the journal of jesh de rox

introducing... the Premiere Event Pass

2011-11-29T13:30:00.004-07:00

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?

2011-07-13T01:14:00.008-06:00

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,,,

2011-03-26T14:45:00.005-06:00

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)

2010-09-26T15:01:00.009-06:00

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)

2010-09-08T15:51:00.005-06:00

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)

2010-08-30T11:41:00.004-06:00

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)

2010-07-05T10:15:00.004-06:00

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)

2010-06-29T11:19:00.005-06:00

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)

2010-06-28T11:45:00.007-06:00

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)

2010-05-02T09:17:00.003-06:00

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)

2010-02-26T11:47:00.004-07:00

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)

2010-02-17T14:15:00.003-07:00

"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)

2010-01-03T23:14:00.006-07:00

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)

2010-01-02T11:44:00.003-07:00

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)

2009-12-21T23:31:00.019-07:00

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 *

2010 WORLD TOUR!!! (workshops)

2009-12-17T18:57:00.004-07:00

good evening, amazing friends : ) : ) : )

i'm supremely excited to tell you that in 2010 i'll embark on my first official worldwide tour with life {as an artform}.

i'll be in over 20 cities on 4 continents!!! i'll be offering full life {as an artform} workshops in the following confirmed locations:

SINGAPORE February 2-4th, 2010

SEATTLE April 13-15th, 2010

MANCHESTER May 4-6th, 2010

HAMBURG May 11-13th, 2010

CHICAGO June 15-17th, 2010

ATLANTA July 13-15th, 2010

AUSTIN September 14-16th, 2010

TORONTO October 5-7th, 2010

MELBOURNE November 23-25th, 2010

PERTH November 30 - December 2nd, 2010

NEWCASTLE December 7-9th, 2010

each location will have an Enlighten Post-Processing seminar which will be held the evening before the workshop starts. registration for the Enlighten seminar is $195 regularly and complimentary for participants of the workshop : )

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 !!!

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 meet you.

many blessings, friends ; )

jesh *

p.s. remember that those who have purchased the Fine Art Textures are welcome to use the included $100 credit ; )

p.p.s. in the interest of making the workshops as accessible as possible, i've introduced an investment plan for greater payment flexibility. if you'd like more information, please email us : )

the Beloved sessions,,, (announcement)

2009-11-13T14:07:00.011-07:00

hello friends : )

above are a few images from a Beloved Session i was blessed to share with the beautiful Kathy & Jake when i was in portland, earlier this year.

the way Kathy & Jake have made a home of themselves for each other is truly inspirational, and i am a richer person for having been witness to the way they love each other.

it is my belief that if couples were given regular opportunities to rediscover and experience the gift they are to each other, it would be an extraordinary blessing to their relationship and to their relationships with those around them.

the sessions themselves have been described as 'exhilarating' and 'incomparable'.

i just received this note from a couple: "...I couldn't have thought of a better gift than what you gave us last night... The space that you created for us was one of the safest, most beautiful places on this earth..."

i am currently in the process of making a book of the same name - BELOVED - which i hope to release next year at my speech at WPPI as a part of my hope to inspire a new genre of photography, focused on the celebration of relationship.

i am looking for about 10 more couples to work with before i have enough for my book. since i travel so much, i may be coming to a city near you soon, in which case there would be no travel fee charged.

my current Beloved rates can be found here, but for the next 10 couples who book a session i have a crazygood special offer. please email us for more information : )

cities i'll be visiting in the next few months: Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, Philadelphia, Nashville, Singapore, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, London.

can't wait to work with you!!!

many blessings,

jesh *

p.s. images from this session were post-processed with ColorShift ; )

a better view,,, (life)

2009-11-11T18:03:00.005-07:00

the wind moves,,, a vast, invisible river around you, in quiet conversation with everything it touches.

you look up and out from the mountain ridge you stand on, muscles tired from the long climb. you pause, in a rare moment of stillness, breathing in the view of the valley spreading out before you.

this is a vital crossroads in your journey. somehow, you know everything could change, today.

you crouch down to the ground beneath you, fingers sinking into a soil that has never known your touch. you lift your hand, palm open and filled with fresh, dark earth.

dirt, you could call it, and you'd be right. but more and more lately, being 'right' hasn't been enough for you. you've been through a lot, pushed yourself and sacrificed for successes that never quite live up to their promise - trading precious years of your life for sparklers that entertain, then quickly fade.

your eyes move across the valley,,, in your heart, you believe there must be somewhere you can go to find what you're looking for. that's why you made the climb here, today.

but there are so very many different directions you could choose. how does a person know which direction to pick from among so many? and what if you choose the wrong one? how far will you have to travel to get there, and what challenges might you face? what if, in the end, it's all for nothing?

you close your eyes, releasing your hold on the building weight of frustration before it threatens to overwhelm you. as quiet returns to the mind, you are surprised to hear a still, small voice,,,

nothing is only one thing. everything changes depending upon how you see it.

an excited intake of breath, as powerful realization blooms in your mind:

*

the choices we see as available to us are defined by our vision - what we see, and the way we see it. and how many different ways are there to view any given circumstance? potentially, of course, there an infinite number.

what we choose to see, our focus, literally becomes the raw building blocks we use to construct the menu of choices we see as potentials in any given situation. as we look at something a different way, different ways of interacting with it open up to us - a changeable, fluid vision directly translates to a richer variety of choice, and therefore, possibility.

in other words,,, because our lives are shaped by the choices we make, and our choices are shaped by our vision, our lives become defined by the boundaries of what we see as possible.

the richest gift of life, then, isn't in choosing from the paths that lay before you. it's in your ability to make your own paths.

*

your eyes return to your hand, and you look, again.

yes, you could call this dirt, but as soon as you do, your interest fades, its usefulness clearly diminished. what good is 'dirt'? but what if you could look at this 'dirt' and see something else?

what if instead, you saw a garden bed for the most delicious of fruit? or the birthplace of a tree that will someday grow to father the most majestic forest ever seen? or a piece of a sculpture of such beauty it will move those who see it to tears? or the source of a valuable mineral never before discovered? or the foundation stone for a family's home or a school that will become a haven for the sharing of wisdom for generations to come?

it reminds you of a story you once heard about a man who, while walking in a desert one day, was all of a sudden told he was standing on 'holy ground'. how many times have you been walking on holy ground, and not even known it?

the greatest, the most beautiful, the precious,,, each of these exist potentially within every single circumstance, every single piece of this vast universe - waiting only for your vision to unlock them, for your gift of expression to draw them out, to tell their story,,, to tell your own.

you came up to the mountain for a better view of the world below, and you laugh as you realize you found one,,, but the mountain had nothing to do with it.

the better view? it's always existed here, inside of you.

singapore & seattle: open!!! (workshops)

2009-11-06T00:36:00.005-07:00

good morning, beautiful friends : ) i'm proud to say both Singapore & Seattle are officially open for registration!

life {as an artform} SINGAPORE will be held on February 2-4th, 2010, with an Enlighten Post-Processing seminar to be held the evening of the 1st. the Enlighten seminar is free for participants of the workshop : )

life {as an artform} SEATTLE will be held on April 13-15th, 2010, with an Enlighten Post-Processing seminar to be held the afternoon of the 12th. the Enlighten seminar is free for participants of the workshop : )

You can sign up for the workshops HERE : )

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 meet you.

many blessings, friends ; )

jesh *

p.s. remember that those who have purchased the Fine Art Textures are welcome to use the included $100 credit ; )

p.p.s. in the interest of making the workshops as accessible as possible, i've introduced an investment plan for greater payment flexibility. if you'd like more information, please email us : )

p.p.s. look for an announcement of a europe date very soon ; )

amy & liz (beloved)

2009-10-31T15:08:00.003-06:00

good afternoon, lovely friends ; )

i was blessed to do a session with my longtime friend Amy and her close friend Liz earlier this year while i was in Portland.

those who are most dear to us are so very worth celebrating, and i love being able to be a conduit for this to happen.

thank the both of you for sharing with us all.

many blessings and much love,,,

jesh *

p.s. like them colors? then you might be keen on the new ColorShift,,, possibly debuting sometime next year ; )

twenty nine,,, (life)

2009-10-26T16:01:00.002-06:00

this morning, at about 10:03 eastern time, i turned 29.

twenty-nine years,,, they've gone by so fast, truthfully, and only seem to be speeding up.

my beautiful mother told me i didn't cry when i was born, that i filled my lungs with air for the first time with wide, open eyes.

today, 29 years later, my eyes are wide and open, still, and i want to tell you why.

the richness of life, the juice of it, is underneath its skin. a skin that, as you grow, you discover is often hard and inedible, even thorny.

i have seen people i have loved and grown up with, in response to those thorns, close, burying the soft richness of themselves beneath thick layers of veneer.

our fears and pains at times overwhelm us and we shut our eyes tight, cling desperately to the idea that what we cannot see does not affect us,,,

but it does, my friends, it does.

our vision is vital to who we are, defining our entire experience of life. closing ourselves off from that gift paralyzes the heart.

who do we fall in love with? who would we give everything to? to the ones who give us the simple and rare gift of being seen. our vision is inextricably tied with the heart, with our remarkable ability to both give and receive love.

life is a mix of the most beautiful and the most heartbreaking things you can imagine. yes, closing your eyes will keep you from having to witness the most heartbreaking, but it will keep you from breathing in the most beautiful, too.

it is too high a cost.

the people around us deserve to be seen; their precious, one-of-a-kind faces, their expressions, the gift of their presence, the parts they play, the music they make with the rhythms of their life that no one else could ever replace,,, no one.

and the seeing of them is a privilege we cannot afford to take lightly. think of the ones you love the most,,, what would you trade for all they have taught you, all they have given? what greater gift can be given than the sharing of a life?

my eyes are open, beautiful friends, not because i am stronger or wiser than anyone else, not because my life is absent of challenge and heartbreak.

my eyes are open simply because i choose for them to not stay closed. to open them again, even when i fail, even when it hurts to, even when it's easier to seek that familiar lonely darkness.

i have seen the incalculable beauty that flows out of a human-being in waves, when they give the true gift of themselves,,, the way such courage sings to everything around them, in a language older than fear,,, the way walls become doors, just to feel that song move through them.

i have seen it, and i cannot forget it.

there is no way to measure what can come from truly seeing, truly loving just one person well. even when we fail, even when it hurts, even when it's easier to go running back to that familiar lonely darkness.

i believe the love in us is greater than its lack. i'm betting this life on it.

see you soon, beautiful friends,,,

jesh *

a new face,,, (colorshift)

2009-09-03T19:54:00.007-06:00

thank you so much to everyone who offered your thoughts and opinions on the ColorShift re-brand last week : )

i considered everything that was shared and came back with a balance that feels good to me.

the ads have been reformatted as well, and we're planning our first official campaign launch tomorrow, taking ColorShift to the wide world of photographers and designers out there. wish me luck!

many blessings to each of you,,,

jesh *

p.s. you can here if you want to see it less compressed ; )

jonathan & ashley (beloved)

2009-09-01T17:03:00.005-06:00

i was blessed to spend a late summer evening with jonathan, ashley and everything between them. i'm proud to share with you a few moments from the time we spent,,,

my work with the Beloved project continues to move and inspire me. i can't help but know we're on to something with a lot of potential, and i'm going to do my best to make it accessible to as many people as possible.

thank you for visiting here, and for sharing,,,

so many blessings, my friends.

jesh *

p.s. images from this session were post-processed with ColorShift

damien & sarah,,, (beloved)

2009-08-20T11:15:00.005-06:00

good morning, lovely friends,,, i hope you find today well.

while in Portland for a workshop earlier this year, i was blessed to do a portrait session with a gifted artist named Damien Jurado.

i'd been listening to Damien's beautiful new record Caught in the Trees non-stop since my friend Amy had recommended it to me earlier that winter.

unbeknownst to me, Damien just happened to be performing a concert in a venue in the same hotel i was staying at on the last night of the workshop. as i was telling my workshop attendees about how crazy cool that was, Jenny Jiminez told me she was actually good friends with the Jurado's and would be glad to introduce me!!!

several of us went to watch Damien perform and the next day we spent a great morning talking and creating a portrait session. Damien's lovely wife Sarah joined us, and of course, i couldn't keep myself from fitting in a mini Beloved Session ; )

the connection between these two is a thick and tangibly gorgeous thing, and all of us in the room felt the power of it as it came out.

