Think Small to Grow Big...

So you want to be a speaker. This is how I did it...

First, interact with event planners and the media to build relationships, network and let your presence be known…get yourself out…network…market…let them know you are the expert!

Stay open to ALL the possible opportunities that are available to you…set an intention and you will find them.

Opportunities come in many different forms. Sometimes the smallest opportunity can be one of the biggest stepping stones to success! Don’t turn down an opportunity just because you feel it isn’t big enough, or isn’t really your thing. 

1. Write to local & state industry associations in your target area. Nationals have a lot of competition.

2. Offer to write a monthly column in the indusrty/state associations newsletters. Getting a column gives credibility, builds brand awareness and builds relationship of sorts with the readers.

3. Optimist and Rotary both have monthly meetings and seek speakers. Can lead to other ops.

4. Co-sponsor an event with a former association or company. Charity events are excellent ways to build relationships and look for speaking ops. 

5. Look for fundraisers or school functions that might need help.

6. Sponsor an "event" with a local govt leader, mayor, senator, celebrity. They do the keynote and you  open and close. 

7. Offer to speak at a national ____ week event. (You fill in the blank)

8. Present a targeted exec with an award for some accomplishment. Good PR possibility for papers/magazines. Do a SOFTSELL during the presentation.

9. Contribute good content to Group Forums, Bulletin Boards or Discussion Groups. This can lead to telechats and seminars.

10. Sponsorships & Prizes can get you on the stage.

There is a great article here:

http://www.brandingonthenet.com/articles/booking-speaking-engagements.htm

I Heart You...

to all of you who have stood with me in this time of transition...i heart you...I offer a piece of my heart to you...for you have stamped a piece of your heart into mine...

i am sorting through everything this next month in readiness for my estate sale...the next 10 days are in the studio...clearing/organizing/detaching...it can be fun clearing away the fluff of your life...and it really is all fluff...I am taking one difficult step each day...and i am throwing in some creative time...walking on the beach every morning watching the sunrise over the ocean...returning to meditate each evening...

i am working on my second mermaid portrait...she is progressing nicely...i will have photos soon...

a friend reminded me that God never gives you more than you can handle...well, i am about to that point...but i BeLieVe, with my whole being, that this ego crushing process is necessary for me to grow into consciousness...being present every minute...weepy moments are less frequent...although acceptance is distant...i am able to stand in my emotions without being my emotions...that is progress indeed... 

the middle is not always the end...the journey continues...

Don't forget to visit my other blog, The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer click here...

My Son Chip on TV's Cool Stuff...

Here is a video of my son, Chip Parsons, on Science Channel's Cool Stuff:How it Works...Episode 7: Explore how the formidable computing power of Playstation 3 makes gaming so realistic...

I shot this with my digital camera and edited it in i Movie...It will broadcast again on: June 27, 8:00 & 11:00 pm, June 28, 3:00 & 9:00 am...

Chip is the 3D Scanning Supervisor for Sony Playstation Games...he works in Sony's $10 Million, state-of-the art motion capture studio in san diego ( 9,000 sq. ft. of sound control and motion capture studios, located in the PlayStation Group's San Diego Tech Center facility. These state-of-the-art, soundproof rooms are designed to capture and record the sounds and movements of people, including professional athletes, that are then downloaded into a computer and used for the development of PlayStation interactive games.)...he works mostly on sport's games and has worked with some of sports biggest stars...i am one proud mama...

chip's scanning baseball great David Ortizseated behind computer
www.gamasutra.com

chip with basketball great amare stoudemirein stripped polo
www.blog.us.playstation.com

scan of david wright
www.grassvalley.broadcastnewsroom.co

Cre8Tiva Returns...

