Is digital art really art?

1. Digital tools are used by artists just like physical ones are, and it can take a lot of time to finalise a painting.

I know it took me quite of time to make the Umbrella Dragon Art piece which you can see below. Sure, there are many tools which can be used using different software programs, but in terms of skill and energy, the volume invested is just as big as in traditional art. 

2. Some work may be less about meaning and may be totally about aesthetics. Some digital art is automated. But wasn’t it a kind of art to make the robot? To make the automation? Plus plenty of digital art is made painstakingly by hand, which i did with the Bliss Lines work. Even the simple forms were very hard to paint, my back hurt but i kept going. It's even more challenging for more then doing sports.

3. There are old books about painting, in which it is written that you can not become a really good artist, if you don’t mix paint pigments by yourself and prepare the canvas By Yourself. And yet today, professional artists commonly use ready-made solutions. In some conservative countries, the problem also applies to the type of paint: only "oil" is an art, and "acrylics" are still a suspect medium. So, by yesterday standards, many "traditional artists" of today would be considered at best amateurs by those purists of the past. Well, in the next piece of work called Trippy Waterfall, i haven't used any special technique other then thinking and imagining the final result from the overlaying of different pictures. Is it still art? You will be the judge of that.

4. The world is changing and the tools are developing. Photoshop and Illustrator are just another tools. And they are great tools that give extraordinary possibilities, not available without graphic programs. I am 100% sure that without my design programs i wouldn't be able to make the type of art that i want. I don't agree with the common perception that art is not art until it achieves a certain type of prestige. That is a really snobby attitude. My next work has zero prestige, and still i like it a lot. It is called Church Exstasy  and some can say, well, it is only photography. At the advent of that technology, photography was considered a kind of cheat, since it didn't require the same kind of skill to capture a scene or portrait that a painter has. Today though, photography is very much viewed as an art.  It was just as hard to make this photo and others, as it was to paint. I had to overcome the inertia of "i'm too lazy to do anything", which i need to do if i wish to paint or write. 

5. There are lots of methods of recreating the real world in some small form. You can take a soft mass and mold it. You can take something harder and sculpt it. You can make thin rows in sand to represent the outlines of something. You can take a sheet of white paper and create smudges with a small bit of charcoal. You can make blobs of color to imitate patches of light and shadow. The weird thing is that we don't have a word for all these activities. It's not really "creating"—we don't create a thing, we create an image of it. In the end, we tend to call it sculpting (for built forms) and drawing (for shapes on paper). People more familiar with art add another category to it, painting, to distinguish it from line-based works. Drawing a line on paper or dirt is no different than drawing a line with a stylus pen. The result is created in a different format, but it doesn't change anything. You wouldn't say that these aren't art because that are in pencil. 

6. Digital art is simply a tool. A very popular tool, because the colors are limitless, and so vibrant (look at the Hermina Love creation), there is no drying time for paint, it's easy to transfer from device to internet to website to store or publishing, you can keep your art even once you've sold it and it has many ways to just make life easier for the artist. Which makes me believe if the old masters that you see in the Louvre were still alive today, they would most likely have some digital paintings, among other mediums. 

The ancient site of Dion

Dion is an ancient city in the region Thessalia or Aeolia as it was called in the distant past. What struck me from the begining of my trip in this region of Greece, was the amount of water stagnating in some of the ponds, almost submerging the gods statues in thick marshes. It seemed that ancient chants were whispered from the depth of the water, and the Lord of the Rings spirit was ever present, in the form of spider webs, crab legs and archaic stones. 



Water is life, water is profundity and water was awesome under the schorching Helios sun. It was so hot, i started to get burned while even wearing a hat and using sun protection. If i would've been smart, then i could have used a Microfiber Cooling Towel, but i didn't. Some things are learned by getting burned.

The area is so serene and tranquil sitting near the majestic Olympus Mountain, that you feel healed and cared for. In the ancient times Asclepius represented the healing aspect of medicinal arts, and it was granted god status by Zeus. 
The rod of Asclepius remains a symbol of medicine today. Sitting near his temples and sanctuaries in total awe, i was cured of any affliction. Asclepius temple is in a meadow, which you can see on the right covered with grass.

