I wrote a guest post for JetsetterGypsy about the Pine and Birch Ranch, the location where we stayed for my Biophilia Residency. You can check it out here: http://jetsettergypsy.com/an-autumn-escape-to-the-pine-and-birch-ranch/
Category Archives: Articles
30 Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery
I recently ran across a wonderful post on journalism prompts on Spirituality and Health Magazine the post below was originally written by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S on the Magazine. I think it is a wonderful idea and I’m curious about it and tempted to write one prompt each week.
JetSetter Gypsy Travel Horoscopes
This past July, I signed onto a social media/editorial internship at a travel website/blog called Jetsetter Gypsy for the next six months. August 4th, the first round of travel horoscopes was published. You can check them out here!
£2.2 million Dollar Bed Sold
Tracey Emin is Britain’s most famous living artist. She recently sold her self-portrait for £2.2 million at an art auction in London. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this work… “It’s not art!”, “I can make something like that every morning!”, “That’s disgusting!”, are some of the commentaries of this piece. However, I have a different take on her piece, and I can definitely see it as art – she exposes a hidden side of some people.
Art is supposed to evoke emotion, and this is what makes it different from design – design is specifically arranged elements into a pleasing way. Sometimes painters – depending on the genre – can be seen as designers. The first take I have is that studio artists (“traditional artwork”) inadvertently make art as home decor. That is their goal… for someone to buy it and place it in their home. However, anyone who is truly immersed in the world of art understands a secret of the art world. Emin believes that her work is meant to change people’s perceptions of art. This is exactly what the art world is becoming and it always has been.
As an artist myself, I have seen this with the success of my artwork. Emin’s piece is traditional, but stretches the perceptions of that tradition. I remember taking painting classes in college, arranging objects on a table and painting a still life as a self-portrait for a final project. Emin does the same thing…. except, she doesn’t paint it or arrange it and leaves the objects as they are… it’s an In situ – an artwork that was created on site – a term I learned while studying African art. While, the self-portrait isn’t all that interesting or unique and different, considering that it is from Britain’s famous living artist speaks for itself.
Think about the celebrities in the USA (and all over the world for that matter) – we worship the things that they eat, wear, and own – this self-portrait is not much different – except the purchaser gets to OWN the original items belonging to the celebrity – artist. It’s no different from an estate sale auctioning off items belonging to a famous person that has died.
So, before you start criticizing someone’s work because it doesn’t fit your ‘world view’ try and think differently about it. Think of things that you may have experienced that it could relate to and see how it is different from what you are used to… chances are that the things that are different from what you are used to is exactly what the artwork is supposed to accomplish.
Excellent Career Advice From LinkedIn’s Billionaire Founder Reid Hoffman
Excellent Career Advice From LinkedIn’s Billionaire Founder Reid Hoffman
NESOP Top 10 Prominent Photographers
New England School of Photography (NESOP) recently released it’s Top 10 prominent photographers in the New England Photography industry:
– David Binder, Photojournalist
– Roberto Mighty, Filmmaker and Fine Art Photographer
– Dana Berenson, Owner of StoneCrop Gallery
– Tanya Mathis, Director of Art Buying for Fidelity Communications
– Steve Pugliese, Head of Photography at KARMALOOP.com
– Toan Trinh, Photo Editor of Boston Magazine
– Bob Packert, Owner of PACKERT PHOTOGRAPHY
– Kristin Tieg, Owner of Kristin Teig Photography
– Lynne Damianos, Owner of Damianos Photography
– Paula Tognarelli, Executive Director of Griffin Museum of Photography
This group of people were originally curated to attend the NESOP networking day to observe and critique portfolios of the students at the NESOP. It’s always interesting to see what school thinks are the leading people in your industry in your region. The only photographers of this list that I have been familiar with is Steve Pugliese from Karmaloop and Paula Tognarelli from Griffin Museum of Photography. Karmaloop is a street fashion commerce site that many of the youtubers that I watch are familiar with and the Griffin Museum because I applied to one of their juried competitions last summer (though I didn’t make it).
