Clark Perry, born and raised in Alabama, is a former award-winning journalist and currently a TV writer. After graduating Carnegie Mellon University’s School
of Drama, Clark started his career making a living with words. It wasn’t always easy, rejections would come and go, and jobs weren’t always ideal (I’m sure writing and keeping record of obituaries was not his favorite part of the business). Still, giving up was never an option. So from short-stories, to advertising, to magazine editing, Clark built his yellow brick road. A road that could only lead to his true passion: creative writing. LA was his next destination, where he graduated from the Warner Brothers Television Writers Workshop in 2010. He was now ready to work on one of the most “magical storytelling medium” he ever knew – television.
Science fiction was definitely Clark’s forte. A few of his TV jobs include “The Messengers” for CW, “Defiance”, and “V” for ABC. When asked about how to truthfully involve the audience, Perry’s answer as straightforward: “the emotion is somehow always greater than the plot itself”; it is essential to give focus to the character’s reaction on the situation presented – people like to relate, to understand and even fell how they feel, even in a fictional world.
If there is something I learned – once again – after my brief moment with Clark Perry is that EMPATHY is what truly moves the world.
If you look at the dictionary definition, a safari refers to an expedition, a journey, an adventure. One in which you go to explore and to investigate something – in my case, art. My expedition was in fact more of a tour around @lavicvic’s ways of portraying the world. Vicky Navarro’s description is one of an architect, an influence in marketing and a storyteller. For me, Vicky was more of a dreamer and an inspiration. If there is something I learned while diving through the pictures was to appreciate the everyday scenario for its grace and uniqueness; the artistic side of our daily routines that proves that beauty is in the little things.
The artist emulated here has a very unique approach, always focusing on shots of fractions of moments we often take for granted – the message is clear: Every single thing can be seen as art if you just look at the world in a new angle.
Here is my humble rendition of a few pieces:
I used to love Halloween as a kid. It wasn’t just about trick-or-treating, which I have to admit, was fun too. What I really enjoyed about Halloween was being able to dress up as someone else or something else. I was free to try on different versions of myself. My mask would protect me from any worries, fears or vulnerabilities. But eventually, the mask falls off and we have to face reality.
Having to choose between costumes was always a fight. I like Snow White and Tinker Bell, can´t I combine them both? Why can’t Lilo be a pirate? Why not a vampire that used to be a clown? Other than those decision-making moments, the day would go by really smoothly. I couldn’t see Halloween as something other than a fun and thrilling day. It was like my piece of liberty. It wasn’t long ago that I was old enough to understand that freedom is both a blessing and a curse. Philosophers and poets, for instance Sartre and Pablo Neruda, used to suggest freedom as a condemnation. As we are free to choose something, we are also prisoners of the consequences. And we define ourselves through the choices we make.
Every time I choose something I feel like I lose a piece of myself, a new prospect, a fresh option. I can’t stop thinking about what I might be giving up, and this haunts me at every decision I make. What if the banana muffins tasted better than the vanilla cake today at the bakery? What if by going to the movies I miss out a great event at the park? What if I go to the museum and lose the opportunity of meeting my favorite book author that decided to visit the central library this afternoon? What if that was the choice for me? What if this one little thing changed my path to become who I was supposed to be? I learned with time that freedom can be liberating but also very confining.
My dad used to tell me my arms were too small to hold the entire world. And that’s true; they are. I have to embrace freedom as it is and accept the choices I make along with the consequences that come with it. I guess people like to set goals because they believe it gives them a sense of control. But sometimes the unexpected comes along – even if it weren’t on our check list – and we have to deal with whatever the world throws our way. We may not pull the switch that determines what happens to our lives, but we sure are free to choose what to do about it, how to react, how to overcome the barriers. And who knows the possibilities behind that twist? Freedom is scary, but in a really exciting way, just like the first time you enter a haunting house.
The unknown is a bit intimidating, but stepping outside of our comfort zone can take us to great places. I am grateful that I’m free to take a chance and risk myself whenever opportunity knocks. I can never know what is waiting for me on the other side unless I walk through that door. Behind it, there is a world of possibilities – and freedom is about choosing to welcome them; experience and savor every minute. And whether or not it turns out as I expected; I will know for sure that door was mine to open.
I recently read that “Twitter chats are business networking events – minus the dress code” in a blog post [check it out right here], and it got me thinking how formality is sometimes just an ornament. Media has changed so much over the years: company and consumer are no longer distant concepts as they used to be. Individual opinions and assessments matter in the market field and it is crazy how easy and fast it is to access this type of information.
Social networks are gaining a significant role in the gathering and dissemination of ideas once it captures the structure of a real-life human conversation; and there is no arguing the importance of interpersonal communication in concept understanding and knowledge development.
Twitter chats have proven to be quite effective tools to create a naturally resembled conversation where people can connect, exchange ideas and build social relations in a context-set environment. It is a practical way of increasing awareness in the business world, either as the company or as the consumer: On one side, giving a “face to the business”, and on the other staying informed on the industries’ common issues.
