…but I love it. I like Mondays because it’s the beginning of something. The beginning of ALL things. You can release what you’ve done for the weekend and last week and think creatively. Use you imagination. “What am I going to do this week?” Not a person goes by that doesn’t say that.
But I like to supercharge my Mondays. We all have jobs, families, bills, things we have to take car of. But I’d like to have you join me with this one idea. And that is,…
“How are you going to GIVE this week?” Who are you going to give to? What do you have or know that you CAN give. Ideas, time, money?
It’s 7 in the morning and my wife, Kathie, is leaving to give my Dad a Karate class. He lives in a retirement home, he’s 80, and yes, he’s taking Karate. Amazing. It’s just a way of Kathie doing her part. And since my Dad has always been there for me, it’s now OUR turn.
There’s lots of ways to give, but it isn’t really what you do. It’s simply that you do SOMETHING. Donate your time, support, a phone call, an email, a check, a kiss. Anything that we can create some sort of relief for someone else.
And don’t feel guilty if you think you can’t. Just remember this… a Poem from Edgar Guest.
You can do as much as you think you can,
But you’ll never accomplish more;
If you’re afraid of yourself, young man,
There’s little for you in store.
For failure comes from the inside first,
It’s there if we only knew it,
And you can win, though you face the worst,
If you feel that you’re going to do it.
How does this relate to design? Since design is everywhere, and we do it all day long, design what you can do to help someone else. Show them something that inspires them like the photo above. Something beautiful. There are a thousand reasons why you’ll say you can’t, but only one that says you should. Because it’s the right thing to do.
Yes, Mondays are for getting things started. So, start giving and see what comes back. And be grateful that you can. It will be tenfold, promise.
FT. What got you into Pinstriping?
My Dad was my sole inspiration in pinstriping. I was just 13 watching him stripe, so I asked him to teach me. He handed me a brush and said, “have at it.” He was amazed at what I was able to do and from there, I had met a real known pinstriper named Butch’r (Butch Tucker of Mesa Arizona) He tucked me under his wing and showed me some old school Pinstriping techniques. I will never forget the people who molded me into the pinstriper I am today.
2. Who were the old schoolers that inspired you?
Some of the stripers I really looked up to of course were my Dad and Butch’r, but also some of the old timers that were around. Some of the originators of Pinstriping included Von Dutch, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Dean Jefferies just to name a few…
3. What do you currently own and what’s your dream ride?
The cars I own right now are some that I have had for quite some time. They include a 1929 Ford Roadster Pickup, 1932 Ford Vicky, 1955 Ford Sedan Delivery, 1956 Belair Aagon, 1957 Ford Wagon and a 2007 Custom painted Chevy HHR. As for dream cars……… if I could have one of every year would be bitch’n.
4. What does Pinstriping do for you?
Pinstriping has been my life. It not only provides an income to live off of, but it provides my inner soul my creativity and comes out in my Pinstriping. I share the talent with those who wish to learn and love to see little kids come up to me at a show and are in awe about what I am doing. Sometimes I will hand them a brush and let them try it. It’s cool to see their facial expressions… I get life out of my Pinstriping…
5. What can you tell young kids of today that would get them passionate about this art form?
What I can tell kids is that with Pinstriping, or any other type of art form, is an expression of themselves. They can create, and with that it shows positive self-esteem and gratification of what they have created. With that, other people get to enjoy such a lust for art…. I try to teach kids this form of art so we can keep it alive. The first time I met you, I knew we would get along just great. I have to admit the filming (Street Tuner Challenge) that I did with you and your team was one of the best times I have ever had. I just want to thank you for including me in the things you and your team do.
Big thanks to “Styles” for his passion.
…And with passionate students like the ones from the new Transportation Design School I spoke at this morning, it looks like we’ll be having some unique stuff coming. My friends John and DJ started a design school for inner city kids, with the intention of opening their minds to new possibilities. Ideas that some kids might think are impossible. …But these kids know different.
