Category Archives: Art

Connecting with your Creativity

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“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” ~ Edward deBono 

Abraham Maslow, founder of humanistic psychology said that “creativity is a characteristic given to all human beings at birth.” How many of us tap into our innate gift of creativity as we go about our daily life?  For those who work in careers involving the Arts, using one’s own God-given creativity is naturally incorporated into every day life. For others, it takes consciously finding ways to live life inspired. All of us have a different interpretation of what living an inspired life means. 

In essence, Maslow’s theory says that once our psychological needs for safety, love and affection and esteem are satisfied, then we as human beings are freed to travel down the path of toward self-actualization. We can begin fulfilling our need to create and do what it is we were born to do, if our basic needs have been met. For more information on the Maslow theory, please visit http://bit.ly/X2iQX. 

If you are a person whose career does not involve the Arts, March is Crafting Month, and it is the perfect time to explore new ways of incorporating more creativity into your life for personal fulfillment. Craft a unique and creative piece of Art through the written word. Writing poetry, essays, old-fashioned love letters, short stories, haiku or full length books will get your imagination and your brain working in innovative ways. There is no cost to that and anyone in this age of independent publishing can be a published author!  Join a local writing group, to enjoy the camaraderie of others whose spirits also soar when putting pen to paper. 

Let March be the month to rebuild your life creatively.Find  a new hobby and live a life inspired. It will provide you with hours of entertainment and personal satisfaction, too.

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Engage them in Art

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 “ Creativity is a characteristic given to all human beings at birth” ~ Abraham Maslow 

Instead of holding a birthday party at a pizza joint or a fast food restaurant, surround your kids and their friends with Fine Art. Make it a gala to remember by exposing your children to culture and fulfill your parental duties of providing educational opportunities for your children outside of the classroom. Hold a Birthday Party in an Art Museum! 

The Museum of Fine Art in Boston, Massachusetts is just one of a number of art museums across the country offering birthday parties for kids. Catch kid’s interest in paintings, sculpture, folk art and other mediums of art while they are young. You can arrange for a private museum tour with a docent that is experienced at engaging and exciting young minds about Art. Perhaps a hands-on session of making a creative piece of artwork to take home, inspired by an art gallery exhibition would be fun! Send the party-goers on a treasure hunt throughout the museum looking for animals, artifacts, fashion or other themes represented in the artwork exhibited. Creative learning about art is always fun! 

Think outside the box for your child’s next birthday celebration. Instead of giving things like candy as a party favor,  how about child-sized artist berets, a box of pastels, a children’s book on a famous artist or a brush with a box of watercolor paints. It will provide a way to continue the creative streak long after the party is over. 

For more information on this fun way to celebrate a child’s birthday in an Art Museum visit http://bit.ly/egPsV6 or use your favorite search engine to locate a list of art museums that offer parent/child programs for fulfilling birthday fun or for rainy days. Incorporate  creative learning experiences and personal fulfillment through Art in your child’s life.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Writers, Rev Your Engines!

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“The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes. “ ~André Gide 

If you have a spark of an idea for a book and wish to rev up your knowledge on how to go about independently publishing, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association College is the place to be.  For those who are entrenched in the independent publishing scene, everyone knows what the arrival of March means. It means the Colorado Independent Publishers Association College is coming up. The hosts of the “College” The Colorado Independent Publishers Association http://bit.ly/hFVW1A  is one of the largest and most active independent publishing trade associations in the United States. 

This year, CIPA’s Publishing “College” is scheduled for March 18th and 19th and CIPA does a great job of fulfilling the need for educational opportunity for beginning and experienced independent publishers. They even have a program called YAL – Young Authors League, designed to get kids inspired to write and become published at a young age. 

Exhibitors will be present at the March 19 publishing college event. Consultants on internet selling (e-commerce) and internet marketing (e-marketing) will be on hand. Other providers such as book printers, editors, cover designers, graphic designers and video book trailer specialists will be available at the CIPA College to answer questions about their products and services. There are on-going educational seminars throughout the weekend. It is a great time to network with other independent publishers to learn how they are publishing as a means for personal fulfillment and for sharing ideas, wisdom, knowledge and expertise with others.

 Check out http://bit.ly/hFVW1A for full details of the event or go to the Colorado Independent Publishers Association Facebook page http://on.fb.me/hZjR1T for additional information.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Have you Launched your Kite?

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“Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve.” ~ Wilfred Peterson 

It is March 1st, and when I think of March, I think of my childhood days of growing up in the Mid-Atlantic section of the East Coast of the United States. March always still had a real chill in the air. Getting outside and flying kites in the stiff March winds always resulted in letting the kite go because my hands were too cold to continue to hold onto the string. When I finally released the kite, I found it fulfilling to dream about whether my kite was going to land in a country and climate much different than my own. 

Yesterday, I began to think about the analogy between finding fulfillment in building and flying kites and using blogging as a powerful internet marketing tool. When you build a blog site you want it to be a reflection of your own creativity, just like when you are hand crafting a kite. Create a blog site unique to your own interests and what it is you are trying to convey. The graphics must be attractive to the eye and the content needs to be catchy and of interest to the reader, otherwise, what is the point? 

