This guy is so inspiring to me. He had a gallery on Front Street in Lahaina and I used to go in there for hours and just dissect his work. It’s absolutely fascinating.

I’m a sucker for pen and ink or pencil drawings. M.C. Escher took reality and challenged every aspect of it with his works. It was a proud day when I introduced my son to M.C. Escher and he saw the brilliance in his art.

Renaissance art is super inspirational to me, and Raphael was one of the best. Of course, DaVinci, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, etc. are pretty good too…

My friend John sent me a post by this guy on Instagram. He’s phenomenal.  I get sucked in looking at his work. I always look forward to his new releases.

Looking at Norman Rockwell’s work, it takes me back to my childhood.  I relate to so many of his pieces, even though they were painted before I was even born.

Malcolm Gladwell is one of the few people that never produces a bad piece of work. Every single book is FANTASTIC.  Every. Single. One. Start with Outliers, and you’ll be hooked. If you aren’t familiar with Malcolm Gladwell, you’re missing out.

Dan Brown’s books are like eating Dark Chocolate. They’re so good, so easy to read and so hard to put down that you just want more. No one merges fiction and non-fiction quite like Dan Brown. Angels and Demons is still the best.

Very much like Malcom Gladwell, Ryan Holiday’s books are all excellent. Stillness is the Key, Ego is the Enemy, Discipline is Destiny and even his less known books like Perennial Seller and Trust Me, I’m Lying are legendary.

I love reading Hermann Hesse. While my favorite is Siddartha, Demian was brilliant as well. He was a phenomenal writer and his books should be required in every school in the country.

Greg’s books are so easy to read and so, so good. Essentialism started it off and helped me be confident in my pursuit of less but better.

Think and Grow Rich is still relevant so many years after it was written. It’s spawned so many contemporaries and birthed the careers of Tony Robbins and the entire mindset movement. All his writings are excellent.

David Gilmour is my all time favorite guitarist. I would love to add a guitar signed by him to my collection. Pink Floyd may be my favorite band of all time. Just so much good stuff in their catalog.

I probably listen to more blues music than any other genre, and my absolute favorite is Buddy Guy. I’ve been fortunate enough to see him several times and keep a signed guitar of his in my office.

I’m not sure anyone ever mastered the guitar quite like Stevie Ray. What a legend. His cover of Tin Pan Alley is the best there is.

Michael Franti is one of those artists that I just can’t get enough of. He has such a positive and inspirational message. I remember seeing him way back in the 90s open up for 311. He stole the show.

For many years my friends called me “Ozzy” as I was obsessed with Ozzy and Sabbath. I still enjoy the hard crunching guitars and vocals from time to time.  And yes, I will still respond to “Ozzy.”

I’d be hard pressed not to include the late, great BB. His storytelling was legendary and his influence knows no bounds. Another signed guitar of his hangs in my wife’s office (sometimes I work in there).

I have to preface this by saying “old” Metallica. I stopped listening to them after …And Justice for All, but their early stuff is as close to perfect as metal can be. The musicianship is incredible, the lyrics are great and they deserve all the accolades they’ve received.

You can’t listen to flamenco music without listening to Paco de Lucia. He’s incredible.  His mastery of the guitar is mesmerizing.

I remember where I was when I first heard Guns N’ Roses in the 80s. Changed my trajectory for sure.

Another of the three Kings, Albert was always one of my favorite. Like BB, he was a legendary storyteller, and his music still remains among my favorites.

The first CD I ever bought was “Rust in Peace.” I bought it because of the album artwork.  At the time I was 12 and never heard of them. They remained among my favorites ever since.  Rust in Peace is definitely in the top 10 best metal albums of all time.

I really love Gipsy Kings. They’ve created almost their own genre of latin/flamenco music that is upbeat and fun.

I actually hate this guy.  Not really, I just hate that he is so good. He’s the best. No one else is even close. I know some of the locations he has shot. I’ve stood where he’s stood, and I’m pretty good, but I have no idea how he was able to capture or stitch together some of the images he did. He’s the best.

Peter’s a great photographer, and one of the greatest panoramic photographers ever, but his marketing is even better than his photography.  No one has been able to market themselves quite like Peter Lik.

Ted’s really good too.  I like his work a lot. Like Marc, I’ve stood where he’s stood and had to take my hat off to how he was able to capture some of the images he did. He’s great with color and processing.

John is a great friend of mine and an inspiration.  I’m proud to have met him many years ago and shot with him here in Hawaii and up in Alaska. We talk about once a week and are always learning from each other. Can’t wait for our next adventure together!

Chip’s been around a long time, and seems like a really good guy.  I’ve been inspired by his landscapes of the pacific northwest for many years. He’s got a great eye for composition and finishing.

There are a ton of ocean photographers that I love, and choosing just one here is hard, but Warren Keelan is different from the rest of them. His work is bold and passionate. I always love seeing new work from Warren.