I Am Moving...

Bill Dowis has moved to his new home at www.billdowis.com

Come check me out.

My Mind Works Like YouTube

Have you ever clicked a link to a YouTube video and after watching the video clicked on one of the recommended videos? After watching that video you click on another recommended video. Before long you will be watching a video that is nowhere near the same as the first video you watched.


That is how my thought process works. My mind is like YouTube.


Yesterday I was out for a run and I started thinking about the Disney Marathon which I will be running in January. That thought led to making a shirt to tell people I am running 26.2 miles in Disney World. I am vain like that. That thought led to the idea of selling T-shirts to help pay for my flight down there, which led to the thought of donating a majority of the money raised to a favorite charity. I am vain, not selfish. Those thoughts led to the idea of making running inspired T-shirts. Not an original idea, but a popular one. That thought quickly grew into an idea for a T-shirt empire.


A thought process like that could go on forever.


I think that many people have a similar thought process. Especially when it comes to the creative process. One idea starts as a seed and before you know it you have a forest that needs to be trimmed back and groomed to get a nice looking property to live on. Or sell.


Speaking of running… Check out the run report for the Run For Your Lives Zombie 5K I did this weekend.

Is Hack Really Such A Bad Thing?

Hack is usually used as a derogatory adjective. To be a hack writer means that you grind out thousands upon thousands of words without thinking about the art of writing. You are viewed as nothing more than a word factory. Is that such a bad thing?

Think about the dime store pulp novels of the fifties. There was something for every taste including romance, mystery, and western. These novels carried a low price tag and new ones were available at least every month. They were not going to win the Pulitzer Prize for literature, but they were stories that people enjoyed reading. They entertained the hard working Americans.

Let’s look outside the realm of the written word. Almost everyone I know enjoys a hard hitting action movie. Remember the eighties when Stallone, Seagal, Schwarzenegger and Van Damme would produce movie after movie of nothing but action, cursing and killing? Those movies weren’t winning Academy Awards, but just like the pulp novels they were entertaining and people enjoyed watching them.

The same thing occurs on television. You cannot surf through a dozen channels before hitting so called “reality television.” There is hack content if I have ever seen it, but look at what it has in common with everything I just talked about. It is produced with quantity being more important than quality. It is not winning any awards. It entertains people. And it is in some sort of demand or else it wouldn’t be worth producing.

So what is wrong with being a hack, especially in this digital age when it is easier than ever to produce and distribute your work? Speaking of the digital age, the majority of the websites you see is full of hack content. No matter what subject is covered the words need to be written and site owners pay writers to produce high volumes of content to fill those pages. 

Now I would be insane or stupid or both to suggest that quality does not suffer when focusing on quantity, but to say that there is no quality at all would also be insane or stupid or both. The audience that enjoys this type of entertainment is not stupid. They like to be entertained as a form of stress relief. This is the entertainment that does it for them. 

So there is nothing wrong with being a hack. In fact, hacks get paid. If you want to make money at what you love then you need to be a hack. If you are happy at your day job, then I guess you can produce that artsy stuff.

Better yet you can do both because, as Ben Affleck said in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, “You have to do the safe picture then you can do the art picture.”

Freelancers and Eggs

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meg-z/

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

That is sound advice. Quite literally it means that relying on just a single basket is not a good idea. What if you dropped that basket? The eggs would spill everywhere and most likely break. Even if you could save a few you would still lose nearly every egg you had.

This principle can be applied well to the world of freelancing, no matter what your specialty.

As a writer I find all of my non-fiction work online. There are a number of places devoted to getting work for freelance writers. Some of these sites are so large that you could easily devote all of your time to a single company and focus on a single niche. I know better than to do such a foolish thing.

One of the major companies that I get assignments from is currently having a shortage of titles as they update and redo one of their sites. There are many writers associated with this company complaining about the shortage of work and the hit that their income is taking.

Now, obviously this will affect any writer that submits work to this site. It is impossible to completely prevent any loss of income. Hence the eggs in the basket thing. That is why you need to branch out.

It seems like common sense, but do not find all of your work in one place. If company A has a shortage of work, you are still getting work from companies B, C, D and other clients that you have relationships with.

