For someone who takes change like other people take vitamins, this isn’t a big shocker.  But apparently, I drew the mother of all change cards- the Tower. It was this tower with this little guy about to take one giant leap into the flames below.

Seems a little extreme, don’t you think?

But, it seems that the Universe may be right.  I feel this thing churning inside- well- I think we all feel this at some point in time.  This feeling that something big is about to happen- something that we hope we have the ability to recognize and act upon when it presents itself.  Where you stare down two paths and you choose the gnarly, twisty one that scares the piss out of ya, but you know the possibility of beauty exists along the way.

Upon returning to the beach, I decided to really take my card reading into account and look at my current situation and surroundings with a more positive spin- a spin towards my upcoming leap.

A young Palestinian girl dances at a Peace festival in Israel in 2007. One of my favorite pictures- such joy!

I embraced the feminine voice. This is a challenge for someone who proudly grew up as a tom-boy and swore off dresses until the 6th grade.  I’ve recently started reading several blogs by women in the online world that I admire- White Hot Truth by Danielle LaPorte , Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim (I even bought her book, though I’ve never worked in a cubicle before) Colleen Wainwright of Communicatrix.com and Dyana Valentine.  Maybe this is part of the feminine voice my cards were indicating.

I purchased one chapter from Danielle LaPorte’s Fire Starter Sessions (yea, I could only afford one chapter at the moment- but am thinking of just eating peanuts the rest of the month to buy the rest) and watched the included videos- and there it was.  Someone, whom I do not know and have never met- telling me to embrace the feminine (not in those words). There was this person on this video telling me about the entrepreneurial tendencies, struggles and idiosyncrasies in a way that no other person had vocalized for me. Telling me it’s OK to be who I am.

Yea, I know, our moms and teachers tell us that all our lives- but we’ve blocked that advice out many decades ago.

I’m not a “self-help” person- I don’t watch Oprah and I don’t have a collection of Dr. Phil books (not that this is a bad thing- I just don’t go there).  For my self-help, I turn to Eastern philosophy and try to sprinkle my life with some Taoism.  So this type of video/book is different for me.  At first, I was a little uncomfortable with the whole thing.

A little Tibetan Buddhist treat I stumbled on while wandering the streets of Kathmandu.

Does this make my some flighty self-help wanna be listening to the advice of someone two thousand miles away on a computer screen?  Am I gonna be that “Don’t do this” poster-child who pissed her money away on business e-books, only to not have two pennies to rub together in 6 months? Yea, that’s my inner dialogue- can you see a few blocked chakras in there? My Tarot cards also mentioned a male voice fighting with my feminine voice- YOU THINK??

But then it all just clicked.  As I watched this powerful woman telling me to just embrace who I am and be what I am- the easy way- to let grace unfold and just manifest itself through my work, I thought, “Why the hell not!  She’s totally right!”

And I’ve felt like I’ve been sitting on a fire ever since. Like I’m about to truly take that leap off my tower and just fly out into the world.  Guess she doesn’t call those the Fire Starter Sessions for nothing.  She also sells note cards that say “Fan F*cking-tastic” so this isn’t your run-of-the-mill-warm-and-fuzzy-shit.

These readings have really brought into question what I do and who I am.  As a creative being and an entrepreneur, I want to be everything, I want to do it all.  And as soon as I figure something out, I want to learn something new. This is a blessing and a curse.

So in doing this internal audit, I am forced to ask- what is it that, if everything else were to go away, I would want left behind? What is it that I’m truly gifted at?  How can grace present itself through me- with the most ease? And, as I have done throughout my entire adult career, I come back to photography.  It’s always about the camera and the image.

And here I sit, with a brand new (new to me) shiny camera that sends jolts of electricity and glee when I press the shutter (I don’t like most of my digital cameras- actually none of them- so this is a big deal for me) and hopefully by the end of September, I’ll have enough cash flow to truly head out into the world again.

In working with this new content, a reoccurring theme is presenting itself as well- charging what you’re worth. Due to insecurities, occasional low self-esteem and a blocked chakra or two, I don’t charge what I’m worth.  I never really have.  So, last night, I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning writing my rates page.  I am going to charge what I’m worth. Period.  And I am talented enough to charge these rates.  Period.  Ahhh, so liberating.

So, while I realize this article is rambly and really just about me, I thought I’d give you a peak into the mind and thought process of an artistic entrepreneur- and let you know that it’s OK to have such insane questions in your head.

We struggle to fight off the mediocrity that sucks the creative being out, we fight for the confidence to make the right decisions, and- every so often- we stand at the top of the Tower- look into the flames below and leap.

We’re not exploring the creative side of the writing- each individual will have their own path to stir up the creative juju and produce brilliance- but the actual, step by step logistical process to writing.

Buckle up, put on your logical thinking cap and let’s dive in.

When I began writing my blog, I really didn’t have a system and hadn’t stumbled upon anyone elses writing system, so, I adapted my professional photography workflow when applicable and winged it when not. Through trial and error and 9 months of writing regularly my system seems to be working pretty well- when the writer’s block doesn’t take hold. But that’s an article for another time.

Step 1. Frolic with your Muse!

I venture out into the world to drum up my writing material. My blog, for the most part, is based on my personal interactions with people and places while traveling. I keep a moleskin journal handy and jot down notes, headlines or just vague concepts for my articles. This step will vary based on your topics, but be sure to recognize and embrace your creative muse and allow time and space in your writing routine to frolic with your muse.

My Creative Muse- People Watching!!

Step 2. Let the music flow.

Your style may differ, but I can not write without music. And not just background noise floating around all “Sound of Music” like, but serious, techno-style Moby/Thievery Corporation beats. Long songs, complex musical structures, few words and powerful rhythms. And no ordinary headphones will do.  You are entering the zone- hoping to be sucked down the rabbit hole into the vortex of your mind- you need professional grade, noise canceling headphones that immediately send you into a parallel universe. This is of the utmost importance if you work in public locations, like coffeeshops, for every screaming baby and steamed cup of milk will break your concentration and pull you back to reality.

Main point- respect and cultivate your writing environment and be sure you have the proper tools to tune out distractions.

Step 3. Enter the WriteRoom.

