The WORLD through MY EYES (aka, SPEAKING MY TRUTH) about….FACEBOOK Photos BULLSHIT, OR FRIENDSHIP and INTEGRITY

*DISCLAIMER:  MY TRUTH may or may not be YOUR TRUTH, and that is FINE with ME!  Really!   I mean it is the DIFFERNCE between creating a DYNAMIC, COLORFUL MOSIAC (aka, ART) or just plain bathroom floor TILING, no?  The WHOLE POINT of this GAME called LIFE is to RE-DISCOVER yOUR UNIQUE TRUTH (and not MINE, or anyONE else’s for that matter!) and SHARE it FREELY with the PEOPLE who SHOW UP in yOUR WORLD, right? And this INCLUDES the PEOPLE who DELIVER your MAIL, PICK UP yOUR TRASH, and SERVE YOU FOOD, etc.!  *Of course, you are ALWAYS FREE to DISAGREE! Personally, I LOVE to ENTERTAIN/PLAY WITH other people’s POINT of VIEWS, because I ALWAYS FIND SOME TRUTH in it-- THANK YOU!

**And HOW exactly DO I DETERMINE MY TRUTH (from someone else’s STORY)?

Well, I LISTEN to THE STORY/IDEA/BELIEF being PRESENTed to ME (THANK YOU for the GIFT!) and FEEL the TRUTH in order to DETERMINE if it is TRUE for ME.

In other words, when a BELIEF (aka, IDEA, THOUGHT, STORY) RESONATES with ME, it FEELS GOOD.  It FEELS GOOD to ME because it is in HARMONY with MY HEART.  And as it just so happens, MY HEART SEEKS ONENESS with ALL (aka, PEACE, LOVE, JOY, FREEDOM, LAUGHTER and all that “Hippie” Stuff!)  Therefore, ANY STORY or BELIEF that MOVES US further AWAY from ONENESS, and is thus PERPETUATING SEPARATENESS (aka, Duality-Thinking; FEAR-based THINKING; US vs THEM mentality; MEN VS WOMEN; MAN vs NATURE; MONSANTO VS ORGANIC FARMERS; Pepsi vs Coca-Cola, etc.), does NOT MAKE ME FEEL GOOD.  Sometimes, it makes me MAD, but ALWAYS it makes me SAD and therefore, I SEEK a SOULution with that particular SAD IDEA/BELIEF/STORY which BRINGS US ALL closer to ONENESS (aka, LOVE, PEACE, HARMONY, and all that “Hippie” Stuff.)

Therefore, Today, I am DEEPLY GRATEFUL for YOU ALL-OWING ME the TIME and SPACE to EXPRESS RADICAL HONESTY with both mySELF and OTHERS because I am ALL ABOUT TRANSPARENCY for mySELF (first and foremost!), TRANSPARENCY in ALL MY deLIGHTful RELATIONSHIPS with OUR FRIENDS/FAMILY/PEERS/STRANGERS, and fully EXTENDING to TRANSPARENCY throughout OUR LOCAL, NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL GOVERNING BODIES; CORPORATIONS; RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS; and whatnot.)  As is ABOVE is BELOW, no?

So BASICALLY, it ALL STARTS with ME (and U2!!)   Hahahahaha!   

                                                  You have just been BONOred!!  J 

Anyway, TODAY, I am going to SHARE (Sharing is Caring, no?), otherwise known as SPEAK MY (radically honest) TRUTH about WHAT I SEE and HOW I FEEL when PEOPLE I obviously LOVE and ADORE (!!) ASK me under the GUISE of FRIENDSHIP (*and sometimes not very nicely!) to REMOVE PHOTOS of themSELVES, I have POSTED (mostly on FACEBOOK), under the IN-ALIEN-able BRILLIANT CONCEPT of FREEDOM OF SPEECH and SELF-EXPRESSION (*as expressed in the UNITED STATES BILL of RIGHTS…or was it, The DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE—or, wait-- are they the same thing?!  Ummm, perhaps I should re-read those documents again…)  And PLEASE CORRECT ME, when YOU have a BETTER SOULution—I am ALWAYS INTERESTED in SOULutions! THANK YOU! We CHANGE the WORLD through OUR coLABorative SOULutions, no?

