introducing... the Premiere Event Pass

hello, friends :) i'm excited to say that 2012 is going to be the biggest year yet for Jesh de Rox's Life As An Artform brand of empowering products and services!

In addition to releasing several new product lines and continuing our highly-acclaimed LIFE {As An Artform} workshops worldwide, we'll be hosting our all-inclusive LEGACY retreats in both North America and Australia this year, the second annual Beloved Collective in Los Angeles this fall, and for the first time, launching the Business {As An Artfom} conference in the spring (more on that very, very soon!).

if you're looking for an easy, cost-effective way to experience a full year of personal and artistic empowerment, beautiful new friendships, rich laughter, sweet music and access to a wealth of business-flourishing knowledge, the Premiere Event Pass is for you!

Pass holders enjoy priority access to each of the events, workshops, retreats and parties we host in a 12 month period, along with a few perks...

Check out the DETAILS and when you're ready, you can REGISTER here. if you've already invested in a 2012 event, or have any other questions, please email us at life@jeshderox.com and we'll take care of you :)

here's to an amazing new year!

jesh

what is Beloved?

what is Beloved? it's a question with many answers...


Beloved is... a journey that began 3.5 years ago for me, after i took a sabbatical from shooting weddings to give my full attention to exploring an intriguing phenomena i'd stumbled across while photographing my couples.

in a search to witness and express the deep inner beauty of those i served, i learned much about inviting a space where the walls between people dissolve, the connections between them surge, and the truth we most often keep under close guard is instead given freely. experiential photography, i called it.

my original intention was to see these walls removed so i, as the witnessing photographer, could capture this most important part of who a person is. what i didn't expect - what i was and continue to be awed, humbled and thrilled by - was that during these sessions, the walls that slowly build up due to our natural processes between most anyone in relationship often began to dissolve, too. sometimes dramatically so.

as i delved deeper into the discovery, some sessions were simply light and joyful, leaving the couple feeling refreshed and carefree - excellent and worthwhile states in their own right, and great for the purpose of photography. in other sessions,,, it is difficult to describe well, but to put it as straightly as i can, i saw people fall in love again.


Beloved is... powerful. it's one thing to say all this, it's another thing entirely to see it with your own eyes. to feel it, only a few feet away as love unfolds itself, from wherever it lays waiting, and rushes in, drawing two closer than either knew was possible. it's better than the best movie i've ever seen, and it exists in every single person on earth.


Beloved is... in my opinion, the future of portrait photography. i believe in ten years, it will be difficult to compete as a portrait photographer without inviting those you work with into powerfully beautiful experiences using this technique or one related with another name. already, many who are integrating Beloved into their businesses are experiencing and exchanging higher investments of trust and value with those they serve, just as what happened in my own business.


Beloved is... what the couples who have experienced it are saying about it:

- "...he talked to me more last night than he has in the last 12 years..."
- "...reminded us of the fire that burns so bright for one another..."
- "We are forever grateful... haven't stopped talking about how amazing it was..."
- "Can we take you with us everywhere we go?"
- "Doing the beloved session with you was the one of the best things that we ever did as a couple."


Beloved is... a dream that a social ritual may be created in which thousands of couples around the world could experience a joyful remembrance of what matters most, in a space made by photographers who were well compensated for something they found deeply fulfilling. a hope that all those tiny ripple affects would reach even to touch future generations.


Beloved is... something i have poured much of myself into these past three years. i'm doing this one more big push to get Beloved out there this year to as many people as possible, and then i'll be letting it go grass roots.


if you would like to learn more about Beloved, how it can benefit you, and even see it demonstrated live, you are welcome to watch this preview video for the Beloved: Web Series that's launching next wednesday. the video will be available until then.

if it's in you to join in the exploration, we'd love to have you, and if not, i wish you all the best, wherever your journeys take you.

in kindness and respect,

jesh *

twitter tempest,,,

dear friends, fellow photographers, artists, dreamers and business owners,,,

firstly, i want to thank you so much for your response to our streaming broadcast session on Beloved. we not only experienced our largest session attendance, but we exceeded all other such sessions for total sales. i'm proud to say there are now over 1000 photographers from all around the world blazing trails for the new photographic genre of Beloved.

if you missed the session, and would like to watch it, you can sign up here to receive access to the recording. you are also welcome to listen to the initial launch speech i gave in Las Vegas in 2010 here.

the Beloved: Field Guide and the Web Seminar Series will continue to be available at their sale price of $245 & $497 respectively until the Web Series begins on Monday, April 4th.


regarding the One on One business mastery sessions, on sale for $16,500, all application spaces are presently filled, and we will begin the process of interviewing and assessing interested studios. if spaces remain open after the present applications are reviewed, i'll make another announcement.

