Dan & Robert talk

Today Dad and I spent some time in front of the camera together, something we did a lot of in the first documentary, but haven't done much of so far. Part of this has been because I've been one-man-banding this act and really focussing on shooting dad's process. Part of that is very freeing and interesting, especially since I am far more camera/image focus than I was in the past. The other side, though, that is missing, is the connection between us, literally, on screen. To that end, I offer today's video.

We talked about a number of things - golf and giving it up, which may sound antithetical against our process of trying to get my dad back to it, but if you watch the video you'll get it. We also talked about the things we take for granted, like walking and the value of said simple things. And, of course, we talked a little A's baseball - which is quite enjoyable right now with the boys tearing up the league!

We also had a very interesting meeting with Zen Master, Thomas Pastor. He's one of the teachers at the Zen Center of Las Vegas. Dad's going to begin to learn how to meditate. There are many studies, especially in the last couple of years, that point to the specific scientifically provable benefits for the brain by meditating. Almost nothing could make more sense for my dad to engage in and we're excited to start the process. 

Lastly, we talked about Giuseppe's graduation from preschool. While it might sound like a silly idea to have a graduation from preschool, if you know his medical history, which included a rough start at birth, and understand he's been there at UNLV's preschool for three years now, you'll know this is a great thing to celebrate. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

As always, we appreciate your comments and hope you'll take a look at our book, Simple Stuff, which is still a free download for the next two days. 

Simple Stuff Introduction - Dan Cochrane

Our new book, Simple Stuff, is available for purchase for $2.99 as an ebook on Amazon (click here). This book was written in 2002-2003, before the trip for the original documentary "Boys of Summer" was even conceived. It was a key point in our relationship, however, as it drew us together, literally, over an artistic venture. Below is the original introduction my dad, the illustrator, wrote for the book. 

Dad’s Intro (written in 2005)

How do we know we can do things? There may be many different avenues. For me it has come primarily from being around people who were doing things, which makes the process very real, very concrete, very doable. My first memory of creating art work came from my Aunt Libby. She would draw greeting cards for birthdays or special holidays and that seemed magical to a five year old. The same kind of magic my grandmother would use to bake a fresh loaf of bread. Nothing abstract, just put your hands in the flour and create. 

School work always seemed to me to be a much more abstract learning process that did not capture my interest until my sophomore year of college. Actually it was either get interested or get out. I decided to get interested. Graduation, marriage, a family and a business career followed. From time to time I would draw greeting cards for family members and they were always well received. I never expected to develop my efforts any further but when you have children and they become a source of energy and creativity the genie is out of the bottle.

The genie in this case was my son, Bob, who proposed the idea of working together on an idea he called Simple Stuff. This would be a departure from projects we worked on in the past that usually involved such things as bundling tree pruning or building a sport court in our back yard. As Bob explained it, he had some observations about life that I would illustrate. I had not read any of his thoughts so I didn't really understand what the project would amount to. The idea of joining Bob in a creative effort sounded too good to miss. Bob had a very wise approach: in the beginning, he didn't mention how many illustrations would be involved. He only sent me ten at a time. That kept me from becoming overwhelmed by the prospects of doing something as daunting as "a book". Quite the contrary, I found myself energized, trying to interpret Bob's ideas.

Thank you, Bob, for being my genie and for trusting me with your magic.

Love always,

Dad