My name is Richard Lowe Jr, and this little website contains odds and ends about me and the world as I see it. You can find out more about my employment history at my LinkedIn page and you can visit my online photo albums.

I have many talents and I like to pursue life with verve and gusto, yet of course with full knowledge of my responsibility to help others and to be ethical at all times. I am a professional writer and ghostwriter. Writing is my primary passion in life, and if you look through this website you will see that very clearly. I am also professional photographer as well as a web designer and architect. I love history and geography, and enjoy learning about other people’s lives, cultures, religions and beliefs. One of the great things about being a ghost writer is I get to meet many different people and see the world through their eyes.

A key point in my own personal philosophy is that life is meant to be lived; anyone can sit on their butt and watch television; there is no skill or creativity involved in that activity. I don’t have cable television hooked up, although I do watch a DVD or Blu-Ray now and then. I would prefer to get up and write a book or create a graphic or work on a website; I would rather travel, get out and see the world, watch dancers, visit faires and just live life to the fullest. I have seen too many people die or waste away complaining that they never got a chance to do anything. Me? I prefer to do things. When I am on my deathbed I want to have no regrets, understanding that I lived the best and most productive and ethical life I could.

You will see many references to belly dance and renaissance faires throughout my websites. When my wife passed away in 2005 I decided to get out into the world and explore in order to fend off the grief and keep myself from caving in. I photographed some of the local renaissance faires and found the performers and workers to be compassionate and caring. At the faire, I watched several belly dance shows and enjoyed the aesthetics of the dance. I found the beauty of the performers and their dance pulled me out of the grief and brought me back to life. I love the colors and movements and the meanings of the choreographers. I met the performers and before long we were best friends. I soon found they were some of the interesting, ethical and compassionate people I have ever met. It wasn’t long before I was attending every show I could find, sitting in the front row center seat with my camera in hand and my shutter clicking. I gained many hundreds of friends in both communities, and these friendships continue forward to this day.

In fact, not only have I photographed well over a thousand belly dance shows, I’ve produced a couple of dozen myself. My favorite production was the Bellydance Kaleidoscope showcase. In addition, several performers are very active contributors to charitable organizations, and I’ve sponsored a number of shows for the purpose of raising money for good causes.

Life is what you make it. That’s one of the truest statements that I’ve ever heard in, well, all in my life. I’ve gone through times that were so bad that I thought the weight of the entire world rested on my shoulders; on the other hand, I have learned the value of a good friend, a great meal, and all kinds of performances.

I plan for the future and I don’t spend much time looking back at the past. Who cares what mistakes or missteps were made twenty years ago, after all? I am alive today. I am still astonished to find that I, a person who was one of the most introverted people in the world, now have hundreds of friends. Life is about change. And when life stops changing, well, you’re dead.

I am often asked why I was attracted to the art of belly dance. To many it seems like an odd choice; they want to know why I spend many weekends and evenings photographing belly dancers and dance-related shows. Well, it has to do with aesthetics, which is simply the art of what is beautiful. When I watch a lady, such as Sabrina Fox, Sherri Wheately or any of the other friends I’ve made in this little community perform, I see beauty in motion, color and style. I see their spirits come alive, and to me that is a wonderful thing to witness.