i have a whole shoot just with Damien that i'll share at a later time, but for right now, i wanted to share a few images from the Beloved Session.

as has been my practice for some time, i am holding back my favorite image from the session, to be unveiled next year when the BELOVED site launches,,, it was especially hard this time though, because this particular image hit me square in the heart as soon as i saw it, immediately calling tears.

yes, i know that's a tease, but at least mentioning the image is the nearest compromise i could make for not sharing it right now, lol.

as some of you know, i have big plans for the Beloved Sessions,,, i believe in my heart they could touch a lot of people, and it is my intention to bring the concept to the popular culture in north america, and hopefully one day, the world. this particular session sparked some ideas in me that might just help me do that.

i am so grateful for the opportunity to be inundated again and again by love in so many of its forms.

much love to you all,,,

jesh *

p.s. images from this session were post-processed with ColorShift

where should i go? (workshops)

2009-08-19T12:25:00.009-06:00

*
good morning, beautiful friends,,, i'm finalizing plans for my fall workshop tour : )

Santa Barbara, Perth & Canberra are all close to capacity and i would love to do one more workshop here in north america before the year ends. the date would likely be Oct 13-15, 2009.

please let me know where you'd like me to come!!! it is a big decision for me so your serious votes are most appreciated : )

What north american city should host the last 2009 life (as an artform) workshop?(poll)

thank you, amazing friends : ) : ) : )

lots of love,,,

jesh *

australia 2009 released : ) : ) : ) (workshops)

2009-08-16T17:05:00.004-06:00

good morning, dear friends from down under,,,

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN !!!

sign up HERE to reserve your space!!!

my trip to australia last year was one of the most beautiful journeys of my life. i am so glad to say that i'll be returning this November to give two more experiential workshops.

life (as an artform) PERTH and CANBERRA will be opening for registration at 9:00 am EST, Monday, August 17, 2009.

the Perth workshop will be held from November 24-26, with a special Enlighten post processing seminar to be given on the night of November 23 : )

the Canberra workshop will be held from December 1-3, 2009, with a special Enlighten post processing seminar to be given on the night of November 30 : )

***

a few comments from recent attendees:

Never in my life has three days been so life changing. I walked away from that experience a new person… A person who loved life in a whole new way.

As a photographer…. I found a new way to connect with people. I find an entirely new joy in photography. As a result…. Our business has blossomed. I can now look at our work and see a distinct difference between pre-Jesh and post-Jesh… And never, in any of the workshops I’ve been to have I ever made such a huge leap in growth as an artist.

To be honest, I can’t wait to go to another Jesh workshop. Jesh has such a way of opening up a spot in your heart… And you never ever want that feeling to go away.

~ Bobbi Sheridan

I’ve learned so much from the workshop, not just about work, but life in general. Over the last few months, life has been happier, people around me were happier... I started to notice things. Little things. Like how my dad always laugh when he sees me at the door. How my mum smiles when she talks about my nephew. Simple things that I used to see everyday, but never appreciated. I can’t find words to describe the kind of feeling, but I can say, I’ve never felt better. It’s been an incredible journey so far.

~ Wansheng

Every once in a while, you come across someone in your life that can change who you are. They touch your heart, your soul and they make you a better person. Jesh is one of those people.

~ Heather Cole

much love,,,

jesh ; )

p.s. remember that those who have purchased the Fine Art Textures are welcome to use the included $100 credit ; )

p.p.s. in the interest of making the workshops as accessible as possible, i've introduced an investment plan for greater payment flexibility. if you'd like more information, please email support@jeshderox.com : )

ColorShift Intro Tutorial (release)

2009-08-10T14:25:00.006-06:00

good afternoon, beautiful friends : )

i am proud to announce that the ColorShift Intro Tutorial is now up and available for your viewing pleasure.

the video is about 12 minutes long, and gives you a walkthrough of how ColorShift is designed and organized, and why it's organized that way.

i also talk about the functions of the three different sets within ColorShift and demonstrate its three levels of use: Sight-Seeing, Adventuring & Exploring.

i believe this will give you a better insight into how to use the set to increase the joy and exploration you find in your own post-processing work : )

in celebration of the release, i'm opening up a new promo code, which is the word: INTRO. the first 25 people to take advantage of the code will save 10% : )

many blessings, and much love,

jesh ; )

p.s. i am considering producing a full-length, in-depth post-processing tutorial which would walk you through my process on several images from start to finish. if you would be interested in investing in such a tutorial if it were made, please comment and let me know. the more interest i have, the more of a priority it would be.

reinvention,,, (announcement)

2009-08-03T16:56:00.008-06:00

hello, dear friends,,,

the upcoming life (as an artform) workshop tour this fall is going to be unlike anything you have ever experienced.

i've carefully selected from the best material and most-loved experiments from the past highly-successful workshops, and grafted in findings from the last year of my studies delving deeply into the nature of the artistic gift.

every inch of the three days will be filled to the brim with a three-fold purpose:

a) exploring what lies between you and your innate ability to be set on fire, bringing that heat to all you do.
a) honing in on your artistic gift and raising it to a level you didn't know was possible.
c) having some of the best three days of your life experiencing this.

a tall order, i know. one i have devoted myself to delivering.

we're kicking the tour off September 29 in SANTA BARBARA. as of right now we have room for 5 more participants. this is going to be a one-of-a-kind experience, and if you feel a pull to be there, trust me, you won't want to miss this. this will be my only west-coast appearance for the rest of the year.

*

helping me to deliver this experience, for the first time, one of my most beloved artistic mentors will be joining me as a guest presenter.

Dr. Jerry O. Lee is a master of Gen-Tou, a lost visionary healing art-form, which taps in to each person's own electromagnetic energy. Gen-Tou is a neuron composing art, triggering and accelerating unborn mental tempos in the form of innate talents, latent memories and genetic code, building a super-highway for artistic generation.

Dr. Lee has worked to heighten and develop the links between spirit and mind with artists such as myself on a private basis for many years. this collaboration will be the first time he has made his services available to the public.

i am so honored to have him join us in SANTA BARBARA, and so very excited for such an auspicious beginning to the tour : ) : ) : )

*

for more information on our pricing plans, and special accommodation offer, please email us. otherwise, reserve your spot immediately, here : )

much love, beautiful friends. can't wait to see you soon!!!

jesh *

p.s. will be finalizing dates and locations for the rest of tour very soon : ) : ) : )

kelsy & tim,,, (beloved)

2009-07-20T10:34:00.006-06:00

good morning friends,,,

i am proud to present a BELOVED session with the amazing Kelsy & Tim!!!

wow,,, it was such a lovely canadian spring evening we spent together, and i am grateful to be a witness to such a beautiful relationship : )

many blessings and so much love,

jesh *

p.s. images from this session were post-processed with ColorShift

from one traveller to another,,, (life)

2009-07-10T11:15:00.027-06:00

you are where you are.

let's start with that. it's true, after all, and denying it, fighting against it, pretending otherwise amounts to nothing more than a waste of these precious few moments of life we're gifted with.

you are where you are.

and it is a lovely place to begin. even if it's painful, even if it's not where you saw yourself 10 years ago, or 10 months, or 10 days. it's lovely because it's what you have, and what you have is so much more than so many others are gifted with,,, more than you often give yourself credit for.

imagine yourself on a map. are you limited as to which direction you can go? certainly there are circumstances of terrain that may provide greater ease or challenge, but the vital truth is and will always remain that any direction is available to you.

even if it's a direction you've never gone before, even if it contains unknowable obstacles,,, the power of choice rests or rises with you.

you are where you are.

and you, as the traveler, now have the privilege of deciding where to go from here. just as, where you have been in no way dictates where you must go, it is equally true that your past cannot decide your future.

yes, it can be scary to leave the paths you have worn, over so many years of dusty repetition, but when the roads you know don't take you to where you know, in your heart, you must be,,, it is time to quit lamenting the fact and blaze off bravely in the direction of the undiscovered.

what a miracle that you have feet! what a miracle that they will take you in absolutely any direction that you tell them to go! you are blessed with a vehicle far more marvelous and sophisticated than anything the human mind has yet to or ever will conceive.

it is one thing to sit upon the sidelines of life and bemoan your fate, and it is another entirely to shake yourself free of mentally-cobwebbed ideas and start moving.

move!!!

move until your amble becomes a walk, until your walk becomes a jog, until your jog becomes a run, until your feet find their gravity-escaping rhythm and you take flight.

are you facing a fire? it is when you are stuck - motionless - that flames burn the worst,,, remember when, as a child, you moved your finger through the candle flame fast enough, it had no power to touch you.

remember the joy of that, the triumph in it, my friends, and move.

move until the air before you becomes a cool wind on your face, until the scenery rushes past in a celebration of your speed.

move until you find yourself in the clearing you are looking for. i promise you, it exists on the other side of whatever lies between you and that place of rest.

when caught in the frustrating mazes of life, we are often closer to freedom than we realize. a view from above adds the clear perspective we are blind to when we think only on ground levels.

when you cannot go left, and you are blocked from going right,,, when the way in front of you is too tangled, and you know you must leave what is behind,,,

go up, my friends, go up.

you will find there the far-view,,, drink in the picturesque scenery of hope that every weary traveller at some point needs.

you are where you are.

perhaps because you are learning things now that are seeds for blessings in days to come, for plantings you have not yet imagined.

you are where you are.

perhaps because you are accumulating experience that will someday be the common ground on which you meet the love of your life, your greatest friend, or your self.

you are where you are.

because the sometimes difficult, but ground-shaking truth is,,,
you are choosing to be.

we can't always control where the winds of this life blow us, how far they might veer us from the flight-paths we'd projected,,,

but until the moment our last spark of life passes from this vehicle of our body and moves into the next,,, it remains our choice to rise up from wherever we are, no matter the obstacles, no matter the challenges, no matter the odds, and to move, one precious step at a time,,,

footprint by footprint, handhold by handhold, until at last we find our home.

i love you so much, my beautiful friends, i pray every day that the wings you've been keeping secret will one day be loosed.

until that day,,,

jesh *

ColorShift,,, (expose)

2009-06-14T17:58:00.007-06:00

hello wonderful friends,,,

i've been working on projects on several fronts and am excited about where each of them are in their various stages of growth. i'm so excited to share them with you over the coming months,,,

up first: Enlighten: Experiential-Post Processing

as you may know, the finishing of my images (also called post-processing) is a part of my work i've always been fascinated with. i have found it to be an incredible avenue for exploring the people i work with, myself and what i see - specifically because so much of what i am interested in portraying in my work is invisible to the naked eye.

my philosophy and approach toward this kind of exploration i call experiential post-processing. very shortly, i'll be releasing a tutorial for ColorShift, my experiential actions for Adobe Photoshop, which along with detailing the power and versatility of the actions, will go more into depth about what experiential post-processing means to me.

as beneficial as it can be, exploring is not a time efficient thing, and is rarely an investment that pays an immediate return. with the demands of my business and life, i had to find ways to maximize my investment of time by increasing the rate of discovery while decreasing actual hours spent searching.

through countless hours and sleepless nights i developed several tools that greatly improved my efficiency, enabling me to skip much of the menial, technical aspects of post-processing, and focus more of my time on doing what i really loved: creating work that felt true to me and touched the people i made it for.

these discoveries enabled me to reduce the amount of time i spent on the computer by 70%, and greatly enabled me to give a superior product to my clients. no small victories, lol!!!

though originally created just for myself, i have recently begun to share these tools with others. why? two reasons:

a) i believe one of the greatest gifts we as humans have is the ability to share our experiences and knowledge with each other, being able to absorb and continue from a point it took someone else a lifetime's worth of journey to achieve.

