My Beautiful Life

by; Lori Gebbie

I always admired the people that took to the road, experiencing America and the World. But I always had too many commitments to pack up and leave. Rent, bills, family, friends… there just never seemed to be a way. Of course, I did my fair share, I’ve lived in Germany, South Carolina, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and for now, Washington State. While I’ve seen a bit of the world, there was always the hunger to keep traveling.

When I moved to the PNW (Pacific North-West), I knew I was here for a reason. Looking out the airplane window as it crossed the Columbian River to circle into PDX airport, I felt such an overwhelming feeling of “HOME”, it brought tears to my eyes. Just 2 short months later, I met Robert, and my life felt oddly connected to his in so many different ways. We talked about art, history, photography, life. He was an artist who had given up his craft, and so was I. We both knew intimately, the rush from a creative burst, getting exactly the right angle, hitting the note in the sweet spot, and the thunderous applause from a crowd of admirers. We also both knew the pain that goes with setting your tools down and walking away from your art. But two Creatives getting together can only spur that spark so much before it sets hold. Within a few weeks, Robert finished this art piece that he had put down almost 2 years prior. And, he took a few pictures of me for an online profile on a chat site we belonged to. We put them up, and a few of our friends said they wanted new pictures, too. So, slowly we started doing pictures for friends, just one or two here and there, nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, just a good image of friends.

In the meantime, Robert and I were both working, set up in a cute little duplex, waiting for the sale of a house he shared with his ex-wife to go through so we could settle and buy our own home. We moved into the duplex, telling the landlords that we would probably only be there for 3 months, as we were awaiting the sale of a home. Everything seemed set in place for us to continue to prosper as an American Family.

But Robert was working with a 50% disability from a chronic back injury, and all those hours on his feet started getting to him. He walked all day at work, on hard concrete floors, and would come home hobbling almost every night. And I was trying to work through my own medical issues. I stopped working first, and did what I could to manage our household and take care of his aches and pains so he could continue working. But all those aches and pains add up, and he would find himself out on temporary disability, flat on his back for weeks at a time, trying to prolong another operation. That worked for a while, and then he contracted the MRSA virus and was out again during the month-long quarantine period. By the time he got back to work, the company was in a bit of an economic mess, and started laying off employees. When they got to Robert’s section, they were going to lay off the swing person and give Robert that position. But the swing person was healthy, had a young family he was trying to support, and was already used to the hours. And Robert knew that he would continue to be out due to his disability, and now MRSA, for blocks of time. So he took the hit and went on unemployment. By this time, we had already started poking around stock photography, and figured we’d either find another job or make stock work. So we went full steam into our project, while looking for work. But the unemployment numbers kept rising, and the longer we were out, the more unemployable we became. We cut down to bare bone basic necessities, and lived a very frugal life, shooting stock, and shooting portraits for clients.

Meanwhile, for the last five years, the house sat, in limbo, on the market, hoping for a nibble here and there. We never counted on the house selling, we were even planning on releasing his ex-wife from the house and moving into it ourselves, until the market got better and we could sell it then. Then, a few weeks ago, we got a phone call. “Robert, can you come sign some papers? Someone put an offer on the house.” The house sold!!

We looked at our bills, looked at our home, dreamed a dream, and decided to buy an RV trailer and hit the road with the kids. We are retiring, and traveling America! Well, I say retired, we’re just taking our cameras on the road. Being stock photographers, there are always pictures in demand, and right now they happen to want travel photos. So, we’re going to do our best to oblige them.

But packing up your entire life to fit into a suitcase isn’t always that easy. We tend to gather little things along the way… A photograph here, a letter there, someone gives us a cute figurine, and what about all the serving plates and candlesticks? Not to mention Robert’s shop, all the tools, compressor, and then there’s the professional gym he has. We’ve had to delay our start just a bit, as we finish packing everything that we MUST have into our vehicles, and all the rest that we have to keep is going into an 8x10 storage unit for a few months until we can figure out what to do with all of that.