No, the WriteRoom isn’t some dark, dank writer’ cave tucked away on the shores of Walden Pond (though that wouldn’t be bad) WriteRoom is my computer’s happy place that sends me into the writing zone and, if I’m lucky, propels me into the Flow.

WriteRoom is a down-loadable computer application that, when opened, turns the entire computer screen black and your computer becomes a word processor- circa 1985. It’s gorgeous! The dock is gone, no icons are screaming for distractions and no birds are Tweeting or emails dinging. Nothing. Just a black screen, green awkward font and my thoughts. I actually can’t write without it. Pony up, spend the $30 bucks, buy the software and go to your Flow.

Brings back memories- how can you not love the 1985 word processors?

Step 4. Write.

Yea, that’s a no brainer, but not always an easy thing to do. If I know what I’m writing about, I type in the headline- or a rough draft of a headline- and then write. I do punctuate and capitalize, but some people frown upon this as it breaks the flow of your writing. It’s personal preference- I just do it naturally. I do not correct spelling while typing and I turn off all spell check notifiers. That Red Line is a deal-breaker in my book and you’d be wise to do the same. I suck at spelling, I get that, I’m OK with that character flaw and I don’t need a constant reminder of my inadequacies while I’m in writing Flow.

Now, if you are staring at a totally black screen and no words are coming out of your fingers, then just write gibberish. Write about what you ate for breakfast. Write about the dickhead that cut you off on the way to the coffeeshop then tossed his cigarette out the window. Write about the next door neighbor trimming the hedges in her silky nightgown yesterday morning while the old timer sat on his porch across the street taking it all in. Whatever- it matters not- just write. After some time, you’ll find an article or a theme starting to rear its little head. Encourage the little theme to surface, nurture it out into the open and let it morph into your article. And whatever you do, DON’T STOP WRITING. You’ll know when you’re done.

Step 5. Save it!

Again, no brainer. But really, save the document- usually in a text format. If you’re not using WriteRoom (shame on you) write this draft in a text document program. The lack of formatting and options helps the words flow out. I use a naming convention based on the date and a slug related to the topic (YYYYMMDD_SLUG.txt). The file is saved in a folder with the same naming convention and the folder lives in a Category Folder that reflects the categories on my blog. Here’s a screenshot if that last sentence sounded like Mandarin.

My Folder Structure. It works. Use it.

I’ve used this naming convention for years with photography and it’s a necessity. Why, you ask? Why the anal file naming convention, oh work-flow-nazi? Well, when you use the following naming convention- 20100822_WRITINGWORKFLOW.txt (and yes, it must look exactly like that- YYYYMMDD_SLUG ) then your files will automatically order themselves chronologically in your folders. And when you’ve been writing for months- or years- and are trying to scan through hundreds of articles to pull out an old post for your portfolio, you’ll know exactly where to find it.

Seriously, I can’t stress this enough, if you don’t organize your writing files, you’ll have a train-wreck and your blog and writing will suffer eventually.

Step 5. Copy and Paste.

Now, WriteRoom is not the best for editing and does not format your text, so copy the writing and paste it into your word processing program, such as Pages for Mac or Word. I save the file using the same naming convention as above, IN THE SAME FOLDER, and then I hit my trusty friend, the Spellcheck! I like to knock this out right away so I don’t start off my editing with a reminder of my character flaw. Save it, close your computer up and go get some sunshine.

Step 6. Edit.

After some substantial time away from your article, three to five hours at a minimum, return to your computer, open up the word document and start the editing process. Just like writing, everyone will edit differently. Some will harp on the AP Style, others will obsess about it’s versus its and others will just gut the piece like a red snapper fresh from the sea. One of my professors at journalism school, a brilliant writer and historian, would print out his articles and physically cut sections together and tape them back the way he wanted them to flow. He’s in his 70s, so he learned to edit before computers!

Know your voice, know your writing style and edit accordingly. I know that my voice is unique and my grammar blows- at least for my blog articles- but that’s a more natural, conversational tone that I strive to maintain when editing. I know that my voice can reflect my years of bartending and my discovery of Eddie Murphy’s Delirious at the tender ago of 13. My vulgar use of the English language is one reason I don’t have my mother proofread my articles (and yes, my mom is a professional proofreader).

Step 7. Re-read it! Read your article. Read it again. Go on, one more time.

Step 8. Format for the Web.

Go through your article and find any points in the writing that might be well-served by a few hyperlinks, find them on the web and paste them into the article next to the actual place you’d like to place the hyperlink. This little step saves you time once you’re entering your article into your blog platform and will keep you from flopping around on the internet like an ADHD 7 year old without your meds when you’re supposed to be focused on publishing.

Step 9. Photos and Graphics.
Choose your photos or graphics and add them to your folder with the articles. Be sure the pictures are formated for the web (a 72 DPI resolution and sized no bigger than 900 pixels wide) and, for the love of god, be sure you have permission to use them.

DO NOT grab a random photo off the internet and make it your own. Not only is this tacky, disrespectful to the photographer and just cheesy- it’s also illegal. Illegal to the tune of $125K per copyright violation. Just don’t go there. Use Flickr’s Creative Commons section for free photos (with attribution) or learn how to take your own photos.

And don’t use sucky photos. We’re a visual society and we take quality images for granted- meaning- your readers expect quality photographs and if they come to your site for the first time and see shitty pictures, your words might not be strong enough to keep their eyeballs on your site. OK, I shall step off the photographer’s soap box now.

Step 10. Send it to the Web.

Finally. We’re ready to publish!! Open up your admin panel for your blog, click the new post and copy and paste your text from the edited version into your article. Cut the hyperlinks and paste them into the Hyperlink dialogue box, add your photos in the appropriate spots and add whatever special excerpts, thumbnails and formatting your blog requires. Then, hit publish. Go on, don’t hesitate! You’ve gone through the steps, your writing is brilliant and people will love it! Go for it!

Are we done yet??

No. Time to let the world know your life-altering prose are available for them to consume.

Go to the Ping.fm , visit the Facebook, fly over to the Hootesuite and send your article out to the world. In 140 characters or less, tell the world why your article matters and why they need to read it. Use Hash Tags to get your article in front of the right eyeballs and let it fly!