it seems that the $16,500 price offer was misunderstood by some to include only a one day meeting, while in actuality, the product is much more extensive.

for clarity's sake, this is not a new product offering. i've been offering this same consulting service to a select few on a confidential basis for over 3 years. the first such party brought in an additional $40,000 to their studio directly from integrating the strategy in the first year alone, and i am proud to say that we have improved upon the product considerably since then.

the offer we made in the live broadcast was simply our first release of the product to the public. though i explained the offering on the 2nd part of the broadcast in more detail, for those who would like to see it directly i have put it below.

across Canada and the USA, professional business development courses can run from $35,000 to $45,000. i have developed a strategic business model insert for wedding and portrait photography studios of a certain level of experience which enables a greatly accelerated level of growth compared to the long term of other methods.

the One on One sessions are for the elite minded professional photographers who already have an established business and a practiced working knowledge of studio management who are willing to customize their business strategy to substantially increase their financial position. we've broken the cost barrier at less than half other professional business development plans, and… please take special note… this product is absolutely guaranteed to work or your money back.


the One on One business mastery sessions, presented in the broadcast, aired and recorded this week, include:

1)  Jesh de Rox, traveling to your studio, anywhere worldwide and spending 12 hours training you (and your team-members) one on one in Experiential Technique.

2) the design and integration of a custom strategy for integrating Experiential Technique and the growth model into your business plan.

3) telephone support with implementation of new business strategy.

4) the Beloved Field Guide

5) a 5-week online seminar, focused on practicing and implementing Experiential Technology and a market-education strategy for building a Beloved customer base.

6) a 3 day intensive at the Beloved Collective live event.

7) a 100% money-back guarantee if the studio does not believe they received a much greater return than their investment. 

* please note: an application and interview is required. if i don't feel a studio is in a position to benefit greatly from the session, if it would put them in financial hardship, or if for any reason i'm not absolutely confident they would make a healthy return on their investment in a timely manner, we are not a good fit and i won't accept the application.


as to the recent 'twitter tempest' episode,,,

thank you so very much for your participation and comments.

i have been blessed to be able to travel throughout the world and meet personally with thousands of people. one of the primary things i have learned from the experience is that for all our differences, we are very much the same at our core. we're all human. we all share human desires and needs and get caught up in the same human difficulties.

most misunderstandings seem to sprout from small differences in perspectives, which, when powered with our hopes, fears and self-preservation instincts often become inflamed, pitting people against each other who might in another situation have become friends. remembering that, it is easier not to take such differences in opinion personally.

i absolutely respect each person's right to view life in whatever way they feel is most beneficial, up until the point that it degrades someone else's quality of life. i was fine with much of the bantering and criticism i have seen over the past few days. i have had practice dealing with it for some time because my interests often take me off the beaten path.

a few points of accusation, however, crossed the line for me, and i feel it important to offer some points of my own - not to the people who made the accusations ( they haven't proven overly interested in anything i have to say ;) and not to my friends (who already know them to be laugable) - but to those caught in between, who find themselves curious.


for the record, my name is jesh de rox. yep, my real name ;)

Jesh de Rox Experiential Photography began as wedding photography business in 2005 and, from late 2008, grew to become a thriving Beloved portrait-centric model that provides experiential sessions to extraordinary couples, families and individuals throughout north america, australia, europe and asia.

as a successful photography business owner who has garnered dozens of international photography awards, taught photographers and artists from stages in front of 1000's to the intimate setting of life {as an artform} experiential workshops - and more recently, as a founding advocate and fellow explorer of Beloved - i have had extensive experience both as a member of this industry in the field and as one who serves others in it.

i do not say lightly, you will not find anyone on the planet who is more passionate about the people of this industry than i am.

i am especially passionate about artists doing work that is authentic and fulfilling to them inside of healthy business models that enable them to continue to push their work and the industry forward and provide high quality of life for their families. i absolutely love listening to the stories of others and sharing from the many adventures, successes and failures i've experienced to empower those who are interested.

i understand that much of how i see photography, what i speak of and continue to explore, is not typical of most photographers, and can be misunderstood without context. that said, it is the very root of all the success i've experienced in this industry, which has not been typical either.


the $16,500 price point on the One on One session seemed especially enflaming to some in the industry. while i am sorry for any distress that may have caused, it is a product i firmly believe in and see as incredibly valuable. i hope the breakdown above more clearly illuminates the offering. i would like to remind everyone that we offer services at a wide range of price-points, sure to be attainable by most anyone interested. additionally, the stir-up attracted the attention of many thousands of new photographers and has had the wonderful affect of increasing the number of explorers of Beloved. for that, i am thankful.

