blog
Songs can tear us apart and then apologize; build us up. Music has the power to heal. Within its crescendos we cry and inside its lyrics we soar. These are the songs’ stories that show the power of music, specifically when it comes to figuring out who we are and where we fit in with respect to our personalities.
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How to tell a good poem from a bad poem
You know bad poetry Poetry often makes even poets cringe because everyone has seen and heard bad poetry so often that the form itself becomes taboo, and people are prejudiced against it. What ultimately makes a poem bad is the failure of the writer to convey that deep and moving experience to his reader that led him to write the poem. “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” – William Wordsworth (who better to quote about the worth of words!) A poet’s profession is to paint a picture with words, wasting none. A novelist tells a story and…
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Dumpster Kitties – a coffee table book idea, and a reality
What is a ‘dumpster kitty’? When my husband and I moved into our new apartment at the end of August, we noticed quite a few stray cats. Our upstairs neighbors are feeding them (and I caught myself adding food to the dish one day). Well, after about two months I’ve come to realize these cats are a family. The one pictured above had a litter of kittens (and by litter I have seen two). I assumed the father was the black and white kitten my husband named “Sylvester,” (and the upstairs neighbor kids call “Frisky”), but this kitty may be a surrogate mom. (You know how kitty daddies just hit…
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THE 5 things artists must make time for
I skipped a blog Friday because I celebrated my 35th birthday by interviewing for a job, working, spending the afternoon with my kids at the park and spending my evening on the couch with my husband. Admittedly, all my “downtime” involved responding to texts, emails and thinking about how I would meet my deadlines, but I took some of the day off because I know what happens to freelancers and the artistic energy when we don’t take time to reboot. So, though Friday’s blog is generally dedicated to my thoughts on parenting, I’m publishing these five things that every artist needs to make the time for. Without these five…
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I’m pretty sure Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston is a nudist
As I celebrate my son’s tenth month on this planet, I simultaneously await the season six finale of Breaking Bad along with many many other fans. The show earned Cranston, whom I believe to be a nudist–but I’ll get to that–three Emmys. I’m sure other blogs exist questioning the merit of the plot line, and I’m sure that I fit alongside several other parents who quietly tuck their children into bed and sneak away to watch Breaking Bad. Why did we start watching Breaking Bad? I cannot really remember why my husband and I chose to watch the show, but I remember the episode after episode angst and…
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Because we only have 24 hours in a day…
One of the hardest things to do for me is admit that I cannot actually do everything that I want to do because of the finite number of hours in a day. I feel like I am/have been doing too much half-assed. So, in the interest of doing the best work in all I do, I dropped a class today. I had an A average, but I can’t keep up this pace. I feel a bit relieved actually. As I’ve been thinking about the many aspects of my life, and what it is I truly want to do most, I keep returning to the idea of building. My first…
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I’m beginning to love Gmail for its labels, social media integration and multi-email tasking
When I first got a Gmail account, I did so on the recommendation of a friend from the United Arab Emirates. As one of my more tech-savvy friends, I just trusted him. I don’t remember why exactly, but I believe I needed an email dedicated to the business I was starting: Target Audience Magazine. I mentioned in “Branding Mistakes” post how I later lamented my decision to brand my business in my email name, but the fact is I am beginning to love Gmail. Label everything One of the first things I loved about Gmail was the ability to organize my email through the use of labels. From…
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Tiptoeing through the toddler years: how much should we share about our kids?
Though I’ve been inspired by the written word and interested in its craft and form for most of my life, I’ve only been a parent for more or less three years. My blog on Fridays will concern itself with my meandering thoughts about my babies. I’m not expert on parenting (some may say I’m not much of a writer), but my wisdom however gleaned will be here for all to absorb (or shake off). Feel free to comment as well! Toddler nightmares: I’ll tell you what two-year-old girls dream about: their nightmares come from the frustration of not getting their way. If only adult life could be different! Last…
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The branding mistakes creatives make when setting up social media accounts
Branding Mistakes: Whose pie are you filling? Be the pie, not a slice. When any individual starts out online, he or she needs to consider the branding effects of email addresses, social media accounts and blog URLs. If you tie your online image too closely to one thing (say a book, an art career or a band), you may find yourself unable to pull away from it. You may have the grueling task of recreating yourself for another endeavor. I’ve been thinking a lot about the mistake Progressive Auto Insurance made tying its brand to a person: Flo. The “Aunt Flo” similarity always came to the front of…
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Becoming a blogger
I’ve been many things in my life; a writer remained at the front of how I always chose to describe myself, but when the Internet beckoned me, my answer was to start a magazine that would inspire artists and contain content I love. That magazine has shaped itself into a resource for all creative entrepreneurs, and I have stepped back as the jack-of-all-trades to focus my attention to what I most love. I most love the feeling when I’ve built something or someone else up. I began by writing my dreams into characters who could accomplish all things imagined within the constructs of my short stories. Those characters melded…