Art
Living a Life of Beauty
When Diana and I first began to truly settle into one another’s lives, when dating turned into commitment, and commitment turned into her moving in with me in San Diego, we made a quiet but meaningful decision:
We would invest in one another’s passions.
For Diana, this meant stepping headfirst into a world that was precise, measured, (and at least at first), unforgiving: strength & conditioning + functional health.
Structured training. Health metrics. Blood sugar awareness. Pharmaceutical-grade supplementation - these were the non-negotiable elements of my lifestyle.
She had been an athlete her entire life, but this was different. This required intention. Systems. Consistency. And humility. But she took to it quickly: needing only modest guidance - because discipline, when paired with curiosity, compounds fast.
For me, the investment looked different.
In my early thirties, I realized something uncomfortable but important: I did not want to become the hardened, disgruntled man who lives in black and white: stuck in routine, rigid in thought, and quietly miserable.
Diana, a trained interior designer, lives in nuance. She notices tones, shapes, angles, flow. She dresses with intention. She curates her surroundings. She seeks beauty not as indulgence, but as alignment between environment, lifestyle, and expression.
So I paid attention.
Art Was Never Foreign to Me
In high school, I took and passed AP Art History at Ramona High School.
An avid lover of history (in which I hold a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California San Diego [2008]), art history stoked my intellectual curiosity.
The Hellenistic period of Greek sculpture fascinated me most: movement frozen in stone, tension visible, emotion undeniable. Art that felt alive.
Sculpture: one of my favorite mediums.
Laocoön and His Sons. (bro is jacked).
Later, in 2006–2007, I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain (Universitat de Barcelona). Our curriculum leaned heavily into Spanish history, and art was never separated from culture - it was the culture.
Each of my travels throughout Europe have focused on museums, architecture, and the history of each area. I’ve always been entranced by a deep understanding of culture and how we are the embodiment to how our relatives envisioned life itself.
My favorite works are too numerous to list, but Antoni Gaudí’s architecture left a permanent impression on me. His work felt organic, fluid, human - almost grown rather than built.
Park Güell
Casa Batlló
Casa Milà
Sagrada Família
Though not Gaudí, this is one trippy triptych for good measure…
The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. My father came to visit me whilst I was living in Barcelona in 2007 and we made a trip to the world famous El Prado in Madrid, Spain. Check this painting out for yourself, it is a psychedelic dream world of good and evil. Crazy it was painted ca. 1510. I had always wanted to see it and was not disappointed with its carnal tones.
Still, somewhere along the way, I compartmentalized art as something I appreciated, not something I practiced.
Diana unknowingly changed that.
Listening as an Act of Love
As our relationship deepened, I chose to listen: to genuinely hear Diana’s perspective.
I asked for her input on our home’s layout. I let her guide art placement room by room. I watched how she thought about flow, light, and negative space. I listened to how her mindset shaped her environment.
And I realized something simple but powerful:
The more I invested in her passions, just as she had invested in mine, the more we fell in love.
But beyond romance, I found her relationship with art awe-inspiring. Not because it was flashy, but because it was integrated. Beauty wasn’t reserved for galleries. It lived in daily choices - and truly in ALL things.
And that’s when the thread connected.
Style, Grace, and Effortlessness
Growing up, I remember watching Michael Phelps dominate the Olympics with my family. Someone always said the same thing:
“He makes it look so easy.”
That was the moment it clicked.
Phelps didn’t move effortlessly because the work was easy. He moved effortlessly because the work was done - thousands of hours, millions of repetitions, refined into grace.
The same was true in the sports I grew up with: BMX racing, dirt jumping, skateboarding, snowboarding. Style mattered. Two athletes could perform the same movement, but one would own it.
Style wasn’t vanity. It was mastery expressed.
Author’s Note: My early kettlebell mentor, Franz Snideman, made a comment at the Strength Matters Certification (SMK) ca. 2016 - San Diego, CA. “It’s called HARD STYLE, not UGLY STYLE!” I had been complaining to him how un-athletic certain people moved in our kettlebell-sphere. However, many of these people (I wouldn't call them athletes) were rewarded because of their strength - brute force doesn't mean athletic. I never wanted that. I hold athleticism and function first. I wanted to make my strength look effortless. I committed that day that “an ugly PR” would not count. The load either flies up effortlessly, or not at all.
In my various MED Kettlebell Chains, my goal is powerful economy of motion.
When Training Became Art
Somewhere along the line, I began applying style to my training.
If you’ve watched my videos, you’ve probably seen the “superhero” stance at the end of each set. Standing tall. Chest proud. Hands on hips. Ownership.
What you may not see is what happens before the lift.
