Tag Archives: personal fulfillment

Through the Independent Film Lens

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“Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste”. ~Benjamin Franklin



Mark your calendars! Next week, on Tuesday, April 19th at 10pm Waste Land, can be viewed right from the surrounds of your own home. This film about Brazilian artist Vik Muniz will be aired on the PBS show, Independent Lens. 

On the outskirts of Rio de Janiero sits the world’s largest garbage dump, the Jardim Gramacho. Renowned artist, Vik Muniz sets out to create from the photographs he took of the catadores (garbage pickers), human portraits using recyclables from the dump. 

Despite the garbage picker’s lack of traditional employment and non-existant monetary stability, Muniz witnessed camaraderie and good spirit between this eclectic group of people. Muniz engages the catadores in collaborative work to gather recyclables to create his art, and gives the proceeds from the sales of the finished pieces back to the trash pickers. He raises their living conditions, repairs trucks essential to their work, and even builds a library to help them become more educated. All in all, he creates an environment whereby the trash pickers can have more fulfilling lives. 

This independent film demonstrates how trash from an overly-consuming, throw-away society can be recycled into a project of transformative art. For more information on viewing this powerful film from your area, please visit http://to.pbs.org/2ojlVz.

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Rockwell Art: All about Community

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All I know is that whatever type of work I do, I try to give it my very best. Art has been my life. ~ Norman Rockwell        

Some of the most recognizable art in history are the illustrations of Norman Rockwell. His work reflects what was most important to him – life in small town America and the people who were integral to the fabric of the community in which he lived. For me, fulfilling thoughts of life in much simpler times are recalled when I see iconic Rockwell images. 

Now, by agreement between Kiwanis International www.kiwanisinternational.org and the Norman Rockwell Licensing Company of Niles, Illinois, outstanding community leaders, recognized by Kiwanis International, can now receive a fulfilling award of a Rockwell-style portrait to grace the walls of their homes. Photographs of Kiwanis Recognition Award recipients are transformed into images by outstanding artists licensed to put the stamp of Norman Rockwell Moments™ www.normanrockwellmoments.org onto their work. 

What a natural and splendid pairing of Kiwanis International and Norman Rockwell Moments™ this is!  Norman Rockwell-style portraits are heirloom gifts to entire families. They are lasting reminders to children, in future generations, of what set their ancestors apart. It was the very same qualities that Norman Rockwell sought in his subjects to paint – people who stood out in their communities. 

Kiwanis aims to bring a new whole generation of young adults into the fold. Maintaining and building strong communities in the 21st century will be as important to this non-profit organization as when the organization began in Detroit in 1914. 

Are you a young adult who believes that community spirit builds a better world? If so, contact your local Kiwanis Club and become a member. Perhaps someday you will be recognized as a community leader!

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A Film Sweet-Treat for Kids

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“…all the choicest of things and all that your heart holds dear Have A Fun- Filled Day.”  

Looking for a fulfilling way to treat your kids to something different during this Easter season? According to box office sales, families in communities everywhere are going to the Hop! Ticket sales of this animated “Easter theme” film brought in $37.5 million over the weekend of April 4th alone. This fun, family-friendly movie will be playing in theatres all month long. By all indicators, Hop, has done better in sales than the film industry expected and it’s widespread marketing is paying off. 

Other newly-released films worthy of considering taking in this weekend: 

  • Hanna
  • Soul Surfer
  • Arthur
  • Your Highness 

For more information the ratings of these films and whether these films will be playing at a theatre near you, please visit: www.reelzchannel.com. You can also see film trailers on Reelz Channel, the TV station about movies! 

Rebuild your family life after a long work week.  Have a fulfilling weekend with your children , at the movies – see  Hop!  Easter entertainment for kids and parents.

Books as “Calling Cards”

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“Ink surrounds me all  the time, on my bed sheets recorded in rhyme, quills ‘ever scribbling in my head….” ~ Terry Guillemets 

Do you know what I like about authors? You don’t have to ask them to become a “friend”, to “like” you, or become their fan before you have a chance to learn all about them. You can also meet-up with them at anytime. http://bit.ly/7EpmRj.  They leave their “calling cards” on bookshelves, in retail stores, in libraries, in schools and all over the place. Authors “calling cards” can be found on the world-wide web, too.