One more thing- BACK UP YOUR WRITING. Yes, back up your blog folder structure on your computer to an external hard-drive and send it to the cloud.

Now, you’re done. Uncork some wine, pop open a beer, brew some tea, sit back and take in your work. Revel the accomplishment of a fabulous article sharing your unique knowledge with the world.

Go forth and write.

Smoky Mountain Mini-Walkabout – Images by Crystal Street

Really, it was about an hour, walking through Gatlinburg. As I left one redneck tourist town for another- I decided to limit my exposure to the “Cooters Raceway” and the “Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum” lest my head fly off if I see one more t-shirt covered in a rebel flag.

Enjoy!

Think about it for a second.  People have based decisions of consequence for their entrepreneurial endeavors around the cycles of the moon and the planetary alignments for centuries.  Millenia, even.

A young boy watches the sunrise as the ferry approaches the island of Sangihe. Photo by me- has nothing to do with the topic- I just love the peacefulness of it.

Just take the Farmer’s Almanac.  People’s ability to eat was based on the moon- when to plant seeds, when to harvest, when to expect an abundant yield from their crops- all based on where the moon was at certain times of the year.

But, how often do we take the moon’s cycles into account in our creative and entrepreneurial lives?

Seriously- I’m not talking to you from loony-land right now, I’m being serious- I have on my big girl hat.  While I’ve always paid a vague attention to the moon and its cycles- particularly the full moon- I’ve never really paid close attention to my creativity and production energy based on a waning or waxing moon.

Three weeks ago, I was rolling!  My blog was blowing up with lovely new visitors, I was Tweeting my little ass off and business ideas were spewing from my mouth like the Exorcist.

A few days before the full moon, I was talking with a very wise Goddess (she’s in tune with Mother Earth, the universe and planets in ways I can only hope to emulate) and dear friend about her entrepreneurial adventure and the next step to building her business.  I made a comment about putting some online endeavors into action in the following week and she said nope, we were approaching a strong waning moon and she was gonna batten down the hatches and hunker down till it passed.

Huh?  What the hell?  Waxing moons?  Waning moons?  The moon approaching Leo.  Shit, I’m gonna have to learn this now?! I don’t have room in my brain for this!  It won’t fit between the HTML code I’m learning and the Final Cut editing techniques I’m trying not to forget.

And sure enough, the day after the full moon, I awoke to a frightful scene.  My brain was empty.  No words, no internal conversations that evolve into blog posts, no brilliant brain farts that extract new business ventures. Nothing. Nada.  Zilch.  Just the sounds of crickets shouting out mating calls in my brain.

Damn it.  I had lost my momentum, as if someone had pulled the plug on my frothy, warm, aromatic bubble bath of productivity and left me with a soggy, pruned ass stuck to the bottom of a dry bathtub.  Sigh.

The following 14 days sucked.  Every business move and activity was a struggle and pulling the creative juju out of its hiding place was an all out war.  Writing a blog post felt like getting a root canal.  My brain lost the ability to focus and I flopped around between Twitter and Facebook like a dying fish on the dock- accomplishing nothing during its manic gyrating but a faster death.

As the new moon approached, I even applied for jobs, real jobs.  With the dreaded words that give me hives- salaries, 401Ks and vacation time. (DISCLAIMER- National Geographic- if you’re reading this- I totally want that job- all hives aside- those words and fears don’t count when it’s Nat Geo) I was ready to just call it a day and hang up my travel shoes for a bit and wallow in my single-hood state.

Knowing that these feelings weren’t genuine and feeling like space aliens had invaded my psyche, I called my Goddess and asked her what the F**K was going on!  Is this the moon because this can’t be me!!

“Oh no, its not you.  Its the moon- its a big waning moon.  And oh, Mercury’s in retrograde.”

Well that explains it.  Me and Mercury in Retrograde do not play together very well.  Last year’s retrograde I was a train wreck!

So, I have to wonder, should I start really paying attention to the cycles of the moon and plan my business and creative endeavors around its energies? I do this for my personal life, so why not my professional life as well?

Is it possible to crank out content, projects and business ideas for two weeks straight during the waxing moon and then go into the creative cave for the remaining two weeks- for the waning moon- and get all introspective and shit?  Maybe I’ll just sit on the beach for that waning moon and read a good book.  Then run around like a banshee for the waxing moon and put all my intentions out into the Universe.

Since the dark moon has passed- I feel like my old self.  Mercury is in retrograde, so I’m still a little twitchy, but the juju is returning.  I drooled over Lonely Planet today, accomplished my business tasks with vigor and feel my ideas generated in the last waxing moon resurfacing to manifest into something fabulous!

But, I believe I am going to study the moon cycles a little closer and see if I can’t make a calendar of sorts for action and introspection based on the moon.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress as I journey down the work/moon balance.

Any thoughts about your work/creative moods and the moon?  Post them below!

Yea, I’m guilty of avoiding conversations.  Yea, I’m writing this in a coffeeshop- tapping away at the keys on MY laptop.  I get the hypocrisy, but hear me out…

When did we lose the ability to converse with one another?  Did we actually lose this ability or are we afraid to actually have the meaningful conversations with virtual strangers that helps solidify the human connection?

Tibetan monks gather at the main temple in Dharmshala, India each evening to engage in the art of debate.

I am currently living in an area where conversation is taken for granted.  When I sat down at a bar last week for a late lunch, two guys sat next to me and we talked about the silly shit that came on the HLN “news” channel.  And I couldn’t help but think, can we have a meaningful conversation?  Can we, as strangers, immediately bypass small talk, the weather and this week’s NASCAR race and actually talk about something of consequence.  But as I attempted to interject that vein of conversation, I received blank looks.  And the fumes of Budweiser coming from this crew reinforced my anticipation that the conversation wasn’t going anywhere.

Can we talk about something of meaning- something of consequence?  Talk about the deep places in your being?  The trials you’ve overcome? The dreams you are living, the places you are going in life.  The deep caverns you’ve traveled to in your past and the walls you climbed and leaped off of to exit your dark caverns.

Are we that scared of our own inner dark and twisty places that we can’t risk engaging in conversation with a stranger for fear of where that conversation might take us? Are we afraid to look within our souls and see our own short-comings that might arise in a conversation?