I dial in tension
I create torque through my feet
I clench my quads, glutes, abdominals
I prime my body with intent
I take a breath through my diaphragm (or hyperventilate for a heavy lift)
(I even wear the same thing during every training session… Smartwool undies (ok a new pair each day) and the same Hylete “Rep” shorts in black (yes I have three pairs).
There’s a reason for this.
I want heavy weight to look light. I want light weight to be treated with respect. I want skill, control, and efficiency to be visible.
Because at some point, it dawned on me:
Training is my art.
And once I named it, everything aligned.
My creed says it plainly:
My practice is my art.
My intention is my resolve.
I am the product of my effort.
Full stop. SO LET’S FUCKING GO!!! 🔥🔥🔥
Diana’s Lasting Gift
Through Diana’s love of art, I realized I had been cultivating my own for over twenty years - I simply hadn’t labeled it.
That clarity is her lasting gift to me, and I love her more than life itself.
Just to be clear, I’m 5’10” and she’s 5’8” - it’s the angle bro! 😂 Heart Rock, Joshua Tree National Park, CA.
Home
When we first started dating, Diana shared stories about her grandfather - an electrical and computer engineering professor and a passionate geologist - a collector of fossils, minerals and stones throughout his life. She would accompany him looking for fossils along the train tracks at his Madison, WI home and attend rock & crystal events with him.
I shared my own connection. Growing up near Mt. Woodson (San Diego, CA) surrounded by monolithic granite. My fascination with stone. My belief that crystals are not mystical objects: but God’s artwork, shaped over time.
We agreed on something important.
We don’t subscribe to metaphysical claims about crystals. We see them as earthly elements: beautiful, grounded, honest.
They bring the outside in. They bridge rugged outdoor life with intentional living.
So crystals became a shared language.
Ametrine (amethyst and citrine) Cathedral on a marble side table.
Large Quartz Cluster
Vogel Stone (quartz) - Marcel Vogel (inventor of the first LCD display) crafted this beautiful multi-sided shape. During a heart attack, he held this uniquely shaped stone to his chest and it helped to regulate his cardiac impulses. His doctors couldn’t explain how it saved him. This is a legend FYI…
The Smokey Quartz on the far right was Diana’s birthday present in 2024… it is one-of-a-kind. We recently purchased another beautiful Smokey Quartz (to its left). The far left shows three of our Vogel Stones.
Left: Blue Apophylite. Middle: Quartz. Right: Pyrite
I’ve wanted a large skull for a while… Not to be morbid, but Memento Mori. This Zebra Stone from Western Australia has my favorite color combination of black and white and fits perfectly in our home gym.
Our home reflects that philosophy - strength and softness, nature and refinement, effort and ease. And in that space, between training and art, discipline and expression,
We built something that feels like home.
The Plant (and Crystal) Shelfie
Diana has an Instagram account called plantshelfie - a simple pun inspired by the designer shelves she admired: layered with exotic plants, stones, books, and art objects that felt both lived-in and intentional.
When she moved to San Diego, she wanted to recreate that feeling in our home.
So we bought a wall-mounted shelf. Not as décor: but as a container for us -intentionally chosen to be beautiful on its own, so that everything placed on it was elevated by the structure holding it.
It holds crystals and plants. My favorite books (many of them beautiful hardbacks from Patagonia Publishing), a three-point deer, and other small artifacts collected over time and distance.
None of it is random or curated for an audience.
It’s a visual record of shared values: time outdoors, patience, effort, appreciation for form, and respect for craftsmanship - whether shaped by nature or human hands.
The shelf became a meeting place. Between her eye for beauty and my instinct for meaning. Between movement and stillness. Between work and rest.
Diana curates the design. Sometimes I’ll sneak a book up there but she always finds it and moves it.
The Plant Shelfie in our living room immediately draws the eye and opens the mind.
Books that inspire alongside a chunk Lapus Lazuli from Afghanistan for structure.
Fashion
There’s another place Diana’s influence quietly reshaped me: how I dress.
Not about chasing trends or having more. Just choosing things with intention.
She understands proportion. Fit. Tone. When something feels right rather than loud. I learned that style isn’t about being noticed: it’s about being aligned.
The same way training should look controlled, not chaotic. The same way a home should feel grounded, not cluttered.
Fashion, like training and design, is just another expression of self-respect.
Gelato Babe - Laguna Beach, CA (This is my contact photo of Diana).
“Rock Solid” That Helly Hansen looking fly on my snow bunny.
Yes, I try to look cool on the trails too. Always been a “tacticool” guy.
Born and Raised - San Diego, CA. Diana looks amazing. I typically just wear black (John Varvatos collar).
Diana is elegant and selects the perfect form to compliment her feeling, the environment, and command the attention she deserves (wow her hair).
I dress utilitarian - owning classic attire that’s durable and does not follow stupid trends (bro that’s a cashmere hoodie 😂 ) but I still wear a G-Shock (not pictured: Duer Jeans, Danner Boots).
