Tag: Success

Film Journey

Moving Pictures

Grand Providentia United

A sudden flash of bright flame and then a slow burn – that’s the way I’ve perceived events to be unfolding over the past four decades while pursuing my life’s higher purpose. Sometimes it appears to me that patience and perseverance are the only character assets I possess, especially during slow burn seasons. In slow times, when it feels as though my will to press forward is being nullified by circumstances and situations which are seemingly beyond my control, I know from experience that it’s time for me to turn inward. I turn my perspective within for a while to touch base with my mind, body and spirit. By taking an honest look at my motivations and desires – by appraising the level of self-esteem I have in the current moment – by making sure that I’m not feeling superior or inferior to anyone else, but instead just being my truest self – I can usually conclude whether I’m off on a tangent or still on the right path. And when, eventually, I turn the focus outward again, I find that there never really was an impediment, and that the only thing that was slowing down the fire had been my own self-defeating thoughts and actions. Then, right on cue, there’s another flash and the life-force burns brightly once more.

These past three months in Saint Petersburg have been a whole new level of slow burn, but in an entirely positive way. If you’re a new reader on this blog, you may not know that three months ago, just as I was just starting out on a cross-country road trip, I was involved in a car accident that relieved me of my only vehicle. My dear daughter Victoria picked me up on the east coast of Florida and transported me to the west coast. I’ve been holed up in Mike Elwell’s warehouse studio ever since that fateful day. It has been an absolute blessing being here near my son Christopher and all his friends. We’ve all shared some great quality-time together. Chris and I even managed to work together (creatively) on a couple of projects. But now it’s time to be moving along. I’ve procured a new ride and I’m preparing to depart St. Pete, probably next Wednesday morning. There are still a few things that I need to accomplish before I get back on the road. Hopefully that road takes me back to Hope during late June and all of July this summer. I am intent on making the “Florida to Maine Expedition to Gather Film Content” a reality. The trip will be as low cost as I can make it. I’ll be sleeping in the van most nights or pitching a tent, while also relying on friends and relatives for an occasional civilized (indoor) sleepover. Some of you may know that I have secured the funds for tuition at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I will be entering the Graduate Film and Television program as a Fellow to the college this fall. The fellowship award was one of only two offered to graduate students each year. It will pay for half of the tuition and federal student loans will pay the other half. Rather than going back to Savannah now, to rent a room and pay board throughout the summer, I am planning to spend June and July on the road, gathering documentary film content (mostly in Hope, RI). From the road, I intend to secure a room in Savannah via the internet, preferably for August 1, and return south during late summer to get ready for classes. This transition I’m now making between fine art and film has been a long time coming. I started dreaming about a career in the movie industry well before I left Rhode Island in 1996. In fact, that was the whole point of moving our young family to Florida to attend the Ringling College of Art and Design. Pamela and I decided that I should pursue a BFA in computer animation and then I could make a lateral move into prop design or animatronics where I could put my sculpting skills to good use in show business. In the now, I’ve set my intentions on becoming an independent filmmaker. I am to become a writer, director and producer of surreal documentary films, the most elaborate of which, will be a factual documentary on the creation and installation of Grand Providentia Projections around the world. There will be a fictional version of the story produced simultaneously. The two stories will run parallel, merging plotlines and characters until the audience is unsure what is actually happening in the real world. It may seem like I just released the ultimate spoiler for this surreal documentary, but I can assure you that if it is done with the right amount of filmmaking finesse, the intrigue will only be enhanced if the audience knows that it is on them to figure out what is real and what is movie magic. That’s just one of the beautiful things about making pictures move.

Still frame from “Return to Hope” If you haven’t already seen it, please do. If you have seen it, please return for another trip to Hope. Just scroll down a few journal entries and you’ll find a link to the Grand Providentia Projection -YouTube channel.

My first film, titled “Return to Hope” is on YouTube. I will be adding a new film during the coming weeks that is focused on the bronze sculpture featured in the film. The new patina is nearly complete (one of the finest patinas I’ve ever produced) and I’m putting together a promotional short film to show off the process and end result of the repatine. I will sell this one-of-a-kind bronze casting to pay for the road trip and help me to pay for books and living expenses at SCAD in the fall. Once I publish the promotional film, I’ll return here to announce it and leave a link.

I’m back! Introducing “Return to Hope” the bronze! Featuring time-lapse photography of twelve hours patina work, simmered down into 5 minutes of film. This is a promotional film with the intention of selling this one-of-a-kind bronze sculpture, but it is also a lot of fun to watch. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading here! I am truly grateful for your presence and for your support.

