Congratulations to Megan Alama! She's won herself a copy of Kim McMechan's CD, Little Grey House! Megan, send me your mailing address and I will send out your excellent prize at once!
Happy Friday, lovelies!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Like Erin Brockovich, but with more clothing.
In case you wondered.
9: number of years I'd been alive when I produced my first magazine; it was called Superkid! and featured completely fictional interviews with celebrities like Ricky Schroder and Christopher Reeve, as well as a fashion feature (in marker) on the return of miniskirts and the gorgeousness of cuffed suede booties
1: number of times I have portrayed a circa-1750s, pregnant good-time girl onstage
1: number of issues of Superkid! that was published, as hand-drawn magazines are a real pain to reproduce
2: number of people in the audience one night when the theater company I started with friends was doing a run of The Acting Lesson--and one of the two people was my mom
1: number of times I have told a massage client that he had 30 seconds to get dressed and get out, and to try the back of the LA WEEKLY for the type of massage he evidently wanted
2: number of fistfights I got into with boys on my tenth birthday
2: number of fistfights I got into with boys on my tenth birthday which I lost
1: number of older brothers named Bob I made up in the third grade
5: number of men named Bob who have been influential in my life (long after the third grade)
3: number of instruments I play/have played
7: number of names I currently answer to (Mexican families are nothing if not inventive with the sheer volume of nicknames they heap on a person; not to mention the whole changing-my-legal-name thingie)
9: number of years I'd been alive when I produced my first magazine; it was called Superkid! and featured completely fictional interviews with celebrities like Ricky Schroder and Christopher Reeve, as well as a fashion feature (in marker) on the return of miniskirts and the gorgeousness of cuffed suede booties
1: number of times I have portrayed a circa-1750s, pregnant good-time girl onstage
1: number of issues of Superkid! that was published, as hand-drawn magazines are a real pain to reproduce
2: number of people in the audience one night when the theater company I started with friends was doing a run of The Acting Lesson--and one of the two people was my mom
1: number of times I have told a massage client that he had 30 seconds to get dressed and get out, and to try the back of the LA WEEKLY for the type of massage he evidently wanted
2: number of fistfights I got into with boys on my tenth birthday
2: number of fistfights I got into with boys on my tenth birthday which I lost
1: number of older brothers named Bob I made up in the third grade
5: number of men named Bob who have been influential in my life (long after the third grade)
3: number of instruments I play/have played
7: number of names I currently answer to (Mexican families are nothing if not inventive with the sheer volume of nicknames they heap on a person; not to mention the whole changing-my-legal-name thingie)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Los Angeles Fire Starter Sessions: an update!
I am very excited to announce a change to the Los Angeles Fire Starter Sessions with Danielle LaPorte, which I posted about here. Thanks to a succinct Tweet from Jonathan Mead ("Sucks that the firestarter session are girls-only. Will there ever be boys allowed?"), the sessions are now co-ed. Bring on the men!
Monday, April 20, 2009
The OSI Interview (AND GIVEAWAY!): Kim McMechan
Kim McMechan is a poet, singer-songwriter and freelance writer from Kelowna, BC, Canada. She is the mother of two girls, ages 6 and 3, and her creative work reflects the landscape of her life, which means she writes a lot about the grocery store and being tired. No, really. Check out her fantastic voice and excellent songs at www.myspace.com/kimmcmechan and www.kimmcmechan.com/sblog. And! I have her CD, Little Grey House, to give away to one lucky person who leaves a comment (or Tweets it, or emails it) telling me your all-time favorite song lyric. (Winner will be chosen at random--I'm just nosy, okay?)1. In the context of your work, which bits of minutiae matter most?
In my creative work as a songwriter and writer, it's the daily few hours of showing up to get something down that matter most. There's a part of me that is always trying to make everything HUGE and BIG, and when I do this, I lose sight of the small steps and get really disoriented. It's been starting to sink in the past few years that if I show up to write or work on music today, I'll do it tomorrow and the next and the next. But if I spend today procrastinating, it could turn into a lifetime. So I try to stay very shortsighted about my work, and trust that it will add up to the bigger things that I want to achieve.
2. Which bits matter least?
I think the projecting about the future matters least. Maybe I just feel this way because I've spent the past year trying to plot a path, and every day something changed--my vision, my desire, or my opportunities. It drove me crazy! I did this because others were always asking me to describe my goals and my business plan and I doubted my own process. Now that I've done that for awhile and have seen that it's not a very nourishing way for me, I'm reverting to what works. And that is spending a little time planning, and the bulk of the time getting songs and writing done and trusting the momentum of my own creativity.
3. In the context of your life, what types of minutiae once seemed important, but have since fallen by the wayside? Why?
I once spent a lot of energy trying to ensure I was being impressive. I've stopped caring about that and now just want to give birth to whatever is in my heart. I'm not so attached to outcome anymore, and Lordy, is it a relief. Also: organization. I wish I'd known earlier about how there's different personality types in regards to organization. I'm the type that has to SEE everything or it doesn't exist. But I used to try to put it all into different folders and binders and boxes. Then I'd forget what I was working on. A few years ago I just said "screw it!" and started taping things to my walls. Now I have 3 bulletin boards above my workspace and about 30 pages of things laid out across my desk. I don't care if someone else would consider it chaos. To me, it is perfect order. When I have my few hours of creative time in a day, I can scan my stuff, and start working on whatever pulls at me. I work best in creative bursts, so this system has been a lifesaver, because it supports those bursts.
4. What types of minutiae, if any, have you had to train yourself to pay closer attention to?
Money has been a big one for me. I like doing the creative part of work, but getting it into the world - promotion, sales, writing press releases - has always been a little more draining for me. I'm learning to love that part and honor it as necessary. That's still a work in progress. Also, I'm prone to being overwhelmed, and I've had to train myself to focus, fully, on one thing at a time. Lately, I set the timer and tell myself: you only have to work on this for half an hour and then you can switch gears. I have so many things I want to do sometimes, that when I am working on something, I'm only half there, the other part of me worrying that I should be over there working on the other thing. It's really annoying. So I'm trying to rewire my brain on that one.
5. Just for kicks -- what are your favorite bits of minutiae (personal, from a book, a piece of music, moment in a movie, etc.)?
I bawl my head off at the end of Once, when he gives her the piano, and the camera pans out and you see her, in her appartment, playing her piano with her little girl beside her. It's so achingly real, especially since I sometimes fall into the trap of feeling confined in my creativity because I have 2 children. Also, I LOVE The Secret Life of Bees, and think about this one part almost every day: The beekeeper ladies tell the girl that if you "send the bees love", you won't get stung. I've been trying to do this in my life - send the hard parts love, and maybe it's coincidence, but I find that things turn out much better when I do this.
***
Thank you, Kim!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Fire Starter Sessions in Los Angeles!
Guess who's coming to LA in June? Danielle LaPorte, arbiter of White Hot Truth, strategist and kick-ass extraordinaire. Oh yes. Oh yes, she is! I'm super-pleased to be sponsoring two days of her Group Fire Starter Sessions, June 12 and 13. Following is the lowdown.***
Think tank your business with Danielle LaPorte in LA.
Got the mojo, but need the game plan? Have the strategy but want the customers, the capital, the Twitter following? From start-ups to 9 to 5'rs who want to break out on their own, this is a special opportunity to get PRACTICAL ANSWERS and MAJOR INSPIRATION to take your business to the next level.
A Group Fire Starter with Strategist, Danielle LaPorte
3 hours. 10 female entrepreneurs.
A candid success story. Your questions.
Useful ideas on how to rock your business.
"My Fire Starter Session with you is the best investment I have ever made. Ever. You pinpointed exactly what I needed to do to go to the next level. Within a month, I've had a 125% increase in income. What's next?!"
- Sarah Bray, Web developer, Virginia Beach
When: Friday evening, June 12
6:30pm to 9:30pm
- or -
Saturday morning, June 13
9:30am to 12:30pm
(a 3rd group may be added for Saturday afternoon)
Where: Los Angeles – location TBA
Cost: $100.
Brought to you by Emma Alvarez Gibson and Old Soul Ink.
“Your work is like a blazing path into my highest good with my business. I can't thank you enough for your authenticity, humor, and straightforward honesty. Your Fire Starter sessions are something I would do over and over again.”
- Lauren Harkness, Jewelry designer, Seattle
How it works:
1. You register for the evening or morning group – there are only 10 women per session.
2. I send you the “Burning Questions” to answer.
3. I personally review your business in advance. Send me to your site and the sites that inspire or compete with you. I will likely come to our session armed with some ideas for you.
4. The group session is part motivation, part how-to, and 100% inspiring. I talk candidly about the grace and grit of my accomplishments - from pitching Oprah producers, to raising big bucks in venture capital, landing book deals, rocking social media and social responsibility, while balancing spirituality and legal contracts.