Cuisine
If I’m being honest, I was perfectly content eating like a monk.
Brown rice
Ground beef
Avocado
Maybe a vegetable if I was feeling festive.
Repeat 3x/Day (forever).
It worked. It was predictable. It fueled training. And I could have eaten that way indefinitely. That plan, however, was never going to fly for Diana…
She appreciates food the same way she appreciates design - flavor, culture, texture, and enjoyment all matter. Her cooking naturally leans Mediterranean, Greek, Mexican - real recipes, real preparation, real pleasure. Not my default “grilled meat and caveman sides.”
Instead of making food another point of friction, we chose to compromise intelligently: I encouraged her to make the dishes she loves. I offered substitutions that worked for me - gluten-free pasta, dairy-free bases, cleaner ingredients.
We worked around my constraints (no gluten, no dairy, and my very real intolerance of garlic and onions) without turning meals into a negotiation every night.
The result?
The food tastes better. Meals feel intentional instead of obligatory. And eating became something we look forward to, not just something that checks a nutritional box.
My favorites that she makes now:
Homemade pasta & meatballs or meat sauce
Home-cooked chili - simple, filling, and grounding (emphasis on the meat - secret ingredient is Chorizo)
Homemade ice cream using coconut cream as the base and monk fruit as the sweetener (Ninja Creami to the rescue). A warmed gluten-free cookie addition below from one of my in-person health clients.
Note: We will be releasing our favorite recipes soon for PAID SUBSCRIBERS.
Still simple & healthy. Just elevated.
We also share go-to cuisines around San Diego: Greek, Thai, Italian, Mexican - because food, like training and art, is meant to be experienced, not stripped of joy in the name of control.
And when we need inspiration, we use tools - Chat, cookbooks, healthy chefs (Whole 30 peeps are my go-to) to take our basic templates and make them more palatable without compromising standards.
That’s the theme, again and again: simplicity doesn’t mean deprivation.
It means doing the basics well.
I go crazy for this one… she does cheese, I eat it with a lot of Redmond Real Salt.
Homemade vanilla ice cream with a hot gluten-free cookie.
Basic, but delicious San Diego Mexican food. Tacos por favor!
Before Diana lived with me, my house was barebones: a bed, a tv, and a home gym. Perfect for a bachelor, not for a bachelor who wanted his forever person. This was our first Thanksgiving together: smoked brisket, air-fried potatoes, an apple and roasted pecan salad - and Diana bringing her beach chairs so we could actually sit down and enjoy it.
Art is Life Itself - Closing
If art is how we express what we value, then practice is how we prove it: to ourselves first. This is what Diana gave me, without ever intending to.
The understanding that what I return to daily, how I move, how I prepare, how I refine is not separate from art.
It is the art.
Lastly, if you’re reading StrengthAxis, you have seen my personal development through my writing. I wanted to put down my life into words, videos, and programs to help my worthy brothers and sisters. When I’m gone, I hope this serves as my digital legacy. I am to be a man of integrity, grit, and an inspiration to others on this path.
John Parker
January, 2026
I came up with the idea of this article simply to show Diana how much I love her. I appreciate all of the amazing things she’s taught me so far.
A love poem for my Diana from her birthday - September 8, 2025.
Happy Birthday My Diana
From the moment I found you, my heart knew its home.
God whispered your name, and I’ve never been alone.
Every day with you is more than I dreamed,
A love so profound, it’s deeper than it seemed.
Your laughter lifts me, your smile is my light,
You are my forever, my truth, my delight.
Diana, my love, my gift from above-
Today and always, you are my one, my love.
Diana looking cute and me in my trademark shades of black and grey - Elm Grove, WI.
Coda: The Discipline of Subtraction
One of the most overlooked aspects of art is what’s removed.
Negative space and restraint matters.
Diana doesn’t crowd a room. She allows objects to breathe. A single piece can command attention precisely because it isn’t competing with ten others.
There’s a quote often attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe:
“Less, but better.”
That idea reshaped how I approach training.
Minimalism works not because it does less: but because it frees resources for maximalism where it matters.
I stopped chasing novelty. Stopped stacking unnecessary exercises. Stopped mistaking volume for progress.
Practice became an act of subtraction.
Fewer movements brought clearer intent and higher standards.
And paradoxically, more freedom.
I feel this is the best thing you've written that I've read. What a gift to witness your evolution through the years not just as a trainer, but as a great human.
There is a lot to take away from this post and I love all of it. It is also quite inspiring. Well done, JP! (and Diana) :)
Loved this article for so many reasons, but your ability to connect ART with TRAINING is an amazing and need concept for me. Nuance matters. Personal taste matters. The details matters. And you and I are totally in agreement that being STRONG doesn't guarantee you'll be ATHLETIC. Thanks for the shout out brother! Love your writing!