I just had a conversation with a wonderful man I met at my favorite coffeeshop.  When I awoke this morning, I didn’t have an agenda or a plan.  I just knew that I needed to be around community.  So, I sucked it up, drove the 20 minutes to my favorite coffeeshop and knew that I’d see someone I know and want to talk with, someone to engage with and contemplate something meaningful.  I saw several friends, and then happened to share a conversation with this new person.  Randomly.  And the conversation was so refreshing and invigorating, that I had forgotten how much I miss the beauty of a random conversation.

And we spoke about our interpretations of society and our generation.  We spoke of real topics, of life and something of consequence. We spoke about the art of conversation.

And I sit here now, reflecting on the conversation and wishing that it could continue.  This person I met is just here visiting, so I don’t know if our paths will cross again.  It’s possible, but even just the fact that these chance meetings occur- the fact that two strangers can cross paths and engage in meaningful conversation, becoming something more than strangers, is so incredibly refreshing. To know that possibility exists, and to actually have the opportunity arise, gives me hope that there are more chance meetings in my future.

And it reinforces the actual act of seeking community, reinforces the need to enter the community and find like minded beings.  For life should truly be a series of chance meetings and artful conversations that either evolve into lasting friendships or live on in our memories as the opportunity for something fabulous.
These chance meetings motivate us to enter the world and seek out people who share our interests, our beliefs, our understandings.  To seek people that understand and respect the power of a community gathering place.

To seek people that are not scared of the conversation, people that are willing and able to look deep within themselves while talking with a stranger and not be scared of what they see.  People that value the art of the conversation and the true beauty of spending several hours on a summer morning talking over a cup of coffee.

That’s the beauty of the Third Place.  That’s the art of conversation.  We should all seek more of this art, more of this beauty.  Maybe we’d find more fulfillment in our lives if it was filled with conversation and community- rather than consumption and solitary pursuits.

Now go- find your Third Place, your community gathering spot and strike up that random conversation.  Go.  Now.

Two days ago, I was sitting in my local coffee-shop, sipping my espresso and chatting with a fellow third place dweller.  He’s a marine biologist, very soft-spoken and intelligent man.  And, he gives me hope that intelligent life does exist in this coastal community (along with my other coffeeshop dwellers and baristas).  Come to think of it, 95% of the friends I have down here came from my coffee-shop addiction, but I digress.

We were talking about our Macs, and controlling the influx of emails and inundation of information produced by the internet.  He’s a professor at a local university and his inbox is out of control.  I told him of my recent foray into social media, and while I was excited about building a community and driving readers to my stories, I was concerned about this overwhelming volume of information that accompanies the social media journey and my lack of focus.

Information Overload!

When I sit down at my computer now, I’m immediately sucked into the icons in my dock- the little blue bird, the blue F and the endless conversations that are happening on these platforms.  Most of the conversations seem interesting, and they are being conducted around topics that I’m passionate about, but I’m overwhelmed by what to do!

So, instead of writing and producing content (which I’m used to doing o the computer- between multimedia production and blog writing) I’ve been fluttering between my social media accounts like an insane teenager screaming, “look at me, talk to me, what are you talking about, should I be in on this conversation??  Has anyone emailed me, have they tweeted my name, have they commented on my blog, have the RT my latest article, has anyone commented on my recent status update?”

Damn it, I’m exhausted!  And I haven’t really DONE anything.

At this point you’re thinking, “shit, woman- get a life” and I’m thinking the same thing actually.  Maybe this is the combination of living in a community with limited social opportunities for someone like me (someone who doesn’t watch Nascar or drink mad quantities of Budweiser for lunch) and the need for approval and a lack of structured work time (i.e. I’m a freelancer so I am the time keeper and in charge of my own discipline).

But, since diving into social media, I’ve seen real results with my blog and I’m starting to gain an audience and I truly am blessed and excited that people want to read what I am publishing.  And, if I want to start a movement, well, this is how it gets momentum.

Back to the coffeeshop conversation.  My friend recommended a book called “The Shallows- What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains” by Nicholas Carr. So, I drove up to Barnes and Noble, bought a copy and have been sucked in ever since.  Or I’ve tried to be- given that my brain is all fractured from over-internet usage.

The book takes a look at the methods and research behind the development of our brains and the effects that media, and more specifically- the internet, are having upon the way our brains function. Both mentally and physically.  I’m only at the beginning of this book, so I’m still in the historical grounding of the research and the means of communication and its evolution over time.  But, I’m already reassessing my internet habits and becoming acutely aware of how my brain is functioning now.

The author notes that since the internet is filled with small bits of information, and that information is fractured with links, ads and multiple forms of media (videos, pictures and audio), our brains are losing the ability to focus for longer periods of time.  We are losing the ability to read books and long articles. It truly is a fascinating read!

The beauty of this book, is that the author is an avid computer user and author of a blog as well as a traditional journalist and writer.  He’s analyzing himself and his own brain’s degradation through prolonged internet use. Which makes the book even more fascinating because its not preaching to the reader- it’s an act of self-analysis as much as a gathering of research and historical fact.

“Our ways of thinking, perceiving and acting, we now know, are not entirely determined by our genes.  Nor are they entirely determined by our childhood experiences.  We change them through the way we live–and, as Nietzsche sensed, through the tools we use.”

“Experiments show that just as the brain can build new or stronger circuits through physical or mental practice, those circuits can weaken or dissolve with neglect.”

For a person who grew up immersed in books and values the sheer amount, and cost, of the knowledge I have put into my brain, the fact that I am damaging all those years of intellectual growth by using the internet is scary. But, I can see it in the way my brain functions in front of the computer now and even when I’m offline.  I can see it in the way I habitually check my inboxes, my TweetDeck and my cell phone.  I even cut off my Blackberry last month in an effort to lose the chains that attach me to the internet- yet I replaced the Blackberry obsession with a social media one.

So, what the hell should I do? I make a living off of the computer.  Granted, most of my income comes from production and I’d like to keep it that way, but social media and internet use is a strong component in my work.

Major conundrum!

These are the steps I’ve taken to try and moderate my internet use.

