Two words: worn out. Can you relate? I know I can. Between work, Twitter, Facebook, film projects, music vid cameos, Kelly, and this blog, I'm spent by the end of the day. Sometimes I forget that I'm just a real person, not a Disney tween star. I feel a lot like this frayed tire -- weak and overused. The photographer here has made a bold choice by placing the center of interest in the middle of the picture. Normally I'd laugh at such an amateurish move, but somehow it works. It slaps us on the mouth with its meaning, without being too much. Like a human body, a tire is complex and made up of different layers molded together to give it strength. However after time, they come apart due to pressure. Tires aren't magic, and neither are we. The only exceptions I can think of are Regis Philbin and Jennifer Aniston. But for the rest of us the message is clear: decelerate, and take a minute to cool down before we run too thin in today's age of ubiquitous non stop activity.

I want you all to drop the garland, take the almond bark out of your mouth, walk out of Big Lots and start thinking what the true meaning of Christmas is. It's not supposed to be a holiday spent in the mall, or screaming at your dad for burning the Crescent Rolls. That stuff sucks. This photo points to what each and every one of us needs to be doing this holiday: breaking. If you'd stop at the figurative red light and take a minute to breathe in the piney goodness, you might actually feel the magic of the season, rather than just driving through it like a maniac on Four Loco. Close your eyes and picture that Happy Honda Days commercial with the epic Vampire Weekend song and the yuppies flying around on sleds. Does your heart feel that way right now? Are visions of sugarplums dancing in your head? If not, you've gotta put your blinker on, pull over and defrost your heart. Forget about making lists and checking them twice, and go chill with your crew. Don't worry about giving them the Xbox Slim or Rockband 3; give them your love. Feliz Navidad to you all.

The traveling carnival - part of American summertime culture since who knows when. The word "carnival" induces images of funnel cake, ferris wheels, and holding hands with your honey. However this photographer has captured a message we should all consider: summer danger. It lurks where we don't necessarily expect it. Sure, at first glance we notice the flamboyant colors and tall tempting rides. But our eyes immediately rise to the sinister clouds settling in above, pointing to the horror that lies within - 1,000 calorie curly fries, unregulated Tilt-A-Whirls, rigged games, chipping paint, bearded women. It's a lurid world that will suck you in and spit you out with heartburn, a broken arm, and heat exhaustion. All I can say is, enter at your own risk kids.

We are in the midst of summer, yet the relaxing days of sipping iced refreshments on a sunny porch as promised by lemonade commercials are a long way off. Why? Because we are blocked. Blocked from private beaches for being too poor, blocked from wearing a bathing suit out in public due to your obesity, or blocked from strolling along the beach for bringing your dog when they aren't allowed (such a fascist rule). This photo illustrates these blocks by displaying only a small view of a sunny paradise, with a wall blocking you from basking in the beach's sun. You can see the beach, hear the beach, but you are blocked from the beach. I especially appreciate that the photographer deliberately kept the fence out of focus, because sometimes it's hard to see what's standing in our way. The summer sunshine is out there, but unfortunately so is the sunblock.

It is our country's birthday month, which usually conjures up images of broad stripes and gallant ramparts. Yet after a chaotic year of events including the financial crisis, the sickening BP oil spill, and the disgrace of Tiger Woods, America's red white and blue has been given a black eye. This photograph exemplifies the murky phase that the U.S. is currently undergoing. The flag is not valiantly undulating in the breeze; it's not even a real flag. It's some sort of trashy synthetic material, placed askance in the window in front of some severely outdated blinds. The apartment building itself is sad and ominous with no sign of July jubilation to be seen. There are even bars covering the windows, completely contradicting any notion of freedom. The upside to this newfound American modesty - we may finally be more liked by France.

Funny how the KEEP OUT warning only makes you want to open the door and go inside. Forbidden fruit always looks sweeter. The photographer, myself, obeys the rule of thirds by keeping the door off center. Shot from eye level, this photo makes you feel as though you're in the hall, right outside this door. If I told you that behind that door there's merely a young man's well-decorated bedroom, would you be less enticed to open it and see what's inside? No, you wouldn't. Neither is my mom, that's why I'm getting a deadbolt.

The white picket fence, a prominent suburban cliché. It's the symbol of a wholesome, happy American home. However, at a closer look we'll see that this fence is a façade, a lie. Along its pristine ridge we see a trashy beer can and lighter, suggesting substance abuse and sadness. Instead of being used to keep harmful things out, this fence is used to hide the harmful things inside. This white picket fence is actually a symbol of American denial. This white picket fence...is a white picket offense.

I appreciate this artist's statement. The statue of liberty's sign proudly declares LIBERTY, but is this man liberated? Sure, he has his freedom costume, but what else does this man have? It appears not much; he looks pretty poor. The use of color in this photo highlights how this man isn't free, but a prisoner of circumstance. It makes the point that the argument for freedom...is not so black and white.

DOG BEHIND THE RAILS

This dog trapped behind bars represents us, trapped in our cubicles, stuck in traffic, waiting in line at Urban Outfitters...Just as this dog pensively gazes out at the dog park across the way, we long for freedom away from all the chores of every day life. Unlike the man in the photo above, this dog is black and white, surrounded by a world of color that he is barred from. Just like him, we are not free; we are caged animals. Free from the wild, yet prisoners of the rat race...or dog race.

Here we see a pensive man alone in the wilderness through a photo that captures simplicity. But let me assure you, creating this image was no simple matter. Harnessing technology similar to that used by David LaChappelle, I superimposed the forestation seen in the background. My model was actually posing in a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot. It's a challenge for an artist to make something artificial seem so very real. A challenge I, as an artist, welcomed.

The eye is drawn to the sign and its cry for help. "Do not block drive." It begs us to examine what is blocking our drive. It's easy to believe we are resigned to this black and white life, but look closely at the picture. Notice how the letters go outside the lines just like the writer is trying to break free of the locked door. Delve deeper to see the play between light and dark highlighting the symbolism of the text. The washed out effect from the letters is our light within trying to break through. I could have shot this head on, but I choose the angle to emphasize the padlock - the darkest part of the photo...the darkest part of life. The lock in the shadows is the darkest parts of our lives; addiction, abandonment, orphanages, greed, metaphorical blindness. That darkness is the secrets and secrets locked deep within each of us - the darkness chaining our drive.

What do YOU think this photo means? Or what did you THINK it meant before I told you?

Protruding out from the coarse stucco, these three holes are a mystery. Where do they lead? What flows through them? The observer cannot know for sure, giving them license to draw up their own interpretations. Looking at them, the viewer can easily conjure up images spanning from pollution to sex to Ninja Turtles and beyond... The true mystery comes from your imagination.

Where do these pipes take your imagination?

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