Grand Providentia Projections

The Grand Providentia Projection – Where We Now Stand… United. #2

Grand Providentia United

The following post was copied from my Facebook Profile page and pasted here on the Grand Providentia United blog.

In Transit

Transitions are as natural and integral to the human experience as are nocturnal dreams. Intuitively, I know that most of my personal transitions are happening at the same pace whether I am asleep or awake. In fact, it seems that the majority of ‘heartland’ transitions occur at night, on dreamscapes conjured by a collective subconscious mind. In the material world, physical transitions are largely a matter of logistics – we make our plans and follow through with actions to transition from one place to another. Our dreams follow. Our dreams lead. We are eternally in transit, while we are here, and when we move on.

Scott Joseph Moore

“American Dream Catcher” – Personal Dream Realization Device

Manifesting a Career in the Arts

I’ve read quite a few biographies about people from various backgrounds and professional fields of study. Because of my interest in the visual arts, most of them were written about artists. One particular artist’s biography that deeply resonated with me is Christo’s (Christo Vladimirov Javacheff – 1935–2020). Many of my friends from RI may remember him as the artist that wrapped the cliffs and beachfront in Newport, RI in 1974. That was one of his lesser-known projects. One of his biggest undertakings was in Germany, where he wrapped the Reichstag Parliment Building, in 1995. During his artistic career Christo conceived of and installed, in creative partnership with his wife Jeanne-Claude Denat, multiple large-scale projects all over the world. He funded them all with proceeds from the preproduction artwork and all of the materials (content) gathered from the concept development stages of the project. He lived a very simple and inexpensive lifestyle. As I remember, he never even owned an automobile or acquired a driving license. He was too busy creating his art.

13′ Prototype for Conscious Energy Receiver (2011)

Making a Way

I am in transition. I’m transitioning out of the hourly wage lifestyle of a blue-collar worker and into a creative career where I will rely on patrons and supporters who appreciate and add value to the artwork I create. I’ve already put enormous amounts of creative energy into the “Grand Providentia Projection”. I expect to be adding to, and compounding, those energies until I move on from this place. This is to be my masterwork in the arts.

Preproduction Phase 1 – Produce a small scale “Providentia” bronze sculpture with moving part(s), light, and possibly sound, to sell as a promotional fundraising element and to attract resources for the large-scale “Grand Providentia Projection(s)”. Limited to 50 castings (plus one AP), the tabletop edition will be 12″ tall and weigh approximately 30 pounds. The first ten of this reduced scale edition will be priced at $4,500.00. The price for the remaining 40 is likely to increase as the larger project becomes a reality. For anyone who is ready to invest in one of these works of high art, I will require a third deposit to reserve a signed and numbered bronze sculpture. Because the process to produce these sculptures has only just begun – it is currently being digitized and reduced – I estimate that the first 10 will be ready to ship in early 2024. These are exciting times and I expect the excitement to grow as the Grand Providentia Projections are made manifest.

“Providentia” – Peace

Thank you for reading here. Please consider leaving a comment (positive or negative) on this, or any other journal entry you’ll find by scrolling down. If you like what you read and see, add a tip to the jar if you’re so inclined – Donate * Contact page – or support the larger project by investing in the preproduction stages of the “Grand Providentia Projection”. Buy art for art’s sake, and support living artists!

Road Trip to Nowhere

Eventful Embarkation #3

Grand Providentia United

The Road Trip That Wasn’t Meant to Happen – Post #3

In the fog, all things are uncertain and precarious. Forms lose their edginess, while people gain it. In our efforts to extract meaningful images from a white-on-white canvas, we strain our eyes and whiten our knuckles if we’re sitting behind a wheel, and if we’re on foot, our imaginations can misconstrue a hellscape as safe passage and a clear pathway as brambles. I was feeling alert, alive and present on the morning of March 1, at 6:00 AM, as I drove warily through the dense fog blanketing Okeechobee County well before the sun could burn its way through. The interior of Florida is notorious for dangerous highways that slice across the state from the west coast to the east at regular intervals up and down the American mega-peninsula. I had nearly completed the turn-off from one of those highways when disaster struck. A nano-second of horn blare, screeching tires and the crashing sounds of metal and glass reconstructing each other, and then I was spinning. I became a moving part on the inside of a much larger moving part (the Honda Accord). A three-quarter turn and then a complete stop. Car still running, lights still slashing at the fog, I unbuckled and disembarked. The dazed walk I took to the other side of the vehicle gave me all the visual information I needed to conclude that my road trip was over, at least for today. After hurling a couple of profanities at the passive whiteness, I came to my senses and walked away from the crippled hulk. My next thought was for the occupant(s) of the other vehicle. With prayers and fears overflowing, I approached the driver’s door. And that was when extreme gratitude made its reappearance on the scene. One occupant, and although she wasn’t speaking, I could see that she wasn’t critically injured or unconscious. Cars are disposable, people are not.