Freelancing definitely has its ups and downs. If you are just starting out or thinking of working for yourself, then heed my words...

Don't put all your eggs in one basket, and if you do, for the love of all things mighty don't drop the basket!

#fridayflash - "Sub Two"

The sub two hour marathon was a mythical feat. People believed that it could be done, but most believed it was humanly impossible. But as people got closer to two hours, more people started paying attention.

It was 2016 when the fastest man in the world completed the London Marathon in two hours one minute and twenty-nine seconds. This is when it really got serious.

Both the Boston Athletic Association and the New York Road Runners put up a $5,000,000 prize to the first person to break two hours, if they did it on their course.

Now my personal record for the marathon was only 2:39:29. I was nowhere near two hours, but I heard of someone that could give you anything you wanted for the right price. Me? I wanted to be fast, rich, and famous.

So I looked into it. It didn’t involve doping or cheating or anything else illegal. I knew that race officials would question a runner dropping forty minutes off his PR. I expected they would submit me to all kinds of investigations. I was not worried. This was all legit.

So here I was sitting in front of a monster of a desk, across from the man who would guarantee me fortune and glory. Why no one else had ever done this before me is puzzling, but the price was steep for most. Not me though. I knew that this would all be worth it.

The man sat in his oversized chair, staring at me. He leaned comfortably on the arms of the chair with his hands folded in front of his face as if he was praying. Praying to whom was another question.

He wore a dark suit with very subtle pinstripes. Plain white shirt. Dark red tie that matched his cufflinks. I don’t know about fashion, but I could tell that this suit cost more than most folks make in a year.

His eyes examined me for an eternity. I could not help but wiggle a bit in my chair. No matter what I could not find a comfortable spot. He dropped his hands to speak to me.

“I am willing to do business with you, but you must understand the terms of my contract.”

It felt hard to speak. “I understand.”

“Many people think that my prices are too much. Be certain that once you achieve your goal I will come to collect.”

He spoke in a very calm and serious tone. “I am willing to pay.” I swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in my throat. “As long as you deliver.” I had to swallow again. The lump would not budge.

The look in his eyes was chilling. I felt chills run through my spine. He slid a single piece of paper across the desk. A pen rested on top of it.

I looked at the paper. There seemed to be more words than could possibly fit on a single piece of paper. I didn’t need to read it. I picked up the pen, which appeared to be just as expensive as everything else in the room, and signed my name.

I slid the paper back and for the first time a slight smile crossed the man’s face.

So the morning of the Boston Marathon comes along and I am feeling great. My training went well, my runs were perfect and I knew that this was my day.

The gun goes off and I rocket off the starting line. I don’t feel like I am putting in any effort at all, but I know I am going fast because I quickly break away from the rest of the field. Two or three guys stick with me, but by mile ten there was only one left and he fell back around mile fifteen.

When I turned the final corner and saw that finish line my adrenaline pulsed through my body. I was only a few hundred feet from the finish. I broke tape and the clock read 1:59:23. Everyone was yelling and cheering, and cameras were clicking all around me.

I remember everyone crowding around me. Someone gave me a sports drink. Someone else gave me a towel. I felt a million hands patting me on the back. I was so excited and on such a high that everything blurred together. The first real face that I made out was his.

He walked with confidence. People made a path in front of him without even realizing they were doing it. He wore the same dark suit. Same shirt. Same tie and matching cufflinks. The only difference was the huge smile he wore on his face.

When he was within reach he stuck out his hand. I took it in a firm shake. “Congratulations” he whispered in my ear as he patted my back with his free hand. He turned around and was gone.

I knew that he would expect me to make good on my debt, but to come and collect so soon? I didn’t even have time to enjoy it. Emotion swept out of my body. All at once I was empty. 

As expected there were all kinds of allegations when an unknown like me broke two hours. Everyone wanted drug testing and investigations. The sponsors refused to pay until everything was proven legit.

Me? I didn’t care about anything. I lay in my bed all day. Everything felt meaningless. Empty. Useless. I was a shell.

That is how I ended up here, talking to you. I figured death would restore my soul. I would be whole again. I was wrong.

