This blog has moved to my main site.  http://photo-monk.com/blog  thank you.

Caleb Storms

Broken

Lately I have been thinking a great deal about how fragile the human condition actually is.  Most of us, myself included rush through life never really thinking about our bodies and how amazing it is that they function under sometime incredible situations.  The Hindu mystics will take there bodies to mind blowing extremes in order to test these limits and overcome any fear they may invoke.  This all leads me to the conclusion that a certain amount of time in our own personal desert can help us to gain a greater understanding of the awesome gift life is and how fragile it certainly can be.

The image above I took under an overpass close to were I am living in the artsy part of Indianapolis.  Since my move here, I have been without a working computer, so the idea of someone smashing one under a bridge made me think about what people take for granted.  Most often life itself.  You here time and time again about people surviving cancer or coming back from a near death experience only to gain this new insight about how important life is.  

The photo-monk project has always had this idea as its foundation.  Originally I was going to go to Africa, then walk across the country, then what I hoped would be a humanitarian effort with my brother.  None of these things have worked out, yet the project remained.  It remained because at its heart was understanding that every moment was important,  Through the capturing of that moment we could teach the idea of mindfulness and Zen.  The idea was that by showing a meditative perspective of one moment could provoke thought about each moment.

As I write this my own thoughts are scattered, my own life is in pieces, yet one thing is clear.  The Photo-Monk, and his ideas seem very intact.  When I take on that role, begin walking in meditation taking my pictures.  All is perfect, each moment complete, each smile radiant.  So as long as this is true this site, this project will remain, the work will go on. each moment will be celebrated.  

I encourage everyone to grab a camera, big or small, cheap or expensive, film or digital.  Go and walk and capture a moment in time.  The image may be better or worse than you had hoped, but importance is while looking for the moment you will find it.

The Photo-Monk

Caleb

Planning the New Year

First I would like to take this opportunity to say Happy New Year to all those that have paid attention to the crazy ramblings of this humble Photo-Monk. I hope you only the absolute best in all that you do in this new year.

2011 was one of the most eventful years in my life. I participated in many amazing events that brought so many creative geniuses together. I was truly humbled to be a part of such an amazing community. I sat with spiritual practitioners of many different disciplins and shared and grew in ways that I could have never have imagined.

The biggest thing this year was the photo-monk project. It bagan as a desire to share zen in the form of photography, that led to a plan to walk across the united states. While preparing for that a mugging changed the photo-monk project from zen to compassion. Starting off with an art event held at the place were I was mugged.

Then the move out of Atlanta back to my roots in the hopes of pursuing more philanthropic art projects. The Photo-Monk has become more of a life style than a project. It has become a monastic way of artistic expression. A total emersion into the ideas of kindness, compassion, expression and communication. Where it will go from here I have no idea. I want to travel the world and show it to you though the eyes of a Zen photographer. I want to have a million of my pieces hanging on walls. This way 10 million people will be talking about Zen photography. Which will turn into a billion people talking about Zen and then 10 billion trying to understand the moment.

Lets go viral and teach the world about this moment. This very moment, its beauty, its power, its secrets, its absolute truth. Lets share the photo-monk project with the world. Lets share Zen photography, compassion, kindness art and this moment with the world.

I know you want to.

Caleb Storms

Your Humble Photo-Monk.

Fitting In....or NOT.

Since My relocation to the Midwest, I haven't really got settled yet. So far it has been a lot like a very long vacation. I am anxious to get started on my new life and to see if I can find a place in the cold North.

I hadn't noticed how much of a bubble I lived in, I think it will be very good for me to wonder out of my confort zone and interact with different people.

My interactions so far have been mixed. I had a man in a car ask me what I was taking pictures of and seemed perplexed when I told him I was looking for things that were red. I have had a hermit that lived in the woods call me a socialist because I had accidentally wondered on his land. I seem to blow peoples minds with what I think are the simplest of conversations.

I don't want to imply that these are close-minded backwards people. I do not feel that way at all. What I do want to get across is that I think we all to a certain extent find our own comfort zone and do not wonder out of it enough. I myself feel at home with artists and mystics, philosophers and poets. I have no idea what to talk about with a factory worker or farmer. I would like to think that we could find some common ground, however I think at times we would both have to walk on unfamiliar ground in order to connect.

This week I have been around all maner of folks that the only thing I had in common with was air. From Amish to Nursery workers. I realized through this that not everyone wants to open minded. That many people are not only comfortable in their life, but would see mine as being flat out wrong. In all this I see more and more the need for people like me to not hide out in safe communities but to be out in the open. I feel as I have always felt. That I exist to give the world alternatives. It doesn't matter what that they do with it, as long as they know it exists.