 Pick up a publication of any author and you will shortly know whether you like their style and whether you share interests with them or not. Fulfill your curiosity about an author, their personality traits and who they keep company with, just by reading their “calling card.” 

  • A fiction writer is apt to be an animated or dramatic kind of person, crafty, dreamy, playful, skillful and probably creative, too.
  • You know from a “calling card” of a mystery writer that challenges, suspense, danger, spooks and sleuths bring out the best in them.
  •  A sense of no nonsense, organization of time and place, facts and references are what “non-fiction” writers are all about.
  • Introspection, concern with one’s own relationship to others and self-importance is what you might find when you meet-up with the scribe of a biography.
  • A poet’s “calling card” often reflects a person who has had unusual experiences, is a divergent and innovative thinker and demonstrates skill in the use of prosaic language. 

What kind of “calling card” do you have in mind of creating? Where will you put your calling card to be discovered by others who want to learn more about you as an author?

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Glassworks Inspired by Nature

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 “I will be the gladdest thing under the sun. I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.” ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay 

 

Tiffany glass is a remarkable example of artists being inspired by elements of nature. Lamps, vases, stained glass designed and created by Louis Comfort Tiffany incorporate birds, flora and fauna into the composition of the piece.

Huge installations of stained glass windows, depicting the life of Christ, are incorporated in the architecture of many churches. In the city where I was born and raised, Baltimore, Maryland, there is a church, the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, which is noted for its 12 outstanding Tiffany stained glass windows. It is also the place where in 1887, the church’s minister, Maltbie Babcock wrote the beautiful hymn “This is My Father’s World.” 

Today, the church still honors the creator of the magnificent stained glass windows that grace the church’s walls, with “The Tiffany Series.” The series of stellar classical concerts and lectures draw distinguished speakers and avid followers. For more information on this church, exceptionally rich in culture both in its programs and its architecture, please visit http://bit.ly/eTDFtF. 

“Clara and Mr. Tiffany” written by Susan Vreeland, and newly published in 2011, is a book of historical art fiction. This book,  has been of great interest to me. It  gives insight into the artist, Louis Comfort Tiffany, the development of the process of stained glass- making and how nature inspired Mr. Tiffany’s work. 

“New age thought” does not include drawing inspiration from nature. Artists from the beginning of time, in places all over the world, have been motivated and illuminated by the natural world. 

There is an issue, brought to light by one of the characters of the book, that brings conflict to many Artists. Artists have faced this dilemma for decades and it is carried throughout the main theme of the book “Clara and Mr. Tiffany.” We will explore this theme later in the week on All Things Fulfilling. 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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Explora Museum Albuquerque!

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 “In any field find the strangest thing and then explore it.” ~ John Wheeler

Hey, Hey! What is this you say? “Albuquerque was a recipient of the 2010 National Medal for Museum and Library Science from the White House.” Really?  Quite an honor, don’t you think? That is the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries! Must be the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico is providing extraordinarily fulfilling experiences  for the community. I’ll bet that is exactly why they won the award!   Would you like more information on the Explora museum, if so, please visit http://www.explora.us/en/

There were eight other museums and libraries that were deemed to be worthy of this National Award, too. The full list of award-winning museums and libraries are:

  • Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, Fishers, Ind.
  • Explora Science Center & Children’s Museum of Albuquerque, N.M.
  • Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Miss.
  • Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, Calif.
  • The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, N.Y.
  • Peter White Public Library, Marquette, Mich.
  • West Bloomfield Township Public Library, West Bloomfield, Mich.
  • Patchogue-Medford Library, Patchogue, N.Y.
  • Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tenn.

For more information on the 2010 National Medal Awards for Museum and Library Science, please visit http://1.usa.gov/gTdstj.

Libraries and museums, whether they are in big cities or small towns, make important contributions to communities. They add cultural vibrancy and improve community health, making  places better  environments  in which to learn, work and live. Explore them all!

P.S. If you are in Albuquerque, don’t forget to stop by their outstanding Hot Air Balloon Museum, too! Take a ride of a life time!

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Puzzle Pieces in Place

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“Writing is mentally stimulating; it’s like a puzzle that makes you think all the time.”
~Stephanie Zimbalist 

I like to put together jigsaw puzzles, and until I get every last piece into place, I can not rest. When that final part has been put into place, what a fulfilling feeling that is! 