Look!  A SQUIRREL!

Anyways, it BREAKS MY HEART when I post PHOTOS of PEOPLE I LOVE, BEING AUTHENTICALLY THEMSELVES (*and USUALLY having a DAMN GOOD TIME while DOIN’ IT!) in my PHOTO-STORIES, mostly on FACEBOOK …

PHOTO-STORIES (noun) = FREE MODERN LOVE-BASED INDEPENDENT PHOTO-JOURNALISM from PEOPLE YOU KNOW, LOVE and TRUST (*isn’t that what WE CLAIM WE WANT from our MEDIA?!!!!)

… and then PEOPLE I LOVE ask me (*and sometimes not very nicely!) to REMOVE/HIDE the raw, NATURAL, NO PHOTO-SHOPPED TRUTH I just happened to CAPTURE “by accident” -- because ask anyONE-- I do not even really KNOW how to use the kinda-HI!-tech CAMERA Paul Davey GIFTED me (***THANK YOU again, PAUL!!!!!)—I just CLICK the CAMERA when it FEELS RIGHT and *MAGIC!  This seemingly “simple” request from PEOPLE I LOVE is OUT of ALIGMENT with me.  In other words, it STILL does not FEEL GOOD to ME and I think I have FIGURED out the WHY…

*And what I mean by MAGIC is that I have just CAPTURED a quantifiable MOMENT of TIME (aka, a MEMORY) in the FORM of PHOTONS/LIGHT PARTICLES that I am NOW able to TRANSMIT this LIGHT INFORMATION easily to the REST of the WORLD, which does not happen to speak ENGLISH, by the way! 

Therefore, I can REACH a MUCH LARGER AUDIENCE through MY raw, NATURAL, sometimes MESSY by ALWAYS UN-EDITED, UN-CENSORED personal FACEBOOK PHOTO-STORIES, otherwise known as DOCUMENTATION of the AWEmazing DAYS of OUR LIVES (*which just happen to REACH, TEACH, INSPIRE, usually ENTERTAIN, and ultimately, EMPOWER OTHERS around the world!)  Directly from SOURCE and FREE for ALL!  (*Isn’t THAT what WE CLAIM WE WANT from OUR MEDIA?!!!!)

And just so you KNOW how I FEEL about MY PHOTO-STORIES, mostly on Facebook:

I can SEE how MY FACEBOOK PHOTO-STORIES are an INTEGRATED extension of my RECENT PAST LIFE as an INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE and “INDEPENDENT MEDIA” JOURNALIST– I mean, IF it were TRULY “INDEPENDENT MEDIA” we WOULD NOT NEED EDITORS, right?  *And just so you KNOW, I have been a very $$well-paid$$ as well as VOLUNTEER EDITOR several times mySELF for a plethora of media organizations and multi-media outlets, so I speak from DIRECT EXPERIENCE: For further reference, Google Me at “Kelly N Patterson, Editor”.  

And not only are MY PHOTO-STORIES just ONE of MY many INTERNATIONAL multi-media COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS…it is a JOYFUL PASSION for ME, as well as ONE of my methods of SELF-EXPRESSION (aka, ART); it is a HEALING GIFT to ME and can be a SERVICE to OTHERS; it is a FREE EASILY ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC INFORMATION SERVICE from MY HEART; IT HIGHLIGHTS the BEST of HUMANS, PLANTS, ANIMALS, BUSINESSES, SERVICE, PRODUCTS, IDEAS, ATOMS, DARK MATTER, and so on…) MY PHOTO STORIES are MUCH, MUCH more than just about MY LIFE, YOUR LIFE and OUR SHARED LIVES TOGETHER but they are ALWAYS about SHOWING and DOCUMENTING LOVE in ALL its SACRED, PROFOUND, and sometimes, ABSURD and PROFANE forms, but MOST IMPORTANTLY, my PHOTO-STORIES are a VERY PUBLIC EXPRESSION of MY LOVE and GRATITUDE for ALL of my LIFE EXPERIENCES and what I have LEARNED from everyONE who has SHOWN UP thus far…so THANK YOU ALL for PLAYING!