I am a little bummed that i am missing salon in chicago this year...i just could not manage to make it happen...but a load of hugs and good wished are streaming from me to the other members...i miss you terribly...and i trust that vic will run the dance committee with aplomb without me...if you are near chicago this weekend, stop by and see the talent of the best of the best in the world in the decorative painting industry...tell 'em i said , "hi"... it is open to public May 22-25 at the International Union of Painters & Allied Trades, 1905 Sequoia, Aurora, IL...

Geesh...I am so sorry that I seem to have lost track of myself and my mission with this blog of late...i've been alternating between waves of humility and gratitude, with a good dose of self-pity attributable to fear, fatigue and frustration....after my half-hearted weekend pity party, i am happy to report that i am doing much better...it is a new day, a new attitude...and a new me (well, it's the old me with a lot more life lessons under her belt)...

i am most grateful for all the concerned e-mails and phone calls from readers...i will not be able to respond individually for some time, but please be assured that I am doing well spiritually again...a long sunrise walk on the beach this morning with my trusty companion sir chancelot was remarkably healing...i am not fully recovered, but have donned my big girl panties and found the strength necessary....a big hug to each of you...

Cre8Tiva sat quietly while i did what i had to do to survive...she made herself known this weekend...we were able to produce a great piece of art this past few days...it was one that had been stirring around in Cre8Tiva's right brain for some time...we painted intuitively...i think she is amazing...her eyes especially...

"flowers in her hair" 2008, acrylic on canvas 11' x 14" #1 in my Mermaid Portraits Series...

close up

let me know what you think...she is going to be the first piece in my etsy shoppe....i know that i promised it would be open in April, but i was a little sidetracked...

drawing and under painting

in process...the middle is not always the end!!!

hey that's a great new motto for me..."the middle is not always the end"...the journey continues...

Don't forget to visit my other blog, The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer click here...

we’ve decided to go in another direction...

No matter how the words “we’ve decided to go in another direction” are delivered, you instinctively know your life is changing. To loose your job is a lifestyle change. To loose two within a week is a life change.

This week I learned that my contract as the Editor-in-Chief of The Artistic Stenciler would not be renewed. My position was awarded to the mother-in-law of one of the organization's board of directors. Therefore, I must bid adieu to what has always been a labor of love for me. Not quite sure whether to laugh or cry, I am perplexed yet relieved, as the operational structure has presented major challenges in the past few years. As much as it hurts to let go…I know it is time.

I also had to leave my new job as it was, in no way, the right fit for me. It was sooooo wrong on sooooo many levels...

Nobody likes drastic change when it comes to his or her career. Americans, on average, spend 70% of their waking hours on work-related activities. We make our careers part of our lives and certainly our egos. When meeting a new person you hear, "What do you do?" within a few sentences.

Therefore, I find myself even deeper in the, “What now???” phase of my life transition. The past few months have been life altering for me–health issues, my significant other’s depression and suicide attempts and the ensuing loss of a companion and partner, growing financial concerns–need I say more…

Getting a pink slip is something I have not experienced and I am finding it mentally and emotionally stressful. I am switching between a negative “what am I going to do with myself” feeling of sorrow to a positive “what am I going to do with myself” feeling of adventure. What is the new direction for me?

I am aware that it will take time and strength to overcome the feelings of depression, tension, and anger. At times, I simply do not know how to react to the news and the other things that have occurred in my life these since Christmas.

Before reading Eckhart Tolle’s book about ego, I would have said that I don’t have much of an ego. After the first two chapters, I realized that I have an enormous ego. For the past decade I have been this, now I am not.

I am frustrated and confused about my complex emotions of fear, shame, and depression. For spiritually I know that I am not what I do or what job title I have. I am so much more…so connected with the life force that flows through the universe. So why, then, am I so darned upset???

Foremost on my mind, I have little left in my rainy day fund. That went in my $100,000 mistake move to Georgia in 2006. All the financial resources I have left are tied up in a house that may not be sell'able' in this down market. I may have to rent it until the market picks up again, but it will not be enough to cover the payments. And let’s not even mention the nearly four decades of ‘stuff’ I have amassed that will need to be dealt with.