1.  Rescue Time. I installed rescue time in an effort to actually track my internet/computer usage.  Rescue Time logs the time spent on all computer programs and tasks and you can set your preferences to notify you when you’ve reached a time limit for activities that you deem distracting, such as social media, news and entertainment.  This will be my first week tracking the time, so we’ll see.

2.  Leech Block.  This is a Mozilla Extension you can install on your browser and it will block the websites you tell it to block.  So, I’ve blocked my time-suckers- Twitter, Facebook, Craigslist (I search endlessly for Airstreams some days) and a few news sites- from 10 am- 11pm.  If I’m still up at midnight, I can go there.  Leech also lets me set a limit of times visiting this site in a day and for a certain number of minutes for each visit.  I’m going to try a combination of these two settings and see which one works best.

3.  Ping. I’ve installed Ping in an effort to update multiple social media accounts with one shot.  I enjoy sharing articles and links with my friends and followers and want to still be able to do this without actually visiting the social media site and getting sucked in.  I do value many attributes of social media, but until I control my own habits, I don’t think I can use it effectively.

4.  A journal. I love a big, blank sketchbook and a pencil.  But, I’ve noticed the past few months that I use my journals only to sketch out website ideas or jot down quick notes.  I no longer write my long, rambling entries where I debate a point in my brain or an idea on a blank sheet of paper.  Hell, my handwriting is so bad now, I can barely read what i write.  And I know that part of my problem is that i can type so much faster than i can write.  My hand can not keep up with the speed of my thoughts, and that’s a little troubling.  I’ve always been an avid journal writer.  I’m hoping to rectify this with a big shiny journal.

5.  Working with more analog.  Yep, I’m embracing my analog self.  My multimedia production work is increasing and I’m taking on more clients, and that’s 100% digital-  digital on steroids!! I believe my documentary work is going to be 100% film.  Good, old-fashioned negatives and film cameras.  Last night, in an attempt at a little digital detox, I finally sleeved all my film shot this winter, while listening to Prairie Home Companion- nice.  It felt so good to work with those negatives.  And, last night, I dreamt about art, art galleries, darkrooms and woke up with art on my mind.  I believe it provides the perfect balance between the exceedingly technical world I work in and the real world which I venture out to experience.

I also removed TweetDeck from my Dock, cleared off my desktop and reorganized all the information in my computer. I’m debating on incorporating an iPad, so my computer is strictly a multimedia production tool and the iPad becomes a writing/information consuming tool, but I’m still not sold on that as a solution.  If I don’t control my habits now, the iPad only amplifies my problem.

And, while I’ll be finishing The Shallows, I believe I may pick up War and Peace or Jane Eyre again.  Both of which I started and never finished.  While I still read alot, I often read non-fiction, business oriented books.  Or some serious social theory books which are intense but difficult to truly read for extended periods of time without wanting to go live in a cave somewhere and return to the stone age. Maybe a little classical literature will help work out the brain and counter-balance the internet usage and its reconfiguration of my brain.

So, that’s my conundrum and my attempt to find balance.  I’ll be publishing the second part of this article shortly, where I look at the tools I use to wrangle all the data I have to work with now.

Feel free to post your challenges for data management or any signs that your brain is fracturing from social media and if it concerns you in the comment section below.

Links:

The Shallows
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Rescue Time
Leech Block
Ping

You get a sore neck. Ouch. Damn it, this will cost money.

The logical answer would be to buy a proper desk at the right height (I’m currently working on a lovely antique sewing machine table or in an antique rocking chair), purchase a shiny office chair with dreamy lumbar support and divine neck rests, get a large, 24 inch monitor for video editing and make the workstation a solid- ergonomic slice of heaven.

Enter my dilemma- I don’t have a home, per say, nor am I going to be in town long enough to rent office space. Meaning any office supplies I purchase will have to be stored.

Negative Ghost-Rider- the garage is full.

Another obstacle is that I now envision myself living an Airstream (or something equally as cool) when I return from a romp overseas this fall. So, I immediately do a mental check to see if any and all purchases will fit in a space that is 16-24 feet long- maybe.

Option A. Pay for yoga classes, fund weekly massages- only to screw all that hard work up after one morning computer session, pay for some acupuncture and suck it up for a month.

Option B. Try to design a “mobile multimedia workstation” with a little creativity and sacrifice. And buy a new pillow- an expensive one.

My view while working abroad in Indonesia- worth the LIP dilemas of ergonomics and workstations.

Or maybe a little of both?  My solution…

So, I’ve done nothing to fix my situation for two long weeks. Until today. I went there. I was a consumer, in the worst, most militant consumption environment in the East Coast. I hopped in my truck- sans AC- and drove to the belly of the beast- Myrtle Beach’s mall on a Saturday afternoon in July, when the temperature was 95 degrees but felt like 110 because of the 150% humidity. I can not begin to describe the sheer will power it took to even go there. Only pain will drive a person to such madness.

I had a plan of attack- and I discussed my route into and out of the mall with my mom prior to departure, hoping to have minimal exposure to neon, marketing and fat typical American tourists in spandex and aqua socks.
Park by Starbucks. Run to JCPennys. Dash to the pillow section. Purchase the over priced, oddly shaped pillow made of memory foam- which develops amnesia after 3 years. Stop at Starbucks. Purchase double shot of espresso (yep, that’s how I roll) slice of pumpkin cake (comfort food) and head to the office big box and find my cheap chair.

Plan foiled. No pillows. But, I only entered one tiny section of JCP and then ran out after the saleslady failed to find my new bed fellow.

While debating the merits of an actual office chair (and weighing my options against the Aeron chair I see myself working in one day) I decided to turn one of my mother’s dining room chairs into my desk chair with a serious pillow. Juries still out, but my time here is so short that purchasing a chair seems to be a total waste.

God bless my mother- I have taken over one side of her house in my quest for building my location independent professional platform. I’ll return the favor when I’m living in Italy and she can stay as long as she’d like.

After purchasing my ginormus pillow, I debated just building the total mobile “ergonomic” desk.

So, I went there.  And here’s what it looks like.

First issue.  Computer/monitor position.