So, here we sit, at 90%, trudging thru the last 10% of our things so we can clear out and head on our trip. We’re still rolling full steam, just taking a little longer to get out of the gate! We’re hoping to be on the road in 2-3 days, now it’s just a matter of running to storage, bringing the last box into the trailer, washing walls, and turning in keys.

I-5 Computers Revisited, Fast and Reliable!

Robert and I had finally felt the stress of working non-stop on our business and various projects, and knew we needed a break. Our relationship had always been a close one, but lately we realized we had stopped dealing with each other on a personal level. It was always about the company.

It was a Friday night, and a phone call spurred on a lively conversation, one which Robert and I continued well into the night. By 4am, we were on our fourth pot of coffee, and the conversation was still quite animated. This began our incredible vacation from work and the world. Formerly logging 22 hours a day online between the 2 of us, we only accessed email once a day, spending twenty minutes hastily browsing the subject lines, only opening the most urgent in need of reply.

We spoke, and shared, and loved, and touched. Not requiring food or sleep, we stayed up for days straight, sharing and growing together, telling the stories you don't dare repeat even to yourself. We grew a lot in those three weeks, solidifying our commitment to each other and ourselves.

It was at the end of the 2nd week that our computer went down. But we weren't ready to get back to work just yet. We were still on our vacation. Without a computer, we put pencil to paper, and outlined dozens of new projects and ideas and goals. And Robert began to draw again.
Well, now at the end of our vacation, we feel the pull to get back into the swing of things. But our computer was still down! I asked a friend for some help, but after 2 no-call, no-show appointments, Robert checked around and found an old co-worker of his is now running a computer business here in Vancouver.

i-5 Computers, located just west of i-5 on Mill Plain is run by Darren and James. Motivated more by ethics and quality than greed, they diagnose computer systems for free, offer very reasonable repair rates, and do Home and Business Networking and Data Recovery. Definitely aware of our economic times, they strive to make affordable systems and offer quality products for everyone. And if they can't fix it, there is no charge for the diagnosis, ever.

Honor, Integrity, Ethics. These are the things that separate a good company from a great one.

i-5 Computers Inc, 309 E 15th Street Suite A, Vancouver WA 98663 (360) 326-4909

The Past Few Weeks at RGP

What an interesting few weeks it’s been! Just when you think you know what you are doing, and which direction you are headed, life gives you a fork in the road. Robert likes to weigh it all out, check facts, and measure options. Not me, I prefer to make quick decisions and drag whoever I’m with along for the ride. Hindsight has always been a crucial part of my life. When I look back on where I’ve been, I can always pin point it to the fork in the road. Sometimes those choices were hard to make, sometimes they were blind leaps of faith. Either way, once I made the decision to go toward that new goal, the path became clear.

This last bump took us a bit away from photography and more into writing. We self-published our first book, “I, Creator” and due to the great public response, we are now applying for our ISBN numbers, and are set to do a proper book launch by the end of the month. You may have noticed some of our posts being added to E-How and Associated Content, and we are being asked for more and more.

We have had a long hard year, and have learned quite a bit about our business and our relationship. Robert and I have grown stronger in both, a united front to face this world. Through the learning process, we had to do quite a bit of self-evaluation. We learned that even though you live and work 24/7 with someone, you still need to talk TO them and interact WITH them. We learned that good friends are worth their weight in gold. We learned that you CAN change the way you think, and that sometimes you just have to BELIEVE.

We’re real grateful to be able to share our journey with you, and hope that you learn a little bit. Or at least think a bit. Each day is a new adventure to be experienced with your eyes wide open.

Dinosaurs are extinct:

Why do we continue to repeat the same failed process or make the same mistake and expect a different result? I have observed time and time again throughout my life people and businesses that seem to believe they can grow and thrive by continuing to do or produce in the same day-to-day manner they have for years. Even under the best of conditions, with ideal economic times, failing to adapt and change to the world around us is certain extinction.