Isaac Newton said "If I have seen farther than others, it is because i have stood upon the shoulders of giants."

this well describes my feelings on the matter. i have learned much this way and love being able to continue the cycle.

b) i am taking a sabbatical from shooting weddings to focus on building my Beloved project. my dream is to inspire a new genre of portrait photography that focuses specifically on celebrating and expressing the genuine relationships between people in love, for couples of all ages, types and varieties.

i have a plan for how i am approaching this, and will share more with you over the coming months. if all goes to plan, i'll officially showcase the project at the next WPPI convention, spring next year.

the Beloved project, which delves into a lot of uncharted territory and implements ground-breaking research in several fields, represents a significant time investment on my part.

to help fund that transition, i created Enlighten, which is the umbrella encompassing the post-processing tools i already have released, ColorShift and the Fine Art Textures, as well as the ones currently in production (at least two more planned for release by end of year!!!)

i have been overwhelmed with the response and positive feedback for my Enlighten releases and so very much appreciate all the amazing word-of-mouth referrals i've been receiving!!! love you guys, you know who you are ; )

i sincerely thank each and every one of you who has invested in me and my work. i promise i will do all i can to repay you manifold with the sharing of new discoveries and freshly-blazed trails to explore,,,

* * *

as a prelude to the ColorShift tutorial, i wanted to post a few images from a portrait session with a model, shot while i was teaching with my amazing friend Jose Villa in Guadalajara.

all of the following images were post-processed with my ColorShift actions.

i limited myself to a SightSeeing level of use, which means the color affects were achieved using one-click only from my actions. the actions were designed to go two levels of interaction deeper when required or desired, but i wanted to show that great color affects can be as easy as one-click : ) find out more on the tutorial!

this image was post-processed using BlueBerry Night from theDream set. i feel that the the soft pink and blue shift throughout the image looks lovely with her skin, and matches her innocent expression.

this image was post-processed using Color of Summer from theDream set. this action is a tribute to what summer means to me: warmth, playfulness, adventure, friends and the joy of love. it's yellow/orange warm wash i find very conducive to images of people and bright scenes.

this image was post-processed using a special sharpening action i have called Edge of a Leaf from theReal set which highlights and accentuates tiny details such as strands of hair and the earrings.

this image was post-processed using Light From a Star from theDream set. this is one of my most used actions. i love how it gives images a light, and clean feel.

this image was also post-processed using Blueberry Night from theDream set. i usually find that, because of their different color combinations, different shoots will tend to gravitate towards a heavy use of certain actions, though in another shoot, it will be others that are dominate.

this image was post-processed using Evening Obscura from theDream set. easily my favorite and most-used black&white action of all time.

i'm kind of a color super-fan for the most part, but i designed this action in honor of my longtime attraction to old wetplate photographs, low contrast with a very shallow, sometimes non-existent high end of the range.

i love how this action will simplify an image, blending in a lot of information on the high and mid-high ranges. it can be very flattering for locations that aren't ideal, or really strengthen ones that are.

this image was also post-processed using Blueberry Night from theDream set.

theDream set of actions are all predesigned to be color-related and harmonized. i wasn't going for how-many-drastic-differences-in-effect can i stick into one collection. remember, i designed these for myself. i wanted to deliver completed Collections to my clients that felt like Collections, not a patchwork of different directions.

the actions are designed to work best when subtly accenting an images strengths, not distracting from an image's core communication. more on that in the tutorial!

this image was post-processed using Warm 70's Love from theDream set. this action draws from the faded yellows, browns and oranges that were staples of 70's design. that retro look feels human to me, and compliments the warm gamut of human interaction.

Blueberry Night from theDream set was used on this image as well. i love the soft blue tint it gives to the shadows.

mmm. lovely creamy skin tones courtesy of Light From a Star from theDream action set : )

this image was post-processed using Weathered Rock from theDream set. this is a purplish duotone image that adds an incredible ethereal quality to the right kinds of images. also a good action for simplifying busy images.

so much more to come, amazing friends!!!

ColorShift has its own Twitter account now, so please follow @ColorShift to get hooked up with supafine tips, tricks and advance notices of product releases, as well as the chance to be a beta-tester!!!

lots of love,

jesh ; )

p.s. in honor of you reading through this long freaking post, i'm giving away 25 promo codes. the first 25 people to use the code sunday will receive 10% off their ColorShift and/or Fine Art Textures purchase : )

samm & michael,,, (beloved)

2009-05-22T14:22:00.007-06:00

dear friends,,,

i am honored to present this BELOVED session featuring the beautiful Samm & Michael.

on the shores of the indian ocean, on the western coast of australia, i spent two precious hours of my life with this lovely pair and came away humbled, blessed and changed by the incomparable movement of love between two of its representatives.

Samm & Michael, i hope you are blessed in all that you say and do, and that there would be space for your relationship to flourish and grow throughout your lives together.

much love,

jesh *

p.s. images from this session were post-processed with ColorShift

if someone has been a friend to you,,, (life)

2009-04-13T11:59:00.004-06:00

a good one, a real one,
someone who has given you something that no one else ever exactly has,,,

then be slow to give up on them, find it in your heart to see them with patience.

if they are quiet, seem to be acting differently than you've come to expect or maybe not giving at the level you are used to, perhaps they are in hibernation, playing dead in an attempt to survive a pain or a difficulty stronger than they know how to handle gracefully.

be slow to believe the worst; assumption is a ruinous and untrustworthy advisor.

the surface of something is most always the smallest percentage of it. look at how much of what is vital about you exists beneath your skin.

things are rarely as they appear, and when you judge something before its time, you separate yourself from much worth experiencing - like biting into and spitting out a sour apple, weeks before it is ripe.

the butcher's knife of condemnation is good for little but making bloody messes.

sometimes people need room to grow. what benefit is it to you to hold other people to your measurements? perhaps they travel in a different direction than you have been, are dealing with a terrain that has different challenges than your own, and at a different speed. there is no way for you to know for sure.

even if an assumption is popular, it doesn't make it true. a thousand people staring at the surface will see no deeper than one, and lend no more credence. watch for the tendency for your fears to give such shallow perception non-existent weight.

in this world of flux and flex, an open heart and a ready shoulder are often the best gift you can give to a friend who's going through a rough time. and, those being offered, a peaceful space - so they can find their way through their mazes at their own pace.

good friends are worth the wait.

remember we often receive in relation to what we have given; you never know when it may be your turn to face the lonely mountain passes. believe me, they are more easily overcome with the help of good friends.

love to each and every one of you,,,

jesh *

mike & kathlene (beloved)

2009-04-05T14:11:00.005-06:00

a few images of the beautiful Mike & Kathlene from my brief time with them in Philadelphia.

much love,

jesh ; )

p.s. images from this session were processed using ColorShift

finding,,, (announcement)

2009-03-11T12:47:00.004-06:00

hello friends,,,

i'll be giving a one day experiential program for the PPOC this saturday, march 14, 2009 at the NAIT main Campus in the Shaw Theatre from 9:00 - 4:30.

the seminar is entitled finding.

for details, please email Kelsy Nielson.

i look forward to meeting many of my local friends and fellow photographers!

lots of love,

jesh ; )

p.s. very soon,,, look for Enlighten contest winners announcement!!!

andrea & ryan (beloved)

2009-02-28T10:50:00.008-07:00

wonderful friends,

it never ceases to amaze me,,, the unique and diverse depth i find in the connections between the lovely people i work with.

pause for a moment, if you will, and think of the 5 people you love most in the world,,,

you'd probably say you 'love' each of them, right? but each differently, yes?

and the gift they are to you, that's different too. as in, they each give you something no one else in the world could give you in just exactly that way.

i believe that who we are, that preciousness at the core of us, and the way we share it is has its own signature, as rare and perfect as a fingerprint.

my work with Beloved is very much about exploring that invisible signature, and expressing it in a way it will be seen again and again for the supreme preciousness it is.

my work is not about making people look beautiful. they were born far more beautiful than anything i could ever make.

all i do is create an honest space for them to share that beauty, a clear stage, for the symphony of who they are to play.

it is not my song, it is their own. i'm just a conductor. a conductor, and a stunned audience of one, time and time again, brought to a very real awe at the miracle that life is, and this ability we have to give it.

i had the opportunity to do a brief session with Andrea & Ryan when i was last in my home state of indiana. the energy released during the session had a tangible affect on the three of us, surely, and, i wouldn't doubt, anyone nearby, whether or not they were even aware of it.

the mind has a tendency to ignore what it cannot see. there are entire worlds we have missed because of this, my friends.

i go to find them.

jesh *

( images from this session were processed using ColorShift )

derek & vanessa (beloved)

2009-02-09T20:26:00.005-07:00

hello amazing friends,,,

i'm proud to share a few images from a Beloved session i did earlier in the year.

as many of you know, the Beloved project is the new center of my photographic work, and i look forward to sharing much more with you in the coming months.

i'll actually be discussing the project in the Master Class i'll be teaching at WPPI in las vegas next week, and showcasing for the first time work from my explorations this year to the attendees.

Derek & Vanessa, you two are so beautiful together. i will never forget the free hearts you entrusted me with, they have touched me deeply.

many blessings and much love,

jesh *

( all images were post processed using ColorShift )

Kansas City, Portland & Vegas !!! (workshops)

2009-01-17T21:03:00.004-07:00

hello friends : )

i'm glad to officially announce the first two life (as an artform) workshops of '09 !!!

KANSAS CITY on April 14, 15 & 16, 2009

PORTLAND, OR on May 5, 6 & 7, 2009

additionally, in celebration of the launch of Enlighten, i'll be offering a 2 hour post-processing seminar in Las Vegas on February 16th.

to reserve your place, please register here : )

i am *so* looking forward to exploring these new cities and meeting such amazing new friends,,,

much love,,,

jesh ; )

p.s. there is still room for about 45 more people to be entered into the ColorShift RELEASE event contest,,, just sayin' ; )

enlighten - L A U N C H E D !!! (announcement)

2009-01-10T13:34:00.002-07:00

okay, amazing friends,,,

i am glad to at last officially launch Enlighten!!!

the new ColorShift actions as well as the Fine Art Textures are available for immediate purchase and download : )

as i mentioned, the first 145 people to purchase ColorShift will be entered to win $5000 worth of prizes,,,

including the grand prize of a Beloved session worth $3000, workshop credits worth $500 and of course the chance to win credit for your Colorshift or Fine Art Texture purchase.

also, for the first time, i'll be keeping a list of my upcoming workshops and speaking engagements there on the site. i've listed a few details about the ones in the next few months, but will be updating them completely within the next couple of weeks.

we're still ironing out some kinks in the new website, so i very much appreciate your patience with us : )

so much love,

jesh ; )

48 hours,,, (UPDATE)

2009-01-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

***UPDATE***

hello friends ; )

some last minute COLORSHIFT pre-launch testing revealed a few kinks in the order process on the new Enlighten site. we expect to launch within 24 hours, but i will keep you posted : )

thank you!

***

hello my amazing friends,,,

i thank you for your patience with my slow posts recently,,, i've been working on cooking up some lovely things for you, i assure you, that i believe will be well worth the wait ; )

first up,,,

JESH DE ROX / ENLIGHTEN is scheduled to go live in 48 hours from now!

Enlighten is where my Experiential Photography Tools will be available for purchase, as well as where you can sign up for my 2009 life (as an artform) workshops.

the launch will coincide with the official release of
ColorShift: Experiential Actions.

to celebrate, we're announcing an extra-lovely ColorShift Release Event,,,

once the site goes live,,, the first 145 people to purchase ColorShift will be entered to win $5000 worth of prizes,,,

o, and one more thing,,,

there may be a release promo code that i may release,,, i won't tell you what it is, but here is a hint: i have cleverly hidden it within this release post : ) in fact,,, i've mentioned it five times ; )

lots of love,,,

jesh ; )

8 belles,,, (announcement)

2008-12-26T11:31:00.002-07:00

it is with such pride that i write to you today. my beautiful singer/songwriter friend Amy Seeley has just released her new record, 8 Belles.

i have been blessed to work closely with Amy several times over the last three years in several collaborations.

her lovely song Gravel Lines that graces the opening of jeshderox.com flooded my inbox with emails as soon as the website launched,,, and they're still coming in a year and a half later.

Amy is one of the most gifted writers and performers i have ever witnessed. she has such a genuine gift for connecting with her audience, and an honest heart you can't help but be taken with. i've seen her play many times, and each time, she gives me chills.

i've never heard a song of Amy's that i didn't enjoy, but this latest record represents, in my opinion, her richest work to date.

if you love music that speaks straight to the heart, opens doors and dreams such lovely dreams,,, do yourself a favor and listen to 8 Belles.