So, NOW let’s get to NOT-SO-PRETTY PART of this STORY…sometimes referred to as TRUTH…

In order to demonstrate HOW and WHY I FEEL out of ALIGNMENT when PEOPLE I LOVE ASK ME to REMOVE/DELETE/HIDE a PHOTO of themselves, I am sharing a few “typical” SCENES… and note, NAMES have been CHANGED to PROTECT the GUILTY or as I prefer to call them: “The NOT FULLY AWAKE…YET”  (and YES, at times, WE are ALL GUILTY or NOT FULLY AWAKE YET, silly!)

SCENE 1 (Oh-so-annoyingly Typical):

CLOSE FRIEND:  Can you PLEASE remove THAT PHOTO of ME, Kelly, because IT  (*AS IF putting BLAME on the CAMERA or PHOTOGRAPHER!!!!) makes me look…FAT/OLD/UGLY/DRUNK/HIGH/SLUTTY/UNPROFESSIONAL/ LESS-than-PERFECT/VULNERABLE/MESSY/way too many INDIVIDUAL INSECURITIES to list here!

THROUGH MY EYES:  WTF?!!!  YOU are PERFECT just as YOU ARE-- messy and ALL—don’t YOU SEE THAT?!!!!  Much to my HEART-BREAK, what this “simple” request REVEALS to ME is that I have “accidentally” RE-MINDED YOU of a FALSE, DIS-EMPOWERING, UN-LOVING BELIEF you STILL have about yourSELF (aka, INSECURITIES), that YOU are NOT WANTING TO SEE or OTHERS to SEE (right now.) Literally.  And I WHOLE-HEARTedly BELIEVE these same SELF-DEFECATING THOUGHTS are what PREVENT YOU (and ME!) from FULLY ALL-OWING LOVE, JOY, INNER PEACE, FREEDOM and all that “Hippie” stuff.   *Because we are ALL in this TOGETHER, no?

MY CONCLUSION (*which may very well be different from YOURS—CHEERS!):

Therefore, this seemingly “simple” REMOVE-MY-PHOTO-PLEASE request is OUT of ALIGNMENT with ME, because I FEEL LIKE HONORING yOUR request is AGREEING to YOUR DIS-EMPOWERING, UN-LOVING BELIEFS about yourSELF. Which would, according to the AA Tribe, make me an ENABLER, no? This goes directly against MY DESIRE to EMPOWER mySELF and OTHERS, preferably through LOVE.

A very RECENT SELFIE, "POISON OAK FACE" 

SCENE 2 (*Now we are going to go DEEPER, please check your oxygen tank!): 

CLOSE FRIEND:  Kelly, PLEASE do NOT POST any PHOTOS of ME and (insert NAME—but KNOW it is NEVER a SPOUSE/OBVIOUS PARTNER) TOGETHER. 

THROUGH MY EYES:  WTF?!!!  Basically, YOU are REVEALING to ME that YOU are currently OUT of INTEGRITY with your AGREEMENTS with YOUR PARTICULAR SPOUSE/PARTNER (*which is OK with ME, THAT is YOUR STORY and I TRUST you and your partner will FIGURE IT OUT TOGETHER or APART, whatever works BEST for YOU!) HOWEVER, YOU want ME to SHARE in your LIE?!! And you call this FRIENDSHIP?!!! YIKES! This does not FEEL GOOD to ME because it IS DISHONEST.  Period.

In the PAST, when I have QUIETLY (PRIVATELY) CHALLENGED some of my CLOSE FRIENDS on the INTEGRITY of this “simple” REQUEST, they have PULLED the IF-YOU-WERE-MY-FRIEND-GUILT CARD (*which is a well-documented FORM of PSYCHOLOGICAL and EMOTIONAL BULLYing, by the way…but don’t listen to ME, do your own TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY 101 innerHOMEWORK!)  I mean, Is that what Dionne Warwick meant when she sang, THAT’s WHAT FRIENDS are FOR?!!!  

