Dustin Ahkuoi

This picture is not very clear because my friend who put it online posted a really small version of it. I have blown it up a little just so I could show the world some college Halloween memories. I am in the center of the picture wearing a pink dress, red pantyhose, heels and cream fur coat. For some reason I have dressed up as a woman 4 or 5 times over the course of my Halloween history : ) – Enjoy this blurry photo…

I love to see the process behind a creative endeavour. I often hear a beautiful song and get overwhelmed (in a good way) by the finished product. It is nice to see an artist’s conception of their idea and the journey that they take from turning a single melody or thought into a completed work. Which brings me to the topic of this post…

About a month ago I posted the short film “Awake O’Sleeper”created by my good friends at Whitestone Motion Pictures. It is a visually stunning piece set to a powerful piece of music. Now the creative gurus at Whitestone have posted a behind the scenes look at the making of this film. Enjoy…

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/2103572]

You can check it out in HD here.

Finances often prohibit me from taking off on a weekend getaway to Italy, Hawaii or Spain…so I try to find what i call “simple” places to take a deep breath and relax. Here are a few of my current and past local places that I love to hang out at and unwind:

1) Flying Biscuit Cafe

Cool little eating place with two locations in Atlanta. Miriam and I love going to the one in Midtown. The place is almost always packed with a great mix of people. The food is great and the atmosphere is just what i like…laid back and homegrown. During the summer and spring they often open the windows and I love to sit there with my bride, eat some great food, feel the breeze and watch the people go by.

2) Franklin Street

Located in Chapel Hill, NC at the heart of UNC’s campus…Franklin St is a small strip of various coffee houses, stores and restaurants. It is made up of an eclectic mix of mom and pop eateries and locally owned shops that carry unique gifts etc. There is not one place on this street that I am pointing out because it the entire strip as a whole is what makes it special to me. If I am feeling a little overwhelmed or stressed…just give me Franklin St on a spring or fall day and I’m good.

3) Brick Store

Nothing much to look at on the inside…but the atmosphere is great. Located in the very cool downtown area of Decatur, GA. Great place to meet friends and conversate. Downtown Decatur as a whole has some really great restaurants and coffee shops. Occasionally they have festivals with booths, music and activities for kids. Highly recommend spending a Friday or Saturday night at the Brick Store!

4) Tallulah Gorge

Miriam and I discovered this beautiful place online one weekend and decided to make the trek up north to check it out. We were pleasantly surprised! Tallulah Gorge is two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep. Visitors can hike rim trails to several overlooks, or they can obtain a free permit to hike down to the gorge floor. A suspension bridge sways 80 feet above the rocky bottom, providing spectacular views of the river and waterfalls. Not only is it georgeous but it is FREE to visit. All you have to pay is for a little gas and a cheap parking ticket. Breathtaking views+FREE= Excellent way to spend a Saturday!

I haven’t done one of these in quite a while…but today I am coming back to the series that I began last month highlighting the creative people that are in my family. My three previous posts were about my Aunt Lavonne – My Grandpa John and lastly my Dad

Today I will tell you about my Beautiful Aunt Naomi

(Portrait above done by my Aunt Lavonne)

Naomi is a Child of God. A loving mother. A Poet. A channel of the Fathers love. Throughout my teenage years until now Naomi has been an encouragement and inspiration to me. She translates her thoughts and what is in her spirit into beautiful words that take you to places of light and love. When I read the line in the Lords prayer…”Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven – I believe that Naomi’s writing bridges the gap between those two realities. She is a connector…she is constantly sending us updates on our family members to make sure that we stay united despite the physical miles that separate us. She has been a safe place to share my thoughts and my heart over the years.