According to fond memories, I enjoyed driving this Accord.

Two days earlier, on Monday afternoon, I left Savannah for the second time during the month of February. I had decided days before to consider the first trip a trial run; a learning experience for the real “Cross Country Expedition to Gather Film Content”. I’d also decided to scale back the distance covered. Instead of driving from Mile Marker 0 on Key West to the farthest reaches of Alaska, I opted for the farthest northwest point in the contiguous USA, which is Cape Flattery, WA. By the time I finished sorting through and selectively packing everything I could think of for the trip and recording the following video, it was already past 2:00 PM. I drove away from storage locker 88 and headed south.

The official start of the “Grand Providentia Projection” is now! Join us for “A True Story, as Yet Unfolding…”

I left the storage locker and Savannah late in the day. I couldn’t imagine hurrying toward Sanford, Florida and the American Bronze Foundry because that was 5 hours away and would be closed by the time I arrived. I decided to head south and take an easterly detour to the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a coastal preserve and it is where I had previously filmed a few scenes for “Return to Hope”. I was not disappointed by my intuitive side trip. It was wonderful afternoon weatherwise, and the refuge was nearly deserted. I ate dinner by the water as the sun set and then I set forth. Spirit untethered.

“Speak to Us” Live Oak, living in the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Remember – all photos are available as gifts for a $20 donation to the cause. I will email a high-quality image, which you can then print to your specs.
“Infrastructure Undone” The Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge was established by the U.S. Fish and Game Commission on an abandoned military airfield in McIntosh County, GA. Apparently, when we’re all done with the fighting, we sometimes go fishing.
“Thistle” One of the most beautiful weeds I’ve ever seen… or heard.

By the time I hit the onramp for I-95 South it was getting dark. I drove for a couple of hours before turning into a rest stop for a dinner out-of-the-trunk and a pre-bedtime brush and splash out-of-the-sink. As uncomfortable as the passenger seat was for sleeping, I was feeling extraordinarily blessed by the freedom to make my own choices and set my own pace. In the morning, I drove off as the sun was revealed by a horizon in perpetual motion. Next stop, American Bronze Foundry in Sanford, Florida. But along the way, off of historic Route1, I followed signs to a town named Lincolnville. That is where I captured the last good photo of my home away from no-home, the cranberry Honda I choose to call Accord.

“Cutting the Accord” Take note of the signage.
“American Bronze Foundry” My foundry of choice since leaving Bronzart (Sarasota) in 2008.

After a short meeting with Charlie (Charles Wambold III) to drop off the model and discuss a bare-bones version of my hopes and dreams concerning the “Grand Providentia Projection”, I drove off in the direction of Key West. Timing is everything when you are preparing to drive through Miami, so I fully expected to stop and sleep again before getting to the keys. Another sidetrack to Mullet Lake Park in Seminole County and then I would dine, and squirm through the night in the cramped bucket seat of Accord.

“Mullet Lake Park”

I didn’t see any mullets, in the water or on people’s heads, but I did enjoy a nice lunch by the water, while being entertained by an airboat pilot showing off his fancy fan skills.

I’ve never been skilled at predicting the future, even when the future is as close as the following morning, but if I had that skillset, I’m sure I would have lingered longer at the rest stop waiting for the fog to lift before resuming the drive south. In a single moment, all things can change. I love change, though, because it enhances our flexibility and expands our ability to accept the way things are in the now.

Return tomorrow for a report on where I’m at and where I’m planning to go from here. Thank you for reading this Grand Providentia United journal entry! Please feel free to stay awhile, scroll down, scroll back up, and read until you yawn. Good night, good people!

Awakening

Let it Flow, let it Flow, let it Flow…

Grand Providentia United

While cooking eggs this morning, I was blindsided by a sudden and glaring self-awareness. A passing thought brought with it an unavoidable wake-up call. It was a thought that screamed ‘You are living your life like a fugitive! Stop this immediately!’. My shaking hand nearly dropped the spatula fully loaded with hash browns. I wanted to protest, but I knew I was toast. In truth, I knew that I was beyond toast. I was a burned piece of stale bread in the trash. There was no defense to offer. The case had closed as soon as it was opened. In a vision that can’t be unseen, its clarity eternally sharp, I stared with horror at the current state of my existence. I’ve been absolutely living like a fugitive, and this behavior absolutely needs to stop!