5. We jam. We’ll look at each person’s business or ideas and explore everything from branding to guerrilla marketing and social media.
The session is relaxed, but intensely focused. Women only. Real experience, unfettered opinions, and genuine encouragement. True magic. Truly practical.
Booking is first come, first served. Contact me directly: d@daniellelaporte.com to reserve your space. Upon payment via Paypal, I'll email you the Burning Questions and you let the sparks fly.
Group Fire Starter Sessions are incredibly useful and meaningful experiences. Spread the word.
With Love,
Danielle
THE PROMO STUFF:
Danielle LaPorte founded www.whitehottruth.com because "self realization rocks." Her blog as been lauded as "one of the best places on-line for kick-ass spirituality and business." She is the lead author of the bestseller, Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design, which caught the attention of Oprah producers, and Body + Soul Magazine praised it as "redefining the concept of style." She is the co-founder of the popular personal development site, carrieanddanielle.com - which she left in 2008 to go solo.
For ten years, she ran her own business development and communications agency "promoting visionary people and projects" - from Nobel Peace Prize winners to philosophers and pop stars, and worked with the top US publishers on publicity campaigns. As the director of a DC-based think tank for future studies, Danielle managed scenario-planning projects for the likes of the Pentagon, The World Bank and IBM.
She now helps entrepreneurs blaze their careers and creativity with her signature Fire Starter Sessions. A speaker and media personality, she has been featured in Elle, The Huffington Post, Vogue Australia, The National Post, Domino Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Entertainment Tonight, and numerous talk shows. She is based in Vancouver, BC.
. . . . . . . .
“I had the privilege of having a Fire Starter session with Danielle. I honestly feel like I’ve been revived after flat lining. She makes it easy to let go and trust the process even if you don’t see out outcome at the moment. By the time I finished listening to the recording of our session, I had completely written my action plan. I haven’t stopped since."
- L’Tanya Durante, magazine founder, North Carolina
"You're one of the most highly intuitive, creative souls I've ever worked with. Each time we speak, you open my mind and heart to career possibilities I've never thought of. Really, you're a true creative visionary/genius."
- Linda Siversten, Writing Consultant, author of Harmonic Wealth with James A. Ray, and Generation Green, Los Angeles
"...brilliant, radiant, generous and results oriented."
- Rebecca Walker, named by Time Magazine as one of the 50 most influential American leaders of her generation, Maui
"An excited, thankful update: my blog readership went up 60% last month. THANK YOU, THANK YOU a million times over for all of your practical inspiration. I really feel blessed."
- Lindsey Lewis, Yoga teacher, and Writer, Vancouver
"F. Scott Fitzgerald held that the mark of a good mind was the ability to hold two thoughts at the same time without them colliding. Danielle LaPorte has that ability to an awesome degree: the ability to be both a tough professional and a sensitive human being, to talk a mile-a-minute and then really listen, to value her own time highly and the use it generously on behalf of her clients, and finally, to emphasize both grassroots publicity opportunities and national media priorities."
- Dan Simon, Publisher, Seven Stories Press, New York
"...one of the coolest things I have ever done for myself."
- Alisa Barry, CEO, Bella Cucina Artful Food, Atlanta
“My mind-altering Fire Starter Session just over a week ago is having an ever-growing ripple effect. Our one conversation cut through layers of fog and delivered insight and business answers.”
- Emily-Sarah Lineback, Creative Director, Booneville NC
***
So! If you've got a business, or a business idea that just won't leave you alone, this is for you! I can't wait--it's going to be an amazing time. I hope you can make it!
Image by kool_skatkat via Flickr.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The OSI Interview: Fake Nick Cave
It is sorely tempting to say that Fake Nick Cave needs no introduction. But for the sake of what Nick Cave might refer to as "a pleasing geometry," let's go ahead with a bit of an intro, shall we? Fake Nick Cave is different from Nick Cave. For starters, his name begins with Fake, while Nick Cave's name begins with Nick. (This might sound a bit elementary. Trust me, it is lost on many people.) But Fake Nick Cave is also very similar to Nick Cave. He's an oft-surly, thin-hipped, moustachioed singer/songwriter from Australia with a history of anger, heroin and generally disruptive behavior, who now resides in England and has played with the likes of Mick Harvey, Warren Ellis, Tracy Pew, Polly Jean Harvey and many others. He, too, has a son with a woman by the name of Viviane and is also currently married to a woman named Susie. And, like Nick Cave, Fake Nick Cave is friends with Jarvis Cocker. The similarities are frankly amazing. Never one to shy away from controversy, Fake Nick Cave has created a bit of a commotion on Twitter, causing the TwitPowers-that-be to intervene on behalf of...well, it's not entirely clear which parties, exactly, felt so deceived upon "discovering" that Fake Nick Cave is different from Nick Cave that they had to go and file a grievance. One can only speculate that they are probably not regular readers of Fake Nick Cave's Twitter feed. Pity, that. In any case, I am thrilled to share Fake Nick Cave's take on the Old Soul Ink interview with you. And nearly as thrilled about his fantastic photograph.1. In the context of your work, which bits of minutiae matter most?
My nurse with her hot cocoa, and spending time scanning the pages of my most precious posession: the botanical edition of the Poet's Rhyming Dictionary. In my writing, I focus on slowing down my whirling emotions into a single thread. I like to write about strong, angry people showing a vulnerability, an earnestness, maybe even a need for love and redemption. V is for VIRTUE, and all of that.
2. Which bits matter least?
Dreams. I dream often of Polly's lips, or of Viviane chasing after my moustache with giant clippers shaped like Polly's lips... The worst is when I wake up, sweating, after having dreamt that Anita poked me on Facebook. Over time, I have learned to place no importance on my dreams -- they are not reflections of inner desires but rather the result of too much Rocky Road of Gibraltar ice cream before bed.
3. In the context of your life, what types of minutiae once seemed important, but have since fallen by the wayside? Why?
Smack.
4. What types of minutiae, if any, have you had to train yourself to pay closer attention to?
"Me" time. I need to be reminded that I am more than just an international superstar with a fabulous moustache, so I nurture myself with bubble baths, pedicures and massages. After the fight with Mick, I even began seeing an acupuncturist to refocus my energy.
5. Just for kicks -- what are your favorite bits of minutiae (personal, from a book, a piece of music, moment in a movie, etc.)?
When I am about to perform in Wim Wenders' film Wings of Desire. I am nervous and mumbling to myself -- "I'm not going to tell them about a girl, I'm not going to tell them about a girl..." -- and then I walk onto the stage and launch into From Her To Eternity. I weep just thinking about it. Truly inspired.
For the curious, a bit of minutiae I vehemently do not like is the now unsingable second-to-last verse of Babe, I'm On Fire.
***
Thank you, Fake Nick Cave, for this enlightening interview!
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
The OSI Interview: Kayte Terry
Kayte Terry writes the blog This Is Love Forever. She is a stylist, author and all-around crafty lady. She lives in Brooklyn, NY [again, Brooklyn with the cool kids! We are so getting a complex in LA.] with her husband and their rabbit/muse Potato. Kayte is the author of Complete Embellishing, my very favorite crafty book (check it out, it's fantastic!) and the forth-coming book Appliqué Your Way, out next fall. She'll also soon be working on a new series of softies (like this one) of endangered fish and other sea creatures on plaques. Her favorite things right now are: paint by numbers, Japanese craft magazines, '90s club kids and mylar wallpaper and the color yellow. 1. In the context of your work, which bits of minutiae matter most?
Little details are very important in my work. Embellishing is all about details and that's really where you see the individual "hand" of the crafter. The placement of a sequin or an embroidery stitch makes a big difference.
Also, it's important to me that I know how things were done before we had kits and machines to do it all for us. I like to know the "right" way to make something even if I don't end up actually using that technique.
2. Which bits matter least?
The threads and bits of fabric that end up all over my rug. The dishes that sit in the sink when I am really busy. The occasional nagging sensation that I am making something weird or ugly.
3. In the context of your life, what types of minutiae once seemed important, but have since fallen by the wayside? Why?
Worrying about whether my job is silly or frivolous. "Friends" have actually said this to me before but I think that making things beautiful is really important.
4. What types of minutiae, if any, have you had to train yourself to pay closer attention to?
My public image. It's not like I'm famous or anything but when you have a more public profile than most people, you think about what you say before you say it and you try to keep super-personal information off the internet.
Also, I have learned to pay close attention to details in materials I work with: the patterns of vintage wallpaper or fabric, the detail in a bead or button, the color of threads and the textures of yarns. I like working with vintage materials the most because each material has a rich sense of history.
5. Just for kicks -- what are your favorite bits of minutiae (personal, from a book, a piece of music, moment in a movie, etc.)?
