ASTRONAUTS on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
//22
//fifty-two weeks of design
Owl City, Sky Sailing, Adam Young — whatever you want to call him, you either love him, or love to hate him. He seriously contains the capacity to transport people into different worlds inside their own imaginations. In the song “Angel” off his latest album, All Things Bright and Beautiful, Adam explores the ideas of angels and space exploration.
I had the song stuck in my head for three days straight, and I couldn’t figure out why; honestly, I still don’t really know why. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I always had an extreme fascination with space, stars, and planets. Maybe I enjoyed the usage of uncommon words, such as “frivolous,” in his song. Or maybe I just thought the song was a catchy jingle.
Whatever it was, it made me think, it made me explore the deepest parts of my imagination, and it made me smile.
And, oh, for what it’s worth, I also believe there are beautiful things seen by the astronauts.
(Photo Credit)
YOU (by Andre Bohrer)
//21
//fifty-two weeks of design
I think this week’s design speaks for itself.
The photograph was taken in the beautiful town of DeLand during their annual Christmas parade. Families gathered around. Friends chased each other in the grass. Little kids stood in awe with all the flashing lights. It was beautiful.
While I was attempting to figure out what message this design would attempt to convey, I was stuck. I spent close to an hour solely changing the text around.
Then, I saw Tin Tin.
It certainly changed things — quite a bit. There was specifically this one quote I couldn’t get out of my head. It was directed at Tin Tin when he was determined that he had failed.
Failed. There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. A hopeless souse. Don’t you ever say it of yourself. You send out the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. Don’t you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There’s something you need to know about failure, Tintin. You can never let it defeat you.
So listen here: You are not a failure. The things you once did do not have to define who you are now, or who you can become. No matter what your age, you contain the power to change this generation — the future of this world. Don’t let people discourage you. If you need someone to believe in you, I believe in you. Now stop settling for the common in your life. Stop watching, and start doing. God has a wild imagination, and he wants you to be a part of it. Don’t let words, things, or people stop you from what you were always created to do — it’s in your DNA.
MAINTAINING FOCUS (by Andre Bohrer)
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//fifty-two weeks of design
To continue, or supplement, my previous design, and its meaning, I present to you the continuation of my attempt to focalize the essence of the things I am experiencing, and how I can better manage them.
In this contextualization of a command I cannot forget, I’m faced with the reminder of the word focus. It’s difficult for me, you see, to remember why I ultimately do the things I do. Being completely honest with you here, today I saw someone who’s graduating around the same time I am (March/2012), and he had a bunch of jobs lined up for him around the world; I wanted that, in that moment. I found out I got another IMDB credit, and it really made my day; I really enjoyed that, in that moment. I have no certain plans of anything after I leave school in three months; I’m afraid of that, in this moment.
But the reality is this: I’m not focused on my ultimate goal. Which, ultimately, isn’t even my goal, per say. I’m at this life to make a difference, and reflect unto this world the beauty I see in Christ; that’s why I do what I do. That’s why I love the power of filmmaking, because you can convey a feeling, an expression, and a story in a way that’s not dogmatic. Beyond the cliché of what the modernization of Christian films are perceived to be, I want to change this industry, and create films that impact a generation. I want to create films that, albeit not blatantly obvious in terms of dialogue, reach a deep, spiritual core that I believe every individual possesses.
However, for me to attain all these goals, I must maintain my focus on the one who will capacitate me with this strength, and constantly remember that all these things that my fellow graduates are seeking, isn’t necessarily the same things I should be seeking. I don’t want to be in this for the money, the fame, or even for the sake of just creating art. I want to be inspiring, be changing, and be impacting in a way that people don’t even remember who I am, but they remember the great “I AM.”
I know I said a lot here, and I suspect that there are people who probably rolled their eyes once or twice, but in the off-chance that you ever want to have a conversation about anything said, about a curiosity that may have sparked, or just about anything in general, please just email me at andrebohrer@gmail.com.
I love you guys very much. Even the ones I haven’t even met.
Thank you for reading.
Source: Flickr / mrandre36
SCATTERED THOUGHTS (by Andre Bohrer)
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//fifty-two weeks of design
As per usual, this week’s design is a mirrored reflection of my life’s condition.
I’ve (somehow) had a lot of time to think about (quite) a bit. Everything from the deep spiritual necessities of life, to the motives behind characters of stories, to the complex workings of cinematographic engineering, to attempting to figure out the complexities of my own self.
But they’ve all been scattered thoughts. I’ve been writing less and less frequently as of late, and that hasn’t aided my disperse mind one single bit. Today — while creating this design — everything felt soothing, albeit anxious at times because of indecisiveness. I channeled all this creative buildup into something, and, by exercising these desires, it turned into an enjoyable process.
Maybe that’s what I need to do more often: channel my emotions into the right places (because Lord knows that comfort food won’t ever permanently help anyone in times of despair). As I deepen in learning the life God wants me to live, and how He wants to restore all people back to him, I begin to take on this new mindset. And it’s when I’m in that new mindset time and time again, that everything falls into place.
So, as I continue to trek this continuous journey, I’d like to invite you all to stand beside me; to continually pursue the significant things in life, and to not settle with the mediocre; to channel all your beautiful thoughts into something that changes this world.
A very merry Christmas to all.
Source: Flickr / mrandre36
OPEN YOUR EYES (by Andre Bohrer)
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//fifty-two weeks of design
There’s an interesting story behind this week’s design.
The original wasn’t supposed to say what this one says. The original message said: “Open your eyes, see the signs, everywhere,” and it was inspired by nothing short of an encounter with God.
I was in desperation yesterday. I had to make a decision — talk to someone, actually — and I couldn’t muster the courage to do it. I came across a Facebook post from The Afters, and the third comment there was Isaiah 41:13, which says: “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Seeing that, I was encouraged. I mean, who wouldn’t be, right? Well, it still wasn’t enough.
By this point I pretty much told myself I was going to leave the talking for another day. That’s when I came across another blog (which I can’t find right now), but it was basically a bunch of inspirational sayings.
As if that wasn’t enough, I’m pretty sure I found something in my room that was like “do something now.”
The point of this all is to show you how I was avoiding all the signs. I was avoiding everything God was trying to show me, and I was trying to convince myself of my own plans. But how glorious was it when I took that leap of faith and actually just talked. It didn’t sting, or hurt, and it left me at peace.
So, readers of this message, don’t ignore what’s right in front of you. If you feel an overwhelming spirit of needing to get something accomplished, do it. Open your eyes, to everything right in front of you.
And, to compliment the design, open your eyes to the dawn of a new day. New things are to come, all you have to do is be open to them.
(photo credit one; photo credit two: self; photo credit three)
SET A FIRE (by Andre Bohrer)
//12
//fifty-two weeks of design
I know I’ve been slacking on keeping up with these weekly designs, but here’s one for you guys. Yet another artwork inspired by United Pursuit Band. As you can tell, their lyrics and their music speak very deeply to me.
I’m not sure there’s much even to say about this except that my earnest desire is the exact melody of this song: “Set a fire down in my soul, that I can’t contain, that I can’t control. ‘Cause I want more of you God. I want more of you God.”
Set this as your desktop?
TIME IS OF NO IMPORTANCE (by Andre Bohrer)
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//fifty-two weeks of design
I was debating uploading this or not. It’s a shot I got with my 50mm lens (reverse macro) of this cool watch that I found at this abandoned ranch. I’m not even sure if I agree with the quote, but the words matched the gritty, leftover look of the watch.
Source: Flickr / typoatelier
