They say keep your nose to the ground,

Good things will come.

This I hold true,

But today I go to extremes,

An ostrich in the sand

Searching for the lion to hunt my doubts.

The duality of wanting everything and nothing in the same moment.

I Am Strung Out.

The notes are coming together.

Having difficulty with the chords,

So I master my arpeggio.

I was never one to do things the easy way.

Without notice

The world has spun a complete rotation.

I no longer know what day it is,

Or who I am.

I read the Rum Diary

To keep me intoxicated

And listen to the

Psychedelic Furs

To prevent me from going insane.

I want the ordinary so badly

but I crave the extraordinary

even more.

My duality.

I Am Strung Out.

“Maybe Someday She Will Become A Flower”

A weed grows through a crack

Of these sidewalks of pain that I walk on.

Through violence and poverty,

She slowly grows.

Layers upon layers of cigarette butts

And naysayers

Attack.

A daily life of Harlem trench warfare,

Yet

She overcomes.

A tiny bud forms.

A preview of all the beauty that could be.

Maybe someday she will become a flower.

I am hopeful.

“Arizona”

If the shortest distance between

the two points of

life and death

are the straight and narrow,

Then Detour

at the Exit of Experience.

Drive down Lover’s Lane

And go up to Star Street.

If you end up on Lost Way

Do not be troubled.

Have trust in the road that lies before you.

For we will be waiting to celebrate your arrival

At the town square of it all.

"Orbital Crucifixion"

Taken at Kilmainham Jail in Dublin. Children as young as 7 years old were among the inmates serving

time, incarcerated for petty theft, usually for food as a result of the potato famine of 1842. While the

children were serving their time they were not allowed to look up in the sky because "They were not

worthy of God's love." "Orbital Crucifixion" represents the darker side of certain religions. The on-going

"crucifixion" of peoples' minds that dis-empowers and instills fear.

“Oblivion”

You are being taken for a ride.

Life passes in technicolor,

Yet you remain oblivious

To its black and white propaganda.

Red

Blue

Green

You are unseen,

So you make yourself heard,

by following the herd.

Truth is closer than it may appear,

But you ignore the sign.

Falling deeper

Watch out for that next drop…

It’s a doozy.

"The Mad Dash"

Ding Dong the dream is dead.

Your body awakes in a zombie state as you head for the showers,

Like coach used to say during the "glory days."

Where has it gone?

Your face is no longer there,

Just a pair of running shoes where a head used to be.

Always running

Where your mind used to wonder.

Always running

When you used to believe.

Always running.

And as for your body....

Another chapter into the dark abyss of what used to be.

It's too late.

You've caught it and ran.

The Mad Dash.

And the only time you can recognize yourself,

Is when the sun is at your back.

A mere shadow.

"Infinite Confusion"

Eighth Avenue turned sideways symbolically represents infinity. The remainder of the image displays signs of negativity and disempowerment. Signs tell us what to do, where to go...How to live . The world

says we can't while social norms show us "the way to do things." Our path is laid out before we even have the opportunity to find it ourselves. Alcohol clouds decisions. "Model citizens" in buildings above look down in judgment. Doubt creeps in, clouding the belief in oneself. Our thoughts create confusion

of where we are in life vs where we want to go. How do we survive?

"Kerouac"

At the time of this photo I was in between "On The Road" and "Dharma Bums," two novels by Kerouac depicting his experience with sex, drugs, eastern religion, and rock n roll or the Beat Generation as it

was coined. What drew me to his writing was the manic state that he seemed to be in while writing his novels. Tons of grammatical errors, misspellings, abbreviations, lack of punctuation or any notification

of a new thought other than his "voice." In breaking almost every rule of composition I found something beautiful and exciting. A form of writing to keep up with my ever racing mind as well as another

adventure to quench my constant thirst for life.

With a camera in my hand I often feel this manic state. Senses become extremely heightened and I am a complete scatterbrain (for those of you who have had the experience of joining me on one of these excursions, I apologize for not paying attention to you). The world seems to open up and I see things

that I may not have noticed if I was walking around without it. I feel one with all that is around me and alone at the same time.

"Breaking Barriers"

A B-boy in the foreground, people from all walks of life, the majority from different states and countries, in the background. All smiling and experiencing joy for this moment in time. Accepting of themselves

and those around them. Creating Peace and Breaking barriers. That is Hip Hop to me.

If a new thought can enter the mind, even for a brief moment, then change has a chance. J.T. Liss Photography for Social Change was created out of a need to do something bigger than photography. Using photography and turning it into advocacy, helping others in need, and allowing art to spread

positivity.

20% of the proceeds from this book have gone to the PFSC organization of your choice.

www.jtlissphotography.com