Upward Spiral is a proud sponsor of Amy and her work. a portion of the proceeds from 8 Belles goes toward continuing that good work.

so much love, my friends,,,

jesh *

plantings,,, (life)

2008-11-22T17:08:00.001-07:00

if i am one you love,,,

then plant me in your heart.
share with me your warmth,
nurture me,
protect me from the elements,
provide me with the nutrients you have to offer,
and let me have room to grow.

this, being given, is all that you can do.

if this seed of love finds the strength to leave its shell,
and journey through the earth above it,
to become a tree,
one day bearing seeds of its own,
it must be by its own free will.

who but the seed can know what it will look like when it is grown?
and who but the seed can know the path it will take to get there?

you cannot will the seed to grow,
you cannot dictate how it should move, and when,
you cannot force,
all of these will only make such a journey more difficult,
and all of these are puppeteering, not love.

love is a giving.
always.

love exists between two individuals to the degree to which they can freely give.

if you have given all you have,
and the seed of love doesn't appear to be growing,
there are several factors that may be in play:

(one) all things here move in cycles and rhythms,
be patient as your heart will allow you to be.

(two) different seeds have different requirements for nurturing.
some will thrive and flourish in soil that for another would be a struggle.
this in no way diminishes the soil or the seed.
it is just a difficult, though not impossible, match.

(three) sometimes all the right nutrients are there,
the time has come and gone,
but it is not in the will of the seed to open, to make that journey.
this is its right, and must be respected.

believe me, dear hearts,,,
the soil of your heart is rich and deep,
and can support a wealth and variety of seeds of love.

if you feel lonely, do not despair.
you will find seeds with whom you can share the beautiful journey.
all that is required is you being brave enough to give all,

and to give it freely.

jesh *

sean & laura (eSession)

2008-11-17T21:01:00.004-07:00

two of the loveliest people (and the finest dog) i have ever had the privilege to work with.

much love, friends,,,

jesh ; )

stars,,, (stories)

2008-11-11T12:17:00.002-07:00

the stars,,,

are so many points of light in the sky.

some people who look at the sky connect the dots into shapes, in an attempt to make some kind of sense of them, to organize and define their world. they do this, mostly in hopes that it will give them some kind of control over it.

sometimes people agree on the shapes, and the imagined control is imaginarily solidified as the recognition of the shape becomes more commonly accepted.

people give the shapes names, and begin to associate certain ideas, feelings and stories with them. because of this, some of those shapes end up with great power, affecting the decisions people make, thereby altering lives and the course of the world.

what power the shapes have, is not their own. it is given by the people who believe in the shapes, for what people believe in, they give their power to.

some shapes become so powerful, people will trade everything for them, fight for them, hurt for them, live for them, die for them. they become more valued than the people who believe in them.

the stars don't know when people have assigned shapes to them. in fact, no matter what shapes someone sees when they look at the stars, the stars just continue being what they are. this is because when someone sees shapes when they see the stars, they're not looking at the stars, they're looking at their own mind, even if they don't realize this.

if the shapes existed outside of peoples' minds, everyone would look at the stars and see the same shape. the truth is, some people look at those same stars and see shapes no one else sees. some see no shapes at all, just never ending points of light.

when you look at the night sky, what do you see?

*

a lovely book,,, (check it out)

2008-11-09T09:22:00.004-07:00

hello wonderful people,,,

my dear friend Tamara Lackey, one of the most gifted and generous photographers i know, is celebrating the publishing of her first photography book: the Art of Children's Portrait Photography : )

besides being filled with her beautiful imagery, the book is a wonderful guide for those looking to improve their ability to capture the magic spontaneity and lifespark of children.

In addition to being an amazing photographer, Tamara is a skilled writer and educator, and has a gift for simplifying the sometimes complex pieces of this art form into easily digestible concepts.

Her natural charm and insightful vision make the book an enjoyable, entertaining read, and will be inspiring to photographers of all skill levels.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the endeavor,,, she is donating all author proceeds to the Worldwide Orphans Foundation and Save the Children : ) : ) : )

Whether you want to take better pictures of your own family, want to start a business, or take your work to the next level, this book is definitely something you want to check out.

so much love,

jesh ; )

tonight,,, (life)

2008-11-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

ah, my friends,,,

tonight, i look up into an overcast sky,,, and see a wind come,,, lifting away a cloudy thickness, revealing a darkness lit with a host of small and brilliant lights,,, lights that have always been there, waiting.

the suffering, both quiet and loud, of our neighbors, of ourselves, has reached a collective level which we can no longer afford to ignore.

we are on more of a precipice, i feel, than we have even recognized.

it is this very precipice however, that can become the door to the world that could be. a world woven with the unchained imagination of our love-led hearts.

tonight,,, my friends,,, tonight. i feel a shift.

tonight, america chooses for herself a blank slate. a chance to start over. a ground from which to build whatsoever she will.

what would i say to this night sky, these new/old stars i see through eyes rich with these tears?

that each voice, that your voice, is significant and vital.

that there is no place left for hate. we each play our part, even if it is not always recognized by others or even ourselves. the truth is, george bush may have contributed more than anyone else to the election of barack obama.

things are rarely what they seem. let us be slow to judgement, promising to keep open eyes and brave, compassionate hearts as we move forward, together, one step at a time.

let us have patience. no long journey is ever accomplished in a single step.

let us give ourselves room. room to fail, room to grow, room to learn from our mistakes, room to dare to believe in the wildest of our imaginations.

america,,, birthplace of poets, haven of dreamers.

america,,, it is your shining that has always been your beauty, your hope.

america,,, i have loved you from the day i was born.

*

there are many kinds of artists,,, (life)

2008-11-04T14:57:00.002-07:00

much love,

jesh *

p.s. just saying ; )

enlighten,,, (announcement)

2008-10-17T23:24:00.003-06:00

hello friends : )

after a year of preparation, i am at last on the verge of officially launching ENLIGHTEN, my photographer resource website.

we're going to be kicking it off at PhotoPlus in New York, October 23, 24 & 25 : ) come visit me and my friends at booth 1925!!! i'm right next to my buddies Jerry Ghionis & DQ.

my brand spanking new COLORSHIFT actions will be released and available for the first time at the trade show, in addition of course to my Fine Art Textures.

if you can't make it to the trade show, no worries : ) i'm aiming for a web release of COLORSHIFT the first week of November!

the actions have really been a labor of love, though i admit at times it felt a lot more like the former than the latter ; ) it is one thing to understand ones own inner workings, and quite another to put those inner workings into a format that others can understand, lol.

delving as deep as i have into my post processing and translating it has been a richly informative experience for which i am very grateful. it's also led to several more ideas which are now in pre-production : )

i look forward to sharing more soon, my awesome friends,,, thank you all for your love and support!

see you soon,,,

jesh ; )

p.s. we've still got some room if you want in on the experiential post processing seminar i'll be giving on Monday, October 27, from 7:00-9:00 ($95).

if you're interested, please send me an email at life (at) jeshderox.com with ''ENLIGHTEN: NY' as the subject.

lena & ted,,, (beloved)

2008-10-14T14:46:00.005-06:00

hello amazing people,,,

i've been blessed to do many exciting things in the photography field, but my favorite is the new BELOVED project i began earlier this year.

i have a website in the works which will serve as a showcase for this new direction, and provide more insight into the whys of the project.

in the meantime, i'm proud to share a few images from a truly lovely couple i was blessed to work with this June in Florida.

Lena Hyde is a woman gifted in many ways, and getting to know her & her beautiful-hunk-of-a-man Ted has been a pleasure in the truest sense.

lena's smile lights up her face, and watching it break like a sunrise when Ted looks at her is a thing of beauty no one should miss.

you both have enriched my life! thank you for sharing your unique connection and love.

blessings,,,

jesh *

things up my sleeves,,, (misc)

2008-10-12T00:32:00.006-06:00

hmmm,,, so much has been going on, hard to know where to start!

i suppose it is most important to start by saying thank you to my family and friends.

i deeply appreciate and love you more than i could ever tell. the best i can do is to live in such a way as their can be no doubt.

coming soon:

BELOVED goodness,
Wedding Collections,
exciting news about Amy Seeley,
ColorShift Actions,
Fine Art Textures II: Expansion,
2009 north american tour dates,
2009 european tour dates,
Jesh de Rox: ENLIGHTEN debuting at PhotoPlus NY,
a book (so excited!),
3 new websites,
the soundtrack of my life,
Upward Spiral,,,
and as ever: lots and lots of love.

so much travel makes keeping up an adventure all on its own. i look forward to the new journal, which will likely inspire me to share more often.

i've been loving Twitter lately, so in the meantime, you're welcome to check me out there : )

many blessings my amazing friends,,,

jesh : )

p.s. i have delayed posting images as much as possible to save them for the new journal (which has been cooking for some time). but it's been a longer cook than expected, and i think i just might have to start sharing some of the loveliness to ease the presha.

the image above is from the soon-to-be-featured BELOVED session of the incredible Lena Hyde : )

australia - UPDATE! (workshops)

2008-10-02T13:35:00.012-06:00

hello friends, i have exciting news!!!

i'll be bringing the love overseas to australia for the first time ever this november & december : )

i'm glad to be visiting two cities on the tour:

PERTH, december 2-4, 2008

SYDNEY, december 9-11, 2008

(please note, workshop rate quoted is in Australian funds : )

in fairness to over 150+ people on the waiting list, to give everyone an equal chance, we'll be opening registration for these three cities on Tuesday, October 7 at 9:00 a.m. Australian EST.

the workshops are limited to a maximum of 12 participants and are expected to fill up with lightning speed ; )

if you aren't on our waiting list yet, and would like the opportunity to register 15 minutes before official registration opens, please:

a) ensure you have read the details supplied in the links above, and

b) send me an email at life (at) jeshderox.com with 'SEE YOU IN SYDNEY, MELBOURNE or PERTH' (whichever is applicable) as the subject.

***

WORDS FROM PARTICIPANTS:

"Yes, you will walk away with new, amazing tools for shooting and processing your work.

Yes, you will walk away with the staggering realization of exactly how to draw out the raw, usually untapped emotion that your clients already possess (a talent that of course translates directly to you producing more powerful and satisfying work).

And, yes, you will recognize that just spending three very focused days with Jesh de Rox is a gift in and of itself. Truly.

But the thing about life (as an artform) is this: you get to see, feel and actually become the artform by simply committing to this wonderfully innovative program. And you get to keep that awareness for the rest of your life.

So what you're really walking away with is this beautiful sense of wonder at the fact that, from this point forward, you can do ... well, just about anything." - Tamara Lackey

"The workshop was truly life-changing. I learned more than I ever could have imagined, and created lifelong friendships. I am a better person for having attended it."
- Amanda Padgham

"Thank you for reawakening my love for this life i have chosen. I don’t know how to thank you for the gift you have given me, but know that I carry you and every single person that sat in that room in my heart where you will always stay."
- Sarah Maren

MORE TESTIMONIALS

***

see you soon, friends! so much love,,,

jesh ; )

New York 2.0 - UPDATE! (workshops)

2008-10-01T15:38:00.001-06:00

hello friends! we still have spaces open for this workshop, but registration is closing very soon!!!

i'm launching my world tour at the end of the year and this will be the last time i'll be in the new england area for quite some time. if you want in on the love, this is your chance : )

two important updates regarding this workshop:

a) all attendees of the NEW YORK - life (as an artform) will receive a complimentary set of my new experiential post processing COLORSHIFT Actions.

b) all workshop alumni: i have a very special offer regarding this workshop. please email me for details!

***

last year we started out the life (as an artform) tour in new york, and i'm glad to say i'll be coming back for round two on October 28, 29 & 30, 2008.

NEW YORK - life (as an artform) is open for registration!!!

once again we'll be teaming up with the amazing Angelica Glass who will be helping us share the love : )

if you want in on the love, please send me an email at life (at) jeshderox.com with 'SEE YOU IN NEW YORK 2' as the subject.

