by Eric Huber | Jan 5, 2010 | Deity-A-Day, Helping, Inspiration
In hindsight, I should have started on January 1 with Dionysus, the God of Wine and Hedonism. But since I didn’t get schnockered on New Year’s Eve, I had no hangover on New Year’s Day to give me that inspiration.
As a god goes, this one is a lot of fun. Not only the god of wine, but of ritual madness and ecstasy. According to some sources, he entered into the Greek mythology late but is still considered one of the 12 rulers of Olympus. Many jokes may ensue when you read about Dionysus. In Roman mythology he was named Bacchus.
One entry I found interesting was he was the God of Liberation as in, liberating people from their inhibitions and one’s normal self through music, wine and dance. Read more about Dionysus here.
My sketch is not entirely original. My research found references to the god being rather uni-sexual with traits of both a man and woman…or rather a ‘womanish man.’ AND I found out that Centaurs and Satyrs loved to party with Dionysus.
Fifteen minutes doesn’t give me enough time to draw an entire orgy, so your stuck with a pudgy, drunken face.
See you tomorrow!
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by Eric Huber | Jan 3, 2010 | Deity-A-Day, Helping, Inspiration
Hades, Ruler of the Underworld. Another of the Greek gods.
Now, personally, I think Hades has gotten a bad rep.
Hades was another brother of Zeus and drew the lot of the underworld. Contrary to popular belief, Hades is NOT the devil, nor is he the god of Death, Thantos. He simply is the manager of the underworld and is very greedy about getting as many into his realm as possible…and never letting them leave.
Hades is also the god of wealth because all the precious metals are underground.
Hades was said to have a helmet that rendered him invisible, his pet dog was the three-headed Cerebus, and he carries a groovy scepter.
I view Hades as a skinny scary dude with bad halitosis and some funky skin. He was shunned by the other gods and people never spoke his name for fear of getting his unwanted attention. I did a sketch of a little skinny dude in oversized armor feeding a huge three-headed dog, but I am learning how to draw animals better and may share some other time.
Want to know even more? Check out the Wikipedia entry.
by Eric Huber | Jan 2, 2010 | Deity-A-Day, Helping, Inspiration
Day 2 of the 2010 Challenge and I’m continuing with the Greek Pantheon with Poseidon.
It was also brought to my attention that I should do a little more than just say their name and post a drawing (great idea, Christi!). So I’ll tell you just a tad about Poseidon.
Poseidon was one of the brother’s of Zeus (king of the gods) and when Earth was divided among the brothers, Zeus ruled the land and air, Hades ruled the underworld, and Poseidon drew the oceans and seas as his domain. A pretty big domain at that! What I found interesting is that he was also known as the God of Earthquakes AND God of Horses! Apparently, seafarers would sacrifice horses to Poseidon to ensure safe sailing.
Poseidon was very moody. Thus, new lands could spring up from the ocean (undiscovered islands), as well as tempests and tidal waves.
Doing these creative ‘pieces’ in 15 minutes IS a challenge. I’m STUNNED by the quality of other people’s posts, though I will claim a bit out of practice in my drawing skills of late.
My Poseidon is a cross between an old salt and a Jimmy Buffet character drinking margaritas. Suntanned. Sea-shells for jewelry and clothing apparatus. And the mustache a kind-of walrus look, with a stringy beard of sea-weed. Not to mention the trident tattoo.
The trident is a symbol of Poseidon.
See you tomorrow!
by Eric Huber | Jan 1, 2010 | Deity-A-Day, Helping, Inspiration
Happy New Year, Everyone!
Today begins 365 days of creativity with my “Diety-A-Day” blog entry. After reading a cool article on Smashing Magazine called “Design Something Every Day,” I decided to join in and asked a few of my graphic designer and creative friends if they wanted to join in.
So far, only my friend Jeannie has joined in with a “Stamp of the Day” on her new blog, DesignWrangler.com.
The challenge is simple in thought, but an honest to gawd struggle to find 15-30 minutes A DAY on something creative. The article mentioned others who have done a “Monster a day” or a “Drop Cap a day.”
I decided to do a “Deity-A-Day” due to my love of mythology, a current project I’m working on, and after hearing an interview with Joseph Campbell of The Heroes Journey.
So, today we start with Zeus, King of the Greek Gods. Sketch and some extra playing included in this post. Yes. I spent more than thirty minutes. I’ll do better tomorrow!
by Eric Huber | Jun 25, 2009 | Helping, Inspiration, Life
It’s happened to all of us. You wake up one day, stub your toe, and the entire day is one bad experience after another. Every time you think you have beaten back negative thoughts, someone comes along and just pisses you off. Or worse. You discover your own neglect has caused you more problems and more time doing something you don’t enjoy.
