Tides of Change

[Baut Images: High Tide]

The tides of change are coming.

The planet rotates on it's axis.

Lorna Doone plays the piano.

You sip a cup of tea,

Whilst I rid the skies of lies.

The tides of change are coming.

Species dying every day.

Miley Cyrus gets a ticket.

As Meatloaf burns in the oven,

And I play the game to win it.

The tides of change are coming.

More mercury in Blue-fin Tuna.

As banksters fill with dread.

So, read that book Priscilla,

As I write for the Ungrateful Dead.

The tides of change are coming.

As the grids break down once again.

And it's time for Project Runway to end.

So, go grab a muffin Amanda,

And I'll have a sandwich of sand.

The tides of change are coming.

Doesn't matter what one wants.

The battle is close at hand.

So listen to wind and water,

For it's happening across the land.

The tides of change are here!

The planet careens in it's orbit.

Elton John smashes his piano.

You sip a bottle of water,

Whilst I travel to the Isle in the Skye.

2012 Roger Allen Baut

Once again you have a poetic triplet
composed of an image, poem and video.

Art Takes Times Square

[Baut Images: The Gate]

Everyone has a certain creative ability, or an innate sense of art, that may be expressed through the written word, paint brush, chalk, chisel, pen, camera, et cetera. Those who claim to not have this creative ability, I believe, have not had it nurtured, or allowed to grow. It is there, within, if one but only looks and realizes, as creativity, I believe, is an aspect of the human soul, and a gift from its creator.

The world that we live on is a work of art itself. The seasons, trees, landscapes, lakes, streams, oceans, plant and animal life all have their individual beauty and may be viewed as art. Earth is, indeed, a garden planet, ready for the artist’s canvas or photographer’s camera. One does not need to travel a thousand miles to paint a picture, or take a photograph, as oftentimes an image is waiting right around the corner.

So, when I came across Art Takes Times Square, I thought what a wonderful opportunity for artists. What a wonderful opportunity for people to experience all different types of images of art. What a wonderful opportunity for people to see the work of different artists with whom they might not be familiar, and perhaps those viewers might be inspired into exploring new avenues of creativity in their own lives.

Throughout history, it has been the artists and artisans who have inspired humankind to grow, and look beyond the mundane. It is the artists and artisans who have given us a renaissance when it was so sorely needed, and it is a renaissance we could all benefit from now, at this particular time and place.

Art Takes Times Square is an innovative and creative project by Chashama and the Times Square Alliance working with Artists Wanted to present an exhibition of artists, photographers and designers from around the world in an online portfolio, and for the winner, an inclusion in a limited edition book, Art in Times Square, their work displayed on a billboard in Times Square, and a cash prize.

This selection is assisted by viewers who ‘collect’ their favorite artists, and help decide who will be displayed on the massive billboards of Times Square this summer. The highest collected artists will have their submissions reviewed by Chashama and Artists Wanted to determine a Grand Prize winner. But, in essence, all the entrants are 'winners' since they are artists presenting their work to a world of viewers.

Please take a look at my Portfolio: Roger Allen Baut, or enter through the Torii below, and if you like what you see, please hit the collect (*) and share links at the top of the page! Your support, and share, would be very much appreciated!

Special thanks to Natasha Head The Tashtoo Parlour for bringing Art Takes New York to my attention.

“The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where one lives or a few feet away. It is always on one’s doorstep.” Paul Strand

Enter through the Torii

The Shorty Awards



[Stock Image: Laurel Wreath]



I have not actually blogged an article in some time, but on the morning of February 18th, about 3:30 a.m., I woke up with the Shorty Awards on my mind, and knew that I needed to write something about them.So, for all of you who may, or may not know, this was my second outing with the Shortys, and they really weren’t something I had planned on doing this year. I'm not quite sure what changed my mind, but most likely it was the freshness of Natasha Head, her nomination, unfailing support and encouragement, that really got me involved with the 2012 Shortys.

It was actually quite enjoyable to be a part of Natasha’s first experience with them, as well as, the New World Creative Union (NWCU), an impartial place for artists and artisans to come together and share their work, and be of mutual benefit to one another. If you don't know Natasha, you need to check out her site, The Tashtoo Parlour at http://www.tashtoo.com/ and the NWCU blog at
http://newworldcreativeunion.blogspot.com/2012/02/natasha-head-tashtoo.html where she is an NWCU coordinator. She's definately a 'one of a kind' human being, out there making a difference for people and our world!