another thing that seemed to bother a minor-few persons (though i believe it a very personal decision) is whether or not I make donations to charity for world needs. last year my family and i put out $60,000 for such needs and we have continued plans for this year. i would have preferred not to mention that, because I don't want to give the appearance of boasting, but i feel the circumstances called for this open statement. i have not, however, nor will I practice insinuating persons should be financially involved in my business due to my giving to world needs. as said, i believe it a personal affair. 


oh, one last thing,,,  i will not indulge in trying to explain how or why someone who claimed to adore my business programs (or perhaps me?), could, due to perhaps feeling rejected, turn to despise me - willing to stop at nothing, making accusations against me including being a cult organization and a commercial rip-off despot (i'm sure you can figure out the reasons common to humans). i am happily married and have a beautiful family. i have no intentions to change that. it's funny, but not funny. nevertheless, my prayers for that person.

i appreciate you listening, and am thankful for one of my favourite sayings of all time, "judge not, that you be not judged".

i say it's a good day to be alive! so many possibilities open before us right now - and what a gift, to have friends and family to explore them with.

respectfully, and with love,

jesh de rox

the importance of autumn,,, (life)

returning from a sojourn to the south and west, i find myself flying back to the beautiful land where i live.

as we descend, my face presses close to the glass of the airplane window, soaking in the bird's-eye view i will never tire of.

i am struck by the surreal beauty of the landscape beneath me, the late light pouring over the fields and forests in the billion shades of autumn, my eyes finding their way through the patterns like a hand through a coat-sleeve.

my visual sense is brimming with the awareness of what an exquisite living being this earth is, its intricate design, an interconnected network of bio-systems complex beyond comprehension.

we presume much, i think, our attention stolen so often by the multiplying dramas that crop up, weed-like, on the small sets we build of our lives - reality ending at the boundaries of our vision.

so much passes us by, so much of genuine importance. life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans, John Lennon said. a sad commentary that too often proves true.


what does it mean to be alive? surely the answer isn't found in the shifting, never-satisfied busy-ness of our mind-made plans. life flourished long before they came along, and will for long after they leave.

no, dear friends, life is in a direction other than that.

this is why i love the artist. it's she who stokes the fire of wonder, she who honours that part of her that longs to look beyond her own boundaries, she who reaches for the half-remembered dream, emptying herself to make room for birth with the moments of her own body.

all life begins with a womb. this space is of primary importance, for without it, where will the new life grow?

we have trained ourselves to search for things, placing high values on shapes we can recognize, measure and understand, forgetting that everything beautiful begins invisibly, and everything brilliant is found in the direction of the unknown.

we grasp for and hold on so tight to that which stifles us, mistaking our collection of weights for 'life'. an honest look at the repercussions of many of our decisions quickly informs us that much of what we choose in fact is directly deteriorating not only our own health but wreaking havoc on this garden world we are blessed to inhabit and the many lifeforms that call it home.

what does it mean to be alive? when do you feel most alive? what separates you from life? what encourages your growth? what nourishes you? what steals and wastes you?

are there more important questions than these for a living being? if not, why are they so rarely considered in the scales of our decisions?

the story of our life becomes shaped by the questions we ask. when the space of our moments is consumed and filled with that which does not pertain to life, there simply isn't room for the growth cycle that life always is.


i walk through a new-growth forest near my home, astounded to notice how vibrantly alive each of the trees is, marvelling at how much they've grown since the spring. i can't help but wonder what our world would be like if humankind was as dedicated to the pure pursuit of life i see expressed so clearly around me.

from the kaleidoscope of orange and deep reds before me, i'm drawn to a particularly beautiful leaf, larger than my hand. i reach to touch it, imagining the journey it has taken to get to here. how lovely it is, here, near the end of its current existence.

i laugh as i imagine what trees would look like if they tried to hold on to their leaves as long and hard as humans might - the years and years of dead leaves, one atop the other,,,

the leaf that clings to the tree past its time never gets to experience flight, and never knows what it is to be born again, that same life losing its shape to discover itself in new shapes in the never-ending movement that life is.

as much as we resist it, it is clear that this kind of letting go is actually an integral part of receiving the gift of life.

i take a quiet moment, surveying all i carry with me. all that is not life, i release my hold on. i sigh, feeling a weightlessness as an inner wind comes, gently lifting it away.

i am left with a space, a fresh start, a clean slate. a garden bed ready for new life to discover itself.

love and life to you, dear friends *

jesh *

cecilia,,, (announcement)

good evening, dear friends,,,

as many of you know, i've been experimenting with music as an avenue to continue my exploration of the invisible vital connections between us. i believe those connections are more valuable than can be expressed and that we are only beginning to tap their potential.

in that endeavour, i'd like to invite you to a new interactive melodic experience i'm calling Cecilia.

i believe this is a step in a new direction for concert experiences, and i'd be humbly honored if you would be a part of it at this fledgling stage. i'm not going to say much about it in the way of description, other than that it will be unlike any other concert experience you have had.

i am looking for people who are willing to risk unknown territory for the chance of experiencing genuine inner growth.


i'll be presenting two intimate Cecilia experiences next week. tickets are $15 online or $20 at the door. seating is limited. all proceeds go to charity.