*

in addition, i'm offering something new:

for the first time, on the evening of Monday, October 27, i'll be giving an Experiential Post-Process class, in celebration of the launch of my new photographer-resource division ENLIGHTEN.

over this two hour learning experience, i'll be covering the Photoshop tips, techniques and tools that i've explored to cultivate my image processing style, including working with my Fine Art Textures and soon-to-be-released COLORSHIFT actions.

admission for the class will be $95 (or free for attendees of the workshop).

if you just want in on the ENLIGHTEN post processing love, please send me an email at life (at) jeshderox.com with ''ENLIGHTEN NEW YORK' as the subject.

priority will be given in the order we receive your emails.

lots o' love friends,,,

jesh ; )

p.s. for all my Australian peeps: look for a very special announcement very, very soon : ) : ) ; )

*

telling the truth,,, (life)

2008-09-26T11:20:00.007-06:00

hello my friends. it is a good day to be alive.

if my journey so far could be described as peculiar, these last few weeks even more so.

unexpected twists in my road have invited me to a place where i have experienced more pain and more growth than i have in many years. i am not used to feeling such pain.

it has been an incredible teacher, gifting me with a healing i didn't know i needed. i have become less,,, in ways which enable me to be more.

just tell the truth. - words spoken in the movie the Great Debaters have stuck with me since i saw it.

simple words, but words that have been given new depth in these last days. kept like a rock in my pocket, they have become something of an anthem for me - a reminder of what true strength is.

my dear friends, there is a part of us that will do anything to avoid facing a painful truth, even if we must lie to others, and worse, to ourselves, in order to do so.

these small betrayals stack, one upon the other until years later, we live in a kind of warren of mind.

such patch jobs can never be too closely examined, or they will be found to be as faulty as they are. because of this, our mind goes out of its way to avoid those places, steering us in a crooked detour of determined ignorance.

we wouldn't pretend an infection on our hand wasn't there, putting layers of gloves over it so we don't have to look at it. but strange though it may sound, i have come to believe we do this very thing so often with our mental and self-image injuries that it becomes habitual, to the point we no longer realize we do it.

but there, beneath the mess, still untouched, is that affliction, still undealt with, still in need of healing.

though on a conscious level we may ignore the existence of these wounds, on a subconscious level, they cannot help but have a very real affect on our body and mind, often manifesting themselves in ways that would seem completely unrelated, such as physical and mental ailments.

they also reappear as subtle but commanding fears when we find ourselves encountering similar kinds of circumstances, further compounding the unhealthy cycle of avoidance.

in this way, and in others, they become chains to us, too often keeping the best parts of us from finding the freedom of expression they deserve.

my friends, my family, my loved ones,,, my self. we all deserve better.

events of these past days have put me face to face with some very old wounds in me, wounds that i had hidden from for so long, i didn't even recognize them.

layer after layer, i peeled away, only to find at the root of it all was perhaps the chiefest of all fears - that i am not good enough, that i am not worthy of love.

it is a lie, my friends, and a cruel one.

to turn away from true love is a suffocation of our natural life force. and why do we turn away? fear.

how ironic is it that our fear of losing love, of being without it, is often the very thing that makes that fear come true?

i was surprised to discover that for years i had been playing this same cruel game with myself.

getting to that root, digging it all up and bringing it into the light, has been liberating in a way deeper and more powerful than i can easily express.

it is no exaggeration to say i am a different person than i was three weeks ago. i feel that changed. in some ways it is as though i have let go of a heavy weight. one i had carried for so long, i had confused it for myself.

i dream of making an end to this vicious cycle.

first, in myself.

in some ways, i feel that my work has just begun. it won't always be easy, and will require a careful balance, but it is a work i am willing and ready to perform. i know its reward.

the love i feel burning in me is a living thing, a moving thing that is tired of the bounds i have placed on it for far too long.

love is a movement, a flow, as a dear friend once told me. at the point it is stopped, it is not love.

i have learned it is not possible to change anything but myself. as Mohandas Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world.

this is where i will start.

i have witnessed the miracle of love spreading many more times than i have earned. i have seen its fire express itself in many ways, and in many forms. but always, it starts with a decision to be true to self. always.

this is the decision i have made. each day, each moment - to tell the truth, as best i know it. i am done with pretending to be anything less or more than i am.

i am me, and that is enough.

this post isn't what i intended to write, when i sat down this morning to speak with you, but apparently this is what was most important.

it is the best i can do for the people i love - to tell them the truth. my truth, as i experience it. anything else, in all honesty, amounts to so much of nothing.

my deepest love for you all,,, may the day star of your heart burn brighter than you ever thought possible,,,

jesh *

things i learned today,,, (life)

2008-09-23T16:41:00.006-06:00

i love,,,

to sing with my body.

to be warm and cold at the same time.

the smell of bark.

the sound moving water makes.

how it turns white, grey and green and blue, and is still clear.

listening to my heart tell me secrets (especially ones i've kept from myself).

watching trees dance in a wind.

following veins of leaves, the the sun behind them.

rolling down hills with grass, laughing afterwards.

jumping over creeks, foot to stone, stone to foot.

watching the sky with the earth at my back.

how autumn leaves tip toe down the road, moving somewhere they've never been.

how their shadows are from them, but not like them.

how the world bends in a way so big it's hard to see.

sunlight reflecting.

not knowing.

*

exploring love,,, (upward spiral)

2008-09-16T18:58:00.008-06:00

wow.

these few days in catalina, arizona, spent sharing and learning among friends and family may have been one of the most catalystic weeks of my life.

when i try to reach for what it was i pulled from those days, it is the small things that i remember best.

Katie's bird nest. Rachel's handkerchief, and how she loves to salsa dance. the way Rassouli said the word love.

watching the sky move, sitting next to Porter, as he shared a beautiful story of two very different journeys to the same place.

Amy's hand on the piano keys, before she began to make music so beautiful it rocked me to my core. meeting her on the path, mid-morning.

Charlie's impish smile, how he ran toward Libya anyway.

Jodi, demonstrating tree pose during dinner. Pamela, how she shaped the colors.

Liz, the way she looked up at me and cried. Sherrie's left eye, so green, as she told me something true.

Emily, running through the forest. Sandy, as a teenager. Lisa, the way her eyes glow as she tells me about the tightrope.

Steve, feeling the sound that comes from a white bowl, the way he looks at Tamara.

Tamara, listening to the oldest story i know, laughing when everyone was supposed to be quiet.

Wendy, and open hearted belly laughs. Brent, and how it feels to meet an old friend for the first time.

Reiki. omg, Reiki.

me. the giant rock i carried, how i traded it for a grain of sand. the mirror my heart made. the medal i gave to Meagan and the sound of children laughing.

my fingers spreading the paint.

the next three days,,, some of the hardest and best of my life.

i feel beautifully empty. it is not what i received, but what i was able to let go of, that made the experience so powerful for me.

i am here. ready to experience whatever life may bring me next.

the upward spiral,,, begins.

blessings to you, my lovely friends,,,

jesh *

a birth, a death (life)

2008-09-13T23:45:00.005-06:00

tonight, i die to the past.

i die to the past, and am born to this present moment -

this gift, this fresh rain-smell, this empty box, this early morning, this child's laugh, this midnight snow, this quiet stone, this single star, this shared look between friends, this warm promise.

it is not that i do not honor the dead, i do. i am thankful for the path i have walked to here, and every colored stone it was set with.

i may, now and again, fondly recount these steps - the conversations, the laughing, the hurting, the joy - embracing their memory like an old friend.

but i was born to be no grave-robber. i will not dig up what time has past and try to give its chalk line shape a place among my present dream.

and i will not play the puppeteer - working hard to carry both sides of a conversation no one is having.

my friends, my loves - these cannot be hidden from me. i will know them always when i see them.

the measuring stick? i threw it out. i burned it. it was made to calculate finite things, and so always gave an inaccurate reading when i tried to use it to measure life.

now, i keep an eraser, held loosely in my pocket. each morning before i speak, i erase the boxes my mind drew around everything lovely the day before.

i am newly in love with everything i love. this is me crying from seeing its beauty for the first time, again.

i am newly alive, with all the wonder and magic due those who have just come from a long darkness.

i am newly alive, unbound, unchained.

i am new.

i am.

*

commit,,, (life)

2008-09-03T00:16:00.006-06:00

friends,,,

there is something surpassing beautiful about the way kids commit to what they're doing.

if they're running,,, they're running. if they're laughing, they're laughing. if they're upset,,, it will be hard to miss ; )

one of my son Prevail's favorite games to play with me is chase, and it has become something of a daily ritual.

each time before we start he tells me about the superpowerful, so so fast engine he now has, and how it will make him go too too faster than the world.

this morning, i couldn't help but become lost in stunned appreciation as i watched him rev up in preparation to launch from the starting line.

we've all made the car noise with our mouth,,, you know, brrrpprprppprm, brrrprprprrrmmmm. this guy wasn't just making the car noise, he was the car noise.

his legs crouched down in a primal, ready-to-pounce position, tiny fists raised in the air, somehow instinctively knowing the the exact position that would take full advantage of his diaphragm's brrrpprrrmmp-ing power,,,

and he set it free - - - *

four year old boy-spit flew in quantities i can only describe as astounding, and he shot off from the living room floor like i've seen lions do on the nature channel, when they're hunting gazelle.

needless to say, i was impressed on many levels.

it was so fast, so sure. he knew what he wanted to do and committed instantly, involving his whole body in what might seem to be an isolated act of his mouth.

but of course it isn't isolated at all, is it?

the mouth, is connected to the throat, which is connected to the diaphragm, which works with our lungs, which rely on blood supply, which depends upon the heart,,, we are an entire orchestra of living, whether we realize it or not.

at what point in growing up do we learn to do things so halfheartedly? when do we forget to move, breathe and live with our whole body? when do we start practicing saying things we don't mean? when did we settle for being so much less powerful than we really are,,, for using such a small percentage of our natural potential?

why? when? i'll tell you exactly when: when we start becoming conscious of the spit flying out of our mouth, and how it really is a ridiculous amount of spit, and o no, what will the people around me think of me now that they've seen all this spit, and will they take their love from me because of it???

the fear of rejection is so strong, so deeply ingrained in us, that we imprison the best parts of us in a misguided attempt to keep them from harm. the greatest gift in the universe, traded for fear.

really? so what if johnny thinks you have too much spit, you're alive!!! alive, and no one can take that from you, no one can lessen the glory of that in any way.

no one, but you.

that's what i want to tell that precious little man as i see him fly through the air, so free and unburdened.

that's what i want to tell the 52 year old boy i saw on the street last week, locked behind eyes that had seen years and years of too much of that same fear.

it's what i want to tell the 27 year old girl i saw at a restaurant two nights ago pretending to laugh at something said by the man she was trying so hard to impress - a man who looked at her, completely missing the wealth she truly is.

it is what i want to tell to everyone i've ever met who is pretending to be fine.

no, my friends, no. we are more than this, and it is too long buried, for reasons that could never be good enough.

watching my boy work the magic he was born with, so effortlessly, so thoughtlessly, i am reminded of the most powerful artists i've been blessed to witness perform, whose work i've been privileged to experience.

there is an undeniable similarity between the two - a complete surrender, a commitment to the act of expression which is at the same time riveting and deeply moving in a way older than spoken language.

and we are born with it. born with it.

is it possible that reconnecting with that gift is as close and as simple as practicing being fully alive, fully present, fully genuine, in what we choose to say and do?

i believe it is that simple.

if something is worth doing, it is worth doing with everything you have. if it's not, then why are your spending precious moments of your life doing it?

love, love and more love, my amazing friends,,,

jesh *

hello world,,, (workshops)

2008-08-31T15:21:00.006-06:00

hello wonderful friends,,,

i have learned much this last year, and met many amazing friends, spreading the love around north america.

my heart now tells me it is time to venture beyond the continent.

first, it looks like i'll be heading down under, bringing the life (as an artform) to the australia & new zealand area this november.

please let me know which city should host the workshop!

where should we bring the (workshop) love in the Australia & New Zealand area? ( polls)

another visit in the works is brazil. please let me know which city should host the workshop!

where should we bring the (workshop) love in Brazil? ( polls)

a europe visit is in the works for later in the coming year. please let me know which city should host the workshop!

where should we bring the (workshop) love in Europe? ( polls)

and finally, i will likely do 2 more workshops in north america in 2008. please let me know where they should be!

where should we bring the (workshop) love in North America? ( polls)

thank you so much for your help, friends!

much love and many blessings,,, i look forward to seeing you soon.

jesh ; )

fall in love with yourself,,, (life)

