Featured Blogger: Dietmar Fritze – Philosopher. Photographer. Musician & more…
“Meaning and morality of One’s life come from within oneself. Healthy, strong individuals seek self expansion by experimenting and by living dangerously. Life consists of an infinite number of possibilities and the healthy person explores as many of them as possible … The good life is ever changing, challenging, devoid of regret, intense, creative and risky.” Friedrich Nietzsche
Featured Blogger: Dietmar in 1965 on his very first car, a Volkswagen
Dietmar Fritze is truly an all around renaissance man; he writes music and a blog – FlickrComments, sings, takes amazing photographs, loves art, travels and connects with people from all walks of life. He has a great zest for life! Even as he reaches out daily to his friends, online and off, he stays true to his love for photography and art; taking, uploading and sharing beautiful photographs – sometimes several times a day. Dietmar lives, with his equally talented photographer/artist wife, Barbara, in the beautiful city of Wuppertal in the North Rhine-Westphalia region in Germany.
Wuppertal is home to Choreographer Pina Bausch, Movie-Director Wim Wenders, and to Bayer; the creators of Aspirin. Dietmar is also a dad to two beautiful daughters and when you visit his blog, do watch his home videos where he performs his music with family and friends. Here is a link to a video of Dietmar and one of his daughters performing at a local church.
Dietmar and I connected through the Blog Buddy post via the WordPress DailyPost Challenge, and what endeared him to me was, and remains, his directness and clarity about issues/topics that mattered to him. The first thing that caught my eye when I clicked over to Dietmar’s blog was the remarkable range of photographs in his highly organized directory. He is also a great resource for photos that highlight specific periods in history. For this week’s interview, and continuing our ongoing series, I am pleased to introduce Dietmar as our Featured “Get To Know” blogger of the week. Please say hello, visit his blog, and get to enjoy his impressive collections too.
Featured Blogger: Dietmar playing guitar in 2010
Where did you grow up and why do you blog?
I grew up in West-Germany. I was born in 1945 and given directly to an orphanage after my birth. I found my mother 40 years later in East-Germany behind the “Iron Curtain“. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany, I thought that writing a philosophy book about the courage it takes to leave a rigid system would be interesting … and I started working on one. At first, I wrote a book about the persistence of philosophers; but realized actually that I prefer to write a blog because I like the daily feedback I get from my readers.
What is most important to you/about you?
I don’t want to forget the power of hope, of positive feelings… So I need my daily philosophy and psychology; writing about photography and arts, inviting friends for a meal and making music together. I am a guitarist with a passion.
“Rage and thinking belong together. Whoever allows others to calm down his rage, accepts, that his thinking can be taken away.” Dietmar Fritze
Featured Blogger: A car breaking through the Berlin wall in1989...
What motivates you to get out of bed?
Getting up to write early in the morning, from 5:00-7:00am; I write my daily articles on my blog. Secondly: To have breakfast with my darling loving wife. Third: To respond to the wishes of my cat; she is always demanding food, fur care and for me to open the garden door very early too…
How would you like to be remembered?
As one of my daughters said in her speech on my 65th anniversary:
” You’re still not afraid of conflicts, you do not need any harmony. You’re always going your own way, doing your own thing and no one can confuse you (the persistence of the philosophers)… These things that you excel at, I would like to pass on to my son also: joy, curiosity, openness, creativity and courage, persistence always to go his own way!”
His daughter said it perfectly. Dietmar is a man who travels a road that he knows well and follows his heart and passions. He lives his life without regrets. You may connect with him on his blog, via his flickr account and listen to his wonderful voice and music on YouTube. Again, welcome our blog friend and buddy — Dietmar Fritze aka Frizztext. 🙂
Positive Motivation Tip: Follow the beat of your own drum and live your life with passion, poise, and gumption.
Related Articles
- Featured Blogger: Barb Taylor – Passionate about Pets & People… (eof737.wordpress.com)
PHOTO
CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All featured Photos are courtesy of Dietmar Fritze
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Trackbacks
- Featured Blogger: Jackie Paulson – Seeking Knowledge & Truth… | Mirth and Motivation
- HOPE « Flickr Comments
- Weekly Photo Challenge: Home « Flickr Comments
- Featured Blogger: Arva N – A Box of Vistas… | Mirth and Motivation
- Barbara Fritze « Flickr Comments
- Pics + Posts 11-20 « Flickr Comments
- Pics + Posts 1-10 « Flickr Comments
- Pics + Posts 21-30 « Flickr Comments
- Pics + Posts 31-40 « Flickr Comments
- Pics + Posts 41-50 « Flickr Comments
- Pics + Posts 61-70 « Flickr Comments
- Pics + Posts 71-80 « Flickr Comments
Wonderful interview. Thanks, Eliz!
Love the qualities expressed ~ courage, curiosity, joy, openness, and creavity.
