Mateo (Robert) - Very Busy's photostream  

Update January 02, 2012

There comes a time when ones story becomes a narrative of the path that one has taken through life and an affirmation that we are connected to each other in ways that we cannot fathom or deny.

We are all born with potential, native abilities, unique perspectives as well as nerve endings, a need for basic resources and the expectation that all children have that the adults in their lives will nurture them and provide them with an even playing field so that each child has the same chance achieve or fail as he will. It is the idea of the 'even playing field' of a 'fair start' that was dumped when the generation that elected Ronald Reagan decided to free corporate entities to re-write our social contract.

If we truly believe that the life of each child is sacred then we will treat each child's potential as sacred and provide that child with everything he or she needs to become a full member of our increasingly complex culture.

When I describe painful memories or create an image that is part of a painful episode in my life it is because I believe that those of us who have survived extraordinary hardships must articulate that experience in order to ease the pain of others.

In our culture those who can not defend themselves are treated as less than human and are always considered last when we create what we call a 'budget' but what in reality is an 'allocation of resources'.

My stream is a way for me to communicate what I cannot verbalize.

When I do offer a written commentary it is to broaden the debate. Some one must be willing to describe what it feels like to be shoved to margins of rich 21st Century Nation that appears to be dominated by people that take without giving back and that brutalizes its mentally ill under the guise of 'protecting' their rights..

Mateo

Update September 20, 2011

Some of my work was selected by a team
that is marketing art on fleece blankets.
You can view the site at the url below:

www.blanketservice.com/artists/Mateo</b.

Update August 23, 2011


I believe that 90 percent of everything we read on the
Internet is filtered through our personal biases and
fears which is what happens when people are
able to send words as if in conversation but
cannot see the other person.

I do not go out my way to hurt others.

For most people, body language is an essential part of conversation.

In general, it is never productive to assume that you understand people that you never speak with directly--in fact--on the internet, making assumptions is always
illogical because none of us reads minds. If I have said or done something that you find questionable you are hereby invited to give me the same break I give everyone else.

If you must assume that you know what I'm thinking then at least err on the side of assuming that I do not want to hurt you.



When I first opened this account it was for reasons specific to Second Life and in Second Life I was known as Mateo. The account has evolved into something more and I want to use my birth name. Hence (Robert) in parentheses.

My sincere gratitude to the wonderful people on flickr and in Second Life whose support has helped me to evolve as an
artist this year.

I started using flickr last may and I have met the most amazingly generous people.

You know who you are.

All of you are brilliant.

All of you astonish me.

I began to seriously pursue photography about two years ago. I used to work as a writer and specialized in lyric and surrealist poetry and I find that the images that I make reflect this sensibility. I work with mixed media, I also use virtual reality to create backdrops and images that would be impossible to make in physical reality without huge amounts of money.

My greatest challenge is the challenge of seeing myself as fearlessly as possible when I most want to look away.

I am interested in almost everything ..and I have been blessed to know many fine people. My work varies. It is produced in the moment as a kind of meditation. An altered state of perception.

I am always surprised and delighted when my work is appreciated.

I believe that our greatest responsibility is the preservation and renewal of the social contracts that we call 'civilization' and I believe that a civilized people adhere to codes of conduct that require integrity.

I define integrity as having the capacity to change ones perceptions when an unwanted new fact emerges

I welcome you to visit my stream and offer comments...we can't create alone..in fact, I don't think we can do very much of anything alone.



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