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

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RECENT POSTS

Baby Tiger


Baby Tiger

I had the joy to go shooting with Jenny Loren, Sassi Sassmannshausen and Paula Contreres (Art through the Aperture Photography) yesterday. And, through the immense patience of Jenny, we got the opportunity to see the Sumatran tiger cub! (She just kept saying, "I know he'll come out here" ... thanks, Jenny!)

"The cub is the 26th endangered Sumatran tiger born at the Safari Park, and he is the first cub to be hand-raised at the Park since 1984. With the addition of this tiny cub, the Safari Park is now home to seven Sumatran Tigers. There are fewer than 350 Sumatran Tigers in the wild, and that number continues to drop. Scientists estimate that this species could be extinct in its native Sumatra by 2020, unless measures are taken to protect and preserve it.

"Tigers face many challenges in the wild, from loss of habitat to conflicts with humans, but the biggest threat continues to be poaching. Tigers are killed by poachers who illegally sell tiger body parts, mostly for folk remedies. People can help protect wild tigers by avoiding products made with non-sustainable palm oil, an industry that harms tiger habitat; and by refusing to purchase items made from endangered wildlife."

(source: http://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org)

#ThreatenedThursday

#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #BTPAnimalPRO #HQSPAnimals #catsallovertheworld #caturdayeveryday   #caturday  #catsbigandsmallthebest

”Bright and Beautiful, Great and Small, Wise and Wonderful”


”Bright and Beautiful, Great and Small, Wise and Wonderful”

I finished this one a couple weeks back, and then got so busy, I didn't get a chance to share it then ... ;oD



#rgwoodpost #fantasticandsurrealphotos #DigitalArtSaturday #SurrealArtSaturday #hqspphotoartmanipulation #hqspart #amazing #color #colors #inspiration #digitalart #fantasyart #surrealart #painting   #digitalart #digitalpainting #photoshop #photomanipulation   #mattepainting #fineart #fineartpls   #conceptart #photomanipulator #photomanipulation #artdesign #designs #fantasy #fantasyart #fantasydigitalart #digital #photoshop #creative

This image available for print at http://www.robingriggswood.com/Featured/Fine-Art-Composite/i-qBw3832/buy
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://sites.google.com/site/rgwphotoalbums/

Steadfast Beauty


Steadfast Beauty
How many of you think that Margaret Tompkins is one of the most awesome supporters of our G+ photography community? I certainly do! She is still regularly curating three photography themes here: #LandscapePhotography, #GrassTuesday  and #WaterBirdWednesday  ... she's always been there for us and just keeps on. Here's to you, Margaret, for being the wonderful that you are!


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#LandscapePhotography with thanks to Margaret Tompkins Tony Phillips Dave Gaylord Doug Hagadorn Eric Drumm and Landscape Photography
#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #hqsplandscape #BTPLandscapePro #California #SunsetPhotography #Sunset #Travel #TravelPhotography #Sky

"What was Mother Nature thinking when she gave us no ability to plugour ears?!!"


"What was Mother Nature thinking when she gave us no ability to plug our ears?!!"
"Can someone please shut Stella up? ... she's been singing 'It's a Small World' for 4 hours now!"

#BirdWorldProblems  #SeagullButtsInDisguise

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If you've made it this far, please know that there is NO such photography theme as #SeagullButtSaturday. The following people, sometimes posting to the #FunniestNonthemeOnGplus, are actually the #FunniestNonCuratorsOnGplus.

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 Kimmetal 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 cobalt please Darcee McCutcheon Annelies Jansen Rachel Ferris Margaret Tompkins Jan Vermeulen Christi Nielsen

Real themes:
#birds4all curated by Walter Soestbergen Ricky L Jones & Birds4All
#birdloversandwildlife curated by Robert SKREINER  BIRD Lovers & WILDLIFE
#birdsgallery  with thanks to Heinrich Wagner


Must-have hashtags (for hackling the hashtag-haters … ;o))
#SeagullButtSaturday (duh!)
#SeagullButtShots
#SeagullButts
#notatheme
#SeagullButtsInDisguise (for other birds; a fine way to use up all those bird shots you took that are "not quite what you were shooting for" and currently languishing on your hard drive.)
#Gulluminati (what the group of non-curators have come to be known as)
#FunniestNonthemeOnGplus (because, isn't it?! … ;oD)
#Splatterday (Jasbir's invention, applicable for, ahem, some conditional shots … ;o7)

#rgwoodpost #Gulluminati #Gullarazzi #FunniestNonthemeOnGplus
#googleplusphotos #hqspbirds #btpbirdpro #birdsgallery
My G+ albums: https://sites.google.com/site/rgwphotoalbums/

This image is still visible, if you click on it. Google gnomes havebeen being naughty and hid it in the post ... ;o7


This image is still visible, if you click on it. Google gnomes have been being naughty and hid it in the post ... ;o7

Worth the Wait
(alternate caption: "The Best Things in Life Are Free")
I have a neighbor who chucks dead plants over her fence into the bank of the stream next to my house. I've rescued four of them back to good health so far. This one was a Clivia, known for blooming in the shade, and this thing was dead, dead. For three years I was just enjoying her as a plant ... but look what I got this week!!!