2008-08-27T22:02:00.005-06:00

in all the world that was, that is and that will be,,,
there has never been, and never will be, another you.

you were the one person in the universe given the gift of you, and the one person able to choose what you will do with it.

this is no small thing. or maybe, the smallest of things, and the most precious.

all we spend our lives looking for exists within us. love, joy, satisfaction, approval, forgiveness, peace - all of these are released and experienced through the vessel that is you.

since you are an integral part of how you give, receive and experience love, the degree to which you love yourself cannot help but dramatically affect your entire experience of love and life both.

call a pause from the routine,,, declare yourself, and the 10 feet around you a free space. free from pressures, mental obligations, influences, sickness, distractions and fears.

y o u

are anything you want to be. a clean slate, a blank page, a magnificent history as yet unwritten.

the life in you cannot be diminished, only hidden. like a river dammed, the potential energy welled up within you waits only on the circumstance of your decision to be free.

you have an ability to love whosoever you will, in a way that is completely unique to you. your love will touch others in a way that no other can. why should such beauty remain unseen?

for a moment, step outside of yourself, move to the edge of your 10 ft perimeter and turn around. with unbiased eyes, take careful note of what you see.

what parts of you are the river, and what parts the dam? ask yourself why you have tied yourself to these things, and decide how you will exercise your right of free will to remove them.

now, with your new perspective in hand, go back inside yourself. with the quiet strength of assurance, send the executive command:

and watch the dam fly a p a r t * * * ! ! ! * * *

my friends,,,

love is
the movement of the river,,,
what happens when you let go of everything else.

blessings,,,

jesh *

share the LOVE!!! (contest)

2008-08-20T17:43:00.005-06:00

hello friends : )

in three weeks we'll be spreading the Upward Spiral seeds at the very first Exploring Love retreat.

there are only a few spaces left, and we'd like to give you one last opportunity to join us at the beautiful Miraval Resort.

*** in one sentence,,, tell us what you'd do if you had access to an infinite amount of love : ) ***

reply with your answer in the comments below and you will be entered to win a $500 scholarship to the retreat : ) everyone is eligible, even those who have already signed up.

we'll notify the winner by Sunday!!!

much love and many blessings,,,

jesh ; )

p.s. WARNING: these three days will be so filled with love and amazingness that you may not be able to live a normal life ever again. join us at your own risk,,,

how does your love grow? : a questionnaire (life)

2008-08-18T11:50:00.011-06:00

for a moment,,, pause,,,

*

consider the person you know how to love best;

when do you most clearly feel your love for this person?

do certain circumstances seem to trigger this? what are they?

are these circumstances ones which you have the ability to invite or initiate?

when you send your love to this person, where does it go? can you feel where it comes from in you?

how do you give it away? how is it that you still have it, even as you're giving it away?

what part of this person do you love? is there a part of them you wouldn't be able to love them without?

would you like to love them more? what keeps you from it?

are you willing to do what it takes to let go of or overcome such an obstacle, even if it is difficult?

lovely friends,,, if you will:

gift yourself a few moments with the endless possibilities of an empty white page, grab a pen that feels good to your hand, explore the questions above, and see where you find yourself.

be welcome to share your findings with us in the comments below : )

love, love & love,

jesh *

bree & mike (wedding)

2008-08-14T14:12:00.003-06:00

bree & mike, thank you for giving me a glimpse into the beautiful life you have made with each other.

many warm blessings to you and your lovely family,,,

jesh ; )

saturday,,, (life)

2008-08-02T20:14:00.008-06:00

i am (deeply alive) as i write these words to you, my friends.

i have just returned from spending a few precious moments soaking up the gallery of nature i live in.

i've lived here for close to 3 years now, maybe the longest i've ever lived anywhere, and only in the past few weeks do i realize how much of a gift it is.

there are many trees nearby that i'd never really seen before, little plants and small communities of life that were invisible to me.

the more i revel in such richness, the more i realize what i do isn't creating. what could i create that equals the incomparable beauty that surrounds me?

i would rather choose to spend my life sharing with people the richness we already have.

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, is an old wisdom i'm sure we've all heard. apparently our minds haven't, lol.

mine at least, tends to rather prefer considering birds in the bushes. silly mind. i am glad to have you, but you are definitely a curious contraption.

i am leaving for san francisco in about 12 hours, where i will be blessed once again to share with an intimate group of friends, old and new, of life (as an artform).

this will be the 10th life workshop, which is fitting, as it will introduce some intriguing new directions, additions and subtractions.

there is so much to share that is beautiful, and at the same time there is something so decidedly beautiful about the silence. the latter, i believe, is a gift we all have which we would be benefited from using more often.

the direction of this journal will be changing as well, very soon. i imagine that may mean we will lose some readers, but i have never judged the value of my friendships by their number, but by their quality.

i would say that things are about to get very interesting, lol, but of course, they already are.

blessings and peace to you, may you live brightly in this and each moment you find yourself in.

your friend,

jesh *

exploring love,,, update (upward spiral)

2008-07-22T10:45:00.011-06:00

hello, my friends : )

we've received a flood of inquiries about the Exploring Love,,, retreat over the last two weeks, and are glad to be able to provide answers to the many questions!

the days will begin with your choice of yoga, meditation and/or world class spa and culinary experiences, and move into directed and open-ended discussion and experiential learning with a wonderfully diverse team of presenters.

the evenings will be filled with more space for open sharing and capped off by an intimate music experience with the amazing
Amy Seeley.

this is one of the most exciting things i've ever been a part of, and the perfect way to kick off Upward Spiral. who knows what will happen when such a potent mix of spirits and hearts meet???

there are only few spaces left. if you feel drawn to be a part of this gathering of love explorers, please email us.

much love,,,

jesh *

we've been nominated!!! (announcement)

2008-07-18T16:11:00.004-06:00

woohoo!

i'm proud to say that my Fine Art Textures have been nominated for the BEST ACTIONS OF THE YEAR award!!!

it's a people's choice awards, so go vote for your favorite set here.

to celebrate the occasion, i'm giving away 245 free promo codes worth $50. all you have to do is go vote (for your favorite! doesn't have to be for me, lol ; )

once you've voted, send us an EMAIL and we'll hook you up.

already have the set? no worries : )

i was planning on keeping the lid on a little while longer,,, but let's just say that i'm very close to releasing a few new experiential post production tools that i've been experimenting with for the past year, and that $50 might come in handy ; )

lots of love,

jesh ; )

featured in Design Aglow (announcement)

2008-07-17T13:53:00.000-06:00

hello, my friends : )

the wonderful Lena Hyde featured me in the Success Issue of her innovative online magazine Design Aglow.

the piece was written by my good friend and life alumni Joyce Smith, who is a gifted photographer, writer and mama in her own right.

i'll be teaming up with the illustrious Lena again this October where i will be co-speaking for her presentation at the Image X photography super-gala.

many other photography community friends and amazing educators will be presenting there as well. you can find out more about Lena's & my program here.

much love and many blessings,

jesh ; )

the world is a playground (life)

2008-07-16T22:02:00.010-06:00

mmm, i feel very alive today.

among other things, i've been walking down the stairs backwards, and have been amazed at how rewarding it is.

sound silly, lol? try it (carefully ; )

it very strongly invites you into the present, and as a part of you wonders what the hell you are doing, the other enters the o-so-important sense of wonder,,, my favorite door to all the best things of life.

after i experienced the stairs, likely for the first time, i became keenly aware of how many thousands of times i've gone down those stairs. how did i manage to miss the rush i felt today?

the stairs have been the same since i moved in, so it must have been always available to me. i had just been somehow blind to it.

then my thoughts turned to playgrounds. why, exactly do kids like playgrounds? i realized i'd never wondered that before - i'd just wrote it off as one of the many things that 'just is' (a recurring sadness of the adult condition).

the fact is, it's a lot of work to really work a playground - climbing, lifting, pushing, crawling, jumping - and most kids i know do their best to avoid as much work as possible (a recurring genius of the kid condition).

so what is it about that kind of 'work' that is so desirable?

my oldest boy Prevail is 3. he's in that stage where he loves cleaning (yep, cleaning). watching him do the same yesterday, i had a flashback to when i was a little kid following my mom around with my white & blue popper vacuum as she wielded the real thing. i remember feeling a sense of excitement and a little bit of healthy fear of the mysteriously loud and powerful vacuum, jumping quickly away if it came to close.

then of course, you grow up and realize that cleaning isn't fun or exciting at all, it's work (the recurring tragedy of growing up).

so i took my kid to the park and watched him work - which, as the expression on his beautiful face indicated, was definitely playing,,, and so, a realization:

it is not what we do that makes something work or play, exciting or boring, it is the degree to which we are experiencing what we are doing.

there is a joy in experiencing that defies the ability to comprehend, but as sure as kids smile, it is there. there are a million perspectives from which to experience each part of life, and each one is an invitation to enter into wonder, growth and joy. sound too good to be true? take a moment to really watch kids at play - it's working for them.

i challenge you to look around the room you're in right now. or go to your living room, look at what is there, choose something and interact with it in a way you never have before. jump off your couch, see how far you can make it. throw a pillow at your partner as they enter the room (gently ; ). next time you're going to the fridge to get something to eat, close your eyes and rely completely on your hands to do the choosing.

when the voice in your head starts telling you that you're losing it, go ahead and gladly agree. when did we start deciding that normalcy and its monotony were worth holding on to???

we were wiser as kids than we remember,,, but what can be forgotten, can be remembered.

the world, my friends,,, is a playground, and there's so much there that we haven't yet explored.

much love and many blessings,

jesh ; )

mike & holly (wedding)

2008-07-14T15:34:00.003-06:00

mike & holly celebrated their marriage in true canadian fashion - sub zero temperatures, lol ; )

it was my first opportunity to photograph an RCMP officer in the traditional uniform, and the stark contrast of the red against the snow was fittingly dramatic.

thank you both for the many beautiful moments shared, for your warmth and kindness. many blessings to you both on your new journey.

lots of love,

jesh ; )

a decision to simplify,,, (life)

2008-06-26T23:49:00.010-06:00

dear friends,,,

in this mind world of increasing complexity, i have found it is healthy at regular intervals to go back to what is simple,,, to find a resting place there and a solace.

more is not always better, especially when much of that 'more' is filled up with non-essential, distracting yet strangely consuming trivia.

when the continuity of life - that of a loved one, or your own - is suddenly called into question, there is often an equally sudden clarity that comes to the body and mind. instantly, it is clear to you what is important, what is valuable,,, and what is not. resources you had tied up in hurt feelings, accusations and justifications immediately untangle as you are drawn intensely into the present reality.

interesting to note: even if the threat subsides, or is discovered to be unfounded, that moment of clarity is just as real and striking.

so then, we can reasonably agree that such clarity is not dependent upon life-threatening circumstance, but can be called upon at any time by our choice,,,

we could call this choice a decision to simplify.

foremost, Webster defines simple as without guile, offering the synonym innocent. a beautifully keen description.

if we were to be completely honest with ourselves, we might agree that a large percentage of the suffering we both take upon ourselves and spread to those around us has roots in 'trivial', non-essential kinds of complexities. the cyclic frustrations and tiny agonies both, a product of our programmed perspectives. if we can agree to this, we might also recognize such consumption of our internal resources as a kind of guile - trading that which is precious for that which is valueless and even destructive,,,

is it possible that the worst crimes are the ones we commit against ourselves? the worst lies, the ones we tell ourselves? how can we hope to be true to others if we are not first true with ourselves?

i stood in awe today for several minutes watching a thousand thousand colors move, blend and change shape in rapid succession,,, listening to an orchestra of a thousand thousand players that never played the same combination of notes twice. no, it wasn't HDTV ; ) it was the tall tree outside my house, moving with a wind.

i looked at that undeniably gorgeous, living piece of work, and thought,,, it's been here all the while i've lived in this house,,, likely just as beautifully perfect and peaceful as it is right now. every time i was frustrated, angry, feeling sorry for myself, complaining,,, it was right here, being,,, alive.

and i laughed, spun and laughed, doing my human best to join the tree in its celebration. this is life, i thought. life is simple. as i looked up i saw also how incredible the clouds were,,, miles away, a thousand times magnificent, but moved by that same wind.