Species, society, business or individual, the same principal stands true; you must evolve. To exist by only listening to one philosophy, have you really learned anything? When you live on a planet covered by ocean, you should learn to swim.

If a company only produces one line of product, or explores and develops with a single idea, what happens to that flat earth philosophy when it is discovered that the earth is round? When you, your business or your work are not learning, creating, exploring, discovering and growing, you cease to evolve and begin to die.

Passion in Art - by Lori Gebbie

Robert is the main artist in our family, but I hold my own.

When I was young, my calling was music. I remember my father playing Ella Fitzgerald and June Christy for me, saying, “Now, THIS is music, this is how it’s supposed to be done.” I was five, and we were sitting in the living room listening to good music. My siblings had all been musical, my father was a pianist, my mother was a dancer, it was just right. I went on to sing for a number of years, quite happily. I had my chances with stardom, at 16 I was offered a 2 year internship with private instruction from Mr. Pavarotti himself, which I reluctantly turned down. I was in a Showcase of Talent at a club, where I happened to work with George Lopez while he was still working his day job across the street. But that wasn’t where I was headed. I met my first husband, and we went into business together, and that took up all of my free time. Singing was put on the back shelf, I could always get back to it later, couldn’t I? In my late 20s, I was living overseas, and joined a local choral group. I didn’t speak German, I was still new there. But we could communicate through music, and I was immediately accepted into their group.

The joy to sing what your heart feels, the pride and swelling sensation, tearing up when you hit a sweet spot in the song, feeling your whole body pulse with the music coming from your lips… This is what singing was for me. And all of a sudden, about three months after I joined this choir group, right before our first performance, I got sick. My neck hurt, and it was hurting to talk. And I heard the dreaded words I never wanted to hear, “We can perform surgery, but there is only a 30% chance you will keep your current voice, otherwise you will be at a whisper.” I opted out of the surgery. My thyroid had crashed, and the extra vibration with the singing had escalated my condition to a point I had no choice but to stop singing completely. So, as the years go by, my voice gets deeper and more scratchy, a sad reminder to the pretty voice I once owned.

So, with a teary farewell, I gave up my passion in life. Along the same time, I had picked up a camera again. Oh, sure, I’d been in Photo Club in school, and knew how to knock down an old canister in a darkroom and use developer, etc, but hadn’t messed with it since I was a young teen. I didn’t want to send my pictures through the military system, there was always talk about not getting the right set back, etc. So I went “on the economy” to a German photo store. The more I brought my pictures in, the more interest the owner took in me. I used a lot of my time in Europe traveling, and took some amazing pictures. The owner would always comment on how clear my images were, and he even bought a few to blow up and display in his store. I also made poster prints for people there, selling them for a pittance, but happy that someone liked them enough to purchase them.

I took casual pictures, here and there, but I had lost my passion, I had lost my voice, and nothing was replacing that loss. Little did I know, my life was headed down an entirely different road. Within a few years, I had traveled back to the United States, and ended up single and in Las Vegas. I didn’t really have a direction, or an interest. I floated from this job to that one, trying to find some passion in my life again. I went into business another time, and learned about some pitfalls the hard way. (We lost that company in a hostile takeover from a shark investment company.) I started a slow spiral down, I may not have been done with Las Vegas, but it was done with me. I found myself sitting at my father’s kitchen table, him and my mother helping me decide where I was going to move. Oregon called me louder, so I hopped a plane and was on my way. I stayed with my sister for a while, then I met Robert.

Since then, my life has passion and meaning again. Robert showed me some of the work he had done, and for the first time in a long time, I felt the pulse, the heart beat of passion. It was intoxicating, and I was hooked. I encouraged him to start drawing again, and he was able to finish a print he had been stuck on for 2 years. We also went on drives with the camera, taking snapshots here and there, enjoying our time together. We’d been together about a year and a half when he told me he wanted to take my picture. He started digging around and pulling out suitcases and poles and equipment and stuff. He set up a backdrop and set up his lights, and we did our first proper shoot. Years before, he had packed all of his equipment up when he shut his studio down, so this was a significant step. Word spread, and he did a few shoots for friends, mostly for chat sites. Then the word started really spreading, and soon, people were asking who the photographer was. It wasn’t anything he was interested in doing, he already had a real good job as a Quality Control Inspector. That’s where he met Jim, and he and Jim started talking Photography.

