Category Archives: medical

A Glimpse into the Colorado Film Industry

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“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.”  ~ Robert L. Peters 

On this Film Friday, let’s look in on the independent film industry in Colorado, once again. It has been about a year since we have visited the filmmaking scene in the State “where the columbines grow.” 

Did you know that there has been a newly formed Colorado Creative Industries Division? The Colorado Council on the Arts and the Art in Public Places programs merged, last July, to form this new division, which is overseen by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade. http://1.usa.gov/jauOKx. 

The mission of this division is to promote and expand an industry that already creates over 54,000 jobs and $20 billion in revenue in Colorado as a result of making feature films, television commercials and shows, still photography, emerging mass media projects and music videos. The Colorado Creative Industries Division hopes to position the State as a leader in providing jobs and revenue through creative enterprises and entrepreneurs. There are incentives available to entice imaginative and innovative filmmakers to the State. For more information on the application process, and funding for film projects here in the State of Colorado, please visit http://www.coloradofilm.org/incentives.html. 

Perhaps  an independent filmmaker here in Colorado should produce a full length, feature film interpreting author Daniel H. Pink’s vision of a world ruled by right brained thinkers. It would make for interesting viewing and a fascinating case study to look back at the film fifty years from now to see if the world is anything like what Pink envisioned. 

What is your opinion of what a right thinking world would be like? Would it be a world filled with free spirits and dreamers not getting much done or can creative spirit set us on a new path toward a fulfilling, vibrant, unique economy in the 21st century? We would like to hear from you!

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Narratives in Medical Curriculum

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“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ~ Maya Angelou 

Writing medical histories through the narrative form is currently being incorporated into curriculums in medical schools in many parts of the country. Medical students are learning how to better assess medical conditions through more intensive listening to the patient, and recording what they hear into narrative forms. The goal is to make healthcare decisions for the patient based not only on statistics and tests but by also “reading” a patient’s unique personal story of how they are feeling and their own symptoms. 

Why is the addition of the narrative form being incorporated into the way medical schools have traditionally taught students to diagnose illness? Empathy for the patient has been missing in this age of highly developed technical medical testing. Listening to a patient’s story leads to a better understanding of the whole picture of a person’s medical situation. A person’s emotions and spirit about the way they are feeling is part of the overall report, too. 

Daniel Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind, http://www.danpink.com/whole-new-mind explains how our society is on the brink of a whole new age of thinking. We have gone from an agricultural age (farmers) through the factory age (industrial), to the information age (business based on knowledge workers) to the emergence of right thinking business people, who are creators and empathizers. Surprisingly, we are moving into an age where more Americans are beginning to work in fields such as arts, entertainment and design than those working left brain fields (accountants, lawyers, insurance adjustors). In order to be accomplished in these growing fields of work, right brained thinking skills must be used and developed. 

Prosperity and abundance has brought a whole new need for fulfilling emotional, aesthetic and spiritual needs. Jobs in the “caring professions” counseling, nursing, healing are surging, too.  They are not jobs that can be decimated by workers overseas who can work faster and cheaper.

To read more about this movement toward the new conceptual age and right brain thinking that Pink claims will change the world, pick up A Whole New Mind.  Many libraries have it and it is a Business Week best selling book. It’s a fascinating read.

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To Every Thing…A Reason and A Purpose

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Last week, I watched more TV than I have in a long, long time. I happened upon two shows on Rocky Mountain PBS that were, indeed, “well worth watching.” Both of the shows reminded me that God provides all of us with special gifts. Talents are latent for an entire lifetime for some people, and are never discovered at all. For others, revelation is by way of accident. Sometimes, natural endowment is recognized at a very young age giving opportunity for a life time of developing and fulfilling a person’s giftedness in one or more areas of multiple intelligences that Howard Gardner has identified in his studies. http://bit.ly/cNMRPe. 

Unlocking the Mystery of the Musical Mind, on the PBS Nova series, highlighted 4 rare instances of musical masterminds that were discovered through unusual circumstances.

  • A blind and severely autistic man, unable to count to 10, is discovered to be a musical Cervantes.
  • An orthopedic surgeon, after having been struck by lightning, becomes an extraordinarily gifted and obsessed composer and musician.
  • A man realizes drumming helps to control his completely debilitating and self-destructive tics caused by Tourette’s syndrome. http://bit.ly/dqgFbr.
  • It is determined that a woman has a condition called amusia. She is helping researchers understand this brain defect that is marked by the inability to recognize melody, pitch and musical harmony. 

On the other PBS show, Great Performances, a little girl whose soprano voice is so exquisitely developed at 10 years, she goes on stage at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida. http://bit.ly/kdWesi. She is accompanied by 17 time Grammy award-winning composer and pianist David Foster. Jackie Evancho is now a 4th grade recording artist. Her first album, Prelude to a Dream, has already sold over one million copies. 

