Formless
By Jin Lovelace; team writer, videographer, and fashionist
Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.
– Bruce Lee
It takes a journey of the spirit to comprehend the meaning behind the words of my mentor and hero, Bruce Lee. A journey over the terrain laid forth, to climb to a simple understanding of “being formless; shapeless, like water.” Whatever moves you, shapes you — it becomes you.
In my interpretation, the passage also means emptying your thoughts of what’s impure. To cleanse oneself of the negative, and return to what’s pure. Water is life; it becomes us, it shapes us. You crash, you flow, your health revolves around it. Focusing on and channeling the positive thoughts that lead to easier living, or perhaps a smoother thought process, can be an effective way of life.
To search for yourself is to define yourself.
What moves you? What defines you? What motivates you through your everyday life? What is the drive behind it?
Those questions intrigued me before, because I simply didn’t have an answer. Not many completely understood my background, and have never comprehended my identity, simply because there was no definition of me. The question here is simply, “Why?”
There are two ways I can explain this to you. The first is a piece that I discovered recently, from the machinima NorseGamer called “Wistful”. This video presentation was created in February of 2012, and I’ve never bothered to wonder how (or why) anyone could analyze this piece thoroughly or precisely. To the average eye, it’s simply a piece created to convey the emotion expressed in the description:
“We all have cherished memories. Friends. Loved ones. Timeless moments we return to with melancholy smiles. Hold onto them. Life goes by so fast.”
What was expressed deep within this video, is that we have friends and valued loved ones, and the moments that were shared should be captured and cherished through whatever means possible. “Wistful” is a stunning expression of how even the regrets that we carry must be remembered and celebrated. We must capture the times and moments that move and shape us… like water.
My second example is my presentation titled “Formless”. This piece is a representation of why I love Home, art, and the medium through which I can express these loves the most: fashion. I admit that I desired to be like others in the community until I discovered how an article of clothing changed my way of creative thinking and illuminated the things that move me. Granted, many that use the fashion medium do so through narcissism and the desire for notoriety.
This has never been the case with me.
I’ve expressed my talents through machinima, a medium I had never had any experience with before. I’ve created designer outfits for all to view, wear and enjoy in their personal leisure without any vast knowledge. I also lack the business knowledge (unlike NorseGamer or Terra Cide) to analyze what will drive customers over to Lockwood or VEEMEE to purchase the next item on the “Top Ten SCEA Best Selling Items on Home” list written and video-produced by Kassadee Marie. Everything you see here was created through the sheer will, drive, and the love that I have for my art, fashion, and everyone that’s around me.
I can honestly say that my center is what I’ve expressed through this video presentation and in this article. It started with a dream that, one day, I could bring together all the people and put away the negativity to form a positive atmosphere. Weird as it may be, I simply pursue this goal virtually through the apparels that the developers create for all of us to appreciate and enjoy.
The point to this machinima is that I appreciate the simplest things in life, and I couldn’t ask for anything else aside from just moving forward to enjoy what’s to come. Many focus on the negative, and the broad spectrum of things that can harm us. But perhaps the old saying is true — the things that challenge us, make us stronger as well.
With that, my thanks goes to the following:
- NorseGamer, for that masterful presentation which helped inspire this video
- My friends and Models from Twilight Touch, both old and new
- The HSMagazine Staff and FEMAELSTROM for his fantastic article which inspired this one: “Terms of Service: a Rant”
- Harry Groot, aka “Dutch4Friends”, for his talents on the TT title bumper
- The Home developers who create these fashionable items for this fashionista to play with
- My family
Hope you enjoy this HSM exclusive presentation and be sure to check out our website for our upcoming projects. twilighttouchinc.com
May 9th, 2013 by Jin Lovelace | 6 comments
Jin Lovelace is a machinimist and team writer for HomeStation Magazine, as well as the founder of Twilight Touch Inc. -- http://twilighttouchinc.com and http://youtube.com/twilighttouchinc. When not found in PlayStation Home, Jin studies graphic design and illustration (character design and fashion), gaming, and the culinary arts.
TwitterShare
| Tweet |
Very nice video Jin. Home is what you make it, friends and the joy of creativity are a big part of that. When you or I look back at where it all started all we can say is, “You’ve come a long way baby.” Home has grown and in the course of it so have we all as people, at least I hope so. It can be a wonderful experience to be here if you let it be one.
Agreed. After all of these years being on Home, I’d never thought I would end up with a website, creating videos, expressing fashion, and writing for an organization. It’s a wonderful experience and something I thoroughly enjoy.
Thanks for the comment, Burbs. And happy-belated birthday.
That’s part of the joy of Home. It expands our real lives in profound and unexpected ways.
I don’t wish to be formless. I desire shape, a purpose… mainly to watch and learn. Floating in the breeze I can change my thoughts and way of thinking based on what I see and hear and to think and sometimes write about my observations. Music has form. There is something in it. And if not music there is alway baseball.
I enjoyed the article and the second video. What I learned from either I do not know. But it made me think and therefore I still am.
You hit a Home run. <—- Don't you just hate people who write "pardon the pun"? I won't do that.
This is a great piece Jin. I love the idea of the reflection of your beginnings. I have always keep it close in mind that we all began in the harbor studio. For those that have a lot of items and homes or those that walk the free life in Home, we all started as a solo person here in Home in the Harbor Studio with the free/ default clothing and furniture. It’s just how some of us have branched out to be bigger or better people, and not in our quantity, but in our quality. I read Sun Tzu’s classic “The Art of War” long ago and he spoke of being fluid too. It is very important to be very fluid here. You can’t as the water break the rock, you calmly go around and still arrive at your destination. Move to the circumstances. Be the tree that bends in the wind, not the one that breaks. And on a personal note, many humble thanks for the shout out on my article, means a lot when my articles touch or influence somebody. Great article.
Love the second video and remembering that Home is not an entitlement, but a free gift of social entertainment and interactivity…a place to spread your wings and explore [literal and figurative!]