A glimpse of the highlights of this spring. Unfortunately I cannot capture video at all the courses I do. I apologize if we visited this spring and you are not represented! However, when I get the chance….
Author Archives: Tony
Working With The Boys
Had the distinct pleasure of spending a few days with my good fiends at Kruljac Tree service in the Pittsburgh area.
Here is a short video of the experience.
Enjoy
Recent Training Course
Here is a short montage of a recent training course Ed Carpenter and I conducted a few weeks ago.
A always prepare for the worst, plan for the best.
I will be offering some printed copies of my new novel for sale next week in Baltimore at the TCI Expo. Come on out and say hello! If you can’t make it comment below and I will be happy to ship you one. $8.00 plus shipping.
The E-book version is available on all major online retailers. The printed version is only available from me!
Tony
It’s Done!
It is official! The new book is out. Currently it is available on all e-book distributors. Just search for Anthony Tresselt and/ or Fall Factor. I also reduced the e-book price on the first novel as low as possible before I started getting “nastygrams” from Amazon. The paper version of Free Falling is as low as the publisher will allow.
For those of you with short attention spans, feel free to forego the long wordy post below! Just get the damn book!
Since the fall of 2013 when the first novel came out, it has been different journey. Not epic, as is all the rage to label things now, but sublime, introspective, informative. The publishing industry is changing and changing quickly. Just 5 years ago, publishing works of fiction the way I do now would not have been possible.
I know, you see, I have been writing my whole life. Submitting, resubmitting, going through the motions. Putting in the work, the time. Admittedly inconsistently, but doing it all for many years to the best of my abilities. I have a file of rejection letters, much fatter than acceptance letters. I keep it to remind myself about humility, effort and tenacity. A lesson from one of my mentors.
Today self publishing thwarts all that. Anybody willing to spend the money, can publish just about anything. I don’t mind. I do not feel shortchanged. For me the benefits are obvious. Readers benefit also. The amount of material published daily grows staggering. The downside? A lot of it is shit.
In the simplest terms, the change in publishing is this. Instead of putting in the work to get something published before readers can get it, I must put in the work after. If I do not promote my work, no one will.
I have struggled with this. Self-promotion is in direct opposition with many of my core beliefs, the path I choose to travel though this world. However, I have come to look at it more as a value proposition. My books, the stories, they tell, have a value. They can entertain, introduce, expose or commiserate.
Most importantly they connect. I feel books, the written word, is the last way we possess as people, as members of various “tribes,” to pass on stories, traditions, beliefs and all the other things that throughout history have been traditionally handed down by word of mouth, action, interaction.
I choose to do this by telling fictional stories. Others in the field of arboriculture have done it with instruction manuals, guides, photo essays or how to books. All of Jeff Jepson’s, Gerry Beranek’s, Don Blair’s and other’s books sit on my shelves. Most autographed. All treasured. I grew up in arboricultural, never wanted to be an arborist, but fell into it through circumstance and then choice. I am incidentally arborist to the core. Those books on the self are part of my story, part of my history. As are the jokes, the antidotes, the personalities, the characters I’ve met, talked with or just heard about.
My story echoes many of yours. I came to arboriculture because of the of the “tribe.” I stay for the same reason I write to pass on what has been given to me through a lifetime of friendships and experience. I see the world through a lens of my own forging. This lens of course shaped and molded by others, remains uniquely my own. We all have a lens. We all look through ours everyday. All media, books, video, whatever, offers us all a chance to look through another’s.
I choose the written word. It is where my skill, experience and talent lie. Others choose video, some choose speaking. Many choose nothing at all.
So the ask/ value proposition is this: Buy the book. Spend less than you would on your Vente White Chocolate Mocha with extra shots at Starbucks. Share my stories, with me, for a few hours. Like the books or not, agree or disagree, love or hate, post a review, then pass the story on.
Simple really. A few small things. Read. Think. Connect. Build bridges, pass on stories, spend time, all vicariously. Our “tribe” of arboriculture needs this now more than ever as do our communities and, I believe, our very society.
Thank you all and enjoy,
Tony
North American Training Solutions in New York City
Recently I had a chance to be a part of a unique training course for New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
It was unique in size and scope. Two, one day courses with a total of around 120 participants, in two locations, spaced over two days. Studens were introduced to recent trends in incidents in arboricultural operations, then given stratiges to prevent and/or deal with the most common types of incidents.
All in all, a monumental task of organization, planning and exexcution I was gald to be a small part of.
Here is a short “documentary” of the event.
