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There Is No Such Thing As A “Better” Life

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The idea of  better is approaching perfection or to being without fault. The original definition of  perfect is to be completed finished or in Latin, perfectus. Good though, communicates more balance. So if  perfect is complete  then a “perfect life”would be a life that was also complete, and a “better life” would be one that is closer to completion. No wonder, there is that saying  “Life get’s better with age.”

Every time I talk to my grand parents or anyone I consider wise, and we get to talking about life, I’ve found that they never qualify their life with terribly descriptive words. This could be a generational thing but given that some of these people are 50, and others are closer to 80 I would doubt it. Over and over again the same phrase rolls off their lips, “I have had a good life.” Good. Not better than any other life, not perfect, but good. This is coming from single millionaires to middle class retirees with 25 kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. Accomplishments aside, they concede that there have been ups and downs but at this point they are appreciative for it all.

This makes me think about what exactly we are all trying to achieve with our lives. Whether your goal is to own a magazine or to get married and raise a happy family, there will be major challenges along the way. I am not sure that being excellent at any, or either of those things is any more difficult than the next, regardless of how common they may seem. If you think about what it takes build and to stay in a trusting committed relationship, bring new life into the world, love, teach, and nurture that new life, all while continuing to progress in your own personal development, it quickly become a daunting task. The same could be said about anything that any one commits their life to. So in the end there aren’t really any short cuts by way of life path. The short cuts we take are in how we navigate and move along that path. It is a choice of going through the motions or committing to doing absolutely everything you can to fulfill the potential of that path.

Once you’ve made the choice you quickly see how big of a job lies in front of you. There will surely be pain ahead, and fear of that pain is an obstacle, most certainly there will be discomfort, and an aversion to that discomfort is another obstacle. In some way a commitment to being excellent is simultaneously a commitment to enduring pain, fear, and discomfort. But, we are okay with that because we know that on the other side of pain is strength, on the other side of fear is courage, and on the other side of discomfort is relief.  After a living a little while our expectations change. We become certain that there will be brighter days and gloomy days and that’s fine too. Happiness becomes less about a particular status in a moment and more about a general condition that pervades for weeks, years, or longer.  Waking up to find a parking ticket on your car is not usually seen as a positive occurrence so you may experience momentary sadness or frustration but is not the kind of thing that usually sends people in to prolonged depression or anger.

If we are all guaranteed some “happy days” and some “sad days” a good life starts to look more like an average of all those days and more or less of either doesn’t impact the qualification. If we commit to giving our all to each day, then we can expect at least as much resistance as the amount of effort that we are putting into moving forward.We overcome that resistance anytime we successfully do anything from getting out of bed to climbing a mountain. When we look at our lives in this way, it is hard to see any one path as better or worse, only Good or not , and only for ourself. Our lives are our artwork and the masterpiece reveals more meaning and relevance as we progress and age.  So when you hear that ” Life get’s better with age.”, understand that the better  we are describing is an approach to a completion, a perfection, but also to and end. So while you are still alive, seek  to have a good life, a life of resistance, variety and balance.

 

london2

London Andrews is a regular girl… when she’s not naked.

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I’m browsing DeviantArt.com about 2 and a half years ago and I come across a monument of a woman staring back at me stark nude and I fall in love. In a world where you find yourself shooting one size 2 after another London Andrews stands out. I assume she might stand out in any world, but I’d be wrong in that assumption. For 2 years I follow her work and dream of the day when I would be of a caliber to work with this woman.  I tried  set up a shoot with her last year to no avail. I head back to my trade and continue to cultivate my art until earlier this year we are finally able to get together. When she arrive the day of the shoot I don’t recognize her. I am looking for a super hero of a woman but to surprise I see a quant lady in glasses and nothing really flashy for clothing. “I like to dress comfortably,” she says.

It is now that I realize there are two personalities inside this body. During our shoot I became increasingly interested in her and how her life is arranged. I asked her a few questions and after our work was done she obliged in letting me take a few photos of her that sort of show her transformation.

When she is not the globetrotting nude model,London Andrews. She is just a 26 yr. old woman on a journey to see the world and experience all life has to offer. When she is NOT London Andrews she is a sweet girl that giggles and wears baggy clothes that hide her figure. She has issues with her body, and hates when a guy stares at her breasts longer than he stares into her eyes. When she is NOT London Andrews she pays her best friend’s way to travel with her all summer. “I told him to quit his job and come with me. I said, ‘I’ll pay for everything.'” She hails from Austin, Texas, loves music festivals and the outdoors, long walks on the beach etc. Nothing terribly exciting and certainly not what you think your going to get when you see her photos.

I am curious as to how a shy girl from Texas makes her way into the world of modeling and particularly being a nude figure model. As far as I could tell most of her personality is completely contradictory the wanting to do this kind of work. It seems a friend of hers had a school project and needed to take pictures of someone nude. Isn’t that how it always starts? That experience snowballs into a career where her voluptuous nature is a golden ticket. Her measurements are 46″-33″-48″. She is 5’5″ 180 pounds and that puts her at a dress size 14. The average model in her profession wears a size 4 so she definitely is a spike in the numbers. No less attractive, she is a testament to the saying that “Everything is bigger in Texas” and in this case, talent is no exception.

London Andrews is one of the most emotive models I have worked with. She clicks on the switch from mere mortal to a goddess that commands any lens pointed in her direction. I didn’t  have to find the shots because she gave them to me. She delivers looks with perfect timing. I ended up with images I didn’t know I wanted and I am so excited to show our collaboration later this year. Her ability to harness her emotions has taken her to the United Kingdom, Africa, Guatemala, to name a brief few. Along with travel though does not come with its danger. She told me a story about the photographer holding her ticket and not allowing her to leave. She doesn’t travel along and makes sure she has an exit strategy for whatever travel arrangements are made should the other party fail to hold up their end of the bargain. For the moment she is living her dream but in a few years she fears, gravity may take its toll on her body and the work may not flow as easily. Whatever happens to her appearance she will surely retain her ageless internal beauty and subtle charm.

If you’d like to contact London  check out her blog and add her on Facebook.