Austin, Tx 9-15-10, 8:00 pm

hosted by Sarah Quiara
411 W. St. Elmo #22, Austin, TX 78756 neighborhood gate 1135

purchase tickets here

Santa Ana, CA 9-17-10, 7:30 pm

hosted by Jeff Almquist
3605 W. Mac Arthur Blvd. Suite 706
Santa Ana, CA 92704

purchase tickets here


if it's in you to come, i hope to see you there *

blessings and real love,

jesh *

2011 WORLD TOUR!!! (workshops)

good morning, dear friends :)

the spring & summer legs of the 2010 life {as an artform} world tour have been absolutely indescribable,,, the beautiful people i've met, the cities and countries i'd never before seen, the ripples of lives touched and the remarkable growth i've witnessed again and again - it's been a blessing greater than i could have imagined.

after ten sold-out workshops this year, i've been inundated with requests to announce my 2011 workshop cities & dates. there are so many places i'd love to go, but there is only so much time, lol. i'm doing my best to host workshops in as wide an area as possible so everyone who wants to attend will have a city within traveling distance.

for now, i'm glad to be opening registration for the first half of 2011 :) i have a good feeling about these cities, and can't wait to meet you in one of them soon,,,



BALI January 18-20th, 2011

LAS VEGAS February 16-18th, 2011

ORANGE COUNTY March 15-17th, 2011

LONDON April 26-28th, 2011

PARIS May 3-5th, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS May 31 - June 2nd, 2011



we have received an overwhelming amount of interest for the coming cities and locations. to ensure your seat, sign up for the workshop nearest you HERE !!!


to make the workshop accessible to as many people as possible, we've introduced three different payment plans, tailored to fit your specific needs. please email us at life@jeshderox.com to find out more ;)


there is a reason the workshops have been described by hundreds of people as transformative and life-changing,,, if you are drawn to be there, i cannot wait to see you there.

many blessings, friends ; )

jesh *

career opportunity (announcement)

hello amazing friends,,,

my company, Life As An Artform, is preparing to break ground on several new projects i'm thrilled about. i'm looking to add someone to our team who can be our resident visual voice, helping us breathe life into our projects by giving them bodies as beautiful as their hearts.

effective immediately, i'm opening a full-time or part-time (negotiable) satellite position for a designer who:

- is passionate about visual communication
- feels life intensely
- sees the deep beauty in people
- has a spiritual sensibility to their work
- understands the importance of balancing form & functionality
- keeps a finely-honed imagination
- wants to make work that means something
- is committed to personal and artistic growth
- has a child-like curiosity and fascination
- is highly-skilled in photoshop (or similar)
- has a strong knowledge of web-based design
- is self-motivated and takes pride in excellence
- can take direction and meet timelines
- can work remotely
- is an honest and open communicator
- wants to work with a company of people committed to improving quality of life
- is brave enough to imagine they could change the world

if this sounds like you, please forward your creative resume and portfolio to

support@jeshderox.com

if you know of someone who would be interested, please forward them this link :)

i very much look forward to hearing from you! many blessings,

jesh *

journey,,, Pt. 2 (life)

GIANT ONE: MISDIRECTION

life is not a destination, this is true - it's the movement of the journey. but it is clear there is a geography to life. there are destinations, many, and they are important to recognize.

earth's landscapes are comprised of varying environmental and elemental forces that directly affect the conditions of the lifeforms found in them. some of these conditions are encouraging to growth, allowing life to thrive. some are hostile, leaving thin opportunity to carve out the barest presence of life. even on this sparkling ocean planet, there are places of desolation. so it is in the landscapes of our lives.


it is the remarkable gift of the human being to choose to leave or change his life circumstance, allowing for the potential to discover one more to his advantage. few of us would ever purposefully choose to live in places of desolation, and yet, if we are not rich and overflowing with life, does that not suggest we are separated somehow from the elements that allow us to flourish?

time and again, people are seen to make choices that, not only aren't to their advantage, are actually destructive to themselves and those around them. repeatedly, people pour their energies into hollow pursuits and frenetic obsessions that erode their peace.

as children, we find joy easily and everywhere, it seems to travel with us. but as we age, we often begin to bind our joy to grasping dependancies, entrust our self-worth to the whim of elements beyond our control - find ourselves caught in endless desperate searches for a mirage-like wholeness that only fades to dust as we reach for it.

what spurs this heart-breaking transition? why would we use our own power against ourselves? surely such sorrowful choices are born from Misdirection. to treat such a malady, its source must be identified.