The contrast between each individual left me with a sense of wonder. How can each of us be so uniquely genetically wired by our Creator? In the instance of the autistic man and the man suffering from uncontrollable symptoms of extreme Tourettes syndrome, they have been given musical talent clearly intended to help themselves with their deficiencies. Others are sharing their personal compositions for the understanding and enjoyment of others. 

St. Francis DeSales said it best. “Be who you are and be that well.”  I believe our interests and passions in life were given to us as a way to discover our natural gifts, talents and qualities.

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What is Your Currency?

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“Live out your imagination, not your history.” ~ Stephen Covey 

Creative economy has been the buzzword here in Colorado and in pockets all over the United States. It is about making a living artfully through our passions and living with purpose in all that we do. 

More and more, people are realizing that there is great personal value in fulfilling our lives with what we love to do, rather than just existing to make the almighty buck. Individuals are beginning to realize that the vicious circle of working lots of hours just to have, to spend, to accumulate and keep up with the Joneses does not necessarily make sense. It is not a sustainable way to live. It is hard to enjoy and live healthy lifestyles when we are stuck on the treadmill of working more hours just to be able spend more. 

Relationships, community, volunteerism, thinking beyond our selves and our material needs are beginning to take priority in people’s lives, as this slow economy has forced us to see that there are other ways of being. And that is not a bad thing! I love hearing stories of people who are successfully recreating themselves and their businesses in these times of economic hardships. 

There was a story this week in the Steamboat Today newspaper about an artist who decided to act upon his longstanding interest in the fabric arts. Now, he is winning international acclaim for his creativity and artistic talent in making quilts. To read his story, please visit http://bit.ly/l58Ad0. For those who are unable to travel to see David Taylor’s quilts, I hope some day he will independently publish a book and sell it on the world-wide-web, with images of his fabric creations and his thoughts about using his creative talents for personal fulfillment. 

Do you have creative currency that has been dormant? Believe in yourself and dare to expend energy on making a new life for yourself through your passions. Write it, publish it, sew it, knit it, cook it, paint it, mold it, build and grow it – what ever IT is!

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e-Conomies. What Does it All Mean?

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“I look for what needs to be done. After all, that’s how the universe designs itself.” ~ Buckminster Fuller

e-Commerce, e-Books, e-Publishing, e-Marketing. http://rww.to/aiuHxb. You’ve heard the terms a lot lately, haven’t you? But what does it all mean? It means entertaining new ways of doing things! 

Let’s face it – our economy needs a kick in the pants! We need independent spirited folks to take ideas and run with them. Brain power, our most available resource, surrounds us everywhere. It is not located in any one place. We need people who are tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen, to make things happen! 

Right here in Steamboat Springs,CO there is a group of people who want to have their say, they want to be heard, and they want to be seen. Right now! They are not willing to play the game of waiting on someone else to create their future for them, or not! 

She Writes Steamboat is a newly-formed meet-up group that will come together for the first time at 4 pm on June 21st at the Bud Werner Memorial Library. www.steamboatlibrary.org.   Independent publishing is one economy that is on the fast track and it is gaining momentum every day. Business people, non-profit organizations, parents, teachers, children and very ordinary folks with unique stories to tell are pumped. Internet and media technologies have changed so greatly over the past 10 years anyone can jump on the train and tell their story, inform, educate and inspire others through all independent film, music or books. Entertain that thought! 

Further, the internet has provided a way for independent publishers to become visible all over the world! Are you ready to share your voice? Join Us @ She Writes Steamboat – click here http://on.fb.me/lbnPms.

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Safe Harbor for She Writes Steamboat

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“Dwell in Possibility” ~ Emily Dickinson 

On last Friday’s blog, mention was made of Chicken and Egg Pictures, a non-profit organization supporting women independent filmmakers. The tag line of this non-profit “Incubating and Hatching All at Once” well represents what I have been feeling about She Writes Steamboat http://on.fb.me/lbnPms  over the past few months. I have been envisioning and growing in my mind, a meet-up group that will provide networking opportunities and support and foster independent publishing success. 

I have decided the time is NOW to hatch the group and support a group of women who have stories to tell, but are still in the incubation period and want to actively hatch and grow their desires. 

For those just starting down the road to independent publishing, beginning can be a scary thing! Women are good at supporting and communicating with each other in their efforts to succeed. What independent publishers have in common is a real and pressing need to inspire and entertain others through storytelling or to educate and inform all through the power of the written word. With independent publishing, there is no competition because everyone has an individual and unique narrative to tell. 

So my thoughts are “why not get together, meet-up and all be there for each other.” Our first She Writes Steamboat meet-up will be Tuesday, June 21 at 4:00 pm at the Bud Werner Library Hall. 