On January 10th, it will be one year since Robert came home for good. We’ve worked together 24/7 for the past year, and I’m so grateful for the time. We both learned so much about the other, and we are at peace together, truly best friends, wrapped up in passion for our art and each other. My passion lies with Robert, I fuel his passion to create the way he creates. His photography has life. The more he creates, the more real he gets. And my heart swells with pride when I hear the glowing reviews, or when we make a sale.

I also sculpt the Wermz we have for sale. You can see them at our Etsy site, http://www.RGebbiePhoto.etsy.com. We donate from Wermz and Print sales to a charity. Our charity during these cold months is Meals on Wheels.

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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime

“They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob, When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job. They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead, why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?” ~ lyrics by Yip Harburg, music by Jay Gorney (1931)

As the beginning of a new year approaches the world slides deeper into economic chaos and December 21st 2012, end of the Mayan calendar looms four years away. The United States has their first black President while the nation contends with wars and threats abroad. What lies ahead is anyone’s guess; the future could hold a year of great expansion or dire consequence.

Business owners and executives will be facing some of the biggest challenges in the coming year as ever before. New markets and industries will emerge as others shrink or vanish entirely. Those who are creative and flexible may be poised for the greatest success as others with old or rigid ideals may end up “just waiting for bread.”

Be diverse, expand the products or services you offer, consider joint ventures that can showcase your brand with other businesses that compliment your own. Collaborate on resources, networks, information and tools that can benefit your partners and associates as well as you. Do not depend on the same widget product or market approach that has been used for years, be prepared to rethink, redesign or upgrade.

Keep things focused and know what your goals are, projects or ideas can take on a life of their own. Overcome and move on, be careful that concepts, details or disagreements don’t overwhelm you and become projects of their own. It is easy to get side tracked or distracted by sub-projects and “great ideas,” don’t allow numerous possibilities to keep you from finishing one.

Operations Manager Introduction; Hello

As a form of introduction, this is contributed by Lori Gebbie, my wife and partner.

We started RGP on accident. Robert was working at a j.o.b. and needed an outlet for his creativity. Jim decided he wanted to buy a camera, and started asking Robert about photography. The bug was planted. They discussed theory and practical matters. Jim did some research and found Microstock, and this is where I come in. I joined a forum, found a few stock sites, read their forums, looked at legal documents, read through submission requirements, and wondered what the heck I was reading. While considering myself a photographer, I am more of a hobbyist. And I had no idea what overblown highlights, purple fringing, or artifacting was.

Through a severe downsizing at work, Robert was laid off in the second wave of layoffs. This is significant, because I wasn’t working, either. I was devoting my waking hours (literally) to learning Microstock and what the heck this keywording thing was all about. We decided we had been given a gift of opportunity, and took it. We went full time into Microstock.

It has been a very trying time. We’ve had great successes, and severe disappointments. We’ve almost thrown it in a few times. We’ve almost thrown our relationship in a few times, too! But we’ve grown stronger and more determined in every way to make our company, and our lives, successful.

I’ll be contributing from time to time on this blog, sharing information about our workflow and tracking systems. And giving out some of the information that I wish I had found quickly and easily when I was first starting out. Like the importance of a good title and accurate keywording. And how to embed information into your image. And what was required with a model release. And so on, and so forth.

I’ve learned a lot in the last year. I still don’t know how to set up lighting or how to work the F-stops, but I’m confident in my job as final pass/fail before the image goes up on a site. With over 80% acceptance rate with the Big 5, Robert is confident as well.