Thank you Nancy,
Yes those are great qualities to have and his daughter spoke so eloquently about her dad. I couldn’t have said it better… 🙂
Eliz
“These things that you excel at, I would like to pass on to my son also: joy, curiosity, openness, creativity and courage, persistence always to go his own way!”
Wow, that really sums up his daughters way of him being remembered when he is gone. Like my dad says, I plant these perenials (spelling) they come up every year- he said, When I am gone, I will be right here to remind you of me.
That is a statement. 🙂
Yes Dietmar’s daughter was very eloquent in her delivery and how fortunate to be able to say it directly to her dad… A real gift. I love your dad’s statement too… the everlasting perennial! 🙂
Eliz
Great interview with a very interesting person!
Thank you Barb! What I love about all the interviews is that each of you had a unique and powerful story to tell. Thank again for joining in and sharing your interview story with us. 🙂
Eliz
Thank you, Eliz, for this wonderful segment to an already stellar blog!
And thank you, Fritz, for your open, honest and compelling story…each day dawns with new opportunities to connect with our inner and outer worlds. I’m really glad I got a chance to connect with you!
Thank you Viv; your generous comment/compliment is appreciated. My blog is a work in progress, and connecting with generous bloggers like you and many others makes all the difference to me. 🙂
Dietmar is fantastic. Do check out his blog and flickr pages.
Danke,
Eliz
I’m flattered – don’t read about me – read about the ballet choreographer Pina Bausch of my Hometown Wuppertal in Germany or about the movie-director Wim Wenders: I’ve written about them last night, because I was in the cinema with some silly 3D glasses on my nose:
flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/ballet-pina-bausch-wim-wenders/
– and of course I have to thank Elizabeth for her great engagement to connect people world wide!
Oh, we will read about them and you too! By the way, could you give me the link to the post featuring you with your daughter singing? I will add the link to your featured blogger post so others can click it to visit your page. They can read your post and then watch the video of your performance on your blog. Danke! Elizabeth
my daughter and me, singing in a church:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32of7l-KOvg
P.S.: we are still waiting for that Mercedes Benz 🙂
Me too…. I was promised one when I got married. LOL! I will add the link later on Friday… need some sleep. 🙂 Thank you! Eliz
P.S.:
because English is not my native language, I never could write in this way …
go on writing, Eliz, about more people in this way and you will build up
a great community – social engineering, is this the term?
And: I like the Nietzsche quotation you’ve chosen in the beginning;
his most famous saying is
Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker.
~ what does not kill me, that makes me only stronger.
purest positive motivation psychology 🙂
Danke! 🙂
P.S.: I MUST say, that I have two daughters, one is a banker in Munich, the other daughter is an architect in Berlin. Both have little sons – and are doing nevertheless a full time job. It was a challenge for me (and my wife Barbara), to support our daughters to get a good job – though there still is no gender equality between male and female positions. But our daughters managed to reach leading positions. So I’ve learned, using the results of motivation psychology as a good support during education can’t be wrong …
Good to know… I have updated the post to include both daughters and Barbara’s name. 🙂 Thank you! Elizabeth
i especially love the quote from his daughter! great interview!
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
He is a fascinating individual and his daughter showed him great honor and respect on his 65th.
Thank you,
Eliz
He had me at Volkswagen. 😉
Great job Elizabeth, as always. I will check out his blog later today.
thanks, b
Oh Barbara, I knew you would so relate to the VW angle! After all, it is your most favorite car on the planet. I was laughing when I read your comment because it brought back memories of your VW saga… 🙂
Eliz
What a maverick! He sounds like a great guy and a loving husband.
The picture on top of the VW is priceless. Lovely feature and interview.
🙂
B
Thank you! He is a great guy and all you suggest. I agree that photo makes me want to go back in time and take something like that on a VW or Citroen or any other hugely period car. 🙂
Eliz
hi Bree,
I had to ask my dictionary English-German / German-English about MAVERICK. Was taught, that means Einzelgänger = a person who wants to be very individual, if needed single without surrounded by other human beings. Not quite correct. I like the dialog 🙂
whereas NIETZSCHE maybe liked to some “lonesome cowboy” feelings 🙂
flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/nietzsche/
+
Yep… He loves dialogue alright! 🙂 Dietmar perhaps what was meant is that as a creative person, you are a free thinker; clear about your position even if it’s the unpopular, not ubiquitous one… In that regard, I’ll say sure — he’s a social maverick, no? 🙂
By the way, I like the mini version of the video here… Honestly, I never knew you could add mini videos to the comments section.
WoW WordPress! That is awesome!
Eliz
Wow! What an amazing guy! And I love that photo on the vw bug! Thanks for sharing this with us E!!
Thank you Rosa… I love that VW Beetle too. My mom had one and I used to feel squeezed in by my siblings on either side. LOL!