 The water was so pristine that i wanted to make myself a juice on the spot, but didn't have the right tools in my backpack. I am a big fan of squezed lemon juice and definitely wish i had this Fruit Infuser Bottle with me.

I saw a lot of animals in my trip and many of them have lightly bitten me in the Aegean sea, but surprisingly i haven't seen owls. In Greek mythology, a little owl (Athene noctua) traditionally represents or accompanies Athena, a symbol of knowledge, wisdom, perspicacity and erudition. I wish i would keep the light of wisdom alive even in the blackest nights with the special Owl Nightlamp

  

Legends keep talking about the sacred and heroic parts of a culture and historians have a different view focusing on military campaigns, conquest and slavery. Near the sacred river Vaphyras though nothing of the old battles is felt, but a calm tranquility. 

I wish you all a good relaxation.

What is the best routine/morning routine to get fit?

A few years ago i had a very poor fitness level because of toxic habbits like drinking and smoking, over sleeping and insomnia, unhealthy eating habbits and chaotic training programs. I would try to be in the best shape i could during a single most important day, running for 20 km for example, or doing a few hundred pull-ups, the only result being that i was very tired the next day. I learned that i's better to work less and do more. 30 min a day everyday is better then 6 hours in a crazy day of physical excess.

In the past i was always counting the exercises and  repetitions which is not necesarly a bad thing, but i felt stuck in a numbering format i didn't like anymore. 

A good morning routine for me is to get up from the bed as fast as possible, go towards my home bike and drink a coffee while exercising at low level dificulty. I put emphasis on the legs first, and i feel less tired because i got stronger in that body part through constant practice. Of course, ideally the whole body is to be viewed holistically as a genius apparatus of pure precision. I believe it is easier to start with the legs, and to me it doesn’t feel like working at all. It is an awesome way to feel, well, amaizing, since i expect to use the legs all day.

After the lower body i sometimes go up towards the abdomen. I use a few aplications to do the abs exercises, which i don't particulary like to do, but they are usefull, and i keep track of the progress. Abs are not that hard as they look.

The movements i do are not always predefined, and i often  practice yoga plus stretching to vastly improve mobility and flexibility. 

Later in the day while i work, i do some pushups diverse exercises, covering more muscles then just a few of them with high intensity training. I like to change the routines and get creative, in the same time working to improve my health and concentration, which in turn i believe improves my fitness level. I can do around 1000 different types of pushups if i plan to use that day for chest training.  It is important to do the workout corectly, so i continuously check my posture and the not to do like sitting too much time on the chair. 

Driking water is esential for a healthy body and mind too, and i drink at least 3 litres every day: H2O Fruit Infuser Sports Bottle

What are some good writing tips?

1. LSD or other psychedelic compounds which work for you is a source of inspiratio, while nature being the single caster of wonder with unlimited hidden treasures inside its body, probably eclipsing any known substance. Writing is the expectation to be awestrucked and to capture the moment with your fingers. It is also a scientific point of view which says that information doesn't always come in the form of language, and it really is out there in the mental air ready to be gathered by you, the you who is willing to use images if words don’t do justice.
2. Paper is there to write upon whenever you have the chance, in order to act out the physical gesture of creating meaning and story. If “inspiration fades out”, do a different gesture like drinking water from a bottle, keeping in mind the ideea of a cup refilling creativity levels.
3. Healthy habbits are a cornucopia of mana and fuel for the mental notes which you take while visiting beautiful places. They are the fountain for the powerfully imagistic later stories.
4. Online dictionaries are the mage of 21 century and the inspiring music is the spell which keeps you aware, while taking ample breaks to stretch your muscles from staying too much at the computer.
5. Structuring the information is a blessing and it gives the opportunity to fill in the blanks later on, leaving room for surprises in the development of your story.
6. Watching the composition of movies and other forms of telling a story will open you up to the matrix of character evolution inside the play.
7. Writing about the lack of a subject if you don't have anything to write about is writing about nothing which is something. 
8. The ancient greeks knew that good writing takes hours and hours of reading, even sitting under the sun in astonishingly hot conditions.
9. Your wife, girlfriend or significant other is first and your writing second. Just as we can’t clutch to a relationship forever, the words won’t stick in our heads eternally but are magically atracted by our love and released on paper. Don't worry, once the bird is out, it will stay that way. 
10. Imagine what would a person that you admire tell you and write that perception as a self love appreciation letter. 
11. Writing really is a series of improvements towards the final shape, and your your first draft like a stepping stone. 
12. Be close to a cactus and see what happens with your writing power.
    

