Essay by Luke Foster “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Harper Lee I read Harper Lees book To Kill a Mockingbird in 10nth grade at school, and I was fascinated by the outsider character Boo Radley. I don’t feel […]
Archives: Essays
Writing my First Book: Mothers Love
Essay by Luke Foster “People on the outside think there’s something magical about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn’t like that. You sit behind the typewriter, and you work, and that’s all there is to […]
Nick Cave/ Endlessly Cool/ the Ship Song
Essay by Luke Foster “An artist’s duty is rather to stay open-minded and in a state where he can receive information and inspiration. You always have to be ready for that little artistic Epiphany”. Nick Cave Nick Cave is without doubt my favourite musician however he is also an accomplished author, actor, and screen writer. […]
Are Science Fiction Movies Far Fetched or Are They an Uncanny Reminder That We Need to Change How We Treat the Earth and Each Other If We Are to Survive?
Essay by Luke Foster “Our mother earth is teaching us a lesson in universal responsibility. This blue planet is a delightful habitat. Its life is our life, its future, our future. Indeed, the earth acts like a mother to us all; as her children, we are dependent on her. In the face of the global […]
Perry Farrell / I Would for You
Essay by Luke Foster “I love being able to escape my past, even though my past was great.” Perry Farrell Perry Farrell born Peretz Bernstein in 1959 is an American songwriter and musician and best known of lead singer of alternative rock band Janes Addiction. My favourite album by Janes Addiction is Ritual Lo Habitual […]
The Times They Are-A-Changin / Bob Dylan
Essay by Luke Foster “What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” Bob Dylan Bob Dylan was born in 1941 and is an American singer-songwriter and is often regarded as one of the greatest […]
Reality Bites or is the World Just a Weird Place
Essay by Luke Foster “I can remember in early elementary school when the Russians launched the first satellite. There was still so much unknown about space. People thought Mars was probably populated.” Christa McAuliffe Since my mum has passed about a month ago my whole reality has shifted, and I know there is such thing […]
Vinyl Vs CDs and Music on the Computer and iPod
“The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel, and vinyl.” -Dave Barry About five years ago I had a dream one night and I dreamed I had bought an apple smart watch and a big record collection and a record player. So, a few weeks later I went to JB Hi Fi and bought […]
Eating Gelato in Rome and at Home with Art School Buddy Ben Butler
Essay by Luke Foster “It wasn’t that the teachers were bad. From what I can remember, they were pretty good. It was about the selection of books. It was about not seeing my young life reflected back to me: my family dynamics, the noise and complexities of my neighbourhood, the things I loved, like ice […]
Everywhere You Go You Take the Weather with You/ Crowded House
Essay by Luke Foster “It took me a long time, but I don’t feel as anxious about stupid things anymore – or perhaps they’ve just been replaced by more complicated stupid things.” Neil Finn Neil Finn was member of the band Crowded House formed in 1985. I used to just like listening to the ocean […]
A Not So Gentle Landing Back in Australia
Essay by Luke Foster Life is a journey, not a destination” Ralph Waldo Emerson I arrived back in Australia on Thursday from Europe and started to get back in the groove of things by getting up early today and hanging out my washing had a decaf coffee and then two hours beach walking then off […]
The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm and the Role of Platonic Love
Essay by Luke Foster “Love isn’t something natural. Rather it requires discipline, concentration, patience, faith, and the overcoming of narcissism. It isn’t a feeling; it is a practice.” Fromm, Eric, The Art of Loving I am not very good in romantic relationships, but I have lots of platonic friends who I care about deeply. I think that […]
The Pros and Cons of International Travel
Essay by Luke Foster “Nature hasn’t gone anywhere. It is all around us, all the planets, galaxies and so on. We are nothing in comparison.” Bjork I am currently travelling in Europe and have visited Rome and Athens and now in Vienna. I feel so exhilarated by international travel but there is a downside too. […]
Living in the Moment/ Egon Schiele in Vienna
Essay by Luke Foster “I like the scientific spirit—the holding off, the being sure but not too sure, the willingness to surrender ideas when the evidence is against them: this is ultimately fine—it always keeps the way beyond open—always gives life, thought, affection, the whole man, a chance to try over again after a mistake—after […]
My Beloved Mother Has Passed
Essay by Luke Foster “We cannot hope to die peacefully if our lives have been full of violence, or if our minds have mostly been agitated by emotions like anger, attachment, or fear. So, if we wish to die well, we must learn how to live well: Hoping for a peaceful death, we must cultivate […]
My Big Trip to Europe
Essay by Luke Foster “Of all men’s miseries the bitterest is this: to know so much and to have control over nothing.” Herodotus I am in Dubai for a one night stop over on the way to Europe. I shall go to Rome, Athens, the Greek Islands and Vienna. I am very excited about Rome […]
Contemplating Death/ Religion and Spiritualism as a Antidote to the Fear of the Inevitability of Death
Essay by Luke Foster “Death is a challenge. It tells us not to waste time. It tells us to tell each other right now that we love each other.” – Leo Buscaglia When I was a teenager finishing up my final year of school my major work in art was a series of four large […]
Beach Walking As Meditation to Find My Zen. I Used to Burn Incense Too But I Set Off the Smoke Alarms One Night When I Burned to Much
Essay by Luke Foster “To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss.” Bodhidharma The first thing I do when I wake in the morning is roll out of bed and then walk up and grab a latte at the local cafe and I love to have a chat with the always cheerful baristas. Then […]
World Vision/ Save the Children/ My Life is a Circus but the Dalai Lama says Circus’s are Fun
“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.” Dalai Lama A lot of children die in the developing world of simple preventable illnesses. “As a World […]
Win/ Win Situations and Edward De Bono and Tibetan Exhibition at the Whitney
Essay by Luke Foster “Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain.” Edward de Bono Humor is the best way to teach a lesson as it lasts rather than a scary camp fire story or stern remark. Perhaps the US government and the Whitney could commission Tibetan children to make five […]
The Way of the Buddha/ Buddha Would Have Loved Win/ Win Situations
Essay by Luke Foster “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Buddha I am sort of a lapsed Catholic but at one stage I was thinking of converting to Buddhism but like the Dalai Lama have […]
The Teachings of the Saints From all Religions
Essay by Luke Foster “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Francis of Assisi I consider myself a devout Catholic but I don’t read the bible much but I do take inspiration from the teachings of the saints from all religions. There has been some powerful […]
Maria Foster My Beloved Mother/ I Don’t Just Love My Mum I Consider Her a Saint
Essay by Luke Foster “ Stop drawing yourself and use colour” Maria Foster My beloved mother has looked after me through thick and thin through my whole life not just my childhood. Even when I was in and out of mental hospitals five times she still called me most days and came to visit me. I […]
Robin Williams Meets Jon Bon Jovi
Essay by Luke Foster “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” Robin Williams One of my favourite actors was Robin Williams and he was so genuine, funny and kind. My favourite movie he starred in was about the clown doctor Patch Adams called by his name. He first emerged […]
I am Terrible at Spelling So I hope I have Spelled Your Name Right Condoleezza Rice
“My parents elected me president of the family when I was 4. We actually had an election every year, and I always won. I’m an only child, and I could count on my mother’s vote.” Condoleezza Rice My main mistake in choosing role models is that I used to mainly choose male role models but […]