Artist Receptions and How to Make the Most Out of Them
I have been going to artist receptions for my work for about a year now, and I have learned a lot about putting yourself out there. Networking becomes easy when you see these events as social events but in a business setting and always have a business mind-set entering them. Sometimes people freeze up at the word, “networking” and while I don’t blame them, a bit of a change in perspective helps in these situations. I’m going to share with you what I learned and to get the most out of your artist reception.
1) Thank and Introduce Yourself to the Juror
If the juror happens to attend your reception as well (sometimes they don’t, shame on them!), go ahead and introduce yourself but also remember to thank the juror for selecting your artwork. You’ll make a lasting impression and may lead to something else down the road. It’s always a win for being polite.
2) If you strike up a conversation with a fellow artist or member of the event board don’t forget to give them your information
You have business cards right? In this day and age, it’s so easy to reconnect with someone you meet at an event. Not having networking, social or business cards handy can mean that you may miss a really important opportunity down the road. I don’t always give out my information but if I end up liking the person and/or their work, then I give them my business card.
3) If your reception has a celebrity attending, introduce yourself.
Sometimes major fine art competitions and conferences have celebrities to help attract more patrons. At the my Capitol Hill reception I met our Congressmen and while at the time I didn’t have time to give Joe Kennedy my business card, as I was first in line to be called up for my award, that would’ve been the perfect opportunity. At the Harvard Leadership Conference, I got Jason Love’s attention because I treated him like an individual and not someone who was in the spot light – unlike the other Harvard students.. he happily took my information.
4) If alcohol is served, have a glass or two!
Some of the best receptions that I attended are those when I had a glass of alcohol. The alcohol helped calm the nerves and helped me socialize better with the people around me. Obviously, if you have issues with drinking, than this one can’t be done. But I’ve had some of the best evenings when some alcohol was consumed, it helped me relax and have a good time!
5) Mingle!
Obviously, the most important part of making the most out of your artist reception. Back at a reception for the Boxcar Gallery I met another gallery owner which led to another exhibition later in the winter. The same thing happened this past April when I went to the EcoArts festival in Provincetown, MA. If I hadn’t gotten to know the gallery owner where the Art and Meditation workshop had taken place, I wouldn’t have been invited to another exhibition later in June in Provincetown at the Gallery.
There you have it! These are my five top activities to do at an artist reception. Some receptions will not be a fulfilling and it could depend on weather, location, marketing, etc. So if there aren’t many people, don’t feel sad just make sure you take in the art and take away at least one thing if the reception didn’t live up to your expectations (and sometimes they won’t!).
The Rise of Cult Marketing
I recently watched a video on the story and creation of Scientology performed by its’ creators’ great-grand son, Jamie DeWolf. It gave me an amazing insight on business and marketing and realized that there is a “Rise of Cult Marketing”.
What is Cult Marketing you say? It is a marketing practice where a company develops it’s branding and policies so much so that it starts to imitate a belief system, or culture within its’ consumers. There are many examples of this now-a-days especially with social media. The biggest two I think are Apple consumers versus Microsoft consumers.
In the video DeWolf states, “if you really want to get rich, you start a religion.” In the same breath he says, “if you have facts, all you need is a little faith.” That really woke my mind up. Why? If you think about a large company, say Apple – each company has a certain aura around them. Apple was geared towards the general PC user and wanted to create a user-friendly computer for the average American. However, it’s consumers appear to be more influenced by artists, designers, students, ‘hipsters’ and the average American… Microsoft – while is still used in many homes because the price of PC products are more budget friendly, have consumers who are more into computer programing and electronics.
This practice has gone into cosmetic companies as well, there’s an indie brand called Lime Crime Cosmetics that features bright and high-pay off makeup. The CEO, Doe Deere is notorious for her specific style and visual elements and encourages their fans to follow their styling. I suppose cult marketing is a mixture of style and quality – but the definition of style is usually described as the voice of the artist or designer.
Each artist or designer has their specific style and technique to create their art, and when a company is born and grows, it takes on an image (brand) of it’s own as well – that the artist or designer has created based on the company’s policies and beliefs.
In this day and age of social media, it becomes clear that consumers become followers (or “believers”) of the company’s product and image. If you find a good company or product that you want to invest your money in you become it’s “follower”. Just like in a religion has it’s followers.