and somewhere in that turning, a decision,,,

every part of this tree is directly involved in the tree's benefit and growth. so will i resolve to ensure that every part of me is involved and contributing to my growth and aliveness,,, and those parts that are not, those i will resolve to let go of.

just as no tree would thrive whose leaves were eating away at its own branches,,, neither can we thrive by allowing the self destructive aspects of our nature to consume our health and resources.

if the beauty of humans is sometimes found in our complexities, surely there must be a balance, a careful watch to ensure those complexities don't disconnect us from the simple joy it is to be alive.

love to you my beautiful friends,,, from a heart resolved to grow as big as it can,,,

jesh *

exploring love,,, (upward spiral)

2008-06-23T13:36:00.004-06:00

hello friends,,,

i am proud to announce our first official Upward Spiral event:

Exploring Love in the Real World

my amazing friend Tamara Lackey & i will be hosting this experiential retreat at the world famous Miraval resort.

we've assembled an incredible group of gifted presenters from several diverse fields of study to share in three days of exploration and discovery of the power and practical application of the mystery we call love.

we're capping the retreat at 20 participants, and spaces at the resort are going quickly!

email studio (at) tamaralackey.com for more information or to register.

so much love,

jesh ; )

florida sessions,,, (announcement)

2008-05-31T22:16:00.008-06:00

hello my friends,,,

i've been working hard preparing to launch BELOVED and am happy to report that we're getting very close ; ) i'm very excited about where it's heading, and can't wait to share more,,,

in the meantime, i'll be in West Palm Beach, Florida for Palm Beach - life (as an artform) the week of June 8th.

i am staying an extra day and will have room for two of the topsecret BELOVED sessions. if you want in on the exploration or have questions, please send me an email at bookings (at) jeshderox.com with 'BELOVED' in the subject.

many blessings and much love,,,

jesh *

laura & john (wedding)

2008-05-29T12:19:00.006-06:00

earlier this year, my wonderful friends laura & john were married near their home in lovely Delaware, where they commissioned me to do a wedding portrait session with them.

i was moved deeply both by the surreal new england winter landscape and the power of the connection between the two.

laura is an artist of business as well as imagery, whose expertise i consult frequently : )

you can find out more about laura on her blog, and find out more about her business services at strategy avenue.

much love and many blessings friends,

jesh ; )

practice,,, (life)

2008-05-18T02:57:00.012-06:00

practice makes perfect

a quote we have all heard, and definitely one with more than a little truth to it.

that being the case, what is it that you practice?

if i may suggest,,,

no matter what you have practiced before now, let nothing and no one (not even yourself) deprive you of your right to change what you choose to practice at any time,,,

practice enlarging your heart,,, see how many more people you can fit in there,,, how much more of yourself.

practice believing what you know in your heart is true,,, not what you have been told to believe, not what you believe for the sake of others,,, practice believing the wild dreams your heart once spent all day imagining,,, the ones that have since been too-often put in the childish or i need to grow up bins,,,

practice remembering the many strengths and gifts you have,,,

practice making memories worth having,,,

practice being brave,,, one day someone's son or daughter may come up to you and tell you that though you have never met, your braveness once changed their life,,,

practice the good kind of crying,,,

practice letting yourself be moved,,,

practice speaking up when your sensibilities tell you to be quiet,,, remember: being sensible usually isn't

practice new things - it's hard to write an interesting life story when your fingers keep typing the same four letters,,,

practice telling the truth - most of all to yourself,,,

my many amazing friends,,, without fail, we become masterful at what we practice - let's let go of practicing the things that don't belong to our peace,,,

may you find your peace, joy, and so much love,,, wherever you are *

jesh *

sarah & sean: two ( beloved )

2008-05-16T12:44:00.004-06:00

sarah & sean, thank you both for sharing your trust and beautiful relationship : )

much love,

jesh : )

p.s. friends, look for another announcment soon about
my B E L O V E D project,,,

sean & sarah: one ( beloved )

2008-05-08T23:38:00.003-06:00

hello my wonderful and patient friends,,,

i find i have so many adventures lately the time to share them here becomes harder to find, lol.

many good things in the works i'm very much looking forward to sharing,,,

among a few other surprises, i have one very special project i'll be launching soon entitled: B E L O V E D

more on the details soon,,, but i wanted to give you a bit of teaser (in two parts), courtesy of the stunning sarah & sean.

much love and many blessings,,,

jesh *

become the friend,,, (life)

2008-04-24T00:10:00.010-06:00

so today,,, it's one of those days i won't forget.

because it's been better than other days? no,,,
did i accomplish some great task? no,,,
do i have more today than i did yesterday?

no,,, but i know what i have today,,, and that makes all the difference.

is a rich man who forgets he is rich still rich?

if he is potentially, he is not rich actually - as in acting and living with the benefit of those riches.

is there something you need to tell someone,,, something they deserve to hear, something you owe to yourself to tell them,,, but haven't yet told them?

how much is an almost i love you worth?

i think sometimes we spend so much time in our mind that it becomes easy to confuse the almosts with the real. we see it so clearly behind the closed doors of our thoughts that we forget no one else can see it.

when i say real,,, let's say i mean something that has crossed that invisible line of mind and entered the shared world. using that definition, it becomes apparent that what we have inside of us doesn't become real/actualized until we give it away/let go of it/share it.

it can be a surprising but healthy exercise to take a mental inventory: what is in you to give that you for one reason or another haven't given? and of the things you do give/make real, how many of them are really things you'd want to be giving life to?

this process of taking in and giving out in many ways is our life. we have many different names for the ways we perform this basic function, but in essence, its all the same process, isn't it?

and today,,, today,,, i remember

that no one else in the world is responsible for what i bring into myself, and what i bring out. no one but me.

an awesome responsibility and privilege, both, to be reminded of our own strength.

how incredible is the garden of the mind,,,

i have a dear friend who tells me that for many years she has felt a certain loneliness,,, that she has waited a long time to find a friend that would finally match up to her requirements and bring her fulfillment.

to her,,, and to all of us who are her sometimes,,, i say this:

become the friend you have been waiting for

you are your own garden, the seeds, the planter and the fruit,,,

this is what life is,,, go make it.

much love and many blessings to you my beautiful friends,,, may you find love in the many hidden corners of yourself, and may you be brave enough to give it away,,,

jesh *

tricia & josh (eSession)

2008-04-16T12:24:00.004-06:00

tricia & josh, it was lovely spending a february evening with you on the ice.

hopefully you've been practicing a few of those cool moves i taught you two, lol ; ) the falling-on-your-referendum move i demonstrated takes a special dedication to master,,,

i'm glad to know you both, and am very much looking forward to being a part of your wedding celebration.

much love and many blessings,,,

jesh ; )

edmonton,,, (workshops)

2008-04-08T17:56:00.008-06:00

hello friends,,,

thank you all for the votes, comments and emails regarding the next workshop : ) wow,,, there are a lot of people out there wanting in on the love, lol!!!

it was a close race, and we'll definitely be visiting both portland and denver due to the overwhelming interest,,, but at this time i am proud to announce we'll be holding the first workshop in my home base : )

Edmonton - life (as an artform) is open for registration!!!

this experiential workshop will be held MAY 20, 21 & 22. i'm opening only 12 spaces and expect they'll fill pretty darn fast : )

if you want in on the love, please send me an email at life (at) jeshderox.com with 'SEE YOU IN EDMONTON' as the subject.

priority will be given in the order we receive your emails.

lots o' love wonderful people,

jesh ; )

p.s. for those of you looking forward to seeing more images,,, no worries, they're on their way : ) thank you all for your patience with me!

i've been working on launching and tying together 5 very different explorative projects right now in the midst of traveling around the continent shooting and teaching,,, stay tuned for several new Collections and a few surprises over the coming weeks ; )

*

palm beach, san fransisco & ?,,, (workshops)

2008-03-28T15:25:00.006-06:00

hello wonderful friends,,,

spring is springing, and i'm happy to announce the next two dates on our tour : )

both Palm Beach - life (as an artform) and San Francisco - life (as an artform) are now open for registration!!!

these experiential workshops will be held JUNE 9, 10 & 11 and AUGUST 5, 6 & 7 respectively and will feature the amazing Lena Hyde in Florida and Jose Villa in San Fransisco as guest speakers.

if you want in on the love, please send me an email at life (at) jeshderox.com with 'SEE YOU IN FLORIDA' or 'SEE YOU IN SAN FRANCISCO' as the subject.

priority will be given in the order we receive your emails.

much love friends,

jesh ; )

p.s. there's a chance we may do one more in May,,, if you want in on the love, please tell me which of these three cities you'd prefer:

p.p.s. i've implemented a new addition to the workshops which makes it easier for all my alumni peeps to come back and share the love : ) special conditions apply, write me for details,,,

*

what happened in vegas,,, (life)

2008-03-23T20:37:00.004-06:00

,,, will not stay there. even as i write this i'm hundreds of miles above and away from the city on my return trip home. though there were several challenges i didn't count on, already i know this has been one of the most personally enriching trips of my life.

thank you to the many wonderful people who attended my speech and resonated with what i had to give. as before, i am overwhelmed by all of the amazing letters of love, hope and change that we've received. even one such experience would make it all worth it, but they just keep coming in.

thank you as well to the people who went out of their way to make complaints about me. if you had known how much your actions would end up benefiting me, i wonder if you would still have tried so hard to bring me down,,,

thank you to the friends old and new who i journeyed with this week,,, some who traveled a long way specifically to share in this. i am a richer, stronger person for knowing you, and what you have given me - your wisdom, your tears, your smiles, your presence - i will never forget.

thank you also to those i counted as friends who have now chosen a different path. you remind me exactly how important this journey i take is.

the seeds for UpwardSpiral have been planted,,, and in what most would dismiss as waste, seeds find a perfect place to begin. now it's time to wait - while nature works its magic beneath the surface.

so much love to you my amazing friends,,, my heart is full and overflowing with what is now coming to life.

may you always listen to the part of yourself that knows the way to the journey only you can take.

jesh *

reinvent the wing,,, (announcement)

2008-03-11T18:02:00.006-06:00

wonderful friends,,,

in 7 days i'll be speaking in las vegas for the WPPI convention.

i plan to announce a new project there that may well become my life's work.

it begins, as so many beautiful things do, very small,,, but i believe it could grow to one day touch many lives.

it is not important to me that a lot of people come to hear me speak,,, just that the right ones do.

if you know such a person, please pass them this information:

reinvent the wing
monday, march 17, 2008 - 7:30pm
gold room, bally's, las vegas

if they ask you what it means,,, just ask them to be there.

finished with fear, walking through walls, ready to fly *

jesh *

*

personality,,, (life)

2008-03-06T13:16:00.005-07:00

there is something truly powerful about inner expression,,,

i love to see people add their personal touch to traditions we're all familiar with. weddings are an amazing opportunity to do this: you have an entire captive audience of people who love
and respect you : )

even in day to day life, it's a wonderful exercise to explore how we might invest ourselves in the things that we do regularly. this approach is very apparent in the way kids interact with their world and exponentially increases learning/growth rates.

if nothing else, kids have a ridiculous amount of fun, lol - surely a worthy pursuit in itself!