What techniques do i use to improve my writing?

The first and single most important technique to improve my writing is to constantly rewrite my story and to overcome the inertia of wishing to let my ideas stay in their original form. I believe a good story is developed with constant improvements, by the trial of fire and brimstone.

I wish to write in an immersive way, to develop the story and not just use the q&a format which seemed to be simpler to handle in the past.

I still don’t know how to create a story from ground zero, so in order to be effective i need to write something which fascinates me and then structure a plan; i still don't know the logical processes which keeps the focus of the reader in a single ray of attention, towards the main development line. Intuitively, i do know that i like to be surprised in discovering my story as i read it and see the characters starting to take shape.

After the initial draft i will begin the stage of text structuring, the gathering of the smaller rivers into the main trunk of water. As i swim in the current of the words, i like to leave the story open not knowing where it will end up, just like an adventure in the Amazon. The river should reach it's fatefull end point in the sea, preferably without piranha bites. The multiple choices available to reach the sea fascinate me.

The trip to Greece - part 2

" Devices are to be seen that transform movements of an ocean huge as the Pacific, into what on Earth is called ambrosia - A sort of sea net created by scientists to catch only a few distinct waves that have a certain property from which you can create the ocean elixir – But there’s a trick to it: one can only create ambrosia from some of the waves because only some are under the right lunar circumstances. "

      In the blue Lagoon

Imagine yourself in a prehistoric time near the Lagoon of the Ancients. Who are those people that built it? What voice do they have? Is it the same voice that reads these words or is it a different voice, unexpected and fascinating?

This is a book intro which i have written in a very difficult of my life, when i was unhappy and sad because of a series of unfortunate events , at the very end of an exciting cicle. The fall of Icarus. They say great sorrow leads to great achievements. Is it so? I don't think so.

                  pirate cannon
If i could fly on the projectile of a large bazooka and liquidate the object of my desire, i would erase a part of my life and put in a lot of memories with the greek islands. Pure beauty, living in the special colours without confrontations and false ideas.








                     Aegean moon
I would let the night grow and watch the waves lit the moon. Pictures do speak a thousand words, right? What i don't like in clasical writing is that i feel the words fail to deliver meaning instantly. I want instant gratification and i don't want to wait until the end of the book.

For example, if i would say: The blue thought is in the space between the two mirrors looking at each other. It is not a place per se but a dimension of the imagination. Preety abstact words, right? But, if i would use two pictures, each of them a thought of the photographer, then it is easier to imagine. Space becomes present. Imaginary space is the white colour which can be seen between the pictures, aka mirrors.  

   

 Skiathos Island

And now to the practical side, i would like to give you a couple advices when travelling to Greece.

1. Bring a large hat to protect you from the omnipotent sun

2. Grab an extra power charger to extend your smart phone batery life

3. Download local maps, internet connection is weak in most of the areas

4. Tell the waiters to also bring the check, they tend to dissapear after serving you food

5. Avoid the attention grabbers sitting in front of restaurants trying to pick you up

6. Expect to use sign language because some of the locals don't know english at all

7. Try the beach cocktails

8. Greek letters can be confusing

9. Avoid orthodox people unless you are one

10. Have lots of cold water to lower your body temperature

11. Check out this mosaic in Salonic.

A trip into the ancient lands of Greece - part 1

What does it take to be satisfied when entering a land like Greece through the gate of the ancient Gods?

     
the gates of Olymp

1. Majestic mountains?

2. Mythological stories and creatures?

3. Warm greek sun?

4. Pristine water?

5.  Polite folks?

6. The food?

Everything and more is my answer. Immediately upon entering the country, i was hearth welcomed by the warm mediteranean climate, the strong sea currents which get close to the land plus the torrid sun keeping me company like a scorchingly passionate friend. I observed the mountains blend into the sea and vicersa and my heart was pleased. Days passed and time came to take a cruise.