I come across a lot of young minds throughout the country wanting to know more about design and what they can do with what they love. Which is why I do these CREATE INSPIRE EMPOWER Seminars. When you discover that the world is full of possibilities and there are no limits but just the ones you create yourself, then amazing things begin to happen.
Thanks John, Art and DJ! Thanks for asking me to come down and see these geniuses at work. But, BIG thanks to the kids for having me! Keep it up and see how your life unfolds…
They’ll have a website up soon, so check my Links.
Many would consider me lucky. But luck to me, is a term used to describe something outside of yourself. I believe that things happen the way they do because of our choices and our ability to think right.
Choices are a cause set in motion, which in turn, brings an effect. Look to where things are not working in your life and examine the way that you are thinking about them.
I try, every day, to replace my negative thoughts with positive ones. The more I practice this, the better I get. And the quality of my choices get better, which, brings me better things! So luck? If you know how to work this principle, then your outcome is all that matters. And that, is up to the way you think… and I’m grateful that I can share that with you.
And now, I think I’ll make myself a cool protein drink for the day. Off the Cinema Vehicles for a photo shoot with the STC Car. Stay tuned for a great article coming from ModernMINI Magazine!!
Just a note to thank everyone who lent their support during this time. I’ve received many great emails and lots of positive thoughts. Very much appreciated to everyone.
Now,… back to the World of Cars!
I talk a lot about life. And I’ve been inspired by many things. But nothing, I mean nothing has inspired me more than the lady you see before you. For 78 years, this woman, my mother, my father’s wife, took every day as a gift and spent her life returned it to others. A thing of beauty, a moment of love, a lifetime of passion.
My mother passed away this weekend, near Mother’s Day. A time when people celebrate their Moms. And that statement will forever be stamped in the corners of my mind. She didn’t want to be mourned. She didn’t want people to know how she died. What she wanted, was for people to know how she lived. And if there was ever a woman that lived every day as if it were her last, then she was this woman.
An extraordinary Mother, writer, martial artist and thinker. A person we all aspire to be, and can only hope to. She raisied 5 kids after having 5 miscarriages, overcoming addictions by becoming addicted to love. Wrote when age became an enemy. All things that few of us have gone through, but we can all understand.
She lost a son to AIDS, watched all her friends leave the earth before her, but this woman charged ahead as if propelled by the entire force of humanity. There was nothing that could get her down. Not even breaking her hips 4 times.
To be grateful that someone like this was in your life would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions. Considering all the millions of ways that life can, and does, affect us all negatively, to overcome and succeed is to test life for all that it has to offer.
As she began to fade in the last few years, the one thing that never did was her positive nature. No matter the situation, there was ALWAYS a bright side. Her greatest gift to me and to all that met her. A giant force of love and wisdom.
If there is ONLY one thing that you can take away from this post, please let it be… that no matter what your difficulty, not matter how hard life gets when you lose something you love… if that person were here to guide you, they would say “Get off your ass. Embrace the gift of life, and share it amongst each other. Don’t waste another day not doing what you love.”
It was only yesterday that she took me out Trick o’ Treating.
I love you, Mom. Thank you so much for having me…
We’re always searching for something new. The next big thing, new trip, new car, new bahoozlefats. Whatever. Watching my dogs play this morning, it came to me that in that state of curiosity, my mind jumps around quite a bit. What if this happens? What if that happens? But in all that time, I can miss what IS happening.
Case in point. Driving a cool country road or along the coast. You can and do miss it sometimes. But, is that a bad thing? Not if your thoughts are constructive. Constructive thoughts lead somewhere. A call to action of sorts. Destructive thoughts lead me down a road I don’t want to go. There’s no light at the end of THAT tunnel, yo.