though life seems to be an external experience, it is just as much an internal one. failing to recognize this creates an imbalance that powerfully distorts our view of reality, allowing errors of calculation that give rise to tragedy.

when our vision is consumed solely with the physical external, we are missing half of the picture. if we seek to move away from the wastelands we have wandered through, toward the promise of oasis, we need to put our hand to the wheel of decision. and the wheel has always, only and ever been in us.


as newborn babies, our entire perception of reality is an internal one. as we age, we discover there exists a world outside of us. we become so fascinated with this world that the resources we once dedicated solely to the world within begin to be shifted outward. for many, this shift continues to increase throughout childhood, into adolescence and adulthood.

it is through our senses that we perceive the world we base our decisions on - what we call our 'reality'. in an incredible way, our perception of the world is built piece by piece from the raw material drawn in from our senses.

what we devote our attention to grows stronger, more real - what we withdraw our attention from fades. as we move our senses away from the inner world, we grow out of touch with it. it becomes mysterious to us, intangible to the point that some even question its existence.

the world we knew so well as young children - the world we thrived in - abundant with growth, joy and creative power, becomes mythical.

this fracturing severs two elements that were designed to operate in harmony. of vital concern is the fact that our greatest gift and power - that of free will - is the prerogative of the inner person. as we move away from the inner world, we move away from the ability to steer our own course, abandoning our commission as captain of the journey that is our life. no longer directed, the ship is given to the wind, the waves and eventually, the ocean depths.

so then, it is seen that Misdirection begins and grows from a chosen delinquency, though as Jesus once so fittingly said, they know not what they do.


the inner and outer person are each vital aspects of our human existence. they can be compared to the artist and his tools. if the artist has the most beautiful vision, but nothing to express with, where is the art? if the artist has the most exquisite tools, but nothing to express, where is the art? in either case, it is lost.

this is especially true of life, the oldest of all artforms. both the inner and outer life must be given their due.

which of us, seeing we have been badly cut and are bleeding profusely will ignore it? don't we clean and dress it immediately, and if it is bad enough, seek medical attention with urgency?

which of us, having eaten little to nothing for too long will shrug off the hunger pang our stomach sends us? don't we work diligently and creatively if need be to assuage our physical desire?

are your inward wounds and needs tended to with this same dedication? the most common response to inner signals is to ignore them. particularly persistent ones we often attempt to smother through various temporal distractions, burying deep wounds beneath blankets of facade. it is clear how such methods would affect your physical state - be assured they work no better on the inner person.

dear friends,,, take care for your inward needs! on the treacherous coasts of Misdirection lie the wreckages of countless lonely ships that once housed hearts beautiful beyond description!


if you would be free of the thief-giant Misdirection, begin to allocate resources to the exploration of your inner world, regularly exercise the atrophied inner senses until they are returned to vitality.

remember that such a redirection will require a shift away from patterns you are familiar with. this is rarely a comfortable process - it will require a heated desire to persevere. when selecting from among your patterns, what to keep and what to discard, hinge your choice upon the degree to which each has proved quickening to your personal growth.

fill the moments of your life with experiences and people who move you. the term inspire comes from the latin root inspīrāre, which means to breathe in. is it possible that inspiration is for the spiritual body, what oxygen is for the physical body? i know it to be true.


breath by breath, as balance is restored, you are reunited with whole self. the conductor touches the energy source and the extraordinary mechanism of human being is powered. all magnificent human works and achievements have been formed and expressed from this place.

your birthright reclaimed, your commission resumed, you are able to explore the waters in search of lush, fertile destinations. finding them, sinking roots deep into the rich soils of life, you will flourish, bearing the fruit that will become your legacy.

(to be continued,,,)

may the deep goodness within you wake as if it had never been asleep,

jesh *

journey,,, Pt. 1 (life)

JOURNEY

we are moving or we are motionless. we are open or we are closed. even at its most complex, its most heart-breaking, this is life described in its simplest terms.

so then, we could say life is movement; death, the movement ended.

movement is the footstep forward, the decreasing of distance between you and what calls you to the far journey.

your human body is made up of more than a hundred trillion cells - each spinning in its own intricate design, each contributing in increment to the tidal movement of the whole, each comprised of particles that were forged in the fires of stars.

your very atoms have been in motion since the universe began.

and comes the human, who invents the concept of death. who, through some curse, is able to separate himself from the beautiful movement of the universe; and through some gift, to rejoin it.


i feel so alive, we say, clearly indicating there are degrees of life. consulting our favourite memories, our shining moments, we find this sentiment might richly apply to all of them.

what then is it, that increases our connection to this movement, and what is it that detracts? if we are to increase our degree of life, this is vital to discover.