I love little tiny moments in life when you feel like everything is perfect: walking around New York and having one of those "I am so lucky to live here" moments, that feeling in the air when you can sense the seasons changing, the smell of someone you really love...these are the best parts of life.
***
Thank you, Ms. Kayte!
Friday, April 03, 2009
5 Tips for Twitterers
For those about to Twitter: I salute you. You're taking a step in the right direction! Twitter will absolutely help you to connect to your audience (assuming your audience is on Twitter, right?), whether that audience is "women over the age of 35 who read AdBusters" or "skateboarders who are obsessed with Dogtown." Good on ya for making the jump from scoffer to believer, or at least to willing-er. (If you're still not convinced, don't tell me about it, unless you want me to make you read Havi's post again. I'll do it! I ain't afraid.)
Anyway, strange perceptions about Twitter abound, and I field so many questions about it that I thought perhaps a basic how-to would be useful. Also, last night I attended an event for women in business (it was good, y'all!), and the Twitter-related questions directed toward Alaia Williams, who spoke about social media, made me see just how widespread the, well, HOW-exactly-does-this-Twitter-thing-go?! conundrum is. Here, then, are the five things I find most important. It's obviously not A Comprehensive Guide to Twittering Success. Also, it is in no way meant to imply that my own Tweets are fascinatingly perfect, or even live anywhere near that neighborhood. Rather, it's a broad-strokes version of what I try to keep in mind as I do this.
Ready? Okay.
1. Be polite (gosh!). You're there to participate in discussions. I know you know this, but sometimes we all have trouble remembering it and start thinking we're there to perform THE MOST AMAZING MONOLOGUE THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. (I am guilty of this myself. Which is why it's good that I also have a blog.) Discussions involve other people, other points of view, and require your attention. Respond to the people who send you @ messages, particularly if you are big on asking open-ended questions. Even more particularly if you use people's responses as market research. Otherwise, you look like a boor. And I don't know about you, but I do enough boor impersonations in person; the least I can do for my cause is try not to do it in text.
2. Provide useful and/or interesting content. I can't tell you how many otherwise interesting people I've shied away from on Twitter simply because their updates read something like this:
otherwiseawesome Going to bed.
otherwiseawesome Hey guys good morning!
otherwiseawesome Had really great pasta lunch
otherwiseawesome Brushing teeth to go out pesto in teeth! LOL
otherwiseawesome Going to bed.
To quote @maggie: No one cares what you had for lunch. Is there an article you think is really helpful/inspiring/hilarious? An application/band/bakery you've just started using/listening to/frequenting that you can't get enough of? Chances are very good someone else will feel the same way about it! Give people the opportunity to learn about things they may otherwise never hear about. Weigh in on a debate. Suggest a new way of doing things. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering; sincerity really does go a long way here. Did you see something bizarre on your way home from work?
whatpossessedme A blind homeless man serenaded us with a toothless rendition of "DA YA THINK I'M SEXY" on the subway tonight. Someone shouted "NO!"
3. ...But! Be human. No one is a clever-clever machine all the time. The everyday bits (minutia, if you will!) can be just as interesting as the clever-clever bits. Context is everything. For instance, @kellysims is a freelance graphic designer; he often Tweets about on-the-job idiosyncracies, and you don't need to be a designer to be in on the joke:
kellysims I'm working from a photocopied paper that has been marked up with orange marker, red pen and black pen. All by 3 people. Oh, and stickies.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is another of my favorites, @nickcave, whose full name is Fake Nick Cave. The person behind it obviously knows a lot about the real Nick Cave--enough that nearly all of the Tweets are everyday bits, which is what makes them hilarious:
nickcave Grooming my moustache.
Context. Context. Context.
4. Improve your editing skills. This sounds all tedious and scholarly, but all it means is: figure out which parts of your message are the most compelling. You've only got 140 characters, so make each one count. Look around at the people whose Tweets you find most interesting. I bet you'll find their content is short, sweet and to the point. Which is kind of the point, after all; Twitter isn't for rambling. Plus, no one likes to read a message comprised primarily of abbreviated words.
5. Avoid the hard sell. Avoid it like the plague. I mean, look--so many of us are entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, what-have-you. It's almost a given that if you're on Twitter, you've got a blog, at the very least, that you'd like to promote. If you're selling something, the way to do it on Twitter is to be interested, interesting and sincere. There are so many services looking for customers out there that your personality is going to be the number-one thing that sets you apart. If you come across all "What's it going to take to send you home with a car today?" then chances are pretty good you will annoy the very people whose business you want.
In the end, what you need to know on Twitter really isn't all that different from what you already know about life. Be nice. Be interested. Be generous. Be self-aware. Be your best self. The sky may be falling and the web may seem like the Wild West even at this late date, but it's still a very (very, very) small world. Act accordingly, and you'll be pleased with the outcome.
And if you still have questions, feel free to drop me a line.
Anyway, strange perceptions about Twitter abound, and I field so many questions about it that I thought perhaps a basic how-to would be useful. Also, last night I attended an event for women in business (it was good, y'all!), and the Twitter-related questions directed toward Alaia Williams, who spoke about social media, made me see just how widespread the, well, HOW-exactly-does-this-Twitter-thing-go?! conundrum is. Here, then, are the five things I find most important. It's obviously not A Comprehensive Guide to Twittering Success. Also, it is in no way meant to imply that my own Tweets are fascinatingly perfect, or even live anywhere near that neighborhood. Rather, it's a broad-strokes version of what I try to keep in mind as I do this.
Ready? Okay.
1. Be polite (gosh!). You're there to participate in discussions. I know you know this, but sometimes we all have trouble remembering it and start thinking we're there to perform THE MOST AMAZING MONOLOGUE THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. (I am guilty of this myself. Which is why it's good that I also have a blog.) Discussions involve other people, other points of view, and require your attention. Respond to the people who send you @ messages, particularly if you are big on asking open-ended questions. Even more particularly if you use people's responses as market research. Otherwise, you look like a boor. And I don't know about you, but I do enough boor impersonations in person; the least I can do for my cause is try not to do it in text.
2. Provide useful and/or interesting content. I can't tell you how many otherwise interesting people I've shied away from on Twitter simply because their updates read something like this:
otherwiseawesome Going to bed.
otherwiseawesome Hey guys good morning!
otherwiseawesome Had really great pasta lunch
otherwiseawesome Brushing teeth to go out pesto in teeth! LOL
otherwiseawesome Going to bed.
To quote @maggie: No one cares what you had for lunch. Is there an article you think is really helpful/inspiring/hilarious? An application/band/bakery you've just started using/listening to/frequenting that you can't get enough of? Chances are very good someone else will feel the same way about it! Give people the opportunity to learn about things they may otherwise never hear about. Weigh in on a debate. Suggest a new way of doing things. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering; sincerity really does go a long way here. Did you see something bizarre on your way home from work?
whatpossessedme A blind homeless man serenaded us with a toothless rendition of "DA YA THINK I'M SEXY" on the subway tonight. Someone shouted "NO!"
3. ...But! Be human. No one is a clever-clever machine all the time. The everyday bits (minutia, if you will!) can be just as interesting as the clever-clever bits. Context is everything. For instance, @kellysims is a freelance graphic designer; he often Tweets about on-the-job idiosyncracies, and you don't need to be a designer to be in on the joke:
kellysims I'm working from a photocopied paper that has been marked up with orange marker, red pen and black pen. All by 3 people. Oh, and stickies.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is another of my favorites, @nickcave, whose full name is Fake Nick Cave. The person behind it obviously knows a lot about the real Nick Cave--enough that nearly all of the Tweets are everyday bits, which is what makes them hilarious:
nickcave Grooming my moustache.
Context. Context. Context.
4. Improve your editing skills. This sounds all tedious and scholarly, but all it means is: figure out which parts of your message are the most compelling. You've only got 140 characters, so make each one count. Look around at the people whose Tweets you find most interesting. I bet you'll find their content is short, sweet and to the point. Which is kind of the point, after all; Twitter isn't for rambling. Plus, no one likes to read a message comprised primarily of abbreviated words.
5. Avoid the hard sell. Avoid it like the plague. I mean, look--so many of us are entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, what-have-you. It's almost a given that if you're on Twitter, you've got a blog, at the very least, that you'd like to promote. If you're selling something, the way to do it on Twitter is to be interested, interesting and sincere. There are so many services looking for customers out there that your personality is going to be the number-one thing that sets you apart. If you come across all "What's it going to take to send you home with a car today?" then chances are pretty good you will annoy the very people whose business you want.
In the end, what you need to know on Twitter really isn't all that different from what you already know about life. Be nice. Be interested. Be generous. Be self-aware. Be your best self. The sky may be falling and the web may seem like the Wild West even at this late date, but it's still a very (very, very) small world. Act accordingly, and you'll be pleased with the outcome.
And if you still have questions, feel free to drop me a line.