Olympian sun and ambrozia like rays

               near Skiathos Island

In my vivid imagination i expected mermaids and poseidon like creatures to rise from the sea, being only slightly dissapointed of the immediate reality of my location. I was on a sailing ship which resembled the long forgotten pirate vessels, and not in a romantic way of seafarring but a modern capitalistic way of money grabbing from the unknowledgable. Still, despite of the obstacles, the song of the sea ran strong through my windy presence, and my mind was mostly unclouded by the distractions.




               The light of the warm greek sun creates a special type of fauna and flora on the island, with cactuses everywhere, giving me the impression that i'm in Mexico, and i do wish to drink Ayahuasca or eat cactus fruits. The ancient greek psychoactive brew was named kikeon, and i can vaguely feel how the experience of ingesting the concoction would have ended.

Not only the land was magical but my significant other as well, being next to me and loving the moments spent toghether. The sea "made us" stay even closer.

The coastline was spectaculor too, wish i could dive in the caves.

                                                             in the bay of Volos

If the sea speaks and it does, then all the water around covers the other voices which are not so significant. Then and only then, the sea tells the story of the lost continent of Atlantis, which was and is less legendary and more tangible to me since forever. I felt all powerfull and mighty staying in the front of the ship winds full blazing me as i departed the port of Volos towards Skiathos. I felt invincible and blessed, like i drank the mexican ayahuasca in my mind, combining the cocktails with a bit of greek flavour.

 

                                                                 near the Marina Museum 
 
Greece is not an expensive country, but public transportation can be costly, for a 200 km trip the price would be around 20 euro per person, or for a smaller 15 km road the price is around 3 euro. The cruise tickets are around 20 euro for a one day full cruise with a big group, which is not that much but you can be surprised to find out about the pirate maneuvers of some egotistical boat captains. Or, read my review and don't be. As you lay your foot on the sea vessel, the captain shakes your hand with a smile and invites you to take a picture with him. You like the attention and feel great. You take the picture because you really have no choice, do you? El capitan is there blocking your way and his marauder crew is supporting him. Later you willl pay around 8 to 10 euros for the printed version of you and the smart captain. Sounds great, right? Trust me, just say no.

  

        the White Tower of Salonic
                                                 
A small advice: if you arrive at the bus station in Salonic, don't be discouraged by the mess you see. The city will get better and will deliver, i promise as much as a man can do that.












In the past century the greeks would put criminals of all sorts in the White Tower which was used as a prison. A bloody history indeed, and a punishing one, to be so close to the water and the freedom it gives, but to still be in the tower. I visited the complex structure and watched the volume of water through the iron bars, as a convict would do not too long ago. 

                                      inside the tower
                                                   






What if you would have to spend a few years inside your own mind, inside you own decaying passions and guilt? An uneasy question, but nothing to worry though since the pirate ship awaited me outside. I had the liberty to take a free cruise after visiting the tower. Yes, you can take that corsair cruise which is as historically realistic as it gets, since the boat actually existed and was used in the first world war operations as a trade cargo. It's not a reproduction, the wood and everything is all real timber bars. The crew is outstandingly great, what you see is what you get, no hidden tactics of ripping you off for more money like in other places. You only have to buy a beer, a juice... minimum pay around 5 to 6 euro.

 The music is Portuguesse or a chill mix, plus there are seagulls flying on top of your head. Absolutely awesome and hazy like dream of the birds. 

Did you like my story so far? If it is well received, there will be more to come. Do share your story as well and thank you for existing.

Have a good day, adventurer Alex