Caleb

The Photo-Monk.

Living My Truth

My relocation to the midwest has effected me in many, many ways. The absence of the sun for the first couple of days made the experience haunting. The work oriented, job oriented mind set seemed foreign to me. I found myself asking myself "What was I thinking?". As the grey loomed on and I walked around a bit more. I thought of all the exciting adventures I could have in this town, if this town would have me. I'm not really sure if Indiana is ready for the return of its parodical son, but I guess only time will tell.

One thing that I noticed is how important it is for me to remain me. Not that anyone is trying to change me, I am just very different in my way of thinking than many people. I didn't notice it as much in the ATL because I was around like minded, open minded and artistic people. Here I notice it much, much more. I also see that something that seems very simple and obvious to me spiritually can be quite liberating to people that have not been exposed to such ideas. It is becoming increasing clear to me why it was necessary for me to make this move. A dharma is no good if it can't hold up to real life, and is usles if it cannot be shared. So here I am to practice, share and strengthen my personal dharma.

This is my time in the desert. A cold midwestern desert. I shall turn the sky into a bodhi tree, the clouds into dharma protectors and the wind into prayers. I shall chant until it thunders to all corners and touches a billion Buddha's ears. I shall do as I have always done, observe, meditate, make art and teach. Or at least thats what I'll tell the cops if they show up.

The Photo-Monk

We Were Here

In my recent travels I have had a lot of time to think about the impact that we may or may not have in this world.

Upon leaving Atlanta, it became clear to me that I had indeed made some good life long friends there. Even more however was revealed to me. I realized that I may have actually altered some of those peoples lives and that many of them had altered mine. So this caused me to contemplate the impact that one individual can actually have on the world.

During the three day train ride, I crossed paths with many people. The people I sat next to, the people working for Amtrak, the various people I ran into walking around the cities I had lay overs in. All these people I had the opportunity to influence and had the opportunity to influence me. It made me begin to think of all the people we have the opportunity to influence on a daily basis even if we aren't a photo-monk riding the rails.

It all goes back to what I always say "It doesn't matter what you do, it matters how you do it". I see this as being a perfect example of that. How many times had the one rude person set your day in a tailspin of anger? How many times did getting cut off in traffic ruin an otherwise perfect trip? You could be the one person that makes or breaks someone's day. No pressure or anything, but its true.

I remember really feeling this as I was walking in Virginia, it was a rainy day, kinda chilly. Yet if someone looked at me I smiled a big smile, like I had been waiting my whole life to greet them. The result was always the same, they returned my big smile and normally took the next step and said "good morning". This was my little experiment as I passed the time in the little mountain town of Charlottesville, Virginia. It was a pretty cool little experiment actually. I would highly recommend trying it. People will respond with a smile or just think your crazy. Either reaction is entertaining.

This is my point. We influence millions of people in our life. We can choose how.

The Photo-Monk

Paying My Respects

It occurred to me somewhere on the train ride from Atlanta to Indianapolis that I hadn't really expressed how much Atlanta means to me. So this is my attempt to let all the people that I grew to think of as family how much my time in the ATL has meant to me and changed me.

When I first came to Atlanta in the early 90s I was looking for warmer weather and a more tolerant environment. I was a broken, depressed and quite dysfunctional person. I tried my hand at writing, ended up working at Junkman's Daughter and making Little Five Points my adopted home. I would move in and out of the L5P scene throughout the years. It remained until my last day there a vital part of my life in Atlanta. In Atlanta I found my musical voice, picked up a camera and taught myself photography, and ultimately turned the darkness within me to a luminescence that changed everything.

I had a very rich and diverse life in the ATL. played computer tech, musician, photographer, mystic, healer, magician, father and friend. I had some great geek times, wonderful times playing music, did some cool art shows and ultimately figured out what Buddha lied under this skin. I would say that the most amazing thing that happened to me in the dirty south was the deep friendships that I enjoyed.

There are far to many people to mention. I hope you all know how much I truly love you and feel so amazingly blessed to have crossed your paths. It has been a great great honor to be called friend by so many wonderful, creative, interesting and thoughtful people. More amazing was my opportunity to play father to one of the most amazing human beings I have ever met. It is my hope that at another time in another place my little Buddha will seek me out and we can continue on our journey. Maybe not as father and son, but of human and human.

In Atlanta, I did some art, taught a few things, learned a lot of things. started a fraternal order, did some music, played a lot, learned about compassion, learned how to live in joy, gave up my anger, quit smoking, chanted a lot, walked a lot, loved a lot, talked a lot and seen first hand the power of kindness.

All my love Atlanta, see ya next year.

Love the Photo-Monk

Caleb