'going through the motions' types of interactions separate us from the sense of wonder and adventure that adds color to our life.

if we can't mean something when we do it, perhaps we should ask ourselves if it's really worth doing,,,

have an incredibly lovely afternoon friends,

jesh ; )

remembering,,, (life)

2008-03-03T15:57:00.008-07:00

life is a funny thing my friends,,, or, if not life,
the way we move inside it.

we run so hard, chasing whatever it is our brains have convinced us is the new necessity - looking for the next fix,,, for a brief moment of respite from epic pressures that seem so real to us.

and if we get what we want,,, if it makes us forget our pains for a few moments,,, lost in a kind of self-gratifying distraction,,, then we write off the days, years or people we spent getting there as worth the sacrifice,,,

the problem is, it doesn't last long, does it? a few moments,,, and the sweetness turns sour as we realize it wasn't quite what we thought it was. so we rush off towards the next all important destination, somehow convincing ourselves that this time we'll arrive to find the satisfaction we so desperately seek.

why do we obsessively follow a pattern that has proven itself wrong so many millions of times over?

i received a poignant letter today from a friend who has spent the last few days dealing with the death of a family member. fresh from the hard but powerful lessons of loss he says:

"...we will find strength. we will not always know how, or why it comes, but it will come. if we remain open to learning whatever lessons there are for us to learn, and do not cloud our minds with things that make no difference--anger, hate, blame--we will find great clarity, great strength, and even great joy in times that seem to have none."

and here, he uncovers a great truth,,,

we look for joy, peace and strength in things, we look for joy in times, in circumstances and in achievements,,, but they don't exist there. they exist only within ourselves.

wealth is knowing what you have,,,
we are our own richness.

i spend a few minutes playing in the living room with my family, taking a few pictures of my wife and and two sons' precious faces and interactions,,,

as i head toward the office, back to work, my beautiful 3 year old son Prevail runs to me and says, 'daddy, daddy,,, remember to take a picture of her ponytail,,,'

ah, how i revel in the brilliance that springs from a mind in flight! i pick him up, twirling him around like the unchained bird he is,,, watching the light shining from his smiling eyes.

i think,,, what if the way to joy is found not through forgetting, but by remembering?

i will not forget, my beautiful Prevail, i promise you.
i promise myself,,,

i want to be a part of a world that knows exactly how rich she is,,, will you help me remind her?

jesh *

mike & bree (eSession)

2008-02-26T18:56:00.002-07:00

mike & bree, it has been wonderful working with you. thank you for braving the ridiculously cold (-40) weather to shoot this eSession! you are true canadians : )

for our southern friends: no it's not always so cold up here,,, but every once in a while we get a bit of a cold front ; )

much love friends,

jesh : )

sasha & teresa (wedding)

2008-02-21T20:29:00.004-07:00

the amazing sasha & teresa were married in gorgeous northern new york state.

it was my first time in the area, and i had no idea such lush countryside was so close to the biggest metro area in the united states!!! the autumn change there is not something to be missed.

i don't shoot a lot of receptions and took advantage of the opportunity by playing : ) the last three images are an exploration in trying to capture how it feels to dance,,,

thank you both for having me, i am a richer person for meeting you.

much love,

jesh ; )

p.s. special thanks to the person who introduced us,,, you know who you are ; )

the cover of rangefinder!!! (announcement)

2008-02-18T16:30:00.005-07:00

hello friends : )

to be featured in Rangefinder magazine, and especially to have the cover is very surreal for me.

i'm honored to have been interviewed by my friend Bruce Dorn, quite a multi-talented fellow who was wonderful to work with : )

i very much appreciate all of the kind words that have been sent from friends both old and new regarding the interview. i am deeply grateful for every opportunity to share the love.

each time my capacity and desire for giving increases, an unexpected avenue opens to help me deliver it.

i begin a beautiful journey of trust,,, with life,,,

i want to show fear for the dreamkiller it is. if people could see how thin a wall it makes, they would laugh to think it ever held them in place.

a change comes to the world. a change that was always here, waiting.

many blessings and so much love,,,

jesh : )

p.s. special thanks to Marc Weisberg for the photo of the magazine
(i haven't received mine yet, lol)

*

indy & boston,,, (workshops)

2008-02-15T19:26:00.006-07:00

hello wonderful people,,,

i'm glad to announce the next two cities for our tour : )

both Indianapolis - life (as an artform) and Boston - life (as an artform) are now open for registration!!!

these experiential workshops will be held APRIL 1st through the 3rd and APRIL 28th through MAY 1st respectively and will feature the awesome Linda Wallace in Indy and Tamara Lackey in Boston as guest speakers.

the spaces fill up quickly! if you want in on the love, please send me an email at life (at) jeshderox.com with 'SEE YOU IN INDY' or 'SEE YOU IN BOSTON' as the subject.

priority will be given in the order we receive your emails.

much love friends,

jesh ; )

*

kirstin & patrick (wedding)

2008-02-13T00:21:00.005-07:00

amazing kirstin & patrick, you are an absolute joy to be around, and i am proud to call you friends. thank you so much for inviting me to spend time with you, your incredible family and friends.

your graceful and elegant celebration was definitely an echo of your beautiful connection.

many blessings to you on your new journey together! so much love,,,

jesh ; )

felix & melinda (wedding)

2008-02-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

wonderful felix & melinda, i am glad to have been a part of your celebration. two people so close are a gift to the world. i am glad to know you and your beautiful daughter.

so much love!

jesh ; )

mark & debra (wedding)

2008-01-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

wonderful mark and debra,,,

spending time with the two of you was a highlight of my year. i hope your passion continues to grow,,, inspiring and touching those around you as it has me.

much love and many blessings my friends!!!

jesh ; )

published in Vogue! (announcement)

2008-01-12T16:55:00.001-07:00

hello friends!

sooo proud to announce that we have a 2 page interview published in the latest issue of Vogue Brazil : )

thank you to the people of Brazil for all of the beautiful letters that we've received since the interview. i can't read most of them very well, but i see lots of amor and as you know, i'm all about the amor, lol ; )

thanks to Vogue for helping me spread the good word, and to the people of Brazil for being interested in a crazy lover such as me ; )

we've received several emails from lovely folks interested in commissioning us in south america after seeing the interview, and it looks like we'll be flying down later this year to do several at the same time!!!

i'm so excited to explore your beautiful country! if you want in on the love,,, feel free to write me at bookings@jeshderox.com

many blessings beautiful people,

jesh : )

gratitude,,, (life)

2008-01-10T11:46:00.001-07:00

love. a concept in need of new words,,, the ones we have don't do it justice.

i am home now, sitting on my couch, still warm from a fire that lit me up 2 days ago. some days you dream of love and some days you live it.

when i leave this world for the next, i want to go knowing i lived as many such days as i could.

to every single person who shared their trust and mixed lives with me for those few dancing colored moments in Tampa,,, please know i will take pieces of you with me wherever i go.

if you saw beauty in my eyes, remember that i was looking at you.

much love,

jesh ; )

the people's choice,,, (explore awards)

2007-12-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

hello amazing people,

thank you all for participating in our second explore awards!!!

the results are in,,,

experiential imagery (ei): images that make you feel something, inviting the viewer to experience the moment.

1) EI-2 - Susan Yee
2) EI-7 - Kelly Munce
3) EI-3 - Kristen Kalp

EI-8 - Heather Meyers
EI-1 - Michael Schuhmann
EI-9 - Eric Langlois
EI-4 - Stephanie Rae Hull
EI-6 - Kody Sparks
EI-5 - Sara Westbrook
EI-10 - Brandon Parigo

connection (c): images that feature the beautiful connections between us.

1) C-6 - Stephanie Beaty
2) C-3 - Susan Yee
3) C-2 - Cristina Navarro

C-10 - Hailey Bartholomew
C-4 - Ron Storer
C-7 - Shannon Stewart
C-5 - Heather Cole
C-8 - Paula Stiller
C-9 - Kim McMillan
C-1 - Angie Monson

exploratory post processing (epp): images which use alternative post processing to affectively enhance the original photograph.

1) EPP-3 - Sarah K Chen
2) EPP-7 - Jodi Renee
3) EPP-4 - Shannon Stewart

EPP-8 - Rodney Gehman
EPP-2 - Chelsea Hudson
EPP-10 - Benjamin Spell
EPP-6 - Anas Elghaity
EPP-9 - Carson Day
EPP-5 - Jerry Lai
EPP-1 - Melissa Squires

GRAND PRIZE of a full registration towards the Dallas - life (as an artform) workshop as well as a website and complimentary subscription hosting for a year from Parade goes to Susan Yee : )

1st place prize of a $500 gift towards an experiential workshop goes to Stephanie Beaty.

1st place prize of a $500 gift towards an experiential workshop goes to Sarah K Chen.

2nd place prizes of the Fine Art Textures go to Jodi Renee, Kelly Munce and Susan Yee.

3rd place prizes of Amy Seeley's beautiful new CD go to Kristen Kalp, Shannon Stewart & Cristina Navarro.

thank you again to *everyone* who shared, whether by entering or voting : )

many blessings,

jesh ; )

p.s. stay tuned over the next couple of weeks as i catch up with all the posting i delayed because of the contest ; ) some cool stuff happening,,, much love!

vote, vote, vote!!! (explore awards)

2007-12-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

hello wonderful people, and thanks again to everyone who contributed to our second explore awards!

we received more than twice the number of submissions as last time, making it even harder to choose our nominations : ) and there were *so* many images that were just one vote shy of making the nomination!

thanks again to our wonderful panel, which consists of my amazing and gifted friends Brianna Graham, and Nate & Jaclyn of the image is found, Jessica Claire, and myself.

though we nominated these, this is a people's choice awards, so *you* choose the images that are awarded. please vote for your favorites among the three categories below. you may choose as many as apply, focusing your votes on the ones that speak to you the most.

remember that the point of this contest is to share work that touches and inspires us.

you don't have to be a photographer to vote, and we hope that you tell your friends and family about it so they can vote too - blog about it, email it, post it to your friends on forums - all are welcome : )

***SPECIAL NOTE*** when spreading the word about the contest, please encourage people to vote for their favs - not specifically to vote for you, lol ; ) let's keep this as democratic as possible!

and now,,, it's TIME TO VOTE!!!

1ST CATEGORY - 1) experiential imagery (ei): images that make you feel something, inviting the viewer to experience the moment.

EI-1

EI-2

EI-3

EI-4

EI-5

EI-6

EI-7

EI-8

EI-9

EI-10

*

2ND CATEGORY - 2) connection (c): images that feature the beautiful connections between us.

C-1

C-2

C-3

C-4

C-5

C-6

C-7

C-8

C-9

C-10

*

3RD CATEGORY - 3) exploratory post-processing (epp): images which use alternative post processing to affectively enhance the original photograph.

EPP-1

EPP-2

EPP-3

EPP-4

EPP-5

EPP-6

EPP-7

EPP-8

EPP-9

EPP-10

*

the voting will be open until Friday, December 28 at 11:59 pm!

thank you all, so very much love,,,

jesh ; )

dallas,,, revisited (workshops)

2007-12-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

hello friends : )

due to a scheduling conflict, we will be postponing the 3 day dallas experiential workshop.

in its place, we will be offering (for the first time) an intensive 1 day exploratory workshop on January 31, 2008.

registration is $850 (or $750 for people who have the Fine Art Textures credit).

if you want in on the love, or have any questions about the new workshop, please send me an email at life (at) jeshderox.com with
'SEE YOU IN DALLAS' as the subject.

thank you all! i look forward to bringing some canadian love to texas soon ; )

much love,

jesh ; )

p.s. the GRAND PRIZE for the (explore)awards winter'07 has been changed to 1 full registration to this new dallas workshop : )

24 hours,,, (explore awards)

2007-12-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

hello wonderful people,,,

just a reminder that there are only 24 hours until the deadline for image submission to the winter '07 explore awards : )

we've been receiving some truly beautiful and inspiring work so far, and i look forward to seeing what today will bring!!!

this is an awesome opportunity to share, celebrate, and grow for all of us, and i very much appreciate everyone who is participating, whether by entering, voting, spreading the word, or preferably, all 3!

i'd like to take a minute to introduce our honorable judges (though of course for most of you, they'll need no introduction) :

Brianna Graham - amazingly gifted child and portrait photographer

Nate & Jaclyn of the image is found - super talented dynamic duo in the wedding scene

Jessica Claire - SoCal wedding photography diva and inventor of the Shoot Sac

and me

nominated images will be posted and announced next week,,, and as this is a people's choice awards, it will be then be up to *you* to choose your favorites, and determine the placements : )

thank you all so much!!!

jesh ; )

p.s. one small change has been made to the GRAND PRIZE due to a change in the dallas experiential workshop,,, more on this in the next few days ; )

*

a new life,,, (announcement)

2007-12-12T22:18:00.001-07:00

hello wonderful friends!

i am overjoyed to share with you all that my lovely wife safely delivered our second baby boy this morning : )

phoenix chai amani de rox was born at 11:51 this morning, weighing 9 lbs 2 oz and measuring 22 inches long. several witnesses commented on his dashingly handsome looks (which of course was no surprise considering he is my son ; )

his name means the rebirth of a living peace,,, we're so thankful to have him as part of our family.

he is more beautiful than i can describe.

thank you all for the many emails, calls and messages of love & support : )

much love and many blessings to you all!

jesh : )