The normally positive, happy-go-lucky spirit I am seems but a distant memory. The pick-myself-up-and-dust-myself-off attitude is waning. I want to have a temper tantrum–I don’t want to loose my home, or my stuff, or my lifestyle…but I can see no other way than to sell everything I have, move in with friends or family, and start all over again. Certainly not on my short list of life goals!!

I cannot afford to cocoon, as I so want to do. But my mind has shut down as a result of everything else that has happened this year. I feel numb and alone. A post traumatic stress sort of thing...Even thinking straight is difficult. Planning and executing 'any' action plan seems so beyond my capabilities at the moment. I am struggling to accomplish basic daily functions. And trying to keep my partner alive has drained me of the strength I need to save myself. I am surely adrift in my dark night of the soul...

This is the reason I have not updated my blog…I am in the throes of a giant pity party....which I have given myself permission to have all weekend...I am ashamed of my feelings and lack of abilities, as I have always been the one to see a dozen solutions to any given problem. And, for the life of me, I can’t come up with one solution...........

But I believe when I get through this...I will be a better human being...with a better grasp of my life's purpose....until then, please don't give up on me!

meanwhile, i have retreated into the studio where i find solace in creation...hopefully an answer/solution will come...i am learning detachment...the journey continues...

Don't forget to visit my other blog, The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer click here...

Open to the Possibilities of Change...

for those of us in the midst of realizing that our plans for ourselves may be different from those of our destiny....life can be confusing, exciting, terrifying, enthralling...and more than a little off balance...

Today's Intention on my October 14, 2007 post was:

ask for the ancient path...and walk in it...
"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient path, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16)

to the reflective mind, i am in the midst of a major spiritual transition where i am to grow my higher wisdom...i have created all the experiences in my life...to learn specific lessons, hopefully gaining wisdom and understanding within the process...if learned, i integrate the lessons into my being...if not, i am bound to repeat them until i do...

i must admit that my perception of a perfect world may be skewed...i have been searching for a way of fitting or molding my future according to the conditions unfolding in my life...i did not choose them...i did not even see them coming...but they happened nonetheless....

the focus of my energies shifted to survival...my long-term goals dissolved into immediate life-saving concerns...and my personal world became very small...

practicality is the main goal of each day (and i am so not practical)...forward visioning has been put aside until i become more centered...i find myself betwixt and between reality and possibility... the confusion, illusion, and delusion can get the better of me if i allow it...i choose not to allow it...

so i am embracing the prospects and possibilities of a destiny much different than what i had planned...even with this new year's resolutions...

during this journey i have been forced to take inventory and open baggage that had been so carefully tucked away....i am confronting my worst fears-loss of security, my job, my home...but i am discovering a new strength...a new wisdom...even a new power (if i dare to speak it)...

i realize that i am moving into a new paradigm where my sense of restriction is vanishing...my fading commitments and obligations have become obstacles to my getting to my new and improved future...

"an artist is born..." 2007 - Graphite drawing, color photos, PhotoShop on paper

a metamorphosis of mind, body and soul is underway...even as i commit this to visual form in writing, i am feeling the release...the more powerful woman emerging...with reverence and respect for myself, with individuality, and a comprehensive moral purpose....

miracles are all around us...whether we choose to believe or not...and we may question that statement especially when we find ourselves knee deep in the muck we have created for ourselves..

our destiny is controlled by the choices we make...pessimism and cynicism can seep into our being just as optimism and hope can...one of my best life lessons was coming to fully understand that we can choose our attitude...and that one choice then influences our behaviors...which lead us toward the creation of a new future...

just for today i will remain open to the possibility of change...