He took a great shot on top of it in the ’60s and pictures like that are such great, fun memories.
Very nice interview, and I certainly felt at home when I read that Dietmar was from Wuppertal in Germany. He mentioned Bayer, but for me Wuppertal will always be famous for my all time favorite Choreographer Pina Bausch, and her Tanztheatre Wuppertal. I have had the pleasure of seeing her dancers perform several times at the Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I will certainly take the time to explore Dietmar’s work and music. I think this is very exciting. Thanks for the introduction Liz.
Walter
Thanks Walter,
Check out his blog and work. I believe you’ll find quite a lot in common especially from an artistic perspective. He is a really great guy. Since you and Dietmar brought it up, I have added Pina and Wim as local Wuppertal celebs…
Like Philly, there must be something in the water — so much creativity in the area. Remember I said the same thing to you about Philly and the creative genius that has come from that area? 🙂
Eliz
Hi Eliz,
you like mini-videos in your comment-boxes, I’ve read above?
now here is another turn, featuring me in my favorite music pub in Wuppertal, playing with friends SWEET GEORGIA BROWN:
giving a feedback to walter smith, read his comment above:
I am glad that you know the dance theatre of Pina Bausch.
I’ve made an article about her
flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/ballet-pina-bausch-wim-wenders/
because I saw the 3D movie of Wim Wenders about her work.
One of my daughters lives in Berlin and I am very often there and that city is known world wide.
But my heart belongs to Wuppertal, a smaller city, they often are making jokes about that town in Germany. But imagine: Pina Bausch worked there, me grew up there (and it’s a triumph for me to drive through that city with a car, always remembering, that I walked weak there as a child, aged 4, just out of an orphanage). And maybe you don’t know him: Friedrich Engels lived there, the friend and co-author of Karl Marx. No one likes the communist thinker Friedrich Engels in Wuppertal, that’s capitalism, West Germany! But in Berlin, East Germany, former communists’ territory: there is a big Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx sculpture. Of course I had to play a Lullaby for the two guys on my guitar – video next comment …
link to LULLABY for MARX & ENGELS, video clip shot by my wife Barbara in BERLIN:
flickr.com/photos/frizztext/4057510335/
that was the link;
now I try an html-code again:
hi all comment writers / commentators,
I have to thank you for your feedbacks and growing dialogs:
so you inspired me to make a little post about two Wuppertalers:
frizztext & Engels
enjoy
flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/lullaby-for-marx-and-engels/
two Wuppertalers in Berlin …
Hi Eliz,
about your comment:
there must be something in the water — so much creativity in the area…
(me, myself and I, then Pina Bausch, Bayer Aspirin and the Schwebebahn, Friedrich Engels – and a movie director better than Wim Wenders: Tom Tykwer) – imagine what a long list we must write for New York!
True, yet I suspect that because NYC is so large, a lot of the successful people come from places around the world… 🙂
E
hi Eliz,
surprise: as I made my new post today, ZEMANTA sent as related link automatically your website, featuring me as blogger!
flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/traffic/
you’re so kind …
Hi Frizz,
I saw that when I stopped by your blog. It would be quite interesting to figure out how they decide what to offer us as related articles. They rarely offer posts from my buddies though. 🙂
Eliz
feedback to your comment above, Eliz:
True, yet I suspect that because NYC is so large, a lot of the successful people come from places around the world…
+
frizz-comment:
for example JOHN LENNON, my secret hero; but sometimes it was not easy for him to stay there; trouble with police (and his drugs); trouble with his wife Yoko Ono; killed by a gun owner at last…
+
NY, security routine by Frizztext, on Flickr
Yes, that was a sad time… NY remains a cosmopolitan city that attracts all kinds of people; creatives, crazies and everyone else. 🙂
flickr.com/photos/frizztext/556581594/
no images allowed?
but videos?
youtube.com/watch?v=C4pCAr0UxwU
Yes, your name already links to your page so it becomes duplicated information when more are added… and ends up in my spam box. 🙂
The bond between a father and is daughter is truly a special one.
“It is a wise father that knows his own child” William Shakespeare
Dietmar is truly blessed. Great Post!
my wife Barbara, featured as photographer:
flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/barbara-fritze/
How he gets out of bed, I love #Third: “To respond to the wishes of my cat; she is always demanding food, fur care and for me to open the garden door very early too…”
I love my cats. I love the videos, music, art and writing. Keep it up ♥
ღ˚ •。* ♥ ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* °♥ ˚ • ★ *˚ .ღ 。
*˛˚ღ •˚ ˚…just sprinkling a little Love on your Blog˚ ✰* ★
˚. ★ *˛ ˚♥* ✰。˚ ˚ღ。* ˛˚ ♥ 。✰˚* ˚ ★ღ ˚ 。✰ •* ˚ ♥”
divorceissues.wordpress.com/
TY Jackie… I just saw this. 🙂