I mean, IF I am going to be a FRIEND ACCOMPLICE, I want to be a FRIEND ACCOMPLICE to an ACT of LOVE and JOY, RANDOM ACTS of GENEROSITY, and GOOFY SHENANIGANS, not an accomplice to a LIE because DISHONESTY with SELF leads to DISHONESTY with OTHERS, no?

MY CONCLUSION (*which may very well be different from YOURS—CHEERS!):

I think you would be very SURPRISED how often I get this “simple” PLEASE-REMOVE-MY-PHOTO request.  HOW ABOUT instead of BEING DISHONEST with ourSELF (and therefore, OTHERS) we PRACTICE *RADICAL HONESTY with the very people we LOVE?  And then we can WRITE NEW RELATIONSHIP AGREEMENTS out of LOVE, and NOT FEAR-- with INTEGRITY to SELF and OTHERS. 

*For more information on RADICAL HONESTY, please START HERE: http://kellynpatterson.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-big-wish-list-for-myself-and_28.html 

SCENE 3 (The ONE MOST out of ALIGNMENT with ME currently!):

CLOSE FRIEND:  Kelly, I would like to PREVIEW your PHOTOS of the (insert EVENT HERE: wedding/party/fundraising event/community meeting/historic gathering of Lightworkers/class/whatever) before you post them, so I can APPROVE the PHOTOS of myself. 

THROUGH MY EYES:  WTF?!!!  Basically, you are asking PERMISSION, under the MASK of FRIENDSHIP, in the NAME of LOVE, to PROOF or EDIT, possibly CENSOR, and potentially ALTER OUR UNIQUE SHARED HISTORY and ultimately, ROB ME (and OTHERS!) of OUR in-ALIEN-able RIGHTS to FREEDOM of SPEECH and SELF-EXPRESSION!  I mean, IF I am NOT ALL-OWED FREEDOM of SPEECH and SELF-EXPRESSION from MY OWN FAMILY and FRIENDS, HOW CAN any of US EXPECT it from OUR GOVERNMENTS?!!!  **For further reference, READ the UNITED STATES BILL of RIGHTS and DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE.

MY CONCLUSION (*which may very well be different from YOURS—CHEERS!):

"FAITH YOU!"  (*Yes, the RING on my MIDDLE FINGE, which I FOUND in a parking lot, reads: FAITH)

This Machiavellian STRATEGY is NOTHING SHORT of EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL used to MANIPULATE and ultimately, CONTROL the ACTIONS of OTHERS to better SERVE YOUrself  and the fact that it is done in the NAME of LOVE and FRIENDSHIP literally makes me WANT TO PUKE!   *For further reference, about HISTORIC MANIPULATION TOOLS read “The Prince” by Niccolò Machiavelli, written circa 16th Century.

So you say you want a rEVOLution?!!!!!  Well, The rEVOLution STARTS with ME (and U2, All of US!)  *Guess what?!!!  

You just got BONOred again!  Hahahaha! It never gets old!

Again, THANK YOU ALL for ALL-OWING me the TIME and a SAFE SPACE to BE and radically EXPRESS mySELF WITHOUT FEAR of PUNISHMENT, RIDICULE, GOSSIP, OSTRACIZATION, REJECTION, ABANDONMENT, EX-COMMUNICATION, DEATH THREATS, HATE-MAIL, TORTURE or PERSECUTION (*We’ve come along way, Baby!)  and as ALWAYS, I WHOLE HEARTedly ENCOURAGE YOU to BE YOUrself 100% of the time, 24:7, with ME, with everyONE pretty please (!!!) and  KNOW that I LOVE YOU just as you are…skinny legs, Not-FULLY-AWAKE-YET and all…because I AM ALL ABOUT UNCONDITONAL LOVE, FREEDOM and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS!