i have never come across any soul who, even if buried beneath pseudo-protective layers of mistrust, despair or anger, does not still yearn at their core for a richer connection to life. would anyone, being in sound mind, and clear consideration of their choices ever choose less life? my heart refuses to believe it.

with so many of us choosing just that, time and again, there must then be factors that disturb the soundness of our mind, that obscure awareness, confining it to lesser corridors of choice. interesting to note, the terms disturb & obscure both suggest an interference to something which, prior to the interference, was serene & clear.

rich quality of life is the natural state. it's not a matter of achieving or creating the high ideals of peace and love as much as it is removing and discarding the disturbances that keep them from us. this is the return that is referenced in the lore, traditions & religions of so many cultures throughout history - the paradise lost.


of the many forms of interference, a few stand out as giants, waiting to be thrown to the dissolving sea by those whose hearts are fired with the fervent heat of bravery.

over the next few entries, i want to share with you what i have seen of such giants, that through the weaving of story their power be unravelled; that, as their suffocating shadows subside, the alive thing in your breast be given sanction to take in deeply the breath required for flight.

(to be continued,,,)


my love for you is truer than i can say,

jesh *

remember, sand (life)

the hammer of your beating heart,
was always meant to make music
that broke
Jericho's walls, coaxing them
tumbling down around her.
open your hands
wide enough to hold oceans
(for surely the heart
is an ocean
and more).

all of us, these vessels
of clay, the sand we are made of
thirsty for the Voice
that has led you
since before you can
remember. the movement,
in the womb
where God's hands shaped yours
just. so.
just exactly so.
the breaking (what we think
is this breaking)
is really this returning,
back to who
we more truly are.

do not be afraid of returning
to sand, dear one.
sand takes a thousand shapes,
a clay vessel, just one.
+
sand is lifted
easily to the wind, carried
to every far corner of this place, rides
in the sandals of Jesus, gets caught
in the folds of Joseph's coat.
a jar's own weight keeps it
flightless.
+
and when the lightning
reaches (the energy of
this Voice in motion)
clay shatters, loses itself,
but sand becomes glass, allowing
a Light to pass through it.

when breaking comes,
friend, remember
sand. those tiny pieces,
(the millions)
and all of the lovely
windows, they one day
become.

*

upward spiral, las vegas!!! (announcement)

hello, friends :)

there will be an intimate upward spiral experience on March 6th, 2010 in vegas.

the only way to get in is to request an invite or be invited by someone who has already been invited. either way, you must RSVP as space is limited.

what is upward spiral?

upward spiral is a fluid gathering of friends and fellow dreamers who share the belief that each of us is given an incredible and unique gift, and that it is our privilege and responsibility to learn how to give it. we explore ways to do this through experiential communication in various forms of art and language.

the vegas experience will be an unusual one, and beautiful, filled with many people who are close to my heart.

if you would like to be a part of it, please email support@jeshderox.com with the subject INVITE. there are only a few spaces still available. i'm opening this last door in the effort to include everyone who is drawn to be there.

blessings to you friends, whether you can make it or not. i hope your life is filled with so much goodness, and that your eyes are wise to see it.

jesh *

why,,, (life)

"why are the ones who are supposed to love us the best sometimes the ones that hurt us the worst?"

a friend of mine asked this poignant question recently,,,

the simple answer is: because of our expectations of them, because of misinterpretation, and the deep needs that come with being human.


the longer reply, i have written below:


though a 'pure' love would be completely without expectation, this is next (if not impossible) to achieve here. the friend and family relationships upon which we depend for our survival are so very founded and rooted in trust and mutual value-exchange.

however, more often than not, it is misunderstanding - the sometimes wide differences in the languages that we speak and understand - that is chiefly responsible for these let-downs.


at the root, each of us is built similarly: we want to be loved, appreciated and seen for who we are. we want people to know we are important. we want what we give to be treated as the precious thing it is.

since that is true for everyone, it becomes apparent that it is the forms in which we expect those things to come to us (the language) that is the major difference, and source of the miscommunications.

if a person is able to see beneath the language forms that are being used, to the root of what is truly being shared or asked for, they will most always find there is another story being told, sometimes opposite of what they had originally interpreted.

this deep seeing is not an easy thing to do - especially with those we have been around for a long time. we have so many ideas built up about them, we 'know' them so well that we rarely interpret anything they say or do outside of that 'knowing'.

in a strange twist, in moments like this, we often end up giving the ones we love most less freedom, less genuine seeing, less curiosity, less openness than a friend we are just meeting or a person we are just falling love with.

this unfortunate phenomena is very much responsible for planting the seeds of incredible hurt that damage so many relationships.

though it may not be often be recognized by the mind, and as simple as it is, genuine curiosity about someone is a vital ingredient to a love relationship. look at how much there is in the beginning, versus how much there is in the end,,, a telling tale.


