More Projects

Quick Update:  Rodney is working on two more projects currently, and hoping to unveil them this winter.  View H2Oohhh and see some fabulous Canadian Underwater Photography on Rodney's new website, as well as stay in touch with new projects and workshops.

The Next Project

You may be wondering what Rodney has been up to in the last while. It's called "H2Oohhh" and it's a fascinating collection of humans interacting with water. Much of it takes place underwater. Very surreal, graceful, and flowing (but in reality, a lot of sputtering, coughing, and gasping they say!)

The mission of H2Oohhh is to gather people around breathtaking imagery, inspire changes that preserve our local fresh water supply, and create synergy to provide global access to clean water.

We're launching the project in March to coincide with World Water Day on the 22nd. 20% of all of our proceeds are going to provide clean drinking water for people who have none through WaterCan and Samaritan's Purse Canada.

Join us on our facebook page to stay connected and learn more!

Happy??

I was listening to the radio the other day and the question was asked are you truly happy? Can Money buy happiness? These questions really got me thinking. Part of the program was discussing a study in which over half of us answered that we would rather have money and prestige than have true happiness. WOW!!

As I think about my own thoughts on money I must admit that I often equate money with happiness; mostly I suppose because as an artist I’ve been conditioned to believe that escaping poverty is simply a dream that will never come to pass and if I could only pay all my bills and have the cash to buy some cool stuff I would in fact be happy. A few years ago I spent a lot of time photographing homeless people in Winnipeg through a local mission; I would do a formal portrait of them and interview them about their dreams and ambitions. One day I met a lady who had the kind of smile that could light up a room, when asked what her dreams were in life she said “I don’t know that I have many dreams in life, I guess it would be really nice to walk into a store someday and buy something that’s brand new, something that nobody has ever owned before, that would be a dream I guess.” Talking to these people, many of whom found happiness and pleasure in the most simple of things made me wonder why I hadn’t made the time to be happy in everyday life.

This week I’ve asked myself the question again and have come up with the answers all over again, but this time I feel as though I really am happy in life, I have family that loves me and I can love, I have friends who support me, I have work that I enjoy and I have peace with God. Don’t get me wrong, I am still looking forward to being able to pay all of my bills every month and have money left over, I’m looking forward to buying an old Saab or Volvo convertible as a date car for Sonya and I or me and by kids; but I don’t measure happiness by what I have as much as how I am living.

Where are you on the happiness scale, I hope you are well.

Blessings,

Rodney

Lately

Sorry we haven't been very active on this blog. Rod has been focusing on his next project and I have been focusing on marketing our studio. I have been reading some fascinating things about the sacredness and symbolism of our bodies. I hope to speak and write on these subjects over the next year.

If you're visiting for the first time, please feel free to learn more about the project by clicking on some of our past posts (see sidebar) or viewing our website, www.justasiam.ca.

Have a great summer!

News

People are still asking if they can be part of the project. The answer is yes! We are making time available for this on Saturday, July 17th from 11:00 to 1:00 at the studio. Please go to www.justasiam.ca for more info and to sign up. Sorry for the late notice. If this time doesn't work, please contact the studio and ask to be put on "the list" (see contact page on website).

Did you notice something new on our blog? You can now buy the book online! Come to the studio or visit McNally Robinson if you live in Winnipeg though (available in Saskatoon as well).

Mirror, Mirror on the wall….

One of my favourite movies for my kids to watch while I’m working in the background or watching with them is Shrek. I think that there are many reasons that I like it so much but one of them may be that sometimes I feel as though I look like Shrek and act like Donkey, quite the combination I must admit.

In one of the scenes a magic mirror is found and brought to the king, he asks the question “Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the greatest king of all?? (Or something like that.)” The Mirror who is painfully honest and a bit of a smarty-pants tells the king that he really isn’t a king after all as he has no queen.

I think I often look into the mirror expecting it to be somewhat magical and tell me something that is not true when reality often is what I’m faced with. I spent the first twenty some years hating my body and wishing it was something else, Bigger, Stronger, better looking, more defined muscles and the list goes on; now as a much more matured person (and 50 pounds heavier) I am finally at a place where I really appreciate what I had.

I’m on a journey to better health and that includes running several times a week which ironically is morphing me back slowly to the body that I had many years ago which I am thankful for; although I still wish I could completely be satisfied with who I am and how I look. Life is a journey and I’m finding that it’s a lot more fun while I’m running.

Blessings,

Rodney

What to do??

I was watching TV yesterday and saw that this weeks lotto jackpot is 50 million with around 50 additional prizes of 1 million each up for grabs and I started thinking… What would I do with 1 million (Let’s dream small right.)

For quite a while now I’ve been dreaming of the day when I can go to sleep without wondering if I’m going to loose my studio and home next month or the month after that so I guess I would start by paying off all of my debt, then put a little bit away for old age. Now comes the good stuff; I’ve also spent a lot of time in the past few months dreaming of being able to build and fund an orphanage in India, a school in Nepal and funding a local guy who does work with inner city at risk youth. As I thought about these things I was amazed by how little money they all require although after doing all of them my million would actually be a much smaller number.

I have to admit I would spend some of the money on other things as well, My studio still needs some roofing work done and In the neighbourhood we live in a garage would be a real asset and of course I would claim back the insurance money from My classic truck that was torched last year (Again, a garage would have been helpful) which went to pay for the first book we published (Just As I Am) and buy a used convertible “Date car” for me and Sonya or the kids.

I’ve been reading a book on living the life of your dreams and one of the suggestions is to live like you are there already; so I’m planning on doing that. I have no money to support anything but I can take more of my time and support charities and causes within my community more than I am currently doing, that is step one, step two is if any of you have a million and are wondering what to do with it, feel free to steal a few of the items on my list starting with India, Nepal, or the youth worker, feel free to contact me for more info on these things.

We have all been blessed with so much, lets all start living like it and we can change the world, one million at a time.

Rodney