Recently she shared a very personal vision that she has given me permission to share. It was a dream that really spoke to my heart…

For anybody who wants to be part of something great, something bigger than themselves, something that will change history…it seems to me that much of the journey to that place would not qualify as “The Glamorous Life”

I see people who have accomplished their dreams and it is easy for me to say…”man they sure are lucky” – It is also easy to try and conjure up ways to get where they are by taking the shortest route possible. I was having a conversation last night with a friend of mine who is a filmmaker/storyteller. He has been working hard at his craft for ten years and he said that out of the two hundred or so films he has made…he would probably be proud to show you about 8 of them. So…that’s a couple hundred projects that were a waste of time right? Absolutely not. They were endeavors that shaped him as a director…and much of his time was spent in obscurity and in very non glamorous places. All of the people in his film crew volunteer their time to make these projects. They WANT to there because they love what they do, and they desire to be a part of something great. I watch his films and say…“I wanna do something inspiring like that” – but the question I must ask myself is am I willing to make the sacrifice that it takes to be a part of something that is bigger than I am…something that will make impact long after I am gone from this earth.

I wish somebody would write a book called “You don’t want to read this book” – filled with lessons that were learned the hard way – successes that were earned with blood sweat and tears plus personal sacrifice –  filled with world changing companies and organizations that took 20-50 years to truly become great – filled with people who have had to stand alone with people laughing at their outlandish ideas – filled with visions and dreams from ordinary people like you and i…that did not truly blossom into the until after the dreamers were long gone.

Just in case you forgot that he was one of the best entertainers to ever live…

Several years ago Jack Mcentee (Someone I admire and respect greatly) challenged me to write down exactly what I was all about…what makes me tick…what my passions were…my sweet spots. He basically said to write it down on several pages and then reduce those several pages to one page…then to one paragraph…and then down to a few words. So…4 years later I am finally making an attempt at this seemingly impossible task. Here goes…

Music. Laughter. Mercy. Listening. Encouragement.

Whew! This was extremely challenging for a long winded, emotional, dreaming creative artist type!This felt constricting and unnecessary at first. But the reason I pressed on with completing this was for a couple of reasons…

1)There are SO MANY options to choose from out in the world of career and calling. This helps me have a better understanding of what I want to do and what I probably shouldn’t do. However…I actually had to do a couple things that were not totally me to figure this out. It is rare that I meet someone who knows this already without actually stepping out and just DOING things. 

2) This helps me keep life in perspective. Regardless if I am working in an office, a warehouse or in the fields…Regardless if I am doing a job that is not my passion or if I am at my dream job…these few things remind me of who I am. They help me be the best version of myself instead of a watered down model that is running down trails that are not marked for me. They help me be content in my circumstances…because no matter where I am…no matter what job I can ALWAYS do these things…they cannot be taken away from me.

Hopefully this encourages you to be you. The funny thing that I have noticed about this list is that most of these things are things that I have been doing since I was a child.

About a week ago several folks who are part the 12Stone worship band gathered together after playing their hearts out at Wednesday night worship practice. As they were hanging out in the “green room” they all of a sudden began to break out into spontaneous expressions of joy and jubilation. The following video is a result of sleepiness, delirium and a little bit of good ole fashion FUN!

Ladies and gentleman…I give you the “12Stone After Party” starring  Nathan “Pork Chop” Cooley, Rudy “Curly Fry” Vaughn, Dustin “Coffee Pot” Ahkuoi, Kendrick “Fancy Feet” Anderson, Nick “Bing Bang Broom” Kirk, Miriam “Stomp the Yard” Ahkuoi, Shane “Flava Flav” Hulsey, Emerson “Buck Buck” St Pierre and featuring the one and only Chris “C-Mo” Morgan AKA MC Clergy Rock!!!! 

ENJOY….

Found this on Vimeo – short piece directed and animated by Magnus Engsfors, shot by Martin Nordqvist. A short movie illustrating the moment of total mental collapse due to very difficult personal circumstances. The Imagery is incredible and captivating. Enjoy!

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/1668653]

I was reading a friends blog post today and it coincided with some thoughts I have been processing lately.

I have a tendency to compare. I compare my body, my salary, my titles, my stuff and so forth. I look at where I am in life compared to where someone else is my age…and if they happen to be ”way ahead” of me as far as chasing dreams and living out their calling…I analyze why and find myself getting down and frustrated.

Comparison is a KILLER for my heart and soul. It stops me from enjoying WHERE I am and WHO it is I am becoming. It makes me focus more on WHAT I do and how OTHERS perceive me. Comparison also takes my eyes off of the kindness of God. In my attempts to “make things happen” I am doing nothing more than turning a wonderful unfolding story of love into a cheap, poorly written paragraph of my own.