill buy the Ethos water because its helping out some poor farmer in South America. It's quenching my thirst and im donating a WHOPPING .10 cents. We give to receive. Whatever happened to giving because we wanted to really see that other person succeed?
    Im guilty of being that same way. I wont lie and tell you that I just give out things without anything in return. Im just as selfish as anyone else. Why? that question usually turns into what is my role in my community and what is yours? Is it that we help our communities out by volunteering and donating when they ask? Or is it that when we are done with our daily activities we still go out and do those things with no one watching?
    For the religious person we pray selfish prayer, this is not a new concept. As a matter of fact none of this is new concepts. This all just became relevant tonight. I noticed that I give with the expectation that I might get a prize. Ive heard prayers asking for more money and better jobs and asking for things that really doesnt make sense. In the whole scheme of life, what difference does it make if a person gets a raise? Is it so that person can move up into a nicer neighborhood and get a new car, or is it so he can give that extra income (and live they he always had) to someone, somewhere who needs it just to eat that day? Why should you receive that income? What will you do with the power given unto you? What is your role in your community? Regardless of where you are. What difference are you making, and why are you making that difference?
    I've realized in my own life that I need to have a great awareness and a greater sensitivity towards the words and actions I say and do. Why give to receive? To help someone else out in their time of need, so one day that person will give to another. The goal is to give and to give and to give. If you give so that one person can give it back to you, you missed the point.
    Just thought I'd throw a thought out there. I remember this from masters, but I guess, it just became more real to me today that we are selfish and we need to change. We need to be giving. We need to change. Full Sailers included

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    Looks like someone beat me. Creaima is officially a website. It looks great and its eerily like my idea. Like almost exact. hmmmm. Oh well, So maybe this is a good time for me to re-strategize my name and what im going to do with it. I talked to Rex Barrett today and he had very good words of wisdom. He pointed out that most company's and domain names are ridiculous. Twitter, Vox, Plurk, Flickr. Its not the name that really draws people in, its the tagline. The tagline makes the name stand out. So I think thats my new agenda for the next few months. Developing the tagline and reinventing the freelance name. Back to square one.  

    Hello all, today I want to let everyone know that ive been very busy getting my freelance business off the ground. It's crazy that just a year ago I was just joking around with everyone that I start this whole thing. But now Ive got the resources right at my fingertips. So far Im working on logo ideas and basically a statement or a summary of what creaima is.   honestly its alot tougher than i thought coming up with a logo. what really stands out. Or as Seth Godin says whats "purple cow"? Take a look at the two i have up on this blog and tell me what you think. I can take criticism please tell me what you think. I need a look from another perspective. Also finding a good web host is something else that ive been worried about. Goddaddy sounds like not a good host. Someone know of anywhere else thats decent? Or maybe I just might buy a .mac account. So anyways look at what ive got with these two logos and tell me what you think. Criticism is greatly appreciated.
    Creaima (by the way) stands for Creative : Imagination. and you say it like (kree aim uh).

    Do you remember the Saturday morning cartoons on Fox when you were a kid (at least if you grew up in early 90s)?  I do, I remember the awesome Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and the Ninja Turtles and the Big Bad Beetle Borgs, The Adventures of Batman and Robin, Beetle Juice, and so on. I remember the feeling of waiting all week to watch those! Today the feeling is the same for the weekend. Now days I feel like im that kid waiting for Saturday  but doesn't care about the week, just the end of it. Some days, like today, I feel lazy. How do you feel on days like this? Days like what you ask? The days where your on the internet for 3 hours at a time looking through profiles on myspace and facebook with no end to this cycle. This is one of those days. However, I have been harnessing my photoshop/ photography skills as well as my music composing.  So im not ALL that lazy.
    I was looking through my idea book and found some great stuff that you might apply to your life as I have. It has to deal with looking at your future and looking beyond your future.

    What I mean is that you can look at what you want to be and where you want to be, but also who you will be remembered as and where you stand in the history of time.
 The idea is this; sometime, go back in to your past and remember the one thing you were that you didn't like and then look at who you are now. What is different? if nothing then your not changing (grounding breaking thought, I know) So if your not changing then you are not becoming. Becoming is the person you chose to be. That person exist already, in your future. So if you have not changed from who you were to who you want to be, then you are at a stand still. And thats not good. Being at a standstill makes a person unhappy and useless. That person loses their ability to see their dreams and the pursuit they had for those dreams ("the becoming of you")
    So ask yourself "Who do I want to be remembered as? Where I stand in history? Will my legacy 5 generations down the road be remembered?" Those questions can achieve great things in a persons life. It revives that person in the standstill.The things I can see  in my own life that I have trouble with is focus. So for me the questions daily is "What will I give my focus? Who has the honor today of getting all of me?" Because sometimes im just that distracted.
    So in my closing thoughts Humanity needs to break from it's standstill. We, as People, need to Re-engage in the pursuit of.... whatever it is that we pursued and grasp that passion that once was in our hearts for that pursuit. Am I as Lance Rivas truly pursuing the purpose that I am sent for or am I taking the easy route?

Well im sitting in the theater and ive been here for about an hour now...inside. now waiting outside ive been here  an hour and a half longer. im so impressed with everything i see around me. all the people around me dressed up. I feel a little left out. Tonight our generation watches the Dark Knight. I look at this as how people back in the 70s or 80s watched and waited for star wars to come out.
    Im excited about this movie just because of how much electricity has been coming from this film for such a ling time now. Alot of people around me are here because they wanted to see the last film that Heath Ledger did. It is electrifying. the movie isnt going to show for another hour but yet the theater is already jam packed.
    My friend and I will have had been in this theater for roughly 4 and a half hours by the time the movie starts. I have NEVER done this for a movie before!
    A little observation that Ive made about the electricity that surrounds this epic movie (call me naive) but its about the joker. Ive hardly heard anybody talk about Christian Bale in his role as Batman. All I know is that The Dark Knight will make an impact on this summer. Mamma Mia doesnt stand a chance. I see the Joker looking at the box office with this look, like. "tonight...........you"
    I AM THE DARK KNIGHT!!!!!!!!!

    The next day I went to the show and it was amazing!