I'M HERE TO EMPOWER YOU!

I’m an artist . . . but that’s not saying much, because I believe, and it is something that I have devoted my time heavily to convey, that art expression is an inherent property of human nature. The media may vary, but not the innate disposition.

Those that know me have heard my “talent-as-myth” diatribe all too often, and if you end up tuning in to my posts, you will encounter it soon enough. It is my goal to change the notion, which a great number of people resign to, that one needs to have “talent” to pursue the art they feel or want and am doing this on a daily basis through my program in the G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers.

With that as preface, I will probably devote a portion of my posts to inspiring artists, but I also plan to impart other conceptions that I have about life in general, with the goal of elevating, encouraging, enlivening or energizing those who read them.

Let me begin with this:

I wish for you the ability to create for yourself all that your heart desires.

Start!


➡️ fill out this form, if you’re interested in the new home for “G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers”

➡️ fill out this form, if you’re interested in keeping in touch or getting mentored by Robin


You can begin by watching "The Myth of Talent" here:


"The Myth of Talent" by Robin Griggs Wood

Robin Griggs Wood •artist•(@robingriggswood)'s Instagram

.
.
.
.
.
.



RECENT POSTS

"The Celebration Hall" a composite by Robin Griggs Wood


"The Celebration Hall" a composite by Robin Griggs Wood

The hall is ready for the big celebration. It's Google+'s birthday today––three years and I still adore this place. Dave Besbris put out the call to share "Who are your people on Plus?" Well, Dave, for one … ;o7 … but, you know, I can't stop at just three, Dave. For me Google+ has been a place of wonder and immense inspiration. Today I want to invite as honored guests to the Celebration Hall all of the folks who make G+ extra special with their wonderful imaginations, their open hearts and their generous willingness to help others to grow as well. They take imagery to a whole new level, so are well worth the add, if you haven't found them yet.

You ALL make Google+ one of the most special places to be –– including alphabetically, but not limited to:
Niki Aguirre , Miss Aniela , Annette Biggers , Sam Breach , Lotus Carroll , Gretchen Chappelle , Ron Clifford , Cheryl Cooper , Gemma Costa , Scott Detweiler , Glyn Dewis , Shantha Marie Fountain , Christopher Germano , E.E. Giorgi , Andy Gray , Brian Grzelewski , Thomas Hawk , Darla Hueske , Karen Hutton , Tommy Ingberg , Jason Jakober , Mark Johnson , Derek Kind , Alex Koloskov , Jessica Lark , Andy Lee , Jeff McDonald , Baldur McQueen , Regina Pagles , David PairĂ© , Sandra Parlow , Jay Patel , kimberton pemberly , Tamara Pruessner , Eric Raeber , Trey Ratcliff , Mark Rodriguez , Brooke Shaden , Alan Shapiro , Mike Shaw , Adrian Sommeling , Sairam Sundaresan , Erika Thornes , Joel Tjintjelaar , Shawn Van Daele , Catherine Vibert , Von Wong ... and many more (I'll share a circle later with a larger group). Please know that I am grateful to every one of you and am so happy to have found you here on G+ ... you rock my world!

Folks, for anyone reading this, please let me know in the comments who YOU think takes imagery to a whole other level.

#plus3 #findyourpeople #GooglePlusBirthday

–––


#rgwoodpost #mixedmediaartwork #digitalart #fineart #fineartpls #digitalpainting #digital #colors #inspiration #creative #fantasy #surreal #surrealism #concept #conceptual #digitalmattepainting #painting #composite #surrealartsaturday





▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

This image available for print at robingriggswood.com
––> http://www.robingriggswood.com/buy/38075446_CPsjbP/3144657117_2XbxkJw/

If you would like to view my albums here at G+ go to
––> https://plus.google.com/photos/+RobinGriggsWood/albums

"Beware Of Dog"


"Beware Of Dog"

Just having a little fun while on a road trip ... ;o7
#hootsandgiggles

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
#FidoFriday with thanks to Wes Lum, Lisa Lisa & mel peifer
#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #Friday #TGIF

[rant warning]


[rant warning]

An open letter to the folks I shared the highway with during my 400 mile journey down the coast yesterday:

To whom it may concern (and, more pointedly, to a few of those who think it doesn't concern you),

The 4-5 car length of space that I leave between my car and the car in front of me when I'm dashing down the highway at 65-70 miles per hour was created on purpose; it's not because I'm stupid, sleepy, frightened, nor ignorant. We call it "braking space". It's considered an act of sanity when moving at high speeds with others moving at high speeds so near. The space isn't there for you to zip your car into to show me how stupid, sleepy, frightened, or ignorant I'm being.

