My Thoughts on NYC Gyms and Fitness Clubs Reopenings. Will It Be Safe to Return During COVID-19?

Hello all! Ralph “The Perennial Aesthete” is here. I hope everyone is doing well—spiritually, mentally and physically. I wanted to touch upon New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent announcement on gym openings in New York City. I know many of my fellow New Yorkers are anxious to get back in the gym. Do I miss being there? You bet! However, I honestly have mixed feelings about it. The time of the COVID-19 pandemic has truly exposed the paradox of our world. The empathy and compassion of strangers and communities efforts and dedication for the most vulnerable. For the other side, the shameless greed of corporations that has no filter.

Launch of My New Boxing and Personal Training Business Venture: Perennial Boxing + Fitness

Hey peeps! Your favorite New York City blogger, Ralph Gilmore, is back at it. I took a little blogging hiatus due to being busy working on a few projects, while making sure to stay healthy and cool-headed in these strange times. Just like many of you, I’ve been adjusting to new routines and a lot of unknowns due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It’s much easier to focus on the negatives and the things that can go wrong, rather than focusing on the positives, no matter how dire the circumstances may be. I choose to focus on my passions, my creativity, my evolving skills and anything that brings joy to my life. My hope is that I always continue to remain in a place of joy and inspiration, while making a positive impact on as many people’s lives as possible.

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Happy New Year 2018: Renewal of Faith, Purpose and Resolve

Happy New Year everyone!  2017 was equally an incredible and trying year for me.  Not just for the high moments, but more so for the low; the challenges, confusion, struggle, loss, fear, doubt and a slew of other emotions and obstacles that seemingly never ended.

Creative Inspiration: Behind the Brand With Designer/ Illustrator Ralph A. Gilmore

Up until a few nights ago, I never realized how hard it is to make a simple promo video on YouTube.  It also doesn’t help that I’m a perfectionist;  if I set my mind to do something, I try as hard as possible to accomplish the goal at hand.  As a graphic designer, illustrator, artist, writer, blogger and entrepreneur, my hope is that I can inspire as many people as possible through my artistic and creative abilities.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Dress Up Your Chest With These Awesome T-shirts

Hey t-shirt lovers!  In honor of today’s Independence Day, I have graphic t-shirts on sale for $10 for men and $6 for women in my online shop.  In addition, I am also offering my customers FREE SHIPPING on all domestic orders… how cool is that???  check out the online store and see which t-shirt you might want to rock for the rest of the summer.  Please note that the sale will end next Tuesday, July 12, 2016.  You can visit my site at: orangemoonwerks.com.

To all of my customers, your support has been greatly appreciated.  Have a happy 4th of July!  May you all have a safe and happy holiday!!

To my readers, I invite you to join me on Facebook and to follow me on Instagram and Twitter.  You can also reach me via email at:  rgilmore@orangemoonwerks.com. If you find any joy and value in what I do, would you consider providing support to help keep my blog going? Learn how by following the link here: Support = Love

 

Marvel’s Final Trailer To ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Featuring Spider-Man!

So Marvel gave us the second trailer to ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and a first look at the newest variant of Spider-Man, the version that will connect to a solo Spider-Man film co-produced by Sony’s Amy Pascal and Marvel Studio head Kevin Feige. With Civil War being the biggest Marvel movie to date, the brand new trailer looks absolutely fantastic!  Black Panther in action is amazing and long overdue, the tension between Cap and Tony is intensely, self-evident and last but not least, we got Spider-Man swinging into the MCU!  But of course–as if with all superhero movies, you’re going to get a broad range of reactions from ordinary movie-goers, sacrificial geeks and die-hard fanboys.  To some, the suit looks like someone in the design department had a bit too much funny with the CGI effects.  While others instantly recognized and welcomed the Silver Age-inspired design.  As far as Spidey’s suit is concerned, I’m just hoping that it’s not the finished product.  I mean he does look a little weird… but hopefully, the suit will be a bit more polished by the time the movie rolls around this coming May.

Untapped Creativity: Don’t Take Your Best Ideas To The Grave With You!

Photo Credit:  Alan Thornton | Getty Images

Perhaps this photo is a tad morbid due to it’s visual nature, which is paired with my intention to assert the notion that our greatest ideas goes to our graves with us.  In past years, I’ve been guilty of being an “idea hoarder;” what I mean by that is from time to time, I’ve conjured up numerous creative ideas–in which I failed to act upon due to a combination of procrastination, work schedules, relationships, fear of criticism and quite often for some of us, life tends to knocks us off our feet–at least momentarily.  One day I just decided that I wasn’t going to keep my ideas on the shelf anymore and that I would do everything in power to share my creativity with the world.

The following is one of my favorite quotes made by motivational speaker and author, Les Brown.  I constantly keep this quote in the back of mind to help keep me motivated, especially when my goals are not reached as quickly as expected:

Kevin’s Story: No More Bullying! | Fundraising Campaign

I’m so proud to announce my collaboration with GoFundMe and to be able to share my daughter’s book that she wrote, ‘Kevin’s Story.’  It’s a short story that involves the lessons learned when it comes to bullying.  Some of you might not know this, but bullying is a serious issue that quite often leads to suicide.  It not only happens here in the United States, but also in different parts of the world.

Black History Month: Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning Author

Photo Credit:  Jerry Bauer

Creator spotlight to acknowledge and celebrate black history makers

“Love has been many things throughout history: the simple comfort of the familiar, having a person to know and being known by that person in return; a connection born of shared experiences, an irrational joy in another’s presence; a particular calming influence that one member of the couple may exert on the other, or that they both provide to one another. A combination of all these and myriad other things can go into making one person wish to stay tied to another. Anyone who is not in the couple–that is, everyone else in the world–will not understand precisely how or why it works for two people.” – Annette Gordon-Reed, The Hemingses of Monticello:  An American Family

American historian and law professor, Annette Gordon-Reed, was the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize for History in 2009 for her book, The Hemingses of Monticello:  An american Family.  She also won 15 other prizes for the work she’s done during that year.  In 2010, she received the National Humanities Medal and was named a MacArthur Fellow.  Gordan-Reed was educated at Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.  She is a Professor of Law and History at Harvard, and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Raddiffe Institute for Advanced Study.

Welcome to my new blog: The Perennial Aesthete

Hey good people! Your friendly neighborhood Ralph A. Gilmore is here. You might need to sit down and read up on all the awesome news I’d like to share with you in my very first post on my new blog, The Perennial Aesthete.  I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to finally have this baby up and running!