Friday Frisson: Special "Sick Preschooler" Edition!
Quickly, quickly, before the lad wakes up! Here are the frissons I'm enjoying of late.
How to Beat the System to Get a Great Job. This post by Penelope Trunk, a fascinating woman if I ever virtually met one, offers great ideas for kicking career ass while you're underemployed.
Lollychops. Great projects, but for me the big draw is the huge amount of super cute/useful downloads.
Claire Oswalt. I don't remember anymore how I found Claire's site, but every few weeks I have another look to see what she's up to. She's a fantastic artist with incredible style, and does everything from drawings to knitted pieces to wooden puppets. These are a couple of my favorite pieces from her site. It looks like she's got an exhibit up right now, here in LA, with one to follow in September.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Not the movie (though obviously I can wax rhapsodic about that anytime--just ask, okay?), but an amazing reinterpretation of the poster made for the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. I so want to hang this in my living room. And maybe pet it every now and then.
Just Something I Made. Cathe Holden is another artist with a graphic design studio, an Etsy store and apparently a zillion ideas on gorgeous, fun things to make. On top of which she's also designed a bunch of super-cool blog buttons and add-ons. Love it.
Contxts. I signed up for this yesterday, although I'm still a bit undecided on it. It's a great idea: an SMS-based business card that you can simply text to people! On the other hand, the business card itself often helps me to remember the person, and cold text ain't about to do that. Also on that same hand, I tend to keep only very close contacts on my phone, and am not sure that I want tons of business-card info stored on it. But on the third hand, who knows? Send me an email if you want to exchange biz-card beams.
Enjoy your weekend, lovelies.
How to Beat the System to Get a Great Job. This post by Penelope Trunk, a fascinating woman if I ever virtually met one, offers great ideas for kicking career ass while you're underemployed.
Lollychops. Great projects, but for me the big draw is the huge amount of super cute/useful downloads.
Claire Oswalt. I don't remember anymore how I found Claire's site, but every few weeks I have another look to see what she's up to. She's a fantastic artist with incredible style, and does everything from drawings to knitted pieces to wooden puppets. These are a couple of my favorite pieces from her site. It looks like she's got an exhibit up right now, here in LA, with one to follow in September.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Not the movie (though obviously I can wax rhapsodic about that anytime--just ask, okay?), but an amazing reinterpretation of the poster made for the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. I so want to hang this in my living room. And maybe pet it every now and then.
Just Something I Made. Cathe Holden is another artist with a graphic design studio, an Etsy store and apparently a zillion ideas on gorgeous, fun things to make. On top of which she's also designed a bunch of super-cool blog buttons and add-ons. Love it.
Contxts. I signed up for this yesterday, although I'm still a bit undecided on it. It's a great idea: an SMS-based business card that you can simply text to people! On the other hand, the business card itself often helps me to remember the person, and cold text ain't about to do that. Also on that same hand, I tend to keep only very close contacts on my phone, and am not sure that I want tons of business-card info stored on it. But on the third hand, who knows? Send me an email if you want to exchange biz-card beams.
Enjoy your weekend, lovelies.
Monday, March 30, 2009
The OSI Interview: Michelle Ward
Michelle Ward set a course for acting at an early age. For twenty years she worked toward reaching the fabled bright lights. But one day she realized that this goal was no longer as valuable as it had once been. In her own words: I enrolled in a Career Change Workshop at NYU, and through a series of personality tests, exercises, and conversations with my classmates, I realized that I wanted to help others find their own path, especially "creative types" that thought they wanted one thing their whole life and now have to rewrite their plans. I wanted to help them figure out what they wanted to be When They Grow Up.
But I didn't want to limit myself to Career Coaching. I wanted to help people along with all their life challenges, but not in a Hippy-Dippy or a Tell-Me-What-Your-Parents-Did-When-You-Were-Five way. I wanted to be their springboard, their partner, their confidante, their cheerleader. I wanted to be their Life Coach!
I went full throttle into taking classes at the International Coach Academy, where I'm enrolled in the Certified Professional Coach Program. I will then be certified by the International Coaches Federation, who "exists to Build, Support and Preserve the integrity of the coaching profession."
I've been training my whole life to be a coach. My communication skills, my enthusiasm and sense of humor, my desire to help people find their passion, and my people-loving-personality makes this the role that I was born to play.
She ain't kidding, either. But she is fantastic.
1. In the context of your work, which bits of minutiae matter most?
Listening, or as coaches call it, "power listening." For me, it means to shut off the part of my brain that gets ready to jump in and contribute to a conversation, and to turn on my natural curiosity. If something comes up while my client is talking, I'll jot it down or let it go, trusting that I'll know the next question to ask when the time comes. If you go past all of the tools that coaches use, it all boils down to being non-judgmental and to listening.
2. Which bits matter least?
Doing the "right" thing. As a perfectionist, I was scared you-know-what-less to start coaching, because I didn't trust myself to do it "right." I would start that call with a million (OK, 4) things in front of me: my coaching model, to visually let me know what I wanted to focus on; a binder full of questions to ask, based on the situation presented to me; my notes for that client along with their intake form; and a pad of paper. Now I only have my notes and a blank sheet of paper. And if The Worst thing happens (aka What Now? Syndrome), I admit it. Oddly enough, I think that my saying, "I'm not sure where to go now" allows the client to chart the course. So, You're Welcome, clients!
3. In the context of your life, what types of minutiae once seemed important, but have since fallen by the wayside? Why?
Being a people pleaser once seemed to be my role in life - to make everyone happy, to not rock the boat, to be everything to everyone. Not to say that I don't care what people think anymore, or that I try to piss people off. I don't. But I know what I need to feed myself emotionally, and I can't say "yes" to everyone. I know my limits, my priorities and my values, and if someone or something doesn't fall within that I'm OK with letting it go.
4. What types of minutiae, if any, have you had to train yourself to pay closer attention to?
Silence. Building on my answer to question #1, I have had to stop myself from filling the silence when I'm with a client. The chatty extrovert in me wants to jump in, ask another question, give the client multiple choice answers, or share a personal story. But I've learned that those silences are one of the only ways to prove that you've made the client stop and think, possibly in a different direction than he or she is used to. I used to live for the applause when I was pursuing a career as an actress, but now the silence is my applause. Ironic, huh?
5. Just for kicks -- what are your favorite bits of minutiae (personal, from a book, a piece of music, moment in a movie, etc.)?
John Cusack holding the boom box in Say Anything. Seeing the outtakes on a scene that Glenn Close did for Fatal Attraction, where no two takes were alike. The custom-written verse that my brother-in-law added to Grow Old With You, the song he played at my wedding. The way that my husband's whole face lights up when I ask him if he wants to do something that he really wants to do at that moment in time. The tiny piece of wallpaper - a single blue star on a white background - I took from my childhood bedroom and carry around with me. The place in the show (always at the theater, never at the movies) that gives me chills. Most recently, the new When I Grow Up logo! I want to keep those kids in my pocket and carry them around with me. Oh wait - I guess that's what business cards are for.
***
Michelle, thank you!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
What Keeps Me Steady
Michelle at When I Grow Up Coach has been Tweeting about Positivity Week, and while I wasn't able to commit to a full week of participation, I did want to contribute! Check out her great blog as well as Jeremie's blog, Sunday Night Success, for thought-provoking articles and more information on Positivity Week. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this was partially inspired by Colleen's post on taking umbrage.
Historically, I've been an all-or-nothing type of girl; either I'm thrilled and enthusiastic, or I'm Sylvia Plath's spiritual twin. You probably know someone like that. It's a very tiring way to live. At some point I decided it wasn't for me. So I studied what other people did, people who were able to remain calm, non-reactive, rational. Intelligent, kind, authentic [I hate the way that word is bandied about, but it's the only one that fits in this context] people, whose skin seemed to be much thicker than my own, which was more or less like waterlogged vellum. And I'll be honest: it helped me tremendously to be married to such a person (who also, rather conveniently, happens to have a whole lot of patience).
I've found, through observing others and through good old-fashioned trial and error, that there are six things that really help me move beyond my tendency to react. They are:
As much as possible, remaining an observer, not a reactor, to my feelings. It's a bit of a cliché, but feelings are, after all, just feelings. Like fear, they are meant to be a general roadmap, not a step-by-step instruction book. It's a mistake to rely on them. It's also a mistake to ignore them. Listen to them, but remember that context is everything.
Making time for devotion. My days are not the same without this component. When I make time for prayer, I'm more connected, more alive.
Stewardship. (Taking care of what I have.) If I can be trusted to take care of the little things, I can be trusted to take care of the big things. (There I go with that minutiae thing again.) Looking after what you've got, be it as small as one cat and a studio apartment or as large as a family of 8 and a business, is love in action. You'll see a difference in yourself and your life immediately. Seriously.