You might enjoy trying out this neat little tool that all cars come equipped with called a "turn signal". It's one of those levers you have typically sticking out on the steering column. This tool is what drivers use to communicate their intentions to one another on the road. Go out to your car right now and check it out. Neat, isn't it? I know! I think it's wonderful and amazing that cars have it, too. Next time you want to swerve into the braking space I've created in front of me, give that lever a try to let me know your intentions and I'll be more than happy to accommodate you.

While I'm at it, can we talk about the sign on a two-lane highway that reads "Slower Traffic: Keep Right" –– do you know what "Slower Traffic" means? That's basically the folks who need to drive below the posted speed limit for various safety reasons. It is not an open grant of right-of-way and entitlement for individuals who prefer to drive 15-40% above the speed limit. The sign does not give you a sanction for driving at a one-car-length distance from my rear bumper in an endeavor to "hint" at how wrong I am that I prefer to drive safely––or that I don't have the urge slow down and move over behind the trucks and trailers on the right for every person who comes up behind me trying to arrive 300 miles down the road 4 minutes before I do.

I would ask you to offer a good reason for your actions, however, as I think of all the possible answers, there isn't anything you could come up with that wouldn't sound lame or self-serving. If you really need to get past me, you can go through the gaps of the trucks and trailers on the right at your breakneck speed. That way, you'll be helping out the Highway Patrol to get a better view of you zipping past as they wait behind blinds alongside the road.

It would probably just be a good thing if you drove at the posted speed limit. It seems oppressive to your "exceptional skills" as a driver, I know. However, you should know that it has been everyone around you, braking as you veer in front them, speeding up as you nearly nick their bumper behind them and swerving out of your way in general, who have used their genuinely adept driving skills to give you the false impression that you have any real competence behind the wheel.

Here is something you may not have thought of: speed limits aren't there to rule over you. They are there to give prediction to everyone who uses this great invention, the car––which gives ease to our lives, but can also take lives, if used poorly. In fact, it is precisely this prediction which has added to your delusion that you are such a superior driver. If you couldn't predict that most other drivers were going to drive at a specific speed, you wouldn't have the opportunity to weave the fabric of your racing blue-ribbon amongst the rest of us.

Just some food for thought.

[end rant]

For everyone else on the road whom I shared my travels with: I will be oodles of thrilled to meet you on the road to adventure again. I look forward to it.

Sincerely,
Robin






–––––
Love posting to themes? You might enjoy these great themes with excellent curators! Themes and hashtags are not necessarily about getting more attention, but are a valuable indexing method, which help others find relevant posts via clickable links as well as a great way to meet like-minded people. I tend to only promote those themes with active, caring curators.

#ThirstyThursdayPics with thanks to  Giuseppe Basile & Mark Esguerra #thirstythursday
#CoastalThursday with thanks to David Polzine Jon Kahn Coastal Thursday

10000 PHOTOGRAPHERS / #10000photographersaroundtheworld  with thanks to Robert SKREINER
#promotephotography with thanks to Nikola Nikolski Naghmeh Khadembashi Gittan Beheydt Milena Ilieva and Promote Photography
#LandscapePhotography with thanks to Margaret Tompkins Jim Warthman David Heath Williams Kevin Rowe and Landscape Photography


#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #hqsplandscape #BTPLandscapePro #California #SunsetPhotography #Sunset #Travel #TravelPhotography #TravelThursday   #Sky #Beach




▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Please feel free to ask me,
if you would like any of my images
available for print at robingriggswood.com

If you would like to view my albums here at G+ go to
 ––> https://plus.google.com/photos/+RobinGriggsWood/albums

How to be loved


How to be loved

Needing a bit more love in your life?

Now, you know the way things work, to get anything you're going to have to give it. If you are feeling a lack, it isn't that you aren't lovable, it is just that you need more practice!

For anything to exist in your life you need to create it. This starts with loving others more. The more you practice, the more you open yourself to the love around you and the potential to receive then grows with it.

You can practice on those around you for whom you already feel some affinity––but to earn real love, start practicing on the tougher cases around you.

Like the garbage man who picks up your trash regularly.
Like the person who cut you off on the freeway yesterday.
Like the kid who keyed your new car.
Like the homeless man who smells of sweat and urine.

Open your heart to continue to love everyone around you despite whether you feel they've earned it or not and watch the love grow in your own life. It is one of those bits of magic in this world––and it takes practice.