Ladies, feel free to invite others who are in any stage of publishing or those interested in learning more about the independent publishing process. At our first meeting, we will be discussing what time we should schedule our future meetings, how often we chicks should gather. We will be laying the groundwork for a group that I hope will be a safe harbor so independent publishers will not feel as if they are all alone in their publishing efforts. 

Join Us! There is nothing to lose and everything to gain in learning more about the dynamic industry of independent publishing. There are no membership fees. By the way, this group is affiliated with www.SheWrites.com.

 

         See you then!

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Yippee! More IPPY!

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“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ~ Wayne Dyer 

Supporting independent publishers is what  Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC is all about!  Never too much focus can be paid on folks working in an industry that is dynamic, growing and full of promise. Independent minded-folks know that by browsing  www.goodsearch.com, a great number independently published books, films and music can be found. These publications  are unique and different than what many of the traditional publishing companies have to offer.  

Our emphasis on the 2011 IPPY awards continues, this week. What a fulfilling feeling it must be for an independent publisher to earn  IPPY award stickers to grace the front covers of their books! There are so many wonderful award-winning books this year. It would take more than “a month of Sundays” for me to mention each and every one. Here are a few more award-winning independent book picks: 

  • Religious Fiction: The Community of Promise – The Untold Story of Moses (Entos Press)
  • Visionary Fiction: The Angel and the Brown-Eyed Boy (Vilasa Press) 
  • Children’s Picture Books: Skywriting: Poems to Fly (The Creative Company)
  • Juvenile/Teen/ Young Adult: Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey through Cancer and Recovery (Happy Quail Publishing)
  • Biography: The Hammersteins: A Musical Theatre Family (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)

 To learn more about the IPPY awards and the 2011 award-winning publications, please visit http://bit.ly/llL02x.

 We will take one last look tomorrow at a few more prize-winning independently published books. Then we will turn our attention to other fulfilling events that are on the horizon in the independent publishing world. Stay tuned!

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Hip, Hip Hooray! An IPPY!

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“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.” ~ Colin Powell 

It’s shout out loud day! We are sending our congratulations to our client, Mike Campbell of Iffenwen Publishing for winning an IPPY Award in the Aging/Death and Dying category for his book When Mom and Dad Need Help. For more information on this book, please visit http://bit.ly/9CxyII or http://bit.ly/iSzqLz. Mike’s publication was also finalist in the Foreword Reviews’ Book of the Year Awards in the Family and Relationship Category. Great job, Mike! 

A few months ago, we also featured on this blog site another 2011 IPPY award-winning author, Paul Wainwright and his photographic book A Space for Faith. If you did not get a chance to read about Paul’s book, please visit two blogs entitled All For the People http://bit.ly/fbMoWc and the blog entitled All for Tourism http://bit.ly/fCuZV0.  

What is an IPPY Award? The IPPY Awards are open to independent authors and publishers worldwide. The awards are given to independently owned and operated presses that sell to the North American market. University Presses or publishing  presses operated by foundations, publishing less than 50 titles per year are also included.

Books in many, many genres and categories are awarded “the IPPY” for excellence in independent publishing. Tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, we will be featuring more 2011 award-winning IPPY book titles that, I think, viewers of this website will find of particular interest. Come on back!

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Sixty Cents Saves a Life

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“In all things it is better to hope than to despair.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Many of us have a laundry list of things we would like to eliminate that would make our lives so much more fulfilling. I have a  list and I’ll  bet you do, too! I would like to get rid of: 

  • Pesky flies that annoy me, to no end, on hot summer nights
  • The availability of parallel parking only, in some cities
  • Driving in snowstorms when the weatherman has reported clear skies.
  • Weeds that invade gardens
  • Mail that has been returned, to sender, for no apparent reason. 

As I began to put together this list of what I want to eliminate from my life, I realized they are only pet peeves. It became apparent that I have so very little to complain about. These things are all so petty and inconsequential! How fortunate that I am not in a place where what needs to be eliminated from my life isn’t the difference between life and death. 

Until now, there have been millions of families, in certain countries around the world, who have lost mothers and newborn children because they didn’t have the 60 cents to vaccinate against maternal and neo-natal tetanus. This is about to change! UNICEF www.unicefusa.org and Kiwanis International http://bit.ly/clHB17 have joined forces to eradicate tetanus all around the world, by providing resources for vaccinating against this fatal disease. Approximately one hundred twenty-nine million mothers and their unborn babies are currently unprotected against this disease. 

As a member of Kiwanis, I could not be more proud of this global project that will truly “change the world, one child and one community at a time.” For more information on Project Eliminate and what you can do to help, please visit www.kiwanis.org. If you are interested in becoming a member of this wonderful service organization, contact a town or city near you where Kiwanis has a club.  Find out when they meet, so you can visit as a guest. 

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