One Priceless Treasure

A humble smile is a powerful way to remind yourself of your true potential. Smiling is away that shows despite every struggle, hardship, and roadblock you are courageous, capable, and able to empower. Empowering your ability to not let, fear, intimidation, and insecurities to win. Empowering your inner warrior the willingness and effort to “keep showing up.”             A humble smile is a reminder to be patient and take every hurdle, problem, and trouble one step at a time. Knowing that a solution for most problems and situations does not and will not come in one day. Knowing solutions to come may or may not be simple. However, it could also be simpler than you think or expect.             A humble smile has the power to be a simple reminder to a friendly stranger. Reminding them to breathe and be patient. Reminding people do care and are there to help you just need to ask....

            The everyday hustle and stress of today have the unfortunate ability to make a person lose focus. Focus On and for the daily tasks but also for what means the most to them. Reminding yourself the true value of “what matters.”             Remembering to enjoy “A peaceful moment.” But what is that, the answer depends on the person and what the person might need. A peaceful moment could be quiet time snuggled in a blanket doing nothing. The moment could be getting distracted with a hobby you enjoy to let your mind relax and feel challenged differently. The moment could come allowing yourself to feel like a kid again and swing on the swing without a care or feeling judged.             Peace is knowing and believing what you’re facing will have a resolution. You will be courageous to keep looking and moving forward. Peace is knowing ...

     I tend to forget where the camera angle window is. Fun timelapse and love seeing my work eval and come to life. I also love the keeping the videos simple. Main goal of creating my videos is for fun and relaxing enjoyment. 

  Its a rough edit. Still have a lot to learn about video making. But its fun to watch my work come alive. More videos on YouTube 

  What is believing? Believing is knowing answers comes through hard work and dedication. Believing that answers might not be obvious to the problems you are currently facing, but the answers will come. Believe in yourself that you are capable of things that seem impossible. Believe that even through difficult times, you will find peace, courage, and strength to overcome.               Believe in your dreams and find the path to achieve them. Believe in yourself, it’s possible. You just must remember to be patient, realistic. Realistic with your timeline, because you will face your fair share of, mountains to climb, bumps in the road, and monkey wrenches which will cause things to change. Believe in faith that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it just might not be obvious at your current moment.             Most important, believe you are capable, valued, ...

      Overtime you will experience a lot of different trials, which will bring many up's and downs. Through the course of each endeavor the normal questions and concerns will come. I have faced similar things in my personal life and with creating. However, through creating and learning my craft it has taught me a different way of thinking.    Courage can and will be strong even when hidden. Courage is believing in yourself that you can and will achieve your dreams. The dream however, might take longer then expected or have a few curves and bumps along the way. Courage is appreciating and enjoying the small achievements that's has been challenging you. Its seeing and believing in being realistic with yourself. Having the dream of climbing Mountain Everest is good but probably not realistic if you love sitting on the couch. Courage is feelings you have improved and completed a realistic steps towards you dream even if its not exactly what you were hoping for....

 I was going to write some fancy paper that takes each questions from the blog “what’s perfect when your learning?” However, I am not a fancy person. I am a down-to-earth kind of person who “likes things simply.” I will first remind you of some of “The critic questions.” I am just not cut out for this, it didn’t work so why keep trying, I failed because I am not good enough. I keep messing up, so I am wasting my time. I don’t like what I create because “its not perfect.” I keep wasting my time and money. I could probably go on for awhile listening every questions and frankly its probably impossible to list everything.  From the start, learning and trying is a marathon and has a lot of “ups and down.” Each task takes time and patients. As my projects have evolved over the years I have come to face different challenges. I remember complaining about how I don’t like “fine detail work.” Ironically I have made my projects more complex and of course smaller. I have come to appreciat...

I edited together some clips of carving under a microscope. Really cool to see. I included the first attempt of one projected and how "it didn't work." More videos to come. Hopefully my editing will improve with time. 

       We have all heard the phrase “you’re your worst critic.” Being your personal critic usually has the unfortunate consequences of “starting a downward spiral.” Phrases of “I’m not good enough,” “It just didn’t work out, so why should I try,” “I failed because I’m not made for this,” “I’m not creative or artistic so it’s a waste of time to try.” Some unfortunate phrases and of course there are many more that can turn the tables for an unfortunate downward spiral. Sure enough, people who are close to you try their best to counter act the way of “the personal critic.” They do that by staying the common phases of “Its fine just relax and keep trying,” “you got this,” “I don’t see anything wrong with it.” The never-ending circling spiral and this spiral can happen in many forms.             I have been pondering the question of “can you make the worst critic” into a superpower to challenge you. I do believe thi...