*This is *KELLY N PATTERSON (* sometimes pronounced KALI throughout most of CENTRAL ASIA) reporting from the HEART, as usual

My Walmart “Black Friday” Experience

"Black Friday" at a Walmart

When my uncle asked me if I wanted to join him in going to WALMART on Thanksgiving evening, for a pre-Black Friday “event”, every cell in my body screamed, “Are you fucking KIDDING me?!”  My strong response to this innocent request for company immediately showed me how many “stories” I had about Walmart as a company, “gross consumerism”, the people who shop and work at Walmart, the products sold at Walmart –in other words, all HARSH JUDGMENTS based on, let’s be honest—the media (*even if it is independent media) and very few personal experiences at Walmart (I boycotted Walmart for almost a decade, so I have probably only been there about 5 times in my life.) Therefore, I recognized THIS as a n OPPORTUNITY to really get out of my comfort zone, test my zen skills and PRACTICE all my beliefs about ONENESS.  So I went.

Yes, the Walmart parking lot was FULL at about 5:30 pm Thanksgiving evening, but it was rather quiet under the snowflakes, like any other day.  Much to my surprise, there were no lines or mobs of poorly-dressed obese people, as often portrayed in the media. We sauntered peacefully into the store.  People were casually hovering over large bins of items throughout the store-- everything from crock pots to electronics to toys, etc.  We were instructed that we were not to “touch” any of the merchandise until exactly 6 PM and then it was a “free for all!” Despite all the Walmart “Event” Staff, I could see how this could get insane very quickly. 

Prepared, my uncle Tim had a list of items he wanted to get for himself and his wife. Our “strategy” was to locate the items first; delegate who was getting which items; and then at 6 pm, “grab our items” and get the fuck out of there as quickly as possible (and then go celebrate with a cocktail at a local bar!)  Therefore, I found myself standing among a small crowd, of mostly women, hovering around a Fruit of a Loom Sweatshirts bin (*because my uncle wanted 4 X-L sweatshirts for $4 each).  Meanwhile, my uncle Tim was just around the corner, standing around a bin of other clothes he wanted to buy for his wife.  

“I have never done this before, I mean, how does this work exactly?” I asked the women around me. 

The woman singing to herself (“You Can Ring My Bell”) next to me chirped: “Well, at 6 pm, we just go for what we want and hope we to get it!” 

Me:  “Well, what are YOU going for?” 

Singing woman:  “Oh, I want a medium orange sweatshirt, a black one and a grey one too.”

I then pointed to the woman directly across the bin from me, who happened to be standing above the orange sweatshirts, “And what are YOU going for?”

She chirped, “I want a large black sweatshirt, an orange one and matching sweat pants.” Gradually, person by person, in a circle, people shared exactly what they wanted.

ME, pointing to the woman directly across from me, “Well, how about I get you your large green sweatshirt, since I am standing right in front of them-- and YOU get me an extra-large black sweat shirt, since you are standing in front of them?” She smiled a YES, and everyONE got it immediately. 

Therefore, at the stroke of 6 pm, WE as a group of “Black Friday” shoppers hovering over a Fruit of a Loom sweatshirt bin, agreed to help ONE another get what each ONE of us wanted, not only in a friendly, peaceful way, but it was also extremely time efficient—Tim and I were OUT of WALMART within in 10 Minutes!  We timed it!  Because we accomplished our goals so quickly, we did not even have to wait in line at the cashier—and note:  the cashier happened to be very cute! And having to park at the very end of the parking lot turned out to be a BLESSING, as we were able to make a swift exit and headed straight to a local bar to celebrate!

Cheers!  with my Uncle Tim!


LIVE your Bliss,
Kelly N Patterson (aka, the Goofy Guru)

Under the Sun Art and Music Festival (Miami) is seeking artists, merchants and musicians

Presented by Frames USA & Art Gallery, the Under the Sun Art & Music Festival is sponsored in part by Frames USA & Art Gallery, with support from Miami Dade County Parks. On this inaugural year, the event's goal is to feature more than 300 local and non-local ARTISTS and MERCHANTS exhibiting work in a range of mediums. MUSIC from local talent will also be presented on two stages.