I can’t get into paradise because I have nothing to enter with and I can’t take damnation because the man down there already has what he wants.

So here I am. Stuck in this hell, or is it hell? Something worse? 

But the messed up thing about all this? I never even got to spend my money.

Monopoly - What is Wrong With This Country

Yes... Monopoly the board game.

I watch a lot of kids television. That is the curse of having two kids. Although, it gives me an excuse to watch some awesome cartoons. Obviously, the commercials shown during these shows are targeted toward kids or for kids.

Enter the commercial for the new Monopoly game.

It is electronic. The kid in the commercial is playing the game with a debit card. He drops hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place like it ain't no thing. A fantasy shot has him in the driveway of his mansion with a fast car and a big boat, arms spread wide. All the while the soundtrack is playing a song with the line "It's all about the money! Money! Money!"

Remember when playing Monopoly meant sitting with family members for three hours until the frustration reached a boiling point and someone flipped the board across the room?

What are we teaching kids when we tell them life is all about the money? Sure it is nice to have a good income and be able to purchase nice things, but is that what life is about? I have seen people living well below the poverty line that are enjoying life hundreds of times more than some of the richest people in the world. And with less debt too.

It is not about the money.

I Love My Kindle

Let's face it, books can be cumbersome. Some of them are heavy. Most are thick and hard to hold in the hands. Some weigh in at over 1000 pages and become a piece of heavy machinery that is difficult to operate, especially in hardcover.

The Kindle weighs the same no matter how many pages fill it up or what books are stacked inside. Why would I lug around a Stephen King hardcover when I can easily slip his entire library in my bag without adding any weight?

Another thing about books.. you have to make an effort to get them. Drive all the way to a store and wander around aisles upon aisles of pages looking for the book that you want. Buy the book and then drive all the way home before you can even start reading it. You could save gas money and order it online, but there are shipping costs and wait time as the book is sent to you.

I now have access to millions of books right at my fingertips. In less than a minute I can download a book and begin reading... I don't even have to get off the toilet!

But will books ever be completely replaced? I hope not. I do love flipping through an old book, smelling the pages. And what is better than going to a flea market or yard sale and picking up ten paperbacks for a couple bucks?

I still love the old fashion book, but I am all for the eReader. There are just so many wonderful things about them.

School Is Back In Session

Yesterday was my oldest son's first day of the second grade. And thank God for that!!

I have two sons, and trying to write when they are both home is a major pain in the butt. Doing art isn't as hard, because I can put them at their table and let them paint while I do my projects. They even love doing that with me. But writing requires a different form of concentration and it really isn't something that they can do with me.

Now that my oldest is back to school, it is giving me some time that allows for more writing. I still have my four year old in the house, but I can play with him for a bit after I get his brother on the bus and then pop in a movie for him. That usually gives me ninety minutes of work time. Two hours, if I am lucky.

I am really looking forward to the days when they are both in school full time. Ahhh... that is going to be nice.

Hurricane

This was an exciting weekend.

Hurricane Irene terrorized the entire east coast and everyone was in a panic. Living in southern New Jersey made it quite interesting. People in this area tend to be ill prepared for natural disasters and when one comes knocking on the door, everyone panics.

The stores were packed with people stocking up on batteries, flashlights and junk food. Honestly, I am amazed at the number of people that did not have flashlights. Doesn't everyone have at least one?

My preparation included moving my art and supplies to higher ground. I would have been devastated if the works in progress I have were suddenly soaked in a flood. Luckily, my house is still standing and nothing bad happened. In fact, the crawl space didn't even flood, which it usually does in heavy rain.

So here I am on a cool sunny Monday. I worked a bit on some writing assignments. Took the kids to the store and played outside. Tonight I hope to get some pictures online of some of my work and will be updating accordingly.

Also keep an eye on my Etsy Store for new listings and a special sale. I plan to have that done by the end of the week.

Get Your Priorities Straight

When it comes to works in progress and other projects, be sure to keep your priorities in order. A lot of the things I talk about on here I do to earn a paycheck. So here is my list...

Do the projects that currently make money first.

Do the projects that will be making you money second.