to be seen is perhaps the greatest of all human needs, and we expect/desire/require this from the people we love.

when misunderstandings happen, when languages are misinterpreted, that seeing we so very much need is missed and (this part is especially crucial to be aware of) it doesn't just feel like a mistake - it more often feels like an intentional cruelty, a personal attack.

because the personal attack is so obvious to us, we assume it is as obvious to the one who 'did it to us'. this then 'justifies' our hurt, often emotionally-acidic response to them.

of course, on their end, they know it wasn't meant as a personal offense, so they don't understand the defensive response. and to make things even more difficult, what from you was a 'defensive' response feels like an 'attack' on them, which of course they usually respond to 'defensively', which comes back to you as yet another attack.

in this way, people in relationships end up declaring small and terrible wars on each other, each completely convinced they are justified. they, of course, have only been defending themselves, and are shocked someone they love so much could treat them so.

loves beyond count have been destroyed because of this pattern, lives walked upon and sometimes torn apart.


let this obvious but surprisingly difficult-to-see point be made clear:

no matter how much you love someone, when they are responding to you in a hurt, pained, defensive or offensive way, they are not feeling your love.


when you find yourself in the midst of that vicious cycle, and want to overcome it, you have to recognize that simple truth. you have to realize that their response is not the insult of yourself and your gift to them that it most surely feels like. you have to be strong enough, brave enough, wise enough to realize this:

if you know in your heart that you truly love this person, but they can't feel it, there must be something in the way.

often, as i said, that something in the way ends up being simple language difference. because each of us have lived such different lives as we've grown up, even when we're using the same words and gestures, they come to mean very different things.

other times, this something in the way is a collection of deep emotional hurts and scars that were formed before they even met you - things people bring forward with them, that they haven't been able to let go of.

the best way to love someone is always rooted in truly seeing them - deep into them.

this means seeing beneath the surface layers of actions or reactions that come off as dangerous stormy waves and down to the earthquakes far below that are causing the turmoil. only then do you really have a chance of speaking to the heart of what's happening, not just the symptoms.


it comes down to deciding how far you will go to fight for the one you love,,, and it's a 'fight' of an altogether different nature.

are you willing to be brave enough to set aside your own fears, your own issues, your own deep past hurts?

are you willing to look at words and actions they say or do that your mind will so very strongly tell you mean you are being attacked, and instead read them for the seismic signs they truly are?

are you willing to set aside yourself, and give, in small but precious moments, a true open place from which to re-see this one who at the same time has been such a source of joy and sorrow?

this is what it truly means to forgive. it is a far greater feat than mouthing the words aloud, and more rare.


if you are willing to give at that level, then true love is a possibility for you, and let me say plainly:

there is no situation so ruined that such true love cannot, with patience and steady heartbeat rhythm, thoroughly heal.


that said, true love is also deeply rooted in free will.

while the giving of love is your decision and yours alone to make, a love relationship requires two people to make that decision.

sometimes circumstances of many different kinds prevent such a decision from being reached at the same time by both individuals. in some of these cases, it is a healthier thing for one or both parties to continue their journey separately.

nevertheless, if the friendship or relationship is important to you, if it ever was, don't give up until you can honestly know for yourself that you were able to set aside yourself for as long as you possibly could, that you were able to offer genuine forgiveness.

i believe when we are able to realize and practice this kind of deep seeing on a daily basis many of the friendships that end up dissolving in loss would instead find healing and beautiful renewal.

we have so very much more say in the matter than we give ourselves credit for.


blessings to you, beautiful friends, my heart wishes for you the deepest joy and strongest peace.

jesh *

liz song (beloved)

hello beautiful friends,,,

i haven't been sharing much of the Beloved work, (which is presently my primary photographic focus) because i'm saving it up for the official launch of the Beloved project at my platform class at WPPI this march. there are a lot of beautiful pieces to share, and i can't wait,,, but i have to, lol ;)

i did however want to share a few images from a recent Beloved session with my dear friend and gifted artist Liz Song. she is a most lovely person whose presence and work i truly believe will move worlds,,, you can follow her & her unique journey on twitter here.

there are currently three kinds of Beloved sessions - a) those that feature the connection between a couple in love b) those that feature the connection between a person and a loved one they have lost c) those that feature the connection within.