Being actively grateful for the good things in my life. Here is one way you might look at my current situation--these are all irrefutable facts: I was laid off in early February. We very much need to be a two-income family. When I read up on frugality, I realize that most of what the pros are suggesting in terms of cutting corners are things we've been doing for years--in other words, we really don't have many corners left.
You get the idea.
This is how I view my life as it currently exists: I no longer have to get up five days a week to spend 8-10 hours a day working at a job where I was miserable. Instead, I am spending my days with my son, doing crafts (I love that!), taking him to the park, teaching him things, laughing with him. I am getting my house in order (even the frighteningly-disorganized closets and pantry). I am improving my cooking and homemaking skills. I'm baking! (I love baking.) I spend several hours a day working on my freelance business, which has taken off in a way I can't quite believe just yet. I'm reconnecting with old friends. I'm meeting new friends. I'm getting to know my community better. Yes, our budget is tighter than ever. And I am so grateful.
Running a quick reality check. This goes hand-in-hand with the above, but is sort of in its own category as well. My family and I have a roof over our head, more than enough food on the table, clean water to drink and bathe with, more clothing than we really need, family nearby, amazing friends. We are healthy, resourceful, resilient, and we make our own fun. Most people on this planet are not so fortunate.
Making time to exercise. We all know the benefits of regular exercise, so I'll keep this one brief: when I make time to exercise, I am less of a psychotic [redacted]. (I like to think of it as a gift to the world at large.)
What about you? What keeps you going, keeps you steady, keeps you motivated and focused in the best way possible? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Image via Shabby Chic.
Historically, I've been an all-or-nothing type of girl; either I'm thrilled and enthusiastic, or I'm Sylvia Plath's spiritual twin. You probably know someone like that. It's a very tiring way to live. At some point I decided it wasn't for me. So I studied what other people did, people who were able to remain calm, non-reactive, rational. Intelligent, kind, authentic [I hate the way that word is bandied about, but it's the only one that fits in this context] people, whose skin seemed to be much thicker than my own, which was more or less like waterlogged vellum. And I'll be honest: it helped me tremendously to be married to such a person (who also, rather conveniently, happens to have a whole lot of patience). I've found, through observing others and through good old-fashioned trial and error, that there are six things that really help me move beyond my tendency to react. They are:
As much as possible, remaining an observer, not a reactor, to my feelings. It's a bit of a cliché, but feelings are, after all, just feelings. Like fear, they are meant to be a general roadmap, not a step-by-step instruction book. It's a mistake to rely on them. It's also a mistake to ignore them. Listen to them, but remember that context is everything.
Making time for devotion. My days are not the same without this component. When I make time for prayer, I'm more connected, more alive.
Stewardship. (Taking care of what I have.) If I can be trusted to take care of the little things, I can be trusted to take care of the big things. (There I go with that minutiae thing again.) Looking after what you've got, be it as small as one cat and a studio apartment or as large as a family of 8 and a business, is love in action. You'll see a difference in yourself and your life immediately. Seriously.
Being actively grateful for the good things in my life. Here is one way you might look at my current situation--these are all irrefutable facts: I was laid off in early February. We very much need to be a two-income family. When I read up on frugality, I realize that most of what the pros are suggesting in terms of cutting corners are things we've been doing for years--in other words, we really don't have many corners left.
You get the idea.
This is how I view my life as it currently exists: I no longer have to get up five days a week to spend 8-10 hours a day working at a job where I was miserable. Instead, I am spending my days with my son, doing crafts (I love that!), taking him to the park, teaching him things, laughing with him. I am getting my house in order (even the frighteningly-disorganized closets and pantry). I am improving my cooking and homemaking skills. I'm baking! (I love baking.) I spend several hours a day working on my freelance business, which has taken off in a way I can't quite believe just yet. I'm reconnecting with old friends. I'm meeting new friends. I'm getting to know my community better. Yes, our budget is tighter than ever. And I am so grateful.
Running a quick reality check. This goes hand-in-hand with the above, but is sort of in its own category as well. My family and I have a roof over our head, more than enough food on the table, clean water to drink and bathe with, more clothing than we really need, family nearby, amazing friends. We are healthy, resourceful, resilient, and we make our own fun. Most people on this planet are not so fortunate.
Making time to exercise. We all know the benefits of regular exercise, so I'll keep this one brief: when I make time to exercise, I am less of a psychotic [redacted]. (I like to think of it as a gift to the world at large.)
What about you? What keeps you going, keeps you steady, keeps you motivated and focused in the best way possible? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Image via Shabby Chic.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday Frisson
Happy Friday, lovelies! This week's frissons can be filed under "useful," "too awesome for words," and/or a gorgeous combination thereof. Let's jump right in!
Laurel Plum Online. An organizational genius, Laurel blows my mind. She has excellent, non-threatening tips for organizing, like, every single bit of your (my) life. Also, her matter-of-fact tone makes me feel like my rusty homemaking skills are not something to be ashamed of--just worked on. Easy, right?
OSS 117:Le Caire nid d'spions.
I'm not quite sure how to convey the awesome contained within this movie. Let's start with the tagline: Secret agent OSS 117 foils Nazis, beds local beauties, and brings peace to the Middle East. Good, yeah? It's sort of like...if Inspector Clouseau [the real one, not the big phony Steve Martin one] were a little more Austin Powers. And looked like an exact cross between Bob Odenkirk [on the left, there] and Hugh Jackman [you don't really need a photo of Hugh, do you?]. Oh, and it's in French. (Twenty-five percent of you are running out right now to get this. The other 75% of you are unsubscribing to this feed.)
On Simplicity. This is a blog I can't get enough of right now. Of late, I am particularly enamored of this post, entitled 37 Easy Ways to Say I Love You. True, heartfelt and practical. Kind of what we could all use right about now, I say.
Libre Tea Glasses. An idea whose time has come! A portable, thermal cup for loose leaf tea! Loose leaf is so much tastier and healthier, too. Now it's easy to take with you. Seriously, why did this take so long? I grew up drinking tons of tea, or what we called tea; apparently the correct nomenclature for the stuff is tisane? Well, I never. In any case, preparation for said beverage went more or less thusly: pick lemongrass, orange leaves, lemon leaves or mint from the garden, or open up a cellophaned pack of Mexican cinnamon sticks. Boil water. Turn off heat, stick rinsed foliage of choice in the water, cover. Let steep about 5 minutes. Drink. Now I can take my tea with me! Bonus: it looks so pretty in the clear container. Love it!
Friday Microcoworking. Listen, L.A. freelancers: this is really cool. A group of us has been gathering at a coffee shop in Redondo Beach on Fridays for a couple of hours. We get some tables together, plug in our laptops, get some work done, have good coffee, and share in the unique delights of freelancing. Come join us, won't you?
Have a fantastic weekend!
xo
Laurel Plum Online. An organizational genius, Laurel blows my mind. She has excellent, non-threatening tips for organizing, like, every single bit of your (my) life. Also, her matter-of-fact tone makes me feel like my rusty homemaking skills are not something to be ashamed of--just worked on. Easy, right?
OSS 117:Le Caire nid d'spions.
I'm not quite sure how to convey the awesome contained within this movie. Let's start with the tagline: Secret agent OSS 117 foils Nazis, beds local beauties, and brings peace to the Middle East. Good, yeah? It's sort of like...if Inspector Clouseau [the real one, not the big phony Steve Martin one] were a little more Austin Powers. And looked like an exact cross between Bob Odenkirk [on the left, there] and Hugh Jackman [you don't really need a photo of Hugh, do you?]. Oh, and it's in French. (Twenty-five percent of you are running out right now to get this. The other 75% of you are unsubscribing to this feed.)On Simplicity. This is a blog I can't get enough of right now. Of late, I am particularly enamored of this post, entitled 37 Easy Ways to Say I Love You. True, heartfelt and practical. Kind of what we could all use right about now, I say.
Libre Tea Glasses. An idea whose time has come! A portable, thermal cup for loose leaf tea! Loose leaf is so much tastier and healthier, too. Now it's easy to take with you. Seriously, why did this take so long? I grew up drinking tons of tea, or what we called tea; apparently the correct nomenclature for the stuff is tisane? Well, I never. In any case, preparation for said beverage went more or less thusly: pick lemongrass, orange leaves, lemon leaves or mint from the garden, or open up a cellophaned pack of Mexican cinnamon sticks. Boil water. Turn off heat, stick rinsed foliage of choice in the water, cover. Let steep about 5 minutes. Drink. Now I can take my tea with me! Bonus: it looks so pretty in the clear container. Love it!
Friday Microcoworking. Listen, L.A. freelancers: this is really cool. A group of us has been gathering at a coffee shop in Redondo Beach on Fridays for a couple of hours. We get some tables together, plug in our laptops, get some work done, have good coffee, and share in the unique delights of freelancing. Come join us, won't you?
