Until now most, if not all, of my blogs have been inspired and dedicated to reflections on deeper human issues. The very last one shared my intense experience of the conflict between Israel and the West Bank, likely one of the most complex of topics. The last 6 months, which seems to be the magic period of time I spend in various places around the world, I lived in Los Angeles. Going there I anticipated being turned off by the plasticity and artificiality, even superficiality of the people, and the environment there. And so, for the initial period, one in which I was subletting in Beverly Hills, of all of the places, my expectations were fulfilled. People were polite but yet in the kind of insincere way we can be towards each other. But then I moved to another location and people as well as the character of the environment changed to, becoming less plastic, less fake, less bogus. This was a welcomed change. And thus Los Angeles grew on me. And so, now having just departed this vast entity, at least for now, after spending the last couple of weeks in Venice Beach there, to culminate the experience and unwind in preparation for the challenges ahead, I thought to reflect upon some of the beauty I encountered there, and was truly touched by. Wishing to make this purely emotional and subliminal, I shall refrain from further words and allow the images to speak for themselves. I do hope you shall enjoy them and find in them some calm and peace.

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, it was 1985 in fact, the SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater thrilled me by selecting “Nick Brew”, my first ever CGI animated project, for its eminent annual screening of the best of computer animation from around the world. For me it was a foreword to the world of 3d computer animation.

I do admit, technologies utilized today by computer animation are simply breathtaking. Prospect such powers unveil are truly arousing. They made me itch for the chance to harness them, to will them to accomplish my imaginative feats, make my dreams come true. The insanely realistic modeling, texturing, shading, lighting and rendering are truly astonishing. Synthetic actors, their dynamics, the gestures and facial expressions are almost life like. Today it takes an experienced eye to differentiate a synthetic actor from a real live one. It is amazing. It's a genuine achievement. So what is wrong with this?

We, the so-called “advanced”, “civilized” world, have become empowered by amazing means of instant communication. Such make vital and enlightening information available to most of the world’s population. This power could, if we only chose to, embody a great weapon against tyranny, oppression and malicious censorship infecting and pervading our societies, eroding our basic freedoms without most of us even being aware of it.

Such instant communication can also act as a mighty generator of ideas, health fuel for brainstorming, a limitless platform for collaboration, exchanges and propagation of global connectivity, thus seeding mutual understanding and respect for those whom we would otherwise never connect with, instead left ignorant, unable to understand or appreciate.

And so it seems that humanity is loosing appreciation and benefits of simple and pure nothingness, of silence and calm, which come with not being under pressure to talk, to respond, to converse, react, but instead to think and feel, digest and reflect. Why?

I have been fortunate to shape academic programs dedicated to exploration of imagination and ideas, these igniting powerful, meaningful and often deep personal stories expressing the inner soul, or inspiring unique original concept designs that probe not just what is but what could be. In all such I strive to shape a system that will challenge the students to take risks, to probe, to test, to experiment, to find themselves, to discover what make them unique, who they truly are deep inside, not on the outside. I challenge them to expose themselves, not physically but spiritually. I call upon them to “take the condom off their head”, have an unsafe idea, for life is too short and precious for following in someone else’s steps, make your own path through an untapped space.

In my previous reflections I wrote, as poetically and passionately as I could, of the almost infinite powers of imagination. When I speak on such a topic in the various presentations, master classes or creative workshops, the key question that arises is this: “But how do you awake imagination or how do you open your mind to the “gravity free and reality independent” thinking and ideation or storytelling that is liberated of all that we have grown to be gravitated by, or entrapped within?

However, while some of us find, consciously or subconsciously, a path or an ability to preserve vibrancy of their imagination, most do not. In the case of the prior, it may have to do with their “make up”, upbringing, parents or a passionate desire to explore, to challenge the status quo, to break the rules, to question all and everything. Or maybe it has to do with an inner curiosity that does not let us accept what we are told by the elder, or our teachers, or the society at large? To us the “system” is the symbol of oppression, the foe to resist in almost any cause. To us, not understanding something is a challenge that motivates and inspires, it ignites our imagination, makes us restless until, if fortunate, we arrive at an answer, a climax, whether right or not.

To ignite, liberate and empower imagination to its fullest and most potent we need to open our minds to, and embrace, "gravity free and reality independent” thinking. Only then imagination transforms into a limitless, infinite state of a creative mind within which everything is attainable and nothing is unthinkable. Within it creativity roams free, unbounded by time, space, reality, logic, rules, dimension, mental or physical gravity or laws. In this inspiring state of mind imagination acts as a fuel for creativity, ideas, ground breaking innovative concepts or visions of what could be, but only if we dare. 

These days, when technology plays such a significant role in all aspects of our lives, and in much of what we do, there is a strong relationship between “IT” and our imagination: when they are not in balance, technology itself can overshadow imagination and seemingly become the ultimate answer to all. But when they are, technology empowers us, acting as our “magic wand”.

 

 

For some time now I have been promising myself a return to organic art. In my case this means line drawing. I love how line fluctuates, swings, cuts, curls, twists, envelopes, stubs, caresses, how it becomes a natural extension of an artist, how its creator can funnel into it the inner thoughts, passions, desires, frustrations or dreams. How such a simple entity can act a echo of the complex one who brings it to being. What a harmonious synergy and mutual dependency, one might say, till death us apart? It is amazing how it carries and projects such an amazing range of emotions, while maintaining its black and white purity and simplicity, even certain integrity, how it can challenge and drive its creator crazy. And so, I loved it back when it and I had such an emotionally fulfilling bond, and hence have been missing it ever since. Now, years later, my desire to rediscover and explore it once again has grown in intense, became eager to be unleashed.

Over the years, I kept on delaying and postponing. But in Japan, maybe due to the quality of calm and stability, of which I had spoken in all the previous reflections, even if for a limited period of time, I found it and regained it. Did I enjoy it? To the fullest! I felt motivated, vibrant and “spirited away” once again. It was amazing to see that the skill, the passion, desire to will a line, to unleash it to life, is not eternally gone. It is reliant on one’s state of mind, and time to reflect.

    

"Are you insane?” "Have you lost your mind?" "Are you not afraid?" "Don't you realize this is the worse time to go there?" This is just a sampling of the polite examples of reactions and comments my plans for a trip to Japan had triggered. And yet, based on my own life’s journey, I understood early on that, sometimes the worse time could be the best, the most raw, sincere, revealing and insightful.

As a father, I have always taught my daughters “you can not live in fear”, oh yes, and also “don’t let boys push you around”. Anyway, fear can be restrictive, even paralyzing. After 9/11 happened, I was asked to fly to Asia. Always eager and to travel and explore, I was thrilled to accept. My daughters panicked. "Please don't go", "what if something happens to you", "we love you". I never doubt their love for me. But how can I live in fear. What kind of an example would I be setting for them if I let it paralyze me by sacrificing my own aspirations in life? After all, we live once, at least in my belief. I do realize there are those who differ with these beliefs. An that is just fine, in fact it is great! How boring our humanity would be if we all thought, believed, acted and reacted in the same manner? Imagine that.