Learning what content to use when attaching tails to your blog site is what will make it soar in cyberspace. There is a methodology and science behind e-marketing campaigns. You want to make sure you direct your “kite”, as best you can, to where you want it to land – in countries and climates that are rich with qualified leads. 

If you are inexperienced at setting up an attractive blog site and at the new science of blog writing, seek help from an e-marketing professional who understands the dynamics behind e-marketing for independent publishers. http://bit.ly/gDGQN8.  It will make a difference in how successful you are at attracting regular readers and fans to your site and where your “kite” lands on the world-wide-web.

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Galleries On-Line

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“It is not enough to have a good mind, the main thing is to use it well.” ~ Rene Descartes 

Have you ever visited an e-Gallery? It is without a doubt a very different experience than visiting a brick and mortar store. You can’t smell the fresh paint drying on the canvas, you can not touch or feel the textures that a fiber artist has incorporated into their work of art, a gallery assistant or docent does not greet you at the door. Best of all, the pressure to buy has been eliminated. Unique works of art, often times at more reasonable prices, can be found. 

Selling artwork through e-commerce has added a whole new dimension to the way artists do business.  E-galleries, otherwise known as art galleries on-line are cropping up in places all around the world. For the emerging artist, or for an artist who can not afford high rents for gallery exhibition space, setting up a virtual gallery can be an ideal option for selling art. Websites such as www.artroof.com provides a way for artists to set up an on-line store in very short order. Different subscription packages are available to fit the budget and gallery size requirements of any artist. 

Building an independent art business on-line allows an artist, working in any kind of medium, to be found by potential buyers from any place across the globe. Some other advantages of opening a virtual gallery – overhead is low, thus eliminating the need to inflate prices on the artwork. Parking is never an issue with an e-gallery and the shop doors are open 24 hours a day. Selling art over the internet is also fulfilling a need for those who like to gallery hop but sometimes find it hard to visit during traditional business hours or for those who live far from art hubs. Locating an art gallery, for any kind of art you prefer, is as easy as visiting a site such as http://bit.ly/h0MAZ0. 

Galleries on-line will never be able to duplicate the experience for the art collector of visiting an actual brick and mortar store. But, when artists sell and market their art work over the internet, it greatly increases their visibility and their potential for sales.

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A Letter to an Independent Filmmaker

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“The things you want are always possible…the only real obstacle in your path to a fulfilling life is you.” ~ Les Brown

 On February 25 in 1988 Bruce Springsteen’s “Tunnel of Love” tour began. It also marked the day when the start of love relationship with a child, whose arrival can only be described as JOY.  Our son entered into this world 23 years ago today and my husband and I began fulfilling our dreams of raising a precious, much-wanted child. For all who knew us then, it was a time of great celebration. For those who know us now, the gratitude and love we still feel for this gift of life is still very apparent. 

Dear Independent Filmmaker,

Can you help your parents out by setting the record straight for us? Your ability to communicate so well was evident at such an early age. But, what was it that made you decide to become a filmmaker? Was it the huge library of children’s books that we amassed and that I read to you over and over again that gave you a love for storytelling? Was it the hours you spent on your Dad’s lap watching Disney, We Sing and other children’s movies together that made you want pursue a life of entertaining others through cinematography? Was your interest in sound, lighting, cameras and lenses what made you want to create visual effects? Perhaps it was the outstanding mentor who shared everything he knew about the TV/filmmaking industry with you. What was it? We really want to know!

 Your journey as an adult, friend, storyteller, visual effects artist and filmmaker has only just begun. Continue to use the most valuable gift that you were given – good common sense. You’ve always had a great moral compass of right and wrong – use it to stay on the right path.  Staying true to your values is what has gotten you this far already. Use your energy to make this world a better place and always remember your family and where you came from. Your highly inquisitive mind, your caring nature and love of people will carry you far. You continue to amaze us with your spirit, your talents and the gifts that that you bring to this world. We can not wait to see where life and your career takes you. 

Have a safe, fun birthday. We love you! Mom and Dad

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Protecting against the Elements

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“Every day may not be good, but there’s some thing good in every day.”   ~Author Unknown

It was inevitable. After months of watching 320+ inches of snow fall from the sky and fulfill it’s need to coat everything from roads to houses, to mountaintops, to cars, to animals, to trees, to rivers and every other surface within its reach, including me, I have begun to see only what can be described as disparate shades of white. I have forgotten what shades of glorious green, fun-loving fuchsia, perky periwinkle, luscious lemon yellow, outrageous orange and lady-like lavender even look like. Not even a hue of  tawny-tan is in sight. Pitiful! 

Every time I go to my computer and pull up a new Word Document to begin to compose my blog of the day all I see is white, white and more white! What is a blogger to do? All the colors of my life have gone into hiding, my creativity has vanished. There is no hope for beautiful, rhythmic prose for this day. Can’t even think of a single metaphor for how I am feeling. As I start to read what I have written, the alliteration seems to be all wrong.  I could try using a little hyperbole to get me started but I can’t even think what that is. There is not even an oxymoron in sight to help me out.  