A few weekends ago, I spoke with authors and independent publishers who were visiting exhibit booths at the Colorado Independent Publishers Association “College” www.cipabooks.com. The visitors attending the trade industry event were looking for all the missing puzzle pieces to complete their publishing project. They were in various stages of the process. 

Some had begun to envision their writing project but had yet to put a single piece into place. They knew that gaining insight into the entire process, prior to beginning the task, was a wise thing to do. 

Others had completed the writing process, and were looking for the next puzzle piece to put into place. They were searching for folks who could add “spit and polish” to their rough draft.

Many had every part of the puzzle in place, except the final. They had come to learn more about how to sell and effectively market their finished product. Like most non-traditional publishers they were seeking information on selling books, film and music over the internet. E-marketing is an essential puzzle piece that fits well into the independent publishing game. 

Understanding how the last piece of the puzzle, “the internet marketing part” is the connector in the over-all picture of e-commerce is so important. This marketing piece, seldom well-understood,  has added a whole new dimension to selling over the world-wide-web. 

If you have never had experience in fitting this piece of the puzzle into your company’s marketing plans, help is available.  Start by locating a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. It is essential that all the internet marketing  pieces are put into place  correctly so that your potential buyers can find just what they are looking for.This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

Feeding Minds through Film

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“In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties.” ~ Henri Frederic Amiel

As predicted, the LunaFest,® on Friday night at the Bud Werner Library, www.steamboatlibrary.org had a fulfilling line-up of short films that were screened. Once I arrived at the film festival, I became aware that the LunaFest® is sponsored by LunaBars® –snack bars that are power-packed with vitamins and minerals that meet the needs of all women, and especially women on the go. “What woman is not on the go,” may I ask? 

Out of the 10 “shorts” that were shown, it is difficult to say which was my favorite. Each film had it’s own merits and an important issue that was brought to the fore. The producers and directors of the films were women from a diversity of countries and cultures. Americans, Brits, Israelis and Canadians were among the mix. The following is a list of films that were screened, and my interpretation of the issue that was highlighted in each film: 

  • The Translator – Communication between men & women.
  • Getting A Grip – Women competing in what is thought to be a man’s world.
  • Touch –  Guardian angels that appear in women’s lives.
  • Tightly Knit – Building community around common interests.
  • Top Spin – Women finding balance in their lives.
  • Thembi’s Diary – Global health issues (this film was artistically creative in how it incorporated textures and patterns with animation).
  • Mother of Many – Women’s health and parenting.
  • Irene – Adult children caring for aging parents.
  • Miracle Lady – Hope, life’s journey, enduring love
  • Love on the Line – Relationships and attraction. 

Each screenwriter, producer and director deserves to be recognized for having created a high-quality film that was chosen to be included in this festival. LunaBars®, a division of Clif Bar and Company http://bit.ly/fCXGKW is to be congratulated for their healthy alternative snack products and for the company’s vision of  raising money for breast cancer, through the power of film. This union between the corporate world and artistic expression, through filmmaking,  is an excellent example of bringing creative, effective marketing to the public and adding value to lives.

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It is a LunaFest Film Friday!

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It is Film Friday! And it is going to be a fulfilling evening for film-lovers in Steamboat Springs, CO. Tonight the Luna Fest® will be at the Bud Werner Library. This film festival will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and the Yampa Valley Breast Cancer Awareness Project/Bust of Steamboat. 

LunaFest® films are short films which highlight women’s issues such as aging, motherhood, women’s health and cultural diversity. The ten short films being shown will range from documentary to animation to fictional drama. Celebrating women, their stories and their talents through the power of film is the mission of the Luna Fest®. 

All of the films are produced by women filmmakers, some of whom are independent filmmakers, and have won industry awards for their ability to start dialogues and bring understanding to the women’s issues that they involve. 

For more information on the event, please visit: www.steamboatlibrary.org 

For more information on how to host a LunaFest® in your community: http://bit.ly/8u4QrA 

To learn more about the fund-raising cause that the LunaFest® will support: http://thebustofsteamboat.org/ 

This film festival, The LunaFest® is a great representation of how the power of film brings education, awareness and important story-telling to communities of people.

We look forward to sharing with you on All Things Fulfilling, more information on our favorite films of the LunaFest® evening, at a later date!

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See you tonight!