Suffice it to say, I once again found, and refound, a very good group of people to interact with during the Shortys. Some of these people were from last year, while others were new to me this year. One of the bright spots of the Shortys, for me at least, was the positive interaction that one gets with those thoughtful people, who take the time to nominate someone for the work they are doing. I think this interaction is an important aspect of the Shortys, as well as being nominated for one's work.

A lot of people, however, see the Shorty Awards as a 'popularity' contest, but of course from my perspective I don't, and I hope that is the case for a lot of people. I also hope that after reading this article, more people will perceive the Shortys as I do.

How do I perceive them? Well, I see the Shortys as a recognition for the 'work' that someone does, or the work someone is doing, and not the person. The person is merely the vehicle through which their 'work' or 'art' or 'whatever' comes into this world, whether it is painting, writing, poetry, photography, journalism, humanitarian efforts, or whatever.

However, if one looks through the various categories, and reads a few of the nominations, one can see there are many nominations, that could be seen, and read, as a 'popularity' contest, such as, "because @____ asked me to ;)," "because...he looks like Matt Damon.," or "because...i got told to lol." I guess, if there were only a few of those types of nominations, the Shortys might not be thought of as a 'popularity' contest, but if one looks closely, there are a lot more, than a just a few.

There's also the aspect of ‘questionable’ nominations, for there are some nominees who don't seem to quite fit into a given category. It almost seems that sometimes nominees are thrown in a category, where people think they might easily take the 1st place position and win. What many people don't realize is that it doesn't matter if a nominee is in 1st or 6th place, the first six positions are actually the 'finalists,' from which the winner is chosen.

Someone mentioned to me the other day, that the Shortys gave that person, "...a better understanding of who my 'friends' really are," and I agree with that 100%. The word 'friend' is used very casually these days, and most people are really more 'acquaintances' than 'friends.'What is a friend? A friend may be defined as: 1. A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. 2. A person who gives assistance to another, or 3. A person who is on good terms with another.

So, would a friend 'ignore' a request for 'support,' if it could easily be given? Would a friend say, "Sure, I'll help you out," then not do it, and perhaps 'disappear' for a while? Or, come up with the 'usual' lame response of, "Oh, sorry, I forgot?" Yes, indeed, one can really find out who one's real friends are, especially, during something like the Shortys. Many 'real' friends just go ahead, and do something positive for another person when they see it, and don’t need to be asked. Like a "random act of kindness," (RAOK).

Interestingly, I used to see more people promoting a RAOK than I do now.Finally, for some odd reason, ethics came into my mind. Ethics may be defined as, "...the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group ...a guiding philosophy..." Unfortunately, we seem almost bereft of ethics and principles in today's society, where the old adage, "Do onto others, as you would have them do unto you," seems to almost to come from some 'mythical' time and place.

Many "...do onto others," alright! Pretending to be friends to get their 'egos' fed, and run away until they need another 'ego' fix. We live in a time where many people are 'self-absorbed,' 'emotionally vacant,' materialistic, and greedy. "Hoorah, for me, and to hell with you!" We all know them, and some of them are reading this right now! This is not to negate, however, the fact, that there still remains a lot of good, decent people in the world. Osho says, “99.9% of the people living on the planet are either asleep or drunk,” which is a lot, but, there’s still that .1% of 7B people out there ‘making a difference.’

Yes, the Shorty Awards are really an excellent opportunity to look at society and people as a ‘microcosm,’ under the microscope, to see what may be seen. To see the considerate, and not so considerate folk. To see the sincere and not so sincere. To see the genuine and not so genuine. To see the friends and fake friends. And, to learn to know the difference.

Needless, to say, I think it would be a really good thing for the Shortys to refine their process a bit, such as making sure people who are nominated for a ‘category,’ actually belong in that category from the beginning. Let a vote count even if it doesn’t have a ‘qualifying’ reason after the “Because…” Requiring a ‘reason,’ oftentimes results in some pretty sad ‘reasons,’ as we have seen. Let people know emphatically, that ReTweets, are either acceptable or not. If the Shorty is to be the equivalent of some of the ‘other’ awards that are given to the public, it needs to develop a clearer level of standards. So, let's hope as we move into the future, this will happen, and I do remember this is only the 4th Shorty Award competition, and there's room to grow!

2012 Roger Allen Baut

"I put my trust in you...but In the end,
it really doesn't matter!" Linkin Park