Three weeks of obsessive Twitter lurking, emailing, writing and editing with the computer too low has left me with a permanent stiff neck. I’m approaching orthopedic doctor visit stage (Dr. Nordt, if you’re reading- you may see me soon!) and I know the problem is ergonomics. And maybe age. Or too much skiing, soccer, wake-boarding and kayaking in my youth. Sigh.

Experts claim that your computer must be above your eyeballs natural path when looking straight ahead. Ok. Desk- well antique table serving as desk. Check.

Read this if ergonomics are an issue for you.  If you are an LIP and working full time on laptops (which sucks, but hey, you get to work in a hut on a tropical beach somewhere or on top of the Himalayans- we can’t have everything) you definitely need to read this and follow the links.

I propped my laptop on a stand and it seems to be better. But, there must be something better out there- all aluminum and shiny to match my Mac accessories. Yes. Such an item exists. And here it is!

Just the right height and not too expensive. Though, not overly portable. So I’m also considering this little guy, which folds down and stows away in a backpack.

For more mobile gear, check this out.

Second issue. Keyboard.

Now, working with the computer on its stand is rather nice. Major glitch is that the keyboard is too far away to really type on- duh. I was hunched over Final Cut for hours last night with my arms way out in front of me.  Odd.  So, I purchased a Bluetooth Mac keyboard.  I have to take a moment to talk about this experience.  Oddly, Best Buy sells Mac. They also sell a ton of other gadgets and shiny bling things and going to that giant gear toy-box just overwhelms me and I get all twitchy. I walked right up to the Mac section, picked up the white box with a picture of the side of the keyboard on it and that’s it. No copy, no pictures, no crap. Just a beautiful white box with a picture of the keyboard and the words on the spine of the box that says, Wireless Keyboard. Brilliant. Simple. I felt so fabulous just picking up this simple elegant package. Now that’s some serious marketing. If only I could get the volume buttons to work on the damn thing I’d be happy. Grrr…

So, now I have the smaller keyboard close to me when I type.   Nice.   I just need a case for her and she’s good to go.

Third Issue.  Seating.

Now, volumes have been written about the pinnacle perfect office chair. Many a website is out there to help solve this dilemma. But, if you plan on living in a travel trailer, picking one of these gems might not be a good idea- particularly when you haven’t bought the travel trailer yet. Conundrum.

Go read this if you have chair questions. I purchased a thick pretty pillow that’s totally portable and will look nice in my Airstream. I chickened out on the office chair. Its a major hole in my ergonomics, but I will be on the road some next month and then overseas, so I can make it another month or so. I hope!

While leaving TJ Max with my shiny pillow I began to have visions of an oriental version of a multimedia workstation. A large, wide coffee-table, dual monitors (yes, you need them for video editing) and huge floor pillows. Or even better, a crazy creek chair. That might work. You could even design the table to fold down and fit in a travel trailer when not in use. Hmmm….

Fourth Issue.   The Mouse.

Now, this is a toughie. I need to evolve into a pen style mousepad for the type of editing I do. Between mice and heavy cameras the wrists of a photographer takes a beating. The mouse matters. Big time. But, the pen style is large and cumbersome for travel. So, I got a cute little wireless mouse from Logitech It rolls and scrolls on its own and has some pretty sweet little features that have made video editing easier.  I like it.  Alot.

That’s the basics!

I’ll test her out for the next month and let you know if it works.  And, most of this is portable for an extended work period overseas- sans pillow.  But that’s an easy solution.

And that compiles my mobile multimedia workstation. For now.  I have enough of the basic elements to get me through my current workload and when I return from my travels, I plan on taking the mobile multimedia workstation to new heights. In an Airstream, of course.

My dream mobile studio!!

Some of us carry this baggage on our hearts- and it weighs us down at the bottom of the river and takes the ones we love with us. Or it keeps us from loving the ones we have before us- we can’t see them in our lives because the baggage is too dense.

Some of us carry this baggage in our heads- and it weighs heavy on our minds and prevents us from reaching our full potential.

Some of us carry baggage on our shoulders- burdened by weights that are always present and keeping our heads hanging low instead of holding our heads proudly above our shoulders for the world to see.

A man carries bags of nutmegs from a storage facility in Sangihe, Indonesia.

Some of us carry baggage of others on our backs, we pick up their discarded baggage, toss it on our backs and end up carrying more than our bodies can handle- and half of this shit isn’t even ours!

And some of us carry enough baggage to need three porters, four Sherpa, and a herd of pack mules to haul our crap over the hills of our days and through the gnarly paths of our lives.

But, to reach our full potential and truly experience all the amazing adventures life has to offer- we have to lose our baggage. All of it.

A porter carries baggage off an overnight ferry from Manado to Sangihe, Indonesia.

Lose our social baggage.

Lose our emotional baggage.

Lose the baggage that other people tossed at us as we were exiting their lives.

And once we decide to set our baggage by the side of the road and walk away- we need to be cautious of the monkey mind and its bad intentions.

The monkey mind picks up this baggage we shed. It sees this rumpled old bag slumped on the side of the road, and the monkey mind thinks, “yes, let’s pick through this little gem and see what we can’t dig up and wallow in.” So it unzips the bag and pulls out the pain. It tosses up the anger, it rolls around in the grief. That damn monkey mind takes all your burdened feces and throws it onto the walls of your mind just to say, “ha! take that!” And you wallow in the past. You go there. The tears well up, the anger bubbles to the surface, the self-loathing and the degradation of your past and present self starts to penetrate your psyche and dominate your thought-bubble. And you thought you’d tossed that baggage out the window when you cruising down the road a few years ago. Not so.

The truth is, we all have baggage. We all have our dark twisty places- and we all deal with this internal darkness in different manners. We deal with our mistakes, loss of life, loss of love and poor decisions and for many of us, we just toss them in our emotional cornucopia and weigh our baggage down even more.

But, what if we took each little article out of the bag, one at time and sat with it for a while. What if we hauled that bag out of its hiding place, dumped it all on the ground and inspected each little piece of accumulated crap.

