David Licata | May 8, 2012
While I was Playa Summer Lake artist residency, I came across a book, Bill Kitt: From Trail Driver to Cowboy Hall of Fame by D. L. “Jack” Nicol and Amy Thompson, and in that book I came across this saying attributed to Will James: There never was a horse that couldn’t be rode, there never [...]
David Licata | April 12, 2012
Did you read yesterday’s New York Times Op-Ed Why Trees Matter, written by friend of A Life’s Work Jim Robbins? No? Well click the link and check it out. You may be surprised to learn (or re-learn) all the good things trees do for the planet and its inhabitants. I re-learned that aspirin comes to [...]
David Licata | April 3, 2012
The next time someone asks me if my writing and A Life’s Work are connected (this happens a lot), I am going to whip out this quote: Eventually everything connects — people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se. Charles Eames You can watch the documentary Charles & [...]
David Licata | December 20, 2011
The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demands for its sustenance and extends generously the products of its life activity; it provides protection to all beings, offering shade even to the axeman who destroys it. Guatama Buddha, circa 525 B.C.
David Licata | November 21, 2011
You discover many fascinating things here on the A Life’s Work blog, like what’s the filmmaker’s favorite tree. And today? What’s the filmmaker’s second favorite tree. … ginkgo [or maidenhair tree], often seen in big-city streets, as it has a constitution to survive the dangers there: polluted air, desert aridity of pavements, salt used to [...]
David Licata | November 2, 2011
Recently I posted on Facebook an email rejection I received for a work of nonfiction — Thank you for sending us “[title withheld by me].” The editors had a lengthy discussion about your work. Unfortunately, we are not able to publish it in our forthcoming issue; however, we certainly encourage you to submit other work [...]
David Licata | October 21, 2011
Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee. — Ralph Waldo Emerson Here’s a clip of Jill Tarter speaking about Frank Drake, who conducted the first SETI experiment in 1960, thereby opening the door for future generations of SETI scientists. Thanks to the mighty fine poet Susan Elbe for bringing the Emerson [...]
David Licata | September 9, 2011
The other day someone contributed, without being solicited, to A Life’s Work! So first and foremost, thank you, L.C. for your very generous donation. A small gift to show my appreciation will be arriving in your mailbox soon! And remember, when you head over to your accountant this April, that contribution was tax deductible! “There [...]
David Licata | August 12, 2011
My good friend Jane Waggoner Deschner shared these quotes with me. The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~ Nelson Henderson When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree. ~ Vietnamese proverb I was trying to figure out which one [...]
David Licata | June 14, 2011
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. Muir was talking about the natural world, but I like to think this applies to many things, including film editing. One of the challenges of A Life’s Work is showing the interconnectedness of these four subjects. [...]