Do the projects that don't make you money last.

Now I just need to apply this all the time instead of some of the time.

Vacation's Over

The vacation is over. Literally.

A long overdue vacation has come to an end. It was an extended weekend down the Jersey shore. The real one, not that crap you see on MTV. My shore towns of choice are Ocean City and Wildwood. This time we chose Wildwood.

It was a good weekend. Relaxing on the beach. Getting buried in the sand. Teaching Tyler how to swim in the pool. Walking the boardwalk. Spending lots of money on food and games.

So now it is back to work.

You can check out some pictures on my Facebook page. If you are not a friend, go ahead and request me. I will be creating an album on my Flickr page soon.

Great Picks - Goodwill Pick Update

Last week I told you about a great couple of picks from the Goodwill store. It just so happens that the auctions have just ended and here is what has come of them.

The sparring gear was purchased for $5. Less than 24 hours after listing it on eBay with a starting bid of $10, I get a message from a guy asking if I will end the auction now for $25 plus shipping. By this time the auction already had 3 watchers. I decided to let it ride and see what came up. By the end of the auction there were 26 watchers and over 200 views. The bidding was up to $36 with less than 5 minutes to go and just as it ended the final bid jumped to $55.

Very nice!

I spent $4 on the Winnie the Pooh lamp. This auction did not have as much action as the sparring gear, but did attract 8 watchers and over 100 views. I started the bidding on this one at $10 and the final price ended up being $18.50

So the five minutes I spent looking around the Goodwill store cost me a total of $9. That turned into $73.50 plus shipping. That is a great profit and well worth the little time invested.

So keep your eyes open. I did not plan to go to the Goodwill store that day, but I was close and there it was. Always be ready to spend a little cash in order to make more!

Dreadmill

I hate the treadmill.

HATE it.

This weekend, for the first time in quite a while, I was able to go for a run outside. Even in 90* heat a run outside feels better than a run on the treadmill.

I especially love running early in the morning. When the world is just waking up and most people are still sound asleep. It is renewing and refreshing. If you allow yourself to take it all in and just be in the run, the early morning is the best time to run.

It is hard for me to run outside. I have two kids too young to stay at home alone, and if I do not have anyone to watch them, then I can not run outside.

I am stuck on the treadmill. At least for now.

Great Pics -Always

I love this picture. It was taken on the bank of the Delaware River during low tide. As you may have guessed the "Always" rock was placed there on purpose in order to create meaning within the scene.

Always can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. This image creates a lot of emotion in me. Among all the random rocks scattered along the beach there lies this one. One rock among thousands that is pointing the way. One rock sending a message that among the chaos is meaning. 

I love this shot so much that I have planned to create similar scenes. Those will be coming soon and I can not wait to share them.

Great Picks - Goodwill Pick

This week's pick is so exciting, I had to make a video about it.




Check out the auctions on ebay right now! This way to my eBay auctions!

The Notebook

Spiral notebook and a Moleskine

I consider myself a creator. I am an artisan, a photographer, a writer and more. My most important tool is not the camera or the paintbrush. It is not clay or a computer. My most important tool that I have is my notebook.

After an idea germinates in my head for the proper amount of time, the first place it finds itself is in a notebook, handwritten. I carry one around everywhere I go because, as any artist will tell you, "you never know when inspiration will strike."

The notebook is a tool used for much more than just jotting down ideas. It also serves a percolator. A place where ideas are expanded. A venue for brainstorming. A place to create.

After years of trying all types of books, I have become very specific about the notebooks I use. Both can be seen in the picture. For the all around planning, brainstorming, and idea growing I use a 6x9 spiral notebook.

For the normal journalling about life I use the smaller Moleskine that you see. Both of these are the perfect size. Large enough to write in while still being small enough to easily handle and carry around with me.

Even if you do not like to create and never consider yourself an artist or writer, carry a notebook anyway. Everywhere you go. You will definitely be surprised with what you come up with and how much better life is with a notebook.

Great Pics - Wood Man

One thing I like to do with photography is create scenes, especially with toys and things that you can find around the house. 