What would we see? Would we have the strength to recognize the mistake, forgive ourselves for having made it and then gleam some useful purpose for the outcome? Would we have the ability to pull out the grief, hold it to our hearts and just sit with the reality of our loss? Can we pull out that broken heart, look at the tiny little pieces and then take the time to actually reconstruct that heart- mending each little piece and reinforcing the reconstruction work as we go?

Would our baggage not get lighter if we took those little pieces of pain out and set them on the side of the road and left them there? Would our lives not open to all that stands before us if we set our bags down, refused to pick them back up and just took a giant leap into the unknown? Would our travels throughout the world not be enhanced if our only baggage was truly just the clothes we need for tomorrow and the good sense to not put any additional items in the bag?

What would your world look like without your baggage? Where would you go? Who would you become? Who would you share that life with, if your baggage was gone?

Now, set down that bullshit baggage and embrace that vision.

It’s now your present- baggage-free self.

• A little first person story about following your gut and making instinctive decisions- regardless of rational thought.

• Fighting with the inner-gnomes- really- I’m not insane.

• The moral of the story- follow your gut.  But it’s worth the read!
• A video from TED at the end- totally worth the 20 minutes!

At times, our body reacts to our reality in ways that our mind can not.  Our mind rationalizes our actions and decisions, it weighs the cost/benefit analysis of our actions and the future implications of our decisions on our current path in life. Our mind shoots in to the future 5 years and tries to predict our place in life based on the outcome of the decision we are making. Our mind takes our actions and rationalizes the positive effects- even if the rationalization is based on pure mythical results or best case scenarios that are not a reflection of reality.

But our body knows better.  Our body reacts.  Our gut knows when something is right or wrong- it just knows.

A shot from Kathmandu while I wandered the streets looking for chai.

Here’s a little story from my life last month- there’s a point amongst the words- keep reading.

Rewind to last month.  Mid-June, as my 35th birthday was rapidly approaching, I was driving down the road at 55 miles an hour, wallowing in my present Saturday evening spent at Barnes and Noble working on my writing while the rest of the world was engaging in a social life, thinking, “Damn, it’s a Saturday night, and I’m caressing my MacBook Pro with a cup of espresso.  Tragic.” As I’m lost in my self-reproach and self-pity, my truck makes a strange, slight noise that is almost undetectable.  Then, as I’m flying down an overpass- the engine just stops.  The dashboard lights up, my steering wheel feels like its drowning in cement and I’m coasting down the highway approaching an on-ramp with merging traffic.  SHIT!!

My poor Little Red limps off to the side of the road- miraculously missing the merging cars- and I just sit staring at the steering wheel trying to wrap my brain around what just happened.  I turned the key over- sputter, cough, ahhhhhh! Nothing.  She’s not gonna give me anymore juice.  She’s done.  Shit, so am I, I thought.  As the tow truck driver put her up on the flat-bed and she looked all lonely and broken, I couldn’t help but think- damn it, I should be in Egypt or Italy like I planned.  I wouldn’t need a car and I wouldn’t be wallowing in self-pity on a Saturday night.  What am I doing?  And then, the sheer fear of being stranded in Myrtle Beach with no vehicle sunk in. According to the “Walkability Score” from Rowdy Kittens (a fabulous blog that I spent my vehicle-less week indulging in), my current squatting location while I work on my Empire (i.e. my mother’s house) has a walk-ability rating of 14- with 99 being Portland- one of the most walkable cities in the US.  Sigh.

That night, after my tow truck driver said, “yea, that’s your engine” after turning the key over while I begged him to tell me the problem was just a fuel pump, I had a long conversation with Captain Morgan.

I went there.  I wallowed.  I watched Quentin Tarantino just to make me feel like, “damn, at least I’m not that guy getting gutted on screen”.

I emailed a friend who I knew was hiring a waitress at her work and figured I’d better prepare for the $3K dollar engine I’d be buying in a few short days.  There goes my plane ticket to Italy, my travel money to Ireland to find my McDreamy and my month’s worth of Turkish coffee in Cairo.  Damn, Damn, Damn.  And me and the Captain kept talking.

I began working in restaurants 20 years ago.  Throughout my freelance career, bartending has always been my fall back.  I am an excellent bartender, I love the act of bartending- the conversations, the mix-ology and the industry’s drama and stories!  But, for all the things I love about the bar, working there sucks the life out of my creative inner gnomes faster than a Hoover vacuum on steroids. It just does.  And this summer, I’m working hard to build my blog, grow my readership and finish my commercial projects so I can go overseas and really take my blog for a spin- using all the creative juju I can muster.  I’m sacrificing the normal luxuries of a 35 year old, single woman to chase my dreams down. I tasted my life as I envisioned it this winter- and the flavor was delicious.  And I’ve gone too far to go backwards.

But, with $3K looming over my head for a vehicle repair, I retreated to my safety zone.  The restaurant. Now, you might be thinking, $3K for a 15 year old pickup truck is a little crazy- and you’d be right.  But I, for reasons that are personal and not to be discussed in this article, am emotionally attached to this vehicle.  Again, not rational, I get that.  Also, when you can not walk anywhere, ANYWHERE, you need a vehicle.  Moving is not an option at this point because I have two clients that are in the midst of projects- and I can’t leave.

So, I trained at my friend’s workplace.  An adorable little restaurant in a small coastal tourist town.   I’d make bank, work part time and replenish my travel kitty.  The training went well and I enjoyed working with my friend.  She’s very sweet and flamboyant and believes that her waitress shift is really just a cabaret and she is the star.  Interesting.

That night, instead of sleeping, I tossed and turned like nobody’s business.  It was the night before my birthday and I was about to work my second waitress shift on the day I was supposed to celebrate my special day on the beach.  But that wasn’t the problem.  I dreamt, repeatedly, that I forgot to show up for work.  I normally dream about forgetting drink orders or getting double sat when I start at a new restaurant, but in the 20 years I’ve been doing this, I never dreamt that I just forgot to show up for a shift.  Oh no.  This is not good.