Never give up ... ;o))

Here she is normal-ish:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/714idnl2v3sieui/_MG_1494-9_0316-_rgw_web.jpg?dl=0

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

Fridays are #bokehlicious  :o) … ˚ºoOoº˚
With a nod and grin to those #bokeholics , Leo Deegan Michael B. Stuart Dave Besbris Art through the Aperture Photography Wesly Smith Angie Smith  Wendy Chase Paul Moody Shannon Adelson and sundry (that may rival the non-curator list of a certain non-theme! … ;o7)

#MacroAddict MacroAddict with thanks to Sandrine Berjonneau

#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #Friday #TGIF #naturephotography #FlowerFriday   #flowerphotography #floralphotography #hqspflowers #btpflowerpro #hqspmacro #Macro4All #MacroManiacs #macrophotography

Goose


Goose
Focus stacked.
... sort of.
But, hey, you get a goose to hold still in close-up long enough to obtain a sufficient number of images for a real focus stack. Try it; I dare you ... ;oD. For the less daring, just grin as he zooms past in your Googleverse stream ... :o))




#waterbirdwednesday with thanks to Margaret Tompkins and Water Bird Wednesday
#birds4all curated by Walter Soestbergen Ricky L Jones & Birds4All
#birdloversandwildlife curated by Robert SKREINER  BIRD Lovers & WILDLIFE
#birdsgallery  with thanks to Heinrich Wagner
#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #wildlifewednesday #wildlifephotos #hqspbirds #btpbirdpro #wildlife #animals #animallovers #animalphotography

Tourists


Tourists

The average tourist wants to go to places where there are no tourists. Sam Ewing

Interesting stuff about travel:
•  Travel can help improve your problem-solving skills.
•  Taking a vacation can lower your risk of heart disease.
•  Studies show that money spent on travel makes you happier than money spent on material goods.
•  Benefits of travel are almost immediate. After only a day or two, 89% of people experience significant drops in stress.
•  Travel has been shown to help aid those suffering from depression.
•  Travel has been shown to promote overall brain health.
•  Couples who travel together have reported increased feelings of intimacy.
•  Travel can make you more creative.
•  Travel can also make you smarter.


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#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #WashingtonDC  #ArchitectureTuesday #travel #travelphotography #traveltips #traveling #traveltuesday   #travelling #traveller #wanderlust #traveltheworld #explore

Should I Stay, or Should I Go?


Should I Stay, or Should I Go?

So, here's my conundrum: Those of you that know me, know how much I like to reply to everyone who comments on my posts. But I haven't been able to do that for ages. Yay, I have work! ... but it means I don't have the time that I used to have ... and I feel SO bad when all of you take time to give thoughtful comments and I never find a moment in the day to get back and reply.

I'm still active in the "G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers"; helping to create mentorships and keeping that free program going. I'm still helping people on a daily basis, because I get to be an Arcanum Master, which helps me earn a living finally. However,  I hate giving anyone the feeling that I don't care, so I've just not been posting. I miss going through the stream and commenting on all of your posts, too!  Should I still post, even if I can't reply like I used to?

To all of you wonderful friends, whom I've met here on G+, and those I've yet to meet. I think on you often. I smile when I read your comments. I still care. I thank those of you who haven't given up on me.

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#AllThingsMonochrome #blackandwhitephotos #10000photographersBWmonochrome
#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #caturday  #bwfineart #bwphotography #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #bw #monochrome #monochromephotography #hqspmonochrome #hqspanimals

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."


"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

For all those wonderful people out there in the dark ... ;o)

(If you are really young, you'll need this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMTT0LW0M_Y)

#macroaddict (MacroAddict) with thanks to Sandrine Berjonneau  Jean-Pierre Malézieux Christian PR Ruth Benjamin and William Banik
#rgwoodpost #photography #googleplusphotos #naturephotography #macrophotography #hqspmacro #MacroAddicts #MacroManiacs #Macro4All #MacroMonday