––––––––––––––––

#FloralFriday with thanks to Tamara Pruessner Eustace James Beth Akerman Kiki Nelson and FloralFriday


#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #Friday #TGIF #naturephotography #inspiration #FlowerFriday  #flowerphotography #floralphotography #hqspflowers
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Please feel free to ask me,
if you would like any of my images
available for print at robingriggswood.com

If you would like to view my albums here at G+ go to
 ––> https://plus.google.com/photos/+RobinGriggsWood/albums

So, I was stitching together some shots of a bougainvillea...


So, I was stitching together some shots of a bougainvillea (–– ooh, I just spelled that from memory! pats back ) ... as I was saying, I was stitching together some shots of a bougainvillea (giggle) and this happened. It just sort of sat there (like it did when it was on the wall I shot it from ... go figure), so I played ... and played some more.

I can go into the bookmark business and make my fortune now ... O_o

Maybe the fine folks of #TreeTuesday will forgive my silliness today ... :o)



#TreeTuesday (with thanks to Christina Lawrie David R Robinson  Allan Cabrera Ralph Mendoza Kim Troutman and Tree Tuesday)

#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #naturephotography   #flowerphotography #floralphotography #hqspflowers #color #colors #inspiration #digitalart #photomanipulation #artdesign #designs #fantasy #fantasyart

Celestial Pigeon Offers Sage Advice to All Seagulls


Celestial Pigeon Offers Sage Advice to All Seagulls

Be at peace, my buffoony-bird brethren.
For your karma in this life, it is foretold,
should be that of being the butt of all
banter, jokes, jests, witticisms, quips, puns, gags, wisecracks, one-liners, two-liners, funny stories, rib-ticklers, knee-slappers, punchlines, tricks, pranks, larks, stunts, hoaxes, japes, spoofs, groaners, mockery, laughter, scoffing, contempt, jeers, sneers, jibes, teasing, taunts, badinage, chaffs, sarcasm, satire, kidding, ribbing, joshing, goofing, razzing, lampoons and parodies
on Saturdays.

Live this life as it was given to you and,
if you bear it well,
in the next life you will be reincarnated

as a cat

… and no longer have to suffer having your photograph taken nor be the object of derision or scorn once a week.



#SeagullButtSaturday vs. #Caturday




––

If you've made it this far, please know that there is NO such theme as #SeagullButtSaturday. The following people, contributing to the #FunniestNonthemeOnGplus , probably have rather strange karma too:

Robin Griggs Wood Ursula Klepper Christin McLeod Sassi Sassmannshausen Lauri Novak Richard Ball Craig Szymanski Melissa Beagle Ellie Kennard Cora Triton Steve Savoie Pam Wolfe Joy mum Jon Cassill Tom McGowan Annie Irving Diana Boyd Debby Moran Alex Lapidus Lou McCorkle Rob Lopes Kim Smith Bette Kauffman Liz C Jacqueline Hodsdon Darion Jackman Steven Kennard Sharon Stone Dawn Siadatan Sumit Sen Jasbir S. Randhawa Gazzaroonii T. John Wade Dave Bell Swee Oh Leo Deegan Nancy Battis Vita Patrick Kelly Marilyn Benham Mari Luukkonen Lora Lee Chapman Giselle Savoie Carin Bruce David Q. Cohen Gernot Glaeser Maureen Roberson Brian Grzelewski BJ Bolender Darcee McCutcheon Annelies Jansen Rachel Ferris Margaret Tompkins Jan Vermeulen

Real themes:
#birds4all curated by Walter Soestbergen Ricky L Jones & Birds4All
#birdloversworldwide curated by Robert SKREINER  BIRD Lovers & WILDLIFE
#birdsgallery  with thanks to Heinrich Wagner
#textureblendphotography  Texture Blend Photography with thanks to Gemma Costa


#rgwoodpost #SeagullButtShots #SeagullButts #SeagullButtsInDisguise #notatheme #Gulluminati #FunniestNonthemeOnGplus
#googleplusphotos #hqspanimals #hqspbirds

"The Adventurers" a composite by Robin Griggs Wood


"The Adventurers" a composite by Robin Griggs Wood

Dare to imagine the unimaginable.








–––

#FirstFridayArtWalk
#textureblendphotography   #BreakfastClub
#rgwoodpost #mixedmediaartwork #digitalart #fineart #fineartpls #TGIF #digitalpainting #digital #colors #inspiration #creative #fantasy #surreal #surrealism #concept #conceptart #conceptual #digitalmattepainting #painting #composite


▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
This image available for print at robingriggswood.com
––> http://www.robingriggswood.com/Featured/Fine-Art-Composite/i-hw29NJC/A

If you would like to view my albums here at G+ go to
 ––> https://plus.google.com/photos/+RobinGriggsWood/albums