Each time I woke up, my inner gnomes were engaged in a heated debate.  They were pissed and they were arguing. The practical gnome was arguing about money and the fact that I would be making money at the restaurant like normal 35 year old people do when they work.  The artistic gnome was crying because she really was looking forward to a summer of freedom to wander into the creative cave at a moment’s notice- a luxury that makes freelancing worth the effort.  The entrepreneurial gnome was throwing things because working at a restaurant would detract from the progress being made towards complete location independence and passive income generation and the nomadic gnome was curled up in the corner, rocking back and forth and muttering about the chai wallah in India that he needs to see, the espresso in Fiorenze that he needs to drink and the hookah in Cairo that he needs to smoke. And all this arguing gave me a huge stomach ache.  My gut was rebelling against the restaurant.  When the gnomes start to arguing, I hear them out.  But when the gut reacts- I have to take action.

Around 4 am, they all agreed that I had to quit the job I worked at all of one day and began the conversation I would have with the owner the very next morning.  And I laid there in bed, rationalizing the action and having the conversation.  I created elaborate excuses and reasons  for why I couldn’t work anymore.  I had it all planned out.  But when I went to the restaurant, I just looked at the owner, apologized profusely and told her “it’s not you, it’s me”.  Like I was in high school breaking up with a pimply boy from the basketball team.

I was that person.  I flaked on a job after one day.  Shit.

Good lord, what am I doing?  I went to the beach, thought about what I was doing and said, well, I’m opening this up to the Universe at this point.

If my gut reacted to my rational action of taking an outside job in such a strong way, there must be powers at work here a little stronger than my rational mind.

But, my inner gnomes all agreed, if you’re going to go this route, there had better be some serious progress being made towards your goals.  I began pulling 10-15 hour days, working on my branding, social media and blogging.  My E-Book is ready to launch next week, I’m publishing guest posts and finally tying it all together.

And as I sit here today and look at the small baby steps that I’m taking towards my goals, I thank my gut and my inner gnomes for that long, sleepless night.  Had they not taken over, I might still be serving sandwiches and kicking myself for not moving forward- again.

By taking this risk and tossing myself at the mercy of the Universe, I have no one to blame but myself for my missteps and shortcomings.  If I don’t make this happen now, I have no excuses.

Here’s a little video from TED talking about our brains and leadership and the Why?  Excellent!

The word feels slightly dirty to me.  To brand me, myself, just seems like the ultimate act in arrogance and narcissism- at least that was my old paradigm of thought.  I’ve recently revisited my past assumptions and started to re-evaluate my perceptions of personal branding.  When you’re trying to move people to take action, based on your visions of a better, more balanced society, you’d best embrace the act of branding yourself and your beliefs.  Or no one will listen.

I also believe the world is super saturated with corporate branding- it dictates what we purchase, how we interact in certain social situations, and in today’s world, corporate branding is influencing young people’s sense of self worth and their role in the world.  Insert Hannah Montana or Lebron James here and you see what I mean.

During some recent inner reflection on how to grow my blog and spread me message to the world, I realized that the missing link was two fold- my lack of proper implementation of social media and my lack of branding.  Branding, me?

Yep.  I needed to brand myself in order to get my passions for storytelling, independent travel, location independent living and my philosophies on life in general out into the world and hopefully into people’s conversations.  Oh boy.  I had to embrace my inner narcissist, make peace with with my ego and lay it all out on the table.

photo by brooke mayo photography

In this line of work, when YOU are the person delivering the message- not a corporate behemoth or lacky CEO mouthpiece- in the hopes of helping others and sharing your perspectives on a simple life, the brand has to be you.  All you warts, your burs and your bumps- all your beauty, your simplicity, your compassion and your knowledge. You have to become the face of your beliefs.  Not a cartoon, not an avatar, not a fictional being.  You.  Period.

Social media is powered by conversation.  By real people engaging with one another regarding topics they are passionate about. That’s the heart of social media and if you’re going to build your “Tribe” you must be a strong presence and embrace the transparency and authenticity that drives social media.

Let’s face it, if you’re not transparent or authentic, should you really be trying to build a “Tribe” and lead people to a different way of living.  Hell no.  Stop now, find another avenue of work and use Facebook to update endlessly about your dog or your children.

Over the years, I’ve never quite nailed down the art of branding.  Yes, I know, it’s not rocket science. My venture into lifestyle design began 15 years ago, before there was the 4HWW, webinars about blogging empires and social media was what you did at the bar on the weekend and then spread through the gossip grapevine on Monday.  I began freelancing in 2000, before a website was even necessary for a business.  I taught myself the traditional business models and engaged in a ton of trial and error.  I had a darkroom when I launched my freelance business- and I used it for commerce.

Wrap your brain around that one!

So, branding and identity has always been a challenge for me.  What is the business entity, what should it entail, should each genre of photography be a separate business, do I need to have an LLC for each photographic specialty?  Toss in writing and multimedia and blog development and well- my brain just curls up in the fetal position and cries for its mommy when I start to tackle the issue of branding.

Exhausting.

Last week I had my a-ha moment.  Finally.  Its not the business that needs to be branded, dumb ass, it’s you. You are the person behind the camera, you’re the person writing these blog postings, you’re the person producing the multimedia.  It’s YOU.  And YOU are the person people are contacting about how to engage in their own Walkabout to change their reality. (that happened last week- so amazing!)  You’re the person landing multimedia jobs by word of mouth, over conversations in coffees-houses.  It’s because people believe in you and your talent and abilities.  It’s that simple.

My branding adventures are coming together- and my face is now splattered all over my Twitter, Facebook,  Blog and a hiring/ about my services page  .  I tied everything together, made it look the same and branded it all- and it’s still a work in progress.  Though I’m still struggling about whether or not to separate some of the writing and the photography- I will tie it all in with my name, face and color schemes with my font.

I guess branding isn’t the end of the world when you have a positive message and are trying to start a movement, in fact, it’s necessary.  People need someone to trust when they are embarking on the unknown elements of life-altering actions, such as lifestyle design, minimalist living and location independent professional careers. If my branding wasn’t solid and I could not easily be recognized, I’d be doing my readers a disservice and my future “tribe” wouldn’t have a solid leader.  So, I’ll continue to brand and hopefully keep building my readership by providing something that inspires them or calls them to action.

At the end of the day, if your message is not solid, if your content is weak and your heart isn’t in the proper place and people don’t understand who you are and why they should care, none of it matters. Your branding a pile of shit, and people can smell that- even through the Twitter.