As a side note, in an effort to get more useful content out and into the hands/minds of those who want it, I have begun posting my videos to my youtube channel as well. Also for more technique/profession oriented videos, North American Training Solutions has opened a you tube channel. It is just getting rooling, but keep checking as we will add content.
Be safe and Enjoy,
Tony
Flow
Flow
One of the main lessons I have learned in the past few years is the value to me of flow activities. By flow I mean the type of task you get so wrapped up in you lose track of time. This time loss I believe is the result of intense, sustained concentration.
I am not a psychologist nor do I play one on T.V. I will not attempt to describe the details. I would not do them justice. There are many excellent books and resources out there if your interested. The Book Flow is a in depth work, worth the read if your interested and the best, most authoritative starting place I know of.
Even after some research/reading, the term seemed a bit overwhelming, mystical and all encompassing. I have come to know it is not. The state of flow is obtainable, at will, with practice and putting one’s self in the proper conditions. Once you identify an activity that puts you in flow, you can, overtime, develop a process and move into flow whenever you engage in the activity.
For instance, when working on creative projects such as video editing, vector animations, even developing custom spread sheets all lead to flow for me. A few hands on projects around the house also allow me to slip into a flow state rather easy. Carpentry projects for my daughter, bookshelves, etc. for my office, all work.
They key seems to be there must exist a unknown to solved, then a process of solving smaller tasks leading to completion. I may have an idea of the final solution, but a certain amount of trial and error seems vital.
My process is simple. I need to schedule time, no less than 4 hours in my case. If I feel pushed for time or in a rush, flow eludes me. I must be solo. Joint projects don’t induce flow for me. Like many writers and creatives I perfer to work alone anyway. That’s pretty much it.
Why?
Why you ask? Why take the time? For me, as an introvert, flow is a release valve, a reset button and a tonic my brain craves after I force myself from my basic personality characteristics. You see, I can stand in front of hundreds of people or small groups to speak, or teach. I can in every sense of the word chameleon myself into a chatty extrovert.
It has taken practice, time and effort. I must deeply believe the reason to do so important. I can’t fake it, and say, sell used cars. If the topic is important to me I can flip the extrovert switch, like an actor slipping into character.
However, this ability comes with a price. The price is a need to shut down, withdraw inward and be the ultimate introvert. A flow state does this for me. It allows the debris of living, woking, training and teaching to settle, to allow the core of who I am to reassert and reset.
Before I understood this aspect of myself, of introversion and how to return to a normal state after turning “extro” I wondered if being a trainer was the choice for me. I now realize the obstacle of introversion is the path for me, for my career, and my artistic pursuits. Flow and flow activities are a key part of the process. Perhaps for some of you as well.
Video
Here is a short video of my last “Flow” project. I decided to make a short video to test some new camera gear and refine my editing skills. I wanted to show the passage of time without words, or other obvious means. I also wanted to show the process as it is from my perspective, the lapse in time, the repetition, the trial and error. I limited myself to 2 minutes or less. First, so as to not bore you. Second, I am the most creative when self imposed or external restrictions are in place. The tighter the rules, the higher the performance.
Thanks for reading,
Tony
Chainsaw Training
Starting last fall the resuming this spring until this last week, myself and two other excellent instructors, Mat and Rick, conducted ten separate sections of four day chainsaw training for Pennsylvania DCNR. Forty days in total for 100+ students overall.
All attendees were a pleasure to work with. This video is a tribute to them, my co-instructors Matt and Rick and the knowledge shared on all sides of the training equation, student and instructor.
Tony
Distance of Fall
As some of you know, I write articles for trade magazines in the field of Arboriculture. Occasionally I get a question or two on details or asking for clarification. My last article was published in TCI magazine on the topic of Double Block Rigging. A bit esoteric for those of you not in the tree world, I admit, but a good question none the less. A question I get asked fairly often when training. Instead of trying to scribble my answer in words, I decided to do a short video explaining.
Tony
ITCC 2016 Work Climb Set Up
Week before last saw me in San Antonio TX. helping at the work climb event at the International Tree Climbing Championships. As always, a great time to see old friends and meet new.
Here is a short video I put together in honor of all the volunteers who made the Work Climb event a success.
Tony
Recent Crane assisted Rigging and Removal Course
This last week saw me on the road for three different events. A crane rigging and removal course, TCI Expo and two days of training with a private company. A bit to be away from home, but rewarding none the less.
Here is a short video of the crane course. Thanks to all who helped set it up and/or participated. This should be just the first of many similar courses at this great site.
Enjoy,
Tony
The Gravitational Anarchists 