Don't forget to visit my other blog, The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer click here...

ps...GREAT NEWS!!!!  after posting today...i received a job offer...it is a good one for this tiny island...and the answer to my prayers...i will be retouching photos in photoshop...for vacation portraits...wish me luck returning to the work force after 18 years working for myself...well, technically, i am still working for myself as it is a contract job...but i am excited that my prayers have been answered!!!

A Journey Into Isolation...

And the winner is...my dear attitudy judy...enjoy!!! Your package will be winging it's way to you tomorrow...before i forget...thank you to all who entered and who spoke about who my blog is for... some changes are brewing in the next few months...

our island home

Sunday Musings...

the first few months of 2008 has been a test of huge proportions...i have had to face some difficult truths about myself in the process...enabling/ co=dependent/ fixer that i am...it has been a strange journey for me...my journey into isolation and doubt and fear, unimaginable fear...

as promised, i will chronicle my journey this year...the journey began soon after Christmas...while the public, edited chronicling began on January 20th with the entries about my loved one (mlo)...these will continue with my perspective and truth...

getting to the core of who we are requires us to step far outside our individual comfort zone...i have been far out of mine these past few months...what i have come to understand during this process is:

each of us must simply find our own way...
i have also come to understand that i care most intensely about intimacy in my relationships and with my God...i long for real life connections...with the people, the places, and the feelings that connect me to God...and comprise the midst of the mystery of myself and my place in this universe...which I may never completely comprehend...

to progress, i must always go within...it is a survival technique for me...during this inward process, wounds that i did not consciously know i had, have surfaced...subconscious strangleholds which are limiting my growth..i am healing them one by one...or attempting to...with the help of a few close friends and support from you, my blog friends...

the circumstances have also shattered my thoughts of reality...how i 'thought' my life was...this perception gave me great comfort...a desire to remain in 'the way things were'...i imagine, just as a suddenly-widowed woman has to mourn the loss of her partner as well as her life and life style...i have had to struggle with this reality...even though i did not bury mlo...i have lost him non the less...and the life style i had grown so comfortably complacent with...is no more...and i mourn...

although i am sad, i am also learning things about myself...i am discovering strength i did not know i possessed...yesterday, i drove to atlanta (13+hours round-trip) to get his prescriptions filled at his hmo...one of his prescriptions was $684, another $384, another $170, and another $19.95...we could only afford 5 days worth ($340+)...so i had no choice but to make the trek to fetch his necessary, life-saving pills...they were $120 from the hmo...driving is far outside my comfort zone...my 1994 car has less that 85,000 miles on it...that is approximately 5,600 miles per year...i don't drive much...

seasons of life...

you know how you know something, but think if you don't voice it, it may not happen...i have been doing this for some time now...not voicing...avoiding...seasons end...things progress...the old dies and is replaced with new growth...i am saying goodbye to many seasons this year...my season as editor of this magazine is coming to an end...11 years taking it from a newsletter to a beautiful 4-color publication is my legacy to the world of art...

i am also facing the truth that my season in our beautiful little island home is coming to an end...i am in the process of searching for a place where i can earn enough to support myself...the jobs available here are the $8 - $10/hour kind that will not pay my first mortgage...the graphic design job that i spoke of here never materialized...just minimal freelance work...not enough to keep me here...

this house has been a haven of peace for me...when i was teaching and traveling so much in the early 2000s...i would come here to relax and unwind...i will miss it's happiness and calm...

some interior shots...i promised them for some time now...click on each to enlarge...

the front entry
come in...the great room looking out on lanai
the dining room (my mural)
a fav vignette
breakfast room
kitchen
the great room looking into the library/music room at right...move-in day

my beloved books...library/music room - sir chancelot in chair
my beloved piano - mlo plays for me
peaceful master
my peaceful fountain area of lanai

i will need much strength in the near future...as my normal is replaced with a new normal...i will need the support of my family and my friends as i move and reorder my life and my business...homes and possessions can be replaced...relationships form the core of my happiness...i am learning detachment...the journey continues...


Don't forget to visit my other blog, The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer click here...