Have a fantastic weekend!
xo
Monday, March 23, 2009
The OSI Interview: Mark McGuinness
Mark McGuinness is a poet and a coach for creative people. Mark's latest venture is Lateral Action, a web publication to help creative professionals achieve success (creative and commercial). Lateral Action is a joint venture with Brian Clark and Tony Clark. Mark is a bona fide savvy guy with a bona fide poet's soul--a most unusual and delightful combination. Via his websites and his Tweets (he's @markmcguinness on Twitter), he shares useful tidbits and witty observations (real witty, not Twitter witty, if you know what I mean?). Not to put too fine a point on it, but Mark is a well-rounded person, and how often does one find that in these heady, Web 2.0-heavy times?
(Oh, and in case you're wondering about some of his spellings: he lives in London, y'all.)
1. In the context of your work, which bits of minutiae matter most?
Coaching: Often it's the little cues from the client during a session -- a change of expression or voice tone, a gesture, a hesitation or turn of phrase -- that alerts me to something important. A lot of the art of coaching is your ability to pick up these little clues and weave them back into the conversation.
Writing: Obviously there are plenty of verbal minutiae to be aware of -- grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax etc. And with poetry there are additional elements of formal minutiae -- rhyme, rhythm, meter, alliteration etc. At the moment I think tone is probably the element I'm mostly preoccupied with, in poetry and prose. It can be very subtle, and is influenced by a combination of all the other elements, so you have to become very sensitive to pick up when you're hitting the right note or when the writing is off key. My poetry teacher Mimi Khalvati has an incredible ear for the authentic voice of a poem, and I'm doing my best to learn from her and edit out the false notes.
2. Which bits matter least?
Coaching: The bits that feature in long explanations -- too much back story or analysis of past events. Sometimes clients start off thinking I need to know everything about their situation in order to help them make changes, but usually that isn't the case.
Writing: Explanations again! I have a tendency to over-explain things, which I'm trying to cut down on.
3. In the context of your life, what types of minutiae once seemed important, but have since fallen by the wayside? Why?
I used to be a big book collector and was very finicky about getting (and keeping) books in mint condition. These days I don't buy so many books and I'm not quite so fussy about their condition. I've even started using (gasp) a pen to make notes in some books!
I think the change is partly because I do a lot of my reading on the Internet, which makes you realise how ephemeral most writing is. And hopefully it's because I've come to realise that the words are more important than the books. I treasure the words more than ever.
4. What types of minutiae, if any, have you had to train yourself to pay closer attention to?
Coaching: All of it, originally. A big part of my training when I started out as a psychotherapist was to get me to stop thinking about theories and start looking at clients and listening to them. More recently, since I trained as a Reverse Therapist I've become more alert to the promptings of my intuition. So now when I get a gut feeling about something I speak up and share it with the client. Usually they find it helpful.
Writing: Well right now I'm working on Lateral Action with Brian Clark, a world authority on copywriting headlines, so I'm taking a lot of care over writing my article headlines! And also with Tony Clark, who is the design and technical wizard at Lateral Action. Tony is rightly very concerned that we format everything correctly so that it looks right for our readers - so I'm doing my best to be meticulous with formatting codes!
5. Just for kicks -- what are your favorite bits of minutiae (personal, from a book, a piece of music, moment in a movie, etc.)?
It's just occurred to me that my poetry blog is a collection of my favourite bits of poetry minutiae. For example, I wrote a recent post wondering whether W.H. Auden rhyming 'clerk' with 'work' was a sign of him developing an American accent. (It doesn't rhyme properly with a British accent.) That's the kind of thing that I doubt anyone else loses much sleep over, but I enjoy writing about it on the off chance that someone, somewhere may find it of interest. In this case, I was delighted to discover that I was right -- one of my readers found a recording of Auden reading the poem, which confirmed the accent!
***
Thank you, Mark! (Especially for the bit about 'clerk' and 'work'... I feel much less alone in the world now.)
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A gentle reminder...
The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life. - Robert Louis Stevenson
(via SimpleMom)
(via SimpleMom)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The OSI Interview: Colleen Wainwright
Colleen Wainwright is a writer-speaker-illuminator who started calling herself “the communicatrix” when she hit three hyphens.She spent 10 years as an award-winning TV copywriter crafting ads for brands like Wheaties®, Gatorade® and Jell-O®, and another 10 acting in them for cash money. Since deciding she’d blow her brains out if she had to sit through one more meeting about which way the bears danced around the cereal box, Colleen spends her time teaching other creative souls how to talk about what they do in a way that wins them attention, work and satisfaction.
Currently, this translates as speaking to groups about non-sucky usage of social media, consulting with solopreneurs about how to get their message out there and creating content for an alarmingly large number of online outlets.
What else? She is one hell of a woman. Tough, warm, funny, irreverent, kind and with more ideas in one little finger than are contained in the entire body of most other humans, Colleen is one of my local heroes. Give her all of your business and money as soon as you possibly can.
1. In the context of your work, which bits of minutiae matter most?
I'm tempted to say that my work is all about the minutiae. I try to carve out great swaths of time for myself to take in and sift and putter so that the tasty morsels get trapped in my web. (How many metaphors did I just butcher with that? Five? Six?)
Anyway, if I had to narrow it down, I'd say that in my writing, close attention to the thin, thin line dividing using the personal to illuminate the general and self-diggery is the most important thing. In my consulting work, finding the thread that allows a client to hang onto something after we're off our call and she's into navigating the sometimes murky waters of marketing possibilities by her lonesome. In my speaking work, it's literally slowing down and enunciating so that I'm understandable. I spent 18 months of my two years in Toastmasters on that one, and it still trips me up.
2. Which bits matter least?
I've found that if you provide people with the help they need with cheerfulness and relative alacrity, they're amazingly forgiving about things like late invoicing, follow-up emails to clarify stuff, and general disorder. Things that would not be tolerated in one's accountant or attorney are fine and dandy for me. Um, so far.
3. In the context of your life, what types of minutiae once seemed important, but have since fallen by the wayside? Why?
Could you be more specific with that?
(Ha!)
Almost all of it. Perfect punctuation. Adhering strictly to protocol. Dotting "i"s and crossing "t"s. Dress codes. Restraining myself from using foul language. Even showing up on time! Traffic is so abysmal here in L.A., people are stunned in almost a bad way when you show up exactly on time. Like you're some kind of alien replicant.
To be clear, I'm very glad I learned all that Catholic school, Miss Manners-y, upright citizen-type behavior. I know when I'm breaking the rules, and if need be, I could probably travel again in fancier circles and not embarrass myself nor whatever poor, deluded soul invited me. (Although I'd definitely need a brush up. And how.)
4. What types of minutiae, if any, have you had to train yourself to pay closer attention to?
Incomplete email replies sent too quickly. Numbers, of all things—I'm numerically dyslexic, and have learned to repeat EVERY number I'm given to the person giving it me to ensure I can actually return the call/write the check/find the address. This is a weird one, but making sure my purse isn't upside down when I pick it up, or that the lid is tightly on a jar of whatever when I go to grab it.
Most of my pecadilloes are easily handled by s-l-o-w-i-n-g down. Not that I'm ever so inclined.
5. Just for kicks -- what are your favorite bits of minutiae (personal, from a book, a piece of music, moment in a movie, etc.)?
Other than me turning 13 on Friday the 13th, they're all from Play Misty for Me [Note: Why yes, Colleen did rise even further in my estimation after I discovered that she loves Clint also, thank you for asking.], as I've seen it upwards of 100 times (although I've only watched it all the way through a half-dozen). I love that the note Jessica Walter's character has supposedly pinned on a large stuffed animal was clearly written by an old prop guy; I recognize the handwriting as the style of my grandparents. Donna Mills' character makes repeated references to the blondes who used to tempt Clint Eastwood (and drove her away); Ms. Mills is herself a blonde, and that unchanged line is a clear indicator that the writer was herself a brunette.
My all-time fave bit of minutiae from PMFM is the "set dressing" for a scene in Clint Eastwood's kitchen: an empty paper towel roll and a packet of Skotkins fancy paper napkins beside it. It screams "bachelor" pad; I swear, it could have been shot in my dad's post-divorce apartment.
***
Thank you, Colleen!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A Modest Proposal
Aside from the bit in the sidebar there to your right, I've not discussed my jealous and possessive love for ads. [This might be the right time for you to click away from here as fast as you can, if you would prefer to remain blissfully unaware of this madness.] Print ads, in particular. I can talk about the nuances of advertising the way other people might talk about, oh...heroin. (And by "people" I mean "people currently on heroin.") It's endlessly fascinating. When it's wrong, it can be so spectacularly wrong that I almost enjoy the outrage it produces in me, as though it's the villain tying the ingenue to the tracks. Currently, for instance, there is a billboard on the side of the freeway nearest me. It's for a big chain supermarket, and it features a sheepdog. The sheepdog is speaking. (You can tell because the large words right next to the dog are in quotes.) And the sheepdog is saying, "My owner's smart. She shops at Ralphs."