You know, it’s HARD in our everyday lives to avoid negativity. To quote the Beatles, “I heard the news today, oh boy….” CNN (Constantly Negative News) bombards us with terrible, horrible, news stories every day. Even the ‘good’ stories are usually based on someone surviving a horrible event.
Then, to top it off, we beat the hell out of ourselves with internal dialog that replays all the bad things we’ve ever been told about us. “You suck.” Or, “You’re dreaming if you think you can do that.” Or even harsher words from arguments and fights.
I have a few solutions I’ve gleaned from amazing speakers and motivators.
- Turn off the news. If something is REALLY important in the world, you’ll hear about it. Trust me.
- Start the day off with a positive thought, or turn a negative into a positive. “I’m getting a haircut today, which will make me look better.” Or, “I get to go to work and be paid when many people are unemployed.”
- Read, watch, or listen to something funny. It’s been said a laugh can boost your immune system for 24 hours, while anger and complaining can reduce it for hours.
- Find something inspirational to read, watch or listen to. It could be something from your church, something from a friend, or a video like this one of Les Brown.
- End each day by looking in the mirror and saying, out loud, what you feel good about doing or accomplishing.
- Surround yourself with positive minded people and slowly remove yourself from negative minded people.
- Climb into a virtual ZORB and protect your thoughts from others when you are entering the presence of people you know will be negative.
If you had a bad day, don’t let it weigh you down. There is another day ahead. Give it a chance to begin anew. Reflect briefly on what you’d like to happen for your new day when you wake in the morning.
All days aren’t perfect, but beating yourself up won’t help anything at all.
And I don’t like people that beat up and pick on my friends.
So…quit it.
by Eric Huber | Jun 17, 2009 | Helping, Inspiration
We live in a diverse world.
Yes, I know that is probably a huge ‘duh’ statement. But sometimes I think we forget to see things through other people’s eyes. Even when someone at work is really freaking-out upset, and gets us all worked up for a fight, we don’t know what that person has gone through that has made them upset. Generally, they lash out in ways they can instead of at their wife, kids, or accountant.
Barring the obvious differences in religion, social status, or age, there are several books that really allow you to gain new perspective, delve deep into your own mental blocks, and even help you in your relationships at home and work.
I am intentionally avoiding all religious texts. They stand on their own. My goal is to give you texts that you can adapt to most any belief system by exchanging Universe with God…or vice versa.
I’ve read all but one of them myself (the other has been read by three friends and on my list to read next) and can attest to the great message each has. Some people may be put off by the words, “Rich,” “Prophet,” or “Influence,” but I tell you that once you stretch past your normal comfort zone, your new perspective will enrich your life in ways you can’t imagine right now.
It has for me and many others.
Enjoy and grow!
If you click on any link, you’ll be taken to Amazon.com where you can get more detailed information. If these look interesting and you enjoy the writings on my website, please purchase the book and you’ll be contributing to the upkeep of this site. Most books are less than $10 and many can be purchased USED for as low as $2! Just amazing.
In no particular order:
- The Four Agreements
by Don Miguel Ruiz – A quick read that can transform you think about the drama in your life.
- The Prophet
by Kahlil Gibran – Written as parables, this poetic writing gives interesting views of various aspects of life, including marriage, children, and death.
- The Science of Getting Rich
by Wallace Wattles – this text, written in the early 1900s, gives a real way to change the way you think about money from a spiritual AND scientific view.
- How to Win Friends & Influence People
by Dale Carnegie – Carnegie gives you the key to get anything you want in life by helping others get what they want as well.
- Think and Grow Rich
by Napoleon Hill – The grand-daddy of all books that help you achieve any goal you set forth. Hill actually lived during the time of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and many others who achieved greatness in the face of adversity.
- The Passion Test
by Janet Attwood and Chris Attwood – Only half-way satisfied with life? This book helps you refine what really excites you and how to live a life filled with your passions.
- Loving What Is
by Bryon Katie – Katie gives you tools to resolve drama from others, go deeper into conflicts with those people, and find what you truly feel.
- The Mastery of Love
by Don Miguel Ruiz – Ruiz shows how each person lives in their own dream and how to wake from your own.
- Illusions
by Richard Bach – this fictional story finds the writer searching for answers and finding it in a mechanic with unique perspectives…and powers.
- Real Love
by Greg Baer, M.D. – Learn about unconditional love when “relationships fail all around us every day-between spouses, lovers, siblings, friends, and co-workers…”