One of the first props I had to buy was this wooden mannequin. He is used by artists to help position people in drawings. I have been directing him in a few of my photo shoots. There is a project I am working on and he worked with me for over a hundred shots. More on that project to come.

Great Picks - Silver Dimes

Actual eBay listing after auction end.

This is a pick that surprisingly enough many people don't even realize could be in their own pockets.

Silver is a valuable commodity. The price of silver has been steadily increasing and more and more people are investing in silver bullion than ever before. The United States Mint used to create most of our coins with silver. Any dime, quarter, or half dollar minted 1964 or before is 90% silver. That means the metal the coins are minted with is worth more than the actual coin. By a lot!

I recently put together a lot of 35 silver dimes all minted 1964 or prior. That is a face value of $3.50. I paid $3.50 to get these dimes. When I sold them for the silver content on eBay, bidding reached $87.59. That is an incredible profit on coins that I picked out of my pocket.

Damn The Man

All of our lives people are told to get an education, find a secure job, and work hard at building a successful career. But all you get from that is becoming overworked and under appreciated. Maybe if you define success as a six day work work and an expendable position in a big corporation, this way of life would be for you.

So you get paid a salary. No matter what you do or how many hours you work, your pay scale is the same. You work harder, the company makes more profit, yet you get paid the same. Maybe you get a quarterly bonus or a measly raise every year, but at least you have a job, right?

A bonus is nothing. It is like tossing a dog a bone. You do it to shut him up and make him behave.

Why is this accepted as the way life should be? Why can't we break away from these chains? What if we did not have to answer to someone that forces us to do things their way and for their gain?

I say no more. We can do things our way for our own gain. Work hard for yourself and no one else. If you want to break away from the norm, you must create streams of income that you control. The harder you work to maintain your income the more cash flow you can create for yourself, not for some company.

My time has come. I am saying "DAMN THE MAN". I am working for my gain.

The "traditional job" is fine for millions of people. But for thousands there is no need for a "traditional job" that makes you miserable every day. Work to live, don't live to work. I can now schedule my work around life instead of being forced to schedule life around work.

And thats the way it should be!

Great Pics - Light Painting

I love light painting with my camera. This picture you see was never touched with Photoshop or any image editing at all. This was done with only the camera and a blue light in a dark room.

For this picture I made the aperture as small as possible to let in very little light and set the shutter speed to bulb mode. That means I push the button to start the exposure and push it again to end it. I used a remote for that. 

When the exposure started I used a blue light to trace my door and my son's chair. Then I ended the exposure and this is the result. I love it. (Obviously my water mark does not appear on the actual picture.)

The only thing I would change, and I can re do this shot anytime as long as it is dark, is that I would add more items with the light. Perhaps create a crowded room. I may need to do that yet.

Great Picks - Chicago LockBack Knife

Chicago Lockback Knife

 This is one of my favorite picks of the year. This little knife was found in a storage unit that was bought at auction.

While digging through any unit, a lot of stuff is tossed in the trash. I was looking through drawers in desks and end tables and most of them were full of junk. It was best to just dump the drawers in the trash and be done with it.

But that is not how I roll. I carefully sift through everything, because gold comes in all sizes. This knife was found in one of those drawers.

Now consider this... after factoring in all of the items from that unit that can be sold and taking into account the price I paid for the unit, this knife cost me less than fifty cents. I did a little research on the knife and decided to list it on eBay with a starting bid of $1.00.

The auction went for seven days and at the end of the week it had about 10 people watching the auction and it ended with 19 bids. Final selling price of the knife was $68.50. That is one hell of a profit margin. This one little knife paid for over a third of the cost of that unit, and I could have easily thrown it in the trash.

The actual eBay listing after close of auction

Choke Bucket

Everyone needs a choke bucket.

In it's most literal form, the choke bucket is the bucket you keep in bed with you when you are sick. The bucket you need because you know, no matter what, you are not making it to the bathroom.

This blog is my choke bucket.

What better place to regurgitate words and thoughts than the Internet? It's what everyone is doing anyway, right? The words spilling into here will not always make sense. They may pertain to an interesting topic. Maybe they will even enlighten someone or spark some thought. But most times, they will not.

So watch out... I think I am about to spew.