“What are you lookin’ at, Eggs!”

Let the banners be raised, and all in favor of stopping unhealthy behavior, say EYE! And how do I know that this fugitive mentality is unhealthy? Because it limits the totality of the man that I refer to as me. It curtails my inborn ability to present to the world the best of who I am and what I have to offer. If I choose to remain hidden, it is unlikely that I will be found, even by my own sense of purpose. And why, you might ask, have I been living like a fugitive? You may as well pose this question to the eggs I was cooking, because I can’t see reason, although I have been looking. You recommend I seek counsel, to evaluate my self-appraisal. Well, I say, it’s as plain as day that I’ve been hiding away, and the only solution is to adopt a resolution to put aside my pride and walk outside.

“This Terra is Not So Firma”

Now walking. Now learning. Now growing. With a farm-fresh perspective, hard won through the many misguided adventures of an explorer without eyesight, I’ve arrived at the understanding that I’ve done nothing wrong. At least not wrong enough to continue living this life like a fugitive.

Thank you, readers, for returning again and again to read this True Story as it unfolds…

Patrons and Supporters

Fundraiser for “Return to Hope” #2

Grand Providentia United

Urgent Call for Support! – Post #2

In this, the second of three posts dedicated to this call for support, I’ll introduce you to the Personal Dream Realization Device, also known as the American Dream Catcher medallion. I designed, sculpted, molded and cast the first run of PDRDs back in 2010. The medallions were designed and created to be an integral part of the American Dream Catcher Initiative. The focus of this initiative was the “American Dream Catcher” bronze sculpture, which has since evolved into “Providentia – A Harmonic Dream Conservatory” (See image below). This 42″, 100-pound bronze sculpture was intended from the start, to be a small-scale model for multiple monumental size pieces. Each of these large-scale bronzes would be collaboratively produced at 16′ tall and installed around the globe, as focal points to receive and transmit the positive conscious intentions of the collective human race. During concept development discussions at S.M.art Castings & Sculpture Services, we often referred to these sculpture installations as being like acupunctural therapy on the planet Earth. What I refer to today, as the “Grand Providentia Projection” has its roots in the fertile spiritual and intellectual soil of the American Dream Catcher Initiative. For those readers who’d like a more comprehensive history of the American Dream Catcher and how it evolved into Providentia, I can point you toward my Facebook page. During the 365 days of 2021, I wrote a post each and every day; I called it Perspective Collective 365. It was the first time I have ever completely followed through on a New Year’s resolution in this lifetime. If you’re willing to take the time to scroll down through the posts, all the way back to 5/26/21, you’ll see the first post of “The Evolution of Providentia”. The story spans 79 posts, from May through August 10, and then nine more posts during the first nine days of November. Even if you don’t care to read the posts, I’d be greatly honored if you’d send me a friend request! https://www.facebook.com/scottjoseph.moore

The American Dream Catcher (Left) is now “Providentia”

Now, moving on to the Personal Dream Realization Device, aka – the American Dream Catcher medallion.

The American Dream Catcher – Personal Dream Realization Device

Here’s how they work: If you happen to have any intentions, goals or dreams that are worth pursuing, then a PDRD can be a valuable tool to have in your pocket or on your desktop! Whenever you are making a decision that might be critical to the manifestation of those intentions, goals and dreams, simply focus on the medallion and let your intuition guide you in the right direction. At the center of the PDRD is a stylized representation of a human figure with arms upraised. The golden orb is representative of our consciousness and our ability to manifest our dreams. The black and white orbs on either shoulder are there to remind you that your decisions, and the actions you take based on those decisions, are the deciding factors in bringing you closer to, or further from, your goals and dreams. If you happen to be a positive person and you’re seeking what you consider to be positive goals, then gauge each decision based on how much closer it will bring you toward the white orb. If you are a negative person and you’re seeking to dominate others or destroy the world, then you should gauge those decisions on how much closer they’ll bring you to absolute blackness (the other orb). The orbs on either shoulder do not necessarily represent right or wrong, or good or bad, but they can represent those values if you decide that they should. Personally, I’ve chosen to designate the white orb as being pure positivity, and each decision that I make which moves me in that direction, will bring the best results for all those who may be affected by that decision. A Personal Dream Realization Device can be a powerful meditative tool, acting as a focal point in the manifestation of all your deepest dreams and desires.

Get your PDRD today! For details see the last journal entry (below) here on the Grand Providentia United blogsite.

In my next post, I’ll present the case on why I think you should claim one of these medallions, and furthermore, why you should share your hard-earned money with this cause. Right now, I just want to thank you for reading this post and for sharing some of your attention here!