All I see is a world devoid of color – just more white. Thirty-five years of living in snow country gets to me, big time, by this time of year. It happens by the end of February, when winter is at war with my psyche. It becomes a real sad state of affairs. It is the only time I wish my life away with thoughts of retiring to tropical climates where all the colors of the rainbow can be seen in beautiful flowers, birds and oceans filled with aquas, ultra-marines, royal blues and indigos to carry me away. 

I can’t let the winter doldrums get me down! I am going to rebel, and take charge of my own situation. Music is said to open up our unconscious mind. There has got to be beautiful images and words of color somewhere back there in the recesses of my mind. Perhaps if I open up my musical first aid kit the images will spring forth and shake me from the winter writing blues. Some swear by Mozart for his arrangement of musical notes, other writers attest to the powers of writing to light jazz. Classical movie scores are always fun or a little boogie-woogie might add some light-heartedness to my day. I’m staying away from country cowboys singing of broken hearts and stolen love, I’ll tell you that right now. That will only make things worse!  

I can take no more white anything! I don’t care that each snowflake has it’s own unique shape, one more beautiful than the next! March is just around the corner, so I’ll gladly accept no more snow! And no more white Word Document pages and no more white sound! I’ve got to keep telling myself that all things vanilla will pass – they always do.

Whew – I feel better. That took a lot of effort – for someone who didn’t have a thing to say this day – somehow, 536 words spewed forth.

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Joint Interests

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“Friendship isn’t a big thing – it’s a million little things.”  ~Author Unknown

February is International Friendship Month. If you had asked me years ago “whether I had many international friends?” in all truthfulness, I would have said none. Before the age of the world-wide-web, the options for finding friends, fans, customers and clients in far reaches of the world were very limited. The power of e-marketing has changed all that. 

By having a strong, easily found web-presence, I have made connections with people all over the world who are the kinds of friends that my company seeks. We all share, for various different reasons, a joint interest in the independent publishing industry and the types of services that my company offers. 

Knowing how to connect through the internet with communities of like minded people is so helpful when it comes to selling independently published books, films and music. When you look at the statistics alone of the number of households connected to the world-wide-web, the possibilities for finding “like minded” people are staggering. This chart helps us to realize just what the potential of reaching customers, fans, clients and friends outside of the United States can be.  http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm.

Our collective world is strengthened when we have friends and allies on other continents. So, today, I would like to say Happy International Friendship Month to those who have connected through the power of digital communication with my company’s web-presence  or directly with me personally. I appreciate your friendship and your joint interests!

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Face the Book TV

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 “All television is educational television.  The question is:  what is it teaching?”  ~Nicholas Johnson

 The Independent Publishers of New England has a cable access TV show that is fulfilling the need for promoting regional independent publishers.  Face the Book, is similar to the concept of C-Span’s Book TV, only on a smaller level. It reaches 15,000 households through Verizon, RCN and Comcast public access TV cable channels. 

The aim of this TV show, broadcast out of Arlington, Massachusetts through Arlington Community Media, Inc. is “to bring the best of independent publishing to New England readers, authors and to publishers through their community media stations.” 

Right now, Face the Book is looking for children’s book authors who would like to appear as a panelist on the show to promote their independent publications. This is an excellent opportunity if you are a member of IPNE www.ipne.org and you have independently published a children’s book that you would like the public to learn about! 

For more information on this cable access TV show, Face the Book, please visit http://on.fb.me/es8nlr or visit the Independent Publishers of New England webpage by going to http://bit.ly/f3Pl4S.  

Being able to appear in front of 15,000 households on Face the Book TV is only one benefit to joining this non-profit trade association dedicated to educating the independent publisher. For more information on IPNE, please visit www.ipne.org.

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Film Friday

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The other day, an article appeared in the Steamboat Pilot newspaper http://bit.ly/i2xphp that I wanted to explore and share with our readers.  

According to Van Stevenson, senior Vice President of the Motion Picture Association of America www.mpaa.org, the State of Colorado is lagging behind in the incentives that it offers to attract filmmakers to the State to produce motion pictures.  There are two Colorado State legislators that want to change all that. 

 There is a new State bill that if approved, will add a 10 cent fee to all tickets sold at movie theatres. This 10-cent fee would be first of it’s kind in any State. Rooms, meals, and other services for movie stars and their production crews bring money to States and boosts local economies. A ten-cent fee added to each movie ticket sold seems inconsequential when you consider the financial benefits of having more movies made in the State. When you consider the amount of money people spend on buying a coffee “for the road,” ten-cents added to the cost of a theatre ticket is merely pocket change. 

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “True Grit” and the television series “Perry Mason” were all filmed in Colorado. But in recent years, few filmmakers have chosen to use Colorado as a location from which to shoot their films. There are many other states that make their state more attractive for making movies by offering good incentives. 

We will follow this story to see just how committed others in the State of Colorado are to bringing  movie production, whether it is independent or not,  to the State and will let you know how it turns out.

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