            The past few weeks have been interesting. I have been working on writing the book I call “book of secrets.” I have been exploring the factor of “complex geomatics” Well designs that look cool but “have no inspiration.” I have continued down the path from the blog called “impossible drawing.”             I was able to camouflage a unique meaning into two different work pieces. They have proposed different challenges, but it was fun being creative. The book of secrets that I am writing is pretty much drawing and planning and writing down different things that need to be accounted for to make the project. I also write down things that I have learned in the moment of making. Despite my drawing I have had to adapt to multiple different things while in the moment of making.             The adventure of making complex geomatics has b...

       It’s been fun brainstorming and seeing what complex and intricate ideas that I could come up with. Of course, the more that I tried the more “they just didn’t look right.” I talked about in my last blog how I was considering “camouflage designs.” Which I would hide a special meaning in the design. However, it could not be obvious to the person. I am pleased to say that it has been successfully completed. I used the initials of DM and worked it into a design. Of course, this is only one of many in the future “I hope.”               The interesting part is people were not expecting it unless I said something. I got many responses from different letters to “a face,” and of course, my favorite “a fish.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that one. It shows how everyone’s mind works differently.               I have continued to brainstorm ideas and work out different st...

Full video of carving the project. 

  After carving under the microscope like two weeks ago, it got me thinking. Yes, this is very dangerous. Thinking and pondering future ideas because I wanted to expand what I can create. Expanding possibilities and skill level. When I got the microscope, I really struggled to figure out “what to carve.” The first idea was hard to come up with because “I had no idea what to make.” I have said it many times that “the idea is always the hardest part.” It becomes harder for me when I try to force the idea. Usually nothing looks right to me. One thing I cherish is making something one of a kind and unique. There is a lot of impact knowing, and seeing that my work can “stand out,” and “be independent.” Well, I hope one day my work can get there.             Through my pondering I concluded that it would be fun to see what’s possible with unique and random doodles. Designs that at first look are cool and maybe look pointless. I det...

  Going into my long weekend I had many plans I wanted to work on; one especially was to do more wood carving under the microscope. Unfortunately, the university had another monkey wrench planned for me. I unexpectedly woke up sick on Sunday and have been sick for most of the week. Thankfully I am on the mend.             Now why am I being brave enough to write a blog about being sick. Well, it’s a good reminder that you must be patient with yourself. I know I’m not the only one, but I do struggle with being patient at times. I have been sick in many different combinations, from my mental motivation, or what I am physically capable of doing. No matter the combination or the hiccups, everyone at some point in their life has faced something similar. Talking with a few people, I have concluded goals I have for my videos and my blog. The goal of no stress, purposeful distraction, and maybe gives inspiration and motivation to try...

Another video. Fun to make, I still have alot to learn.

Another project video. I did a voice over explaining the process. Its hard to know what to say.

Another project video. I was slow editing and posting this online.

  Another video sample of carving under a microscope. MWC stands for Micro Wood Carving

  I got the crazy idea to try, and wood carve under a microscope. It’s crazy because when I add smaller and intricate details, they tend to “drive me crazy.” Yet I keep adding them to my work for some reason. I do use loups to help me see the fine detail work. When I am crazy enough to try a piece with “small details.” The loups themselves have a learning curve to understand how they work. Can I explain the exact science behind them, I have no idea how they work. I just know that my working distance does not change just the sight distance. The project details are easier to see when larger. The little knowledge I have is from experience and I don’t know if it’s right. With loups there are limitations with magnification. Yes, you can get more powerful ones “if you’re willing to pay.”             How did the idea of trying to carve under a microscope come fruition. To be honest, I have no idea. I was brainwashed on social media,...

I have just started this new challenge. More will come in the near future. 

This project was interesting to try and draw. I spent many hours trying to make sure the swords were a lined and straight. Airbrush painting was fun to learn and try out. I still have alot to learn when it comes to painting. 

Its the first full video I recorded that was not a time lapse video. I realized that I had my audio off in the camera setting. 

Don't think you have to stay with your first idea. Especially if you are not sure "if the look is right." The process can be slow at times. Trust and believe in yourself. The inspiration and vision will come. 

              One of the hardest questions and things to figure out with my hobby of creating things is figure out “what to make.” I know I have said this 100’s of times and I will probably continue to say it. I of course will and probably never be able to explain my creative process. Especially because I believe that is very person specific. Yes, there is some familiarity and similarities with the right person.             I have said in an early blog about how I doodle ideas in a book. I will be honest that most of those ideas usually don’t translate to a successful project. One this that I have came to realize is that sometime “I have no idea how to draw what I am envisioning.” I also know that for some of the smaller projects “I have absolutely no clue what the final project will look like.” It is sometimes strange, but I know it to be true “the wood tells me what it ...