In a modern world where data and material are constantly being updated it can be overwhelming for the user – never knowing who to trust, where to look and how to filter what’s given. In my personal experience, twitter chats are very oriented and yet dynamic sources of information, ideas and inspiration that forces people to be critical thinkers. The engagement of a diverse set of people adds different values that enrich the conversation, which ends up humanizing the business world. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that real business is all about people.
Mahatma Gandhi once said “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. One of the most exciting things about being in a University is the possibility to connect with different people, share unique ideas and embrace new ones. That is why I decided to write about the National Welcoming Week Cultural Festival, hosted outside the Marshall Student Center at the University of South Florida, on September 19th.
The event, held at the state with the most refugees in the United States, displayed various stands where people could go for information about U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, refugee resettlement, naturalization, heath services, and a bit of history (including famous refugees and their achievements), along with music, food, a cultural fashion show, and plenty of hands-on activities for anyone interested. The main purpose of the gathering was to raise awareness of different cultures, attire and traditions of the many countries represented.
The concept of a global community gain undeniable influence and repercussion over the decades and people are more and more conscious of the subject. I once heard that humanity’s greatest desire is to belong and to connect. The idea of empathy has gained significance in people’s daily lives. The most common way of empathizing with others used to be through what’s known as “affective empathy”, in which you share an emotional response with the person you’re interacting with. Nowadays, “cognitive empathy” has gained a stronger value in society – to take a different perspective and to understand someone else’s way of viewing the world, something that is crucial to social prosperity.
It is exciting, and even inspiring, to see how in the modern world perceives uniqueness and authenticity in a brighter light. And how institutions, especially educational ones (responsible for supporting young adults as they shape their own identity), seek to nurture people’s curiosity towards diversity. Among the many things we can exchange – goods, gifts, money, credits and currency – the most important are information, culture and ideas. The most amazing things ever accomplished in mankind were never achieved in complete solitude. Only by exploring the rich world of ideas that exists outside the box that innovation can rise and society can thrive. Learning is certainly not a unilateral process. There is no doubt that, indeed, we are stronger together.
We all have secrets. Even as kids, they are there – a stain under the cushion, a hiding place, a secret stash of cookies. But most of them are hidden desires we carry deep inside ourselves and don’t dare to share. They are kept in a place so dear and private, so safe from harm, we often forget about them, our fantasies. Whether it is that dream you had of flying, being a hero or having the power to stop time, it is present in every child’s mind.
As we grow we seem to lose track of our imagination and while it weakens, life itself gets harder and the crude world becomes unbearable. Once hit by reality, I knew I couldn’t dream of flying or having superpowers anymore, or at least not as intensely as I used to. I needed to find a new way of exploring my imagination, a new way of revealing and relieving those hidden secrets of mine. Art became my way to escape, to run away without having to leave. It was like a long nap after lunch. It was like removing my shoes after a long day of walking. It was like swimming on a refreshing pool in a summer day, every time I immersed myself in art, in whatever form I could find it – movies, series, books, pictures.
Whenever I read a book, watch a movie or follow a TV series, I find a little bit more about myself and the world surrounding me. It pleases me to analyze the attitudes and expressions of a character in different situations. The human behavior is something that I have always been passionate about. There are so many things that just can’t be explained by reason or logic… you have to feel, see, smell, taste, touch. I get to find myself and lose myself with every new story. I become perceptive to details that help me predict an outcome or guess how that character may feel. I become aware of and identify things that weren’t directly stated, only implied. Also, series, movies and books open a door to foreign cultures, distinct conceptions and varied points of views inserted in each character. Being involved with a parallel reality allows me to be more open-minded as I vicariously live experiences I would probably never be able to in real life.
However, my books, series and movies became too personal to share. If I dared to explain my conclusions drawn from a scene or chapter, people would constantly look at me as if nothing I said made sense, claiming I was “over-interpreting” it. I believe there is no such thing. Still, I needed, once again, to find another source of art, one that I could expose to the people around me, even if my way of seeing it could never match theirs: I feel in love with photography and it became a skill I genuinely wanted to perfect.
I knew the whole world could look at one of my pictures, but not one single person would see it the way I would. And I didn’t have to explain it; they all could understand that a picture is a poem without words. It is the most universally understood language. With a camera in hands, I was intuitive; I trusted my instincts, because I knew my choices of light, angle and proportion would give it my personality. It would give my picture a piece of me.
It required patience to get a “perfect shot” and, honestly, most of the pictures were neither harmonious, attractive nor in the slightest bit appealing, but within the hundreds there was one worth all the time spent. One would perfectly capture a moment, an instant I wanted to hold with me forever. My perfectionist and a bit obsessive manner toward details, turned into the ability to allow myself to make mistakes and to be wise enough to know which ones to keep. I would try out new techniques and invent new methods without worrying they could fail. I was free from restrictions, something I only realized a while after I started devoting myself to this hobby. Around the time I learned one of the most sincere sayings I have ever seen: “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus”.
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. But nothing is ever a one way road. If the world can see our soul through our eyes, why can’t our soul see the world? I’ve decided to believe in that ever since I started watching people’s stories on a screen or capturing moments in a picture. Now I know that through the lens of a camera, I can see things differently.
Ananda Liz 
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