Eric Forbes

It’s not what you think. I didn’t actually hang out with Ze Frank. I just discovered an interview he did for Lynda.com. [Lynda is the place I go to learn to do obscure things like Apple Logic Pro and explore search-engine optimization (SEO) techniques and other useful geek stuff.] I wasn’t expecting to find Ze Frank there, but something told me to check out his hour long interview and put off Logic Pro training for another day.

During the interview, I visited his site – ZeFrank.com – and experimented with some of the toys he’s created. Scribbler is a lot of fun and I came up with a few neat outcomes by changing the colors and altering the pixel size of the scribbling “pen” while it turned my input into a hyperactive scribble (with meaning, of course). Here’s one example:

And then there was A Childhood Walk. I typed in my childhood address in Baltimore and was shocked to see how small and sad my old house looks now. It seemed much bigger and nicer back then. In the 1970′s. I used Google Maps street view to do a virtual glide down the once familiar streets surrounding my house, past my best friend Tommy’s house and over the railroad bridge. I had a stirring of ideas and feelings, but then was taken on another diversion.

Pain Pack is beautiful and weird. I fell in love with the idea while horizontally scrolling across the page to reveal the whole story. A call for people in emotional pain to telephone and leave a message evolved into a library of disjointed altered beats, blips, effects and loops that were posted for download. Anyone can grab ‘em and mash ‘em together. And although I’m not a DJ, I do have some neat hardware (toys) to mix and match sound files. I saw the list of samples and I looked over at my disconnected MASCHINE controller that I used to crave, but lately have left alone for no good reason.

After installing the software updates for the MASCHINE and downloading the Pain Pack Samples, I found myself making the decision to stay up late and play with these sounds instead of sleeping. I felt a wave of creativity. I was in the flow for about 90 minutes. And then my ears started to bleed — figuratively. Aurally fatigued, I decided to sleep at 2:30 AM. And I work. But I managed. Here’s the mix I came up with. Kinda creepy. But that’s the point:

I emailed Ze a link to my creation and thanked him for his talks on TED.com and Lynda.com. He’s a really smart, warm, and funny guy. He inspires me. And I’m glad I took a little detour to see things a little differently and engage in strange new multimedia adventures.

[This post comes from an email I wrote this morning to a friend in Germany.]

I’ve been working on getting one of my websites running as an e-commerce site, and the fear I had about doing that has finally evaporated. It has taken months to get myself to sit down and figure out what I need to do to get the software working on my server.

Once I “sat down” and “started working” it took one day to get the thing up and running. 1 day. So I’m kinda seeing fear for what it is: lack of confidence. If I know I can figure it out, that there is someone out there who can help me, and that someone else has done a similar thing (so I can too) — I have no fear. But when I shut myself into a corner and turn off all the lights, I think that’s all there is and become smaller and expect less. That’s not a good place to be. Not for long.

It’s raining here again, but the intensity is lighter than it was in February. The grasses are growing high and green, the wildflowers are beginning to poke up through the grass. Yesterday, the skies were the deepest shade of blue with bright white clouds streaking across the hills. Today it’s cloudy and showering. Spring!

Here’s a song I composed and recorded yesterday relating to Spring in my backyard:

I have an acupuncturist who is into Qi-Gong and uses modified gym equipment to put his clients into passive yoga poses (using ankle weights and heavy pads) before and during his acupuncture session. It’s really crazy, and of course, being unconventional, I love it! It works well to stretch the body in specific ways (along the meridians he wants to fine tune) and he’s been telling me about the 7 Levels of the Buddha and other cool stuff while he’s treating me. Nice guy.

And the stuff we’re talking about dovetails nicely with the books I’m studying:

• “The Secret” – Rhonda Byrne
• “The Science of Getting Rich” – Wallace Wattles
• “The Master Key System” – Charles Haanel

So check this out. We know that thoughts are powerful things. Whatever we think about exists in our mind (obviously) and also attracts things like it to us.

Positive thoughts attract positive people, things, resources.
Negative thoughts attract negative stuff.

To get what you want, you have to be grateful for what you already have. You have to say “Thank You” for being alive, for being able to walk (if you can), for breathing another day, etc. The act of gratitude connects us with everything else. It’s a way of downplaying the ego, essentially saying “Hey. I know that I’m not the cause of everything. I didn’t make the universe. But I’m part of it. And I’m glad to be here.”

My studies have brought me back to why things happen and how I can affect the outcome.

• Thought
• Intention
• Focus
• Gratitude
• Faith (aka Confidence)
• Right Action (doing your best work in everything you do)

What kills it? FEAR. So I get it. I could step backwards into my dark corner, turn off the lights, and stop moving, wondering why I feel so bad. Or I can do my work in a way that helps others feel better (creatively not competitively), keeping the vision of what I want clear in my mind, feeling grateful for what I already have, and knowing that I’m on my way to seeing my vision come into my world.

Looking back, I got to where I am now by taking steps I wanted to take, even though at times they seemed to lead to nowhere at least immediately. I gave up opportunities to make a consistent income (working for a Mac repair clinic) and opted to help people use their Macs as a consultant (paid only when I worked = less money per week). The connections I made did not immediately lead to a higher-paying job that I loved. But remaining happy doing what I did (helping people) and not being tied down to a job I hated exposed me to a person who introduced me to a friend who needed someone to help him figure out a new computer system… Which lead to a higher-paying job that I enjoyed without needing to prove my credentials in the usual sense.

Stay flexible. Work on the things that bring you joy. Keep your vision in mind at all times. Be grateful for what you have. And be confident that you’re on the right path.

There will always be a need for bringing people health and pleasure, regardless of the available money supply. People are attracted to us for a reason. And when we do our best, we feel good, they feel good, and the stuff that we’re all made of vibrates a little faster. I think that’s a good way to live, don’t you?