Liz's Collection is of the third variety. i have done several such 'solo' Beloved sessions with people interested in deepening, exploring and expressing their inner connection, and have found them uniquely beautiful.

i believe that all the work i've poured into Beloved over the past two years will be put to very good use. the sessions themselves have already been benefit enough, of course, but my hope is that this just represents the beginning. how beautiful it is for me to imagine a day when these kinds of sessions are being offered on a global field via inspired photographers around the world.

my speech at WPPI is geared to kick off that dream. i'll be sharing my findings so far, my vision, and the maps i hope many will use to discover their own beautiful journeys in this new frontier :)

many blessings,,,

jesh *

how the light gets in,,, (life)

there are cracks in everything, Leonard Cohen said,,, that's how the light gets in.

i loved that line the first time i heard it, but it has grown to mean even more to me as time passes.

the cracks in everything,,, yes, as much as we fear breaking, it is so often those breakings that become the openings we discover later we never could have flourished without.

i do not seek to be broken, but i recognize this body for what it is - a vehicle for expressing what otherwise is voiceless - and when this form becomes too frozen stiff to serve that purpose, its feet wooden, its jaw clenched tight, then it is the heat that quickens that returns me to the movement i was born to.

we are not this collection of burdens, bones, heavy weights of failures and fears,,, no. we are so much lighter than all of that. it is good to be reminded when we become lost in our heaviness, choking on the dust we stir by crawling in a body that was better made to be airborne.

if you feel heavy, it is not you that you feel, but all that lies upon you. take it off, my dear friends. you are so much better unbridled,,, and the glow you give, when you are free, is a gift to those who surround you in ways that cannot be measured.

if i fall a thousand times, i will rise a thousand and one. life is not a measurement of the depths to which we fall, or even the heights to which we rise, but the movement that exists in both, and the way it brings us to a blooming we can't find any other way.

with love,

jesh *

miracles,,, (life)

in moments like this, i can feel finely the fire pouring through my every pore - in and out, as if i were an entire instrument of breath, made simply to swell and subside,,, this life inside me changing the boundaries of my body, redefining my edges, wave by wave.

in moments like this one, i remember so clearly all that is lost. so clearly, it is surprising to imagine a state exists where all of this seems like delusions at best, and destructive at worst.

i know why some have found it, and then lost it. i know why some, while in that loss, have done and said things that contradict what they have done and said when they had found it. each state is a contradiction to the other.

ah,,, and how that has been used as a hammer (by those who do not understand) to break away the natural movement to trust in the beauty such people express while they are awake.

we see a light in a man's eyes, then discount his words because of his beggar's clothes. again, and again, until we look at the clothes first, and forget lights in eyes (and all they mean) even exist.

we are caught in circles, asleep in circuits, and too rarely find true doors out. i cherish those doors, i am hungry for them, because they bring me back here. here, where everything i need is with me, here, where i could move a mountain, if i must - and without violence or force, using only simple, honest conversation.

there is a network that connects every living thing (and so much more of this place is living than we often perceive). aliveness occurs in states.

do we laugh at the thought of certain low-accelerated pieces of our world such as rocks being 'alive'? it is likely there are other states of accelerated life, vibrating at much higher frequencies that might laugh similarly at our own claim,,,

the world is so much bigger than the lines we have drawn to contain it. the truth is that it cannot be contained, and in certain moments - extraordinarily beautiful ones - someone opens a door in the house that holds it, and it flows out, our concepts stretching until they find a new shoreline , and rest- until the cycle repeats itself. again, and again.

this is the role of the artist - to find the places within where a door would go nicely, to build it, to open it, and to give themselves to the flow that rushes through, wherever it leads them.

the conscious mind is single grain of sand lying among the dunes of one of a thousand deserts of an entire earth. it's 'world' consists of the small area around its physical location to which its senses are attuned.

if you search only inside the confines of that vision of the world, you will never find the piece of you that is missing - the one you have been searching for since before you can remember. why? because it cannot possibly fit.

that piece is life, and though it can be expressed through these patterns, shapes and ideas we mistake it for, it is not those things. no,,, it is that which moves through them.

to find the life within you is to give yourself to the flow, to release your conscious strainings to control and direct, trading them instead for the ability to listen, to carry on conversation - the most important conversation you will ever have.

ideas of superiority to life and its many expressions, even subconscious ones, detract from the experience of aliveness and your own connection to your truest strength, because such ideas create separations, disruptions in the flow. feeling morally superior, or being in positions of judgment or condemnation are all versions of this kind of distraction. they are like thick glass over your eyes, mirrors, that bend and distort your interpretation of what you see into signals that are easily misread.

if you would come close to the life in you, you must practice letting go of all that is between you and that life. walk lightly, releasing the heavy burden it is to fight the flow of that life, rejoining your energies enthusiastically, effortlessly, aligned with that surge. this is the truest form of strength, and the source of the deepest kind of fulfillment.

the greatest miracles don't appear in skies, on statues, or even on hospital beds. they aren't measurable by scientific means, recordable or documentable,,, they happen in the invisible world within.

if you are quiet enough,,, you may be able to hear one beginning to happen, right now,,,

in you.

in love,

jesh *