BE360 E-Workbook Introduction_Stephen Ang

How would you illustrate your journey?

1. In An Unspoken Voice, Peter Levine
2. Man's Search For Meaning, Victor Frankl
3. How Art Made The World, Nigel Spivey
4. Handbook to Higher Consciousness, Ken Keyes Jr.
5. Quadrivium, classical liberal arts of Number, Geometry, Music + Cosmology
6. The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz
7. Wired to Create, Scott Barry Kaufman + Carolyn Gregoire
8. Happy Money - Ken Honda

• HeartMath.org -...

The Garden of Smooth D

July 2020 begins a new chapter for the Bucks County YMCA. “Operation Compassion” is a new donor-funded program that is providing assistance to the YMCA Bucks County, Pennsylvania members, participants and staff who need support.

In 2015, my wife and I with the support of dear friends created a garden in memory of my sister, Denise. We created a living sculpture that constructively...

My last post was about styling tea and what is in tea, how could I resist tea cups.

What is so effective about this photo is how it shows a charming pattern then gives it a modern twist. Not something that happens often in the world of traditional tea cups. The dress with its cut and color are up to date (making a great background as well). Even the way the cup is held with no saucer, is modern. I love the shape of...

Red ticking in linen tied cases

Looking into the pillows goes against styling tradition, but it shows the most important features of the pillow and the case. Also, the lifestyle elements of the old wooden stool and the distressed gray wood wall give the pillow shapes a place to be. A great focal point are the vertical lines of the background and the horizontal lines of the ticking. These beautiful...

You have to love those close up shots. How much can you say with only 6 inches of fabric? This photo explains so much about this product, even if you haven’t heard of Barbour, you can glean a lot about who they are from this image.

• Water conveys its outdoor wear and water-resistant

• The brown zippers and forest green fabric says Menswear

• The Campbell tartan lining expresses traditional

• The even...

The beautiful graphic quality of the Tazo tea label photos are inspiring. I’m sure you have noticed that clean graphic elements are the hot new trend. Check out how Tazo did it with natural elements.

The baked Cinnamon apple is my favorite. The sticks turned on its end is a new and different way to show it. The curvilinear lines compliment the roundness of the apple. Isn’t the apple wonderful? Sliced like this, lets...

In 2018, I began my journey traveling from the Chaoyang District to Badaling, northwest of Beijing in Yanqing County and in 2019 from the 798 Art District to Mutianyu.

My first sight of the great wall was the serpentine outlined mountain ridges, 1000 - 2000 m (3,200 - 6,600 ft). As I walked or shall I say climbed the wall, I was speechless with its magnanimity and weathered stone walls, towers and steps.

The various sections of...

We arrived at the summit to find bright sun, brisk air and solitude. My wife and I slowly (less oxygen) and carefully observed years of greenery that grows inches in the adverse weather conditions. The air is windy and always invigorating. As you can see, the summer season has ice at the summit, while 90 degree weather shines below at 5,280 ft.

We were tucked away in a secluded area near Milner Pass where we sat quietly observing...

Stephen and I are two professional creatives with diverse experiences who are preoccupied/influenced by brilliant ideas (window displays to astronomy) and refined imagery (master drawings to fiber art). I am in love or as Stephen would say ”have a proclivity for” clever, imaginative, simple ideas when it manages to be atypical – very rare by the way.

A single apple on an ordinary table – simple but...

What is it about this photo that is so so good? True you can’t see the whole product, but you want to, don’t you?

The hand lets the customer understand the size and thickness of the knit. This close crop really lets us focus on the texture Just looking at the gray sweater we can see that the knit is horizontal on the body and vertical on the sleeve, a very interesting feature that might not show as well if we were farther away. The...

An object, person, environment, etc that is most dominant in my field of vision has a tendency to either direct, disorient or diffuse what I can and want to see and influence my choices. Can I honestly make decisions and communicate to myself and others if I cannot clearly perceive and express what I experience? Of course I can, but with slight resistance, diffusion and internal debate.

I have recently discovered our real intention...

Every morning, I would search for a nutritious breakfast in the Chaoyang District and the local cooks would stand on the corner, hand roll and steam their dumplings in five minutes. When it was time to order food, I pointed to the last customer’s bag of dumplings, give them The ten Yuan, and leave with a thank you and a pair of chopsticks.

Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival is held annually on the...

One of my favorite days was exploring the winding unnamed streets and alleys of the Changdian Hutong. It was challenging walking leisurely with the scooters, bicycles and cars weaving between each pedestrian. The Hutongs 10 ft. walk/driveway have their own rules and rhythm, and it’s not on the downbeat. After visiting several artist studios, I found one gentleman quietly practicing his calligraphic...

Zhujiajiao – An ancient water town situated north of center city Shanghai between lakes and mountains, known as Shanghai’s Venice. I slowly walked under the shade of the trees to hide from the harsh summer. The stone arch of the Huimin bridge from the Ming and Qing Dynasty, 1368-1911 was a path from quaint stores to humble homes.

Locals wash their clothes and kitchen wares as boatman pass by in a meditative rocking...

Yu yuan Garden ‘Garden of Contentment’ was built and completed in 1577 by Pan Yunduan, an officer of finance during the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644. He created the garden for his parents to enjoy the later part of their life. A tradition extant in current Chinese culture – to respect your elders and care for your parents. The temple was constructed in the Song Dynasty (960-1279...

I had the opportunity to be visiting professor/artist for the summer of 2016 and found the SIA staff, faculty and students generous, respectful and inspirational. Here is a video of my thoughts and inspirations: goo.gl/yfQGQU

The Chinese text within the video describes the rich culture I experienced and how much I learned from the students.

On the East coast of the U.S., I am surrounded by deciduous trees, ocean and rock formations at waters edge. I am fascinated by the quality and textures created by the light and find natures elements inspiring and meditative. When the calligraphic branches move in the wind, sometimes the leaves change their inherent hue and blend seamlessly with the sky. Of course, this visual dance occurs while blinking and quietly...

According to the book “Wired to Create” [1]there are 3 main “super factors” that are correlated with creativity: plasticity (openness to new experiences and drive for exploration), divergence (non-conformist mind-set and independent thinking, and convergence (conscientious, sensitive and persistent).

When I am confronted with a strange environment, unusual challenge or difficult person, I tend to defer to past modes of thought,...