No, I'm serious. On a billboard, in front of God and everyone, "My owner's smart. She shops at Ralphs." To which one can only assume the intended reaction goes something like, "Oh! I'm not shopping at Ralphs. Does my dog think I'm dumb?"
At that point in the analysis my brain breaks a little bit, and all I can think is WHO WROTE THAT? Because somebody wrote it, and then someone put it next to the stupid photo of the dog, and then someone pitched it! And then... someone approved it. Someone looked at that ad, with its dog and its bordering-on-Flight-of-the-Conchords-absurdity level of fallacy, and said You know what? That's it, right there. That ad is fantastic! Do it. This will reach our customer, the person who lives in fear that her dog thinks she's a big dummy and might be laughing behind her back with the other dogs. We're going to be rich!
Seriously, what a big hot mess! How does that happen?! Why is it okay?! It's like flushing money down the toilet, as my mother said every five minutes when I was growing up.
At the opposite pole exist the ads that cut through the tired hyperbole and speak to who you are on a very basic level. Yes, yes, it's manipulation at its finest--but that's the point, after all. I may find Apple's policies odious and their ubiquitous presence just this side of Starbucksian, but damn, their ad campaigns make me believe. They (duh) work.
A few years back, Sharpie had this brilliant campaign geared toward creative types--graphic designers, specifically; it was a multi-page affair that ran in graphic design magazines. Each page featured some part of a designer's workday, with one word, in bold caps--e.g., a Pantone book said "LUST" beneath it; under an image of a meeting in an oval conference room was the word "HELL". It was simple and clever and personal and so, so appealing. The very last page said, in part:
When you look at movies and books and typography, do you get excited?
When you can't solve something, do you beat yourself up?
Do you then start fantasizing about jobs like selling shoes?
Worry that you'll never have a good idea?
Feel like an imposter?
Do you suddenly worry you're becoming a hack?
Do you worry you already are one but don't know it yet?
When you come up with a good idea, do you suddenly feel like life is worth living again?
Do you fall in love with your ideas?
Do you wear that love on your sleeve?
Are you, in face, one of those people?
My immediate, gut response: yes, yes, yes! And: I need seven thousand Sharpies because they understand me!
Advertising isn't about showing off. It's about seeing people for who they are. (There is a difference.) When people feel acknowledged, they are more likely to want to be around the entity doing the acknowledging. Brand loyalty, anyone?
But very good advertising has the power to do more than just sell, to create more than that coveted customer-for-life. I cut out that list of questions from the Sharpie ad. I glued them to the front of a notebook. And when I was working a job that I loathed, that made me doubt my innate abilities and the skills I've worked at long and hard, I would look at those words. They helped to remind me that my small-minded supervisor could say whatever she liked, but I wasn't going to be there forever. I'd be on to bigger, better, more creative, more suitable things.
And hey, look, I am.
Oh, of course I don't think Sharpie responsible for my moving on up, so to speak, but look--if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. Not everything is going to be inspired or inspiring, sure, there's nothing sexy about shopping at Ralphs. But for Pete's sake, what's wrong with stepping up the game, just a little bit? What if we tried?
No, I'm serious. On a billboard, in front of God and everyone, "My owner's smart. She shops at Ralphs." To which one can only assume the intended reaction goes something like, "Oh! I'm not shopping at Ralphs. Does my dog think I'm dumb?"
At that point in the analysis my brain breaks a little bit, and all I can think is WHO WROTE THAT? Because somebody wrote it, and then someone put it next to the stupid photo of the dog, and then someone pitched it! And then... someone approved it. Someone looked at that ad, with its dog and its bordering-on-Flight-of-the-Conchords-absurdity level of fallacy, and said You know what? That's it, right there. That ad is fantastic! Do it. This will reach our customer, the person who lives in fear that her dog thinks she's a big dummy and might be laughing behind her back with the other dogs. We're going to be rich!
Seriously, what a big hot mess! How does that happen?! Why is it okay?! It's like flushing money down the toilet, as my mother said every five minutes when I was growing up.
At the opposite pole exist the ads that cut through the tired hyperbole and speak to who you are on a very basic level. Yes, yes, it's manipulation at its finest--but that's the point, after all. I may find Apple's policies odious and their ubiquitous presence just this side of Starbucksian, but damn, their ad campaigns make me believe. They (duh) work.
A few years back, Sharpie had this brilliant campaign geared toward creative types--graphic designers, specifically; it was a multi-page affair that ran in graphic design magazines. Each page featured some part of a designer's workday, with one word, in bold caps--e.g., a Pantone book said "LUST" beneath it; under an image of a meeting in an oval conference room was the word "HELL". It was simple and clever and personal and so, so appealing. The very last page said, in part:
When you look at movies and books and typography, do you get excited?
When you can't solve something, do you beat yourself up?
Do you then start fantasizing about jobs like selling shoes?
Worry that you'll never have a good idea?
Feel like an imposter?
Do you suddenly worry you're becoming a hack?
Do you worry you already are one but don't know it yet?
When you come up with a good idea, do you suddenly feel like life is worth living again?
Do you fall in love with your ideas?
Do you wear that love on your sleeve?
Are you, in face, one of those people?
My immediate, gut response: yes, yes, yes! And: I need seven thousand Sharpies because they understand me!
Advertising isn't about showing off. It's about seeing people for who they are. (There is a difference.) When people feel acknowledged, they are more likely to want to be around the entity doing the acknowledging. Brand loyalty, anyone?
But very good advertising has the power to do more than just sell, to create more than that coveted customer-for-life. I cut out that list of questions from the Sharpie ad. I glued them to the front of a notebook. And when I was working a job that I loathed, that made me doubt my innate abilities and the skills I've worked at long and hard, I would look at those words. They helped to remind me that my small-minded supervisor could say whatever she liked, but I wasn't going to be there forever. I'd be on to bigger, better, more creative, more suitable things.
And hey, look, I am.
Oh, of course I don't think Sharpie responsible for my moving on up, so to speak, but look--if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. Not everything is going to be inspired or inspiring, sure, there's nothing sexy about shopping at Ralphs. But for Pete's sake, what's wrong with stepping up the game, just a little bit? What if we tried?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Why, of all the dirty, rotten...
Dear friends, there is no Frisson Friday today! I'm so sorry. I've been working and working at some very exciting new things, things I can't discuss just yet but ooh, they're going to be good! Anyhow, as a result, here it is Friday and I'm empty-handed. Not to mention it's coming up on one in the morning and I need to get up early to bake (!) for a yuppie-esque mama/kiddo thing I've organized (!)at the park tomorrow. So can I ask something of you? Will you leave me a comment with a Friday Frisson suggestion? That would be lovely and much appreciated. Your favorite article, video, site, image, Tweet, whatevs. I'd love to know what it is. Thanks, dollbabies. You're a bunch of peaches!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
So what.
This is something I cut out of the Los Angeles Times years and years ago. I don't even remember the name of the short-lived column it came from, let alone the author's name (if you do, will you let me know so I can give proper credit?). But I loved it, and still love it, and revisit it whenever I'm beginning to get too caught up in myself. Puts me right back down on the planet. I hope you like it, too.
Consider this. We humans eat till we flap, smoke, use ATMs at night, drive--fast and angry--with bald tires, bad brakes and a busted headlight, exercise nothing but our clicker thumbs, drink till it's up to strangers whether we get home, and far and away the biggest concern among readers is:
How can I not get hurt?
Most of us treat our bodies like rental cars, and yet we coddle our precious little feelings, the one part of us that won't break, die, run out or get cancer. (The way we treat others' feelings is a different story.) If we can run on five hours' sleep and a Ho-Ho, we can certainly handle "I'm sorry, I don't like you that way." Or, "You're not a strong candidate for this job." Or, "Your face could scald milk." Or, "There's a thin envelope here from Yale."
But no, we retreat into our ruts like they're trenches. I'll give you an example. I'll bet everybody knows at least one smart kid who doesn't study, who pretends he doesn't need to. If he dogs it and fails, he's a lazy cool smart guy; if he tries and fails, he's suddenly not so smart. Beat failure! Don't learn!
Here's the reason to test our resilience every chance we get: The alternative is living passively, never actually deciding anything, wondering why we're irritable, average, bored, boring and a deep shade of yellow.