*Artist, photographer and craft booth spaces cost only $59 for the one-day event.

“We would like to extend an invitation to participate in the newest art and music festival to hit the Miami Events Calendar.  We would like to encourage everyone to participate and help make this festival the biggest event in the history of Tropical Park.   The deadline to qualify for the early registration prices is November 1st 2014.  Visit our website to register:  www.underthesunartandmusicfestival.com/artist-booth-info.html. “

You can contact Under the Sun Art and Music Festival via email at info@underthesunartandmusicfestival.com or call 305-666-3355.

Namast-YEAH!

The Radically Honest ART Cheerleader

Or, Kelly N Patterson

Red Disaster (the poem, not the Andy Warhol silkscreen!)

I have to confess:  I never read ART CRITQUES or art journals because personally, I do not want anyONE else’s opinions, interpretations and art prejudices to frame MY experience with a piece of ART (of any media.)  I prefer to experience art (as well as LIFE) a la tabula rasa, or better yet-- as a “blank canvass.”  We SEE art (and the world) as we are…and to demonstrate this fact, I wrote a poem…

Red Disaster (Andy Warhol) 

Red Disaster (Inspired by Andy Warhol)

By Kelly N. Patterson

A brazen, threatening image:

Colossal black and red silkscreen painting

Not one, but twelve icons

Of the progressive, industrialized tool of execution:

Sing Sing’s electric throne

Hanging on the aristocratic walls

Of the Fine Arts Museum

Which inspired Hoffman and Conrad to argue in public.

Conrad commented lightly on the primitive element

Co-existing in modern culture

Death penalty:

Powerful, irreversible commodity

Sani-flush for the degenerate and evil

Antiseptic flush of all human waste.

Hoffman did not appreciate Conrad’s capriciousness

Red is the blood of the prisoner

Black, profound darkness in a lottery-like deeply racial system

He who hath a good lawyer

Hath life.

Thus Hoffman and Conrad continued to argue in public

Until the close of the museum.

Upon parting they vowed to never discuss political issues with one another again.

Hoffman and Conrad never went to the Fine Arts museum again.

Resources for ARTISTS facilitating SOCIAL CHANGE

A Blade of Grass (a non-profit organization) provides valuable RESOURCES to ARTISTS who demonstrate artistic excellence and serve as innovative conduits for SOCIAL CHANGE. To that end, ABOG is inviting Letters of Interest for its Fellowship for Engaged Art!  Happy Birthday to US!!

The ABOG fellowship supports socially engaged projects that promote ART as a CATALYST for social change (NOTE:  I COULD argue that ALL ART is a catalyst for social change, but that is a blog in itself!); projects that feature artists in leadership roles; dialogue-based projects that emphasize active and sustainable partnerships with communities; and projects in which artists engage community members as equal partners on locally relevant issues, or globally relevant issues as they apply to the local context. *Projects in which co-creation with non-artists is part of the process are highly encouraged.

Fellows will participate in a program that features a range of services, including a two-day orientation that explores ABOG's documentation and assessment models and includes workshops on strategies for community engagement; quarterly co-assessment meetings with other fellows to share progress and offer feedback to one another; support and feedback for ongoing self-assessment in the form of collaborative action research; and assessment by an “outside evaluator”.

Eligible applicants include individual artists as well as artists’ collectives with projects that engage directly with a specific community or communities. NOTE: Artists may not currently be enrolled as students and must be legal United States residents or U.S. citizens who are at least 25 years of age. In addition, applicants must have a website with contextualized examples of past work that a selection panel can review.

Letters of Interest must be received no later than November 24, 2014. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit full applications.

For complete program guidelines, information about previous fellows, and application procedures, visit http://www.abladeofgrass.org/ .

Namast-YEAH!

The Radically Honest ART Cheerleader

Kelly N Patterson