Si Vis Pacem

Photo by Rob Salem. Copyright © 2017 Rob Salem/The Stormworks. I took this photo a few years ago, while working on a project that revolved around the veteran suicide crisis, PTSD, and the struggles that combat veterans face when they come home from war. Recent world events and my connections with the veteran community have...

“Thank You For Your Service”

Photo by Rob Salem. Copyright 2017-2021 Rob Salem/The Stormworks. Let's talk about the word "hero" and intent vs impact. It's a word that gets used a lot in reference to our military and our public safety personnel, from police and fire and EMS to hospital workers and everyone else that I haven't mentioned specifically. Now,...

The Sin That Saves You

Earlier this year, my band, Salem's Childe, signed a deal with Pavement Entertainment that will see our upcoming record, "The Sin That Saves You," being released and distributed globally through Sony's The Orchard. Since then, despite the pandemic, we've been busy trying to get everything in place that has to happen for a release like...

Making More of Less: The Spaces Between

  There’s a thought in music that says that the spaces between notes are more important than the notes themselves. Essentially, this is the notion that notes played are made more valuable by the silence around them. As a guitar player I agree with this notion. But I think it’s an idea the goes beyond...

Good? Bad? Good Enough?

I'm currently working on a project that involves going through the several thousand photos I've taken the last few years and figuring out which ones I like enough for commercial use while keeping in mind the purpose of the end product and the probable consumer demographic. It's a project that's been on the back burner...

A New Year & A New Start

  I’ve had this blog for a few years, but haven’t really done much with it the past year or so. The past couple, really. I’ve made occasional posts here and there, but with no consistency nor any mind towards developing the identity of this particular corner of the internet beyond what it’s been for...

Salem’s Childe – Sacred Sun

The latest single from my band, Salem's Childe. The music video was done by The Stormworks (my media production brand). If you like what you see and hear, we'd love to have you as a fan and follower. Hit those like and subscribe buttons, and definitely that share button. The song is available to stream...

El Salvador: Imagen y Palabra

Let’s start with a cliché: El Salvador is a country of stark contrasts. Cliché, but true. I suppose that could be said about most places in the world but given its status as one of the most dangerous countries in the world that isn’t an active warzone, I’d say it’s particularly true of El Salvador....

Ars Gratia Artis

Something that's been bothering me lately is the tendency of others to always make art about money. Before I go any further, I want to clearly state that I'm absolutely in favor of artists of all mediums being compensated fairly for their work, and that the above statement is relevant to a specific phenomenon I've...

What’s In A Name

On Monday and Tuesday of this week I was honored with the opportunity to display some of my social awareness and humanitarian related photo work at the 8th Annual Indiana Campus Compact Service Engagement Summit. The ICC promotes socially and culturally aware social service and engagement, with a focus on developing leaders in the field...