So don't reach down, reach up--for the bright and groovy guy, for the promotion, for the moon. Try to get that driveling essay published. Audition for everything. Apply to a hot college. Wipe out, look stupid, try again. A decade ago, my cousin-in-law decided to be a comedian, moved to New York and fed himself be doing every unbearable job out there. This year: Letterman and a Major Motion Picture. 1. Wow. 2. Why not? You can be told you're not smart, not attractive, not cool, not interesting, not good enough for the job, and then, sure, you can quit--but if instead you dismiss it, or learn from it, or move on to something else, pretty soon you'll start to walk like you can take it. Those confident, charismatic people everyone privately resents? Know what they are? Fearless. But you won't have any idea what that means unless you scrape the couch from your backside. The worst that can happen is "No." So what.
Consider this. We humans eat till we flap, smoke, use ATMs at night, drive--fast and angry--with bald tires, bad brakes and a busted headlight, exercise nothing but our clicker thumbs, drink till it's up to strangers whether we get home, and far and away the biggest concern among readers is:
How can I not get hurt?
Most of us treat our bodies like rental cars, and yet we coddle our precious little feelings, the one part of us that won't break, die, run out or get cancer. (The way we treat others' feelings is a different story.) If we can run on five hours' sleep and a Ho-Ho, we can certainly handle "I'm sorry, I don't like you that way." Or, "You're not a strong candidate for this job." Or, "Your face could scald milk." Or, "There's a thin envelope here from Yale."
But no, we retreat into our ruts like they're trenches. I'll give you an example. I'll bet everybody knows at least one smart kid who doesn't study, who pretends he doesn't need to. If he dogs it and fails, he's a lazy cool smart guy; if he tries and fails, he's suddenly not so smart. Beat failure! Don't learn!
Here's the reason to test our resilience every chance we get: The alternative is living passively, never actually deciding anything, wondering why we're irritable, average, bored, boring and a deep shade of yellow.
So don't reach down, reach up--for the bright and groovy guy, for the promotion, for the moon. Try to get that driveling essay published. Audition for everything. Apply to a hot college. Wipe out, look stupid, try again. A decade ago, my cousin-in-law decided to be a comedian, moved to New York and fed himself be doing every unbearable job out there. This year: Letterman and a Major Motion Picture. 1. Wow. 2. Why not? You can be told you're not smart, not attractive, not cool, not interesting, not good enough for the job, and then, sure, you can quit--but if instead you dismiss it, or learn from it, or move on to something else, pretty soon you'll start to walk like you can take it. Those confident, charismatic people everyone privately resents? Know what they are? Fearless. But you won't have any idea what that means unless you scrape the couch from your backside. The worst that can happen is "No." So what.
Monday, March 09, 2009
The OSI Interview: Rod Sherwin
Rod Sherwin, known as "the tapping man", is an Energy Therapist from Melbourne, Australia. Rod runs the Tap4Health EFT Practice and works with clients all over the world on issues such as stress, anxiety, trauma, abuse, anger management, depression, weight loss, public speaking and presenting. His approach is an unconventional and original combination of warmth, humour, respect, intuition, and skill. Rod speaks frequently on mental health and emotional well being with a genuine and authentic style. Rod's primary tool for helping others is the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) which he combines with his experience in Energy Medicine, Solutions-Focus Brief Therapy, 6-Human Needs Psychology, and Neuro-Associative Conditioning. Rod's original qualifications are in Computer System Engineering and Computer Science which gives him a very grounded and practical approach that's focused on achieving real results for his clients. I must admit to having scoffed the first time I came across the notion of EFT. It seemed to me on par with saying that I'd thrown a ball into the air to resolve my outstanding emotional issues, or that by rolling my eyes counterclockwise eight times I had been able to stop smoking or something. I suppose this is why it's important to keep my words soft and sweet: I've been eating them now for weeks. Hit with a particularly nasty allergy attack last month, I decided to try tapping (I'd read about it over at iCiNG). It was sheer desperation; if nothing else, I thought, tapping would temporarily distract me from the nonstop sneezing, itchiness, coughing, near-hysteria and other gross things that come with extreme seasonal allergies.
Less than an hour later the allergies were almost completely gone; all that remained was a slight itchy sensation in my nose. Leaving me--ahem!--something like completely astonished. There's something to this, I thought, feeling like a jerk for all of my scoffing. Fast-forward a few days, and I'm tapping, via telephone, with Rod. (But first he was treated to a fine cross-examination, which he very admirably took in stride.) He's deeply intelligent, kind, intuitive and earnest, and didn't seem to mind my smartass jokes. I loved working with him and would absolutely recommend him to anyone who's interested.
1. In the context of your work, which bits of minutiae matter most?
When working with a client I find using their exact words and phrases is so important. There are layers of meaning behind the words we choose and changing a person's words I feel is disrespectful and invalidates their feelings. Have you ever said "I feel sad" and had someone reply "You should feel angry"? Does that feel like they are empathising with you or presenting their point of view? Sometimes you need to help people clarify the words to describe what they're feeling but there is a difference between helping them find the words to describe an emotion and another of running rough-shod over the words they have chosen. The subtlety of the words is so important.
2. Which bits matter least?
This is where my tendency to perfection gets in the way. Most of the time it all feels important to me. I feel pressure to get everything right and do even the smallest things perfectly. What I tend to pay least attention to is how I dress. While people do judge me by what I wear in the first few moments of meeting me, once they start working with me or hearing me speak they see past the clothing to who I am as a person.
3. In the context of your life, what types of minutiae once seemed important, but have since fallen by the wayside? Why?
There are only 24 hours in a day so you are never going to have more time than you do today. As you grow a business, to take on some new project you also need to decide what you are going to stop doing. It used to be important to me to keep up with all the blogs that I read but now days I may get to them every second day and am happy to mark a lot of stuff as read even if I haven't read it. It's just not that important in the bigger picture.
4. What types of minutiae, if any, have you had to train yourself to pay closer attention to?
Given I work from a home office, clients come through my home so I've had to learn to pay attention to how tidy it looks when someone walks in. I have developed the habit of washing up after every meal because dirty plates on the sink are not a good thing for people to see when they enter.
5. Just for kicks -- what are your favorite bits of minutiae (personal, from a book, a piece of music, moment in a movie, etc.)?
One thing is my sun alarm clock radio. Instead of waking up to a in shock to an alarm, my sun alarm gets brighter over 30 minutes and simulates the sun rising and I find it such a gentler way to come to consciousness. Another thing would be my Timex watch that is more than 15 years old. I always have it with me when I travel and deliver training as it has two time zones, stop watch, and count down timer, and alarm. All valuable things to have on hand (or on wrist as the case may be). I've travelled with it all over the world.
While I have lived in a lot of different places, I grew up in a small country town in North Queensland, Australia called Charters Towers, population about 8,000-10,000 people. Charters Towers at the peak of a gold rush was known as "The World" and had a population closer to 100,000 which, at that time in Australia, was the same as the nearest capital city. Now days, Charters Towers is the home of the Gold Field Ashes which is the largest amateur cricket carnival in the Southern Hemisphere.
***
Thanks so much, Rod!
Friday, March 06, 2009
Friday Frisson
Let us spring forward into the weekend.*
Platform 21. Remember when we fixed things because they weren't disposable? Oops, turns out they still aren't disposable. But we knew that, right? Platform 21 pushes the crazy notion of repairing what you've got. (Hear that, Apple? Repairing! What whaaat?) I would like to give Platform 21 a hearty handshake!
The Graphics Fairy. Being the crafty, DIY sort, I've got the vapors over this blog, a fantastic source for vintage graphics. Like this one. Charmant, indeed. Look at this one! (It has P's would-be name written all over it. P, you can write "Missus" above the "Gervais" and make a set of coasters... c'est romantique, non?)
Holy Experience. You don't have to be a Christian to appreciate this phenomenal post on this excellent blog. Gratitude and good cheer are no longer optional for me. These words--one in particular; you'll see--have helped to cement that in me.
Crash. I am obsessed with this painting by an artist named David Molesky (who, by the way, was also pre-med, with a focus on neurobiology? Wow.). If I had a painting like that, I'd never leave the house.
*Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Platform 21. Remember when we fixed things because they weren't disposable? Oops, turns out they still aren't disposable. But we knew that, right? Platform 21 pushes the crazy notion of repairing what you've got. (Hear that, Apple? Repairing! What whaaat?) I would like to give Platform 21 a hearty handshake!
The Graphics Fairy. Being the crafty, DIY sort, I've got the vapors over this blog, a fantastic source for vintage graphics. Like this one. Charmant, indeed. Look at this one! (It has P's would-be name written all over it. P, you can write "Missus" above the "Gervais" and make a set of coasters... c'est romantique, non?)
Holy Experience. You don't have to be a Christian to appreciate this phenomenal post on this excellent blog. Gratitude and good cheer are no longer optional for me. These words--one in particular; you'll see--have helped to cement that in me.
Crash. I am obsessed with this painting by an artist named David Molesky (who, by the way, was also pre-med, with a focus on neurobiology? Wow.). If I had a painting like that, I'd never leave the house.
*Sorry. Couldn't resist.
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