Research Philosophy
My research operates at the intersection of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and visual culture, investigating how irrational beliefs shape perception, memory, and aesthetic judgment. Drawing from my teachers (Dr.Michael Edelstein) and (Will Ross) who trained under Dr. Albert Ellis at the Albert Ellis Institute (New York), this work extends psychological inquiry into the domains of art production, critical theory, and digital deprogramming.
Current investigations focus on deprogramming from religious indoctrination through REBT-based cognitive restructuring, the application of HDR digital photography as an extension of Old Masters' chiaroscuro techniques, and the development of COVA-DAAV (Copyright Ownership Verification on the Archive) protocols for authenticating digital art in an age of infinite reproducibility.
Research Domains
REBT & Art Therapy
Applying Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to creative practice and art pedagogy. Researching the connection between irrational beliefs ("musts," "oughts," and "shoulds") and creative blocks, perfectionism, and artistic anxiety.
Digital Deprogramming
Critical analysis of religious indoctrination and systematic deprogramming methodologies. Development of cognitive-behavioral tools for existential reconstruction post-faith, combining essay, video, and interactive form-based interventions.
Technical Aesthetics
Investigation of HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography as contemporary chiaroscuro. Researching the "digital debauchery" of image manipulation—excessive clarity, tone mapping, and computational enhancement—as parallel to Baroque material excess.
COVA-DAAV
Copyright Ownership Verification on the Archive. Developing blockchain-adjacent authentication systems for digital fine art, addressing provenance in the age of right-click saving and AI generation. How do we establish the "original" when the work is infinitely reproducible?
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Core Principles Applied
Activating Event → Belief → Consequence (emotional/behavioral). The research focuses on identifying and disputing irrational beliefs ("demandingness," "awfulizing," "low frustration tolerance") as they manifest in artistic practice, addiction recovery, and religious deconversion.
- Demandingness vs. Preferences
- Awfulizing vs. Unfortunate events
- Self-worth vs. Self-acceptance
- Discomfort intolerance vs. Grit
Publications & Forms
Development of self-help forms based on Ellis's original ABC (Activating Event-Belief-Consequence) model, adapted for specific contexts including religious deprogramming, art criticism, and personal relationships.
Access REBT FormComputational Aesthetics
My technical research investigates the misuse of software—deliberately pushing HDR tone mapping, clarity sliders, and sharpening algorithms beyond "good taste" to create what I term Digital Debauchery. This parallels the Old Masters' use of excessive chiaroscuro or the Baroque's material excess.
HDR as Chiaroscuro
High Dynamic Range photography allows for the simultaneous representation of detail in shadows and highlights—impossible in traditional photography, approximated in painting through underpainting and glazing. The research explores this as technological extension of Caravaggio's tenebrism.
The Glitch Archive
Systematic documentation of "errors" in digital processing—chromatic aberration, halos, noise, posterization—as aesthetic events rather than technical failures. How do software limitations become expressive vocabulary?
Research Documents
All research materials are offered under principles of open inquiry. Citations available upon request.
COVA-DAAV: Copyright Research
Copyright Ownership Verification on the Archive (COVA-DAAV) represents ongoing research into provenance for digital artists. In an ecosystem where perfect reproduction is trivial and AI generation threatens categorical distinctions between "original" and "copy," how do we establish chains of authenticity?
This research explores hybrid verification systems combining technical metadata (EXIF, blockchain timestamps), legal frameworks (traditional copyright registration), and institutional validation (gallery contracts, edition management).