Good thoughts lead to cool stuff. Period. Cool stuff with Knight Rider, Speed Channel, Myride, Biometics, Karate and CarTatts and Super Cool Cars. In order to get, you’ve got to give first. Then, watch as the snowball gains speed. We’re all in the same dinghy, you know. Keep your ideas fresh and your curiosity high. Good crap happens. Off to the dojo…
The other day, I was driving through the Malibu Canyon tunnel when I saw/heard a blowout. Two cars ahead, a pickup truck’s front tire blew and the guy slowly made his way out of the tunnel and to the side of the road. We all slowed and past him… and suddenly I was hit with a sense of “being left behind.”
I pulled off, turned around and went back. As I pulled over to the other side, across from him, I watched as the man got out, checked his tire and shook his head in disappointment. As I watched, many many cars past him. Almost as if he wasn’t even there. Now, normally, that would be me. But this time, I had this feeling of why?
We all go through difficult times and difficult things. Seemingly alone most of the time. In my car, I sat as I watched. Not being able to make a u-turn to him, I screamed “You gotta a cell phone?” He looked up at me and screamed back… “Gonna call AAA!!” But, it wasn’t what he said, but the look on his face. It was a strange combination of surprise and appreciation. Like, “What the heck is happening? Someone is helping me?”
He gave me a thumbs up, so I finally made a u-turn and headed away. But as I looked back, he still had that look. The kind of look that sinks in deep. Now, I don’t say this to toot my own horn because I didn’t really help the guy. But I did learn something. And that is that we drive, drive, drive. And we love our cars. Why not keep an eye out for each other as well. If someone needs help, get out and help them. A phone call, a push, a thumbs up. It doesn’t matter. It’s the right thing, in the right way. No meeting is too important to leave people behind and in jeopardy. But that doesn’t mean pick up strangers. I’m talking about “real” help.” Look beyond yourself and you’ll receive the greatest gift on the planet. Love.
Actually, it could be a hundred things, but here’s just the way cool ones…
1) BIG movies. Shows that inspire a new creative action, laser pointed anticipation and take you away to other worlds.
2) Empowered Health. Something about the weather just gets your juices flowing. Whatever it is that you do, you just gotta be with friends, get outside and have fun. But being healthy to do that is important, so now’s your time to GET FIT.
3) Attitudes. Everyone just seems a wee bit happier to be alive and share things. Stories, ideas, coffee… I like to try new things like tennis and golf. And since I’m the world’s worst golfer, I can only go up.
4) Internals. All my electronic devices seem to work just a bit better. Why? …have no idea, but maybe it’s because my attitude and thoughts are better. (Refer to #3). I work on a Mac, talk on a Samsung, listen to an iPod, watch and take pix on a Sony and drive a MINI. Done deal.
5) Travel. Now, travel is good any time of the year, but Summer just has the added advantage of great travel or great travel plans. And that’s exactly what I do. Going to Houston with MyRide in May, Mini Takes The States in June, July and August and testing my wife for her Green Belt in Tang Soo Do in Kauai in October. PLAN, BELIEVE, ACT, CONCEIVE. If you don’t “SEE” it, it won’t happen.
6) It’s WARM. And THAT’S a good thing.
7) We all get to go to the beach. Now, if you live in Kansas, that’s a tough one. BUT, refer to #5. AND GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GO!!
Less Clothes. And less clothes is ALWAYS a good thing. 
9) Longer Days. Yes, that means dinners on the beach with the sun setting after 8. And that is something to be grateful for, folks!
10) Refer to #1. It’s really cool, so it warrants a double smacker…
I have to say, my job is really fun. Coming up with new ideas can be rewarding and challenging. And, it happens whether I like it or not! It’s like my brain is constantly searching for new things to do on its own.
So, I either have to fight it, or go along for the ride. And going along for the ride is a lot more fun. It brings opportunity, excitement, adventure and challenge. And the month of March is no different. The image above is something completely new and embodies another passion of mine. The Martial Arts.
Turning your passions into reality. That is the goal of life. If you could do all week long what you do on the weekend, what would it be? And how could you make money at it? THERE IS A WAY! All you have to do is believe it. And don’t forget to express gratiude for what you currently have…
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