If you create a stigma or personality around your product, and believe in it strongly and market it as so and make it convincing, you’ll attract the same type of thinking in your audience/consumers.
Marketing isn’t just about advertising your product and trying to convince your consumer that it’s the best on the market, marketing has become more about creating a following and that following will be your returning customers. It is something that artists who are musicians who are active in the industry have always known – create a following and the rest will follow you.
Business Lessons from Working in a Press Shop
1) The customer doesn’t care how the job is done.
In a fast-paced environment the customer is the boss. In a performance review, my boss told me that while I work for him he works for the customers as the owner of the shop. If the job isn’t done right, the customer will go elsewhere.
Which means that all rules they taught you in school get thrown out the window. Sometimes if the customer is well respected, you do everything it takes to get it done right. Because if you do they’ll return.
&
2) Quality over Quantity.
It’s better to have returning customers ordering in larger quantities than many one-time customers just ordering smaller quantities.
&
3) Quotes Done Right
If a customer requests a quote, this is a good sign. Make sure you gather all the information necessary and include all steps of the process in the quote from the beginning to the end. Make sure you ask if the job is a rush job because additional charges may apply and it will guarantee customer approval if the customer and the shop both understand the deadline and it is reversed, make sure the customer understand that problems do occur and you’ll do your best to get the job done. Request a deadline even if the customer doesn’t have an opinion on one.
&
4) Follow-Up
Don’t be afraid to follow-up. Sure, you may come off as a pushy sales-person but if you don’t, you may never get the project moving forward and then the money won’t come through. If the customer has trouble committing to the project perhaps ask what their budget is. You may know of options to make the project fit their budget – take shortcuts if you need to.
&
5) Time is Money.
The Press shop I worked at allowed 2 weeks for the maximum amount of time for projects to be completed. Most customers wanted their business cards yesterday. Which goes back to the first point of this post; customers don’t care how the job is done. If you have to cut corners to get the job done that is OK. If an employee at the shop screws up the job, the shop will need to find time to redo it.
&
6) Prioritize + Workflow
Look for specific pieces of information on the work ticket. It helps to get certain projects done. At the end of a busy day I looked at my document count from Indesign and had 20 documents created throughout the day. Yes, you’ll be doing many and multiple projects at once. Some people can handle this environment some people can’t. And your plan for the day will be interrupted by your boss, other employees and customers. If your workflow becomes interrupted make a mental note of where you left off so when you return you can get right on track. Have a plan for the day. See what deadline are closest to you, what projects are just given to you, and other projects that may be more important. Write them down – I kept a sketch book of work lists and plans for the day and week. It helped me visualize what needed to be done and I can be sure to mark something off and then move onto the next project.
&
7) Mistakes + Typos will be the death of you
May not necessarily apply to other businesses, but if you work in a press shop, mistakes and typos will be the death of you. It really hurt my position as I wasn’t as quick of a thinker as my boss wanted me to be… but if your shop makes a typo in a name, or piece of information than honor the mistake. Sometimes a discount is offered, most often a complete redo is needed.
&
8) Be polite
If you make a mistake, apologize and tell them that it’ll be resolved as soon as possible. Say your pleases and thank yous. Do not demand information, request items or information. Don’t be afraid of your personality – sometimes customers are sold on your product based on how well you handle their demands. One time working at the Tremont Tearoom, I had to deal with a Groupon fiasco and a friend within the group that came chose me because of my patience and sweetness in dealing with the situation. Stay grounded while dealing with difficult customers. Make note of exactly what went wrong and get help when you need it.
&
9) Don’t get Emotionally Involved
This is one of the hardest lessons to learn and I’m still learning it. It’s especially hard to learn if you are putting your whole heart into your work. Labor of Love isn’t the only thing you should be careful of, anger as well needs to be controlled. If you are getting angry over simple errors or problems in the shop, perhaps it’s time to sit back and look at the bigger picture and see why you are getting angry in the first place. People react differently to anger, a lot of people get anxiety from anger. Maybe hire more people so there will be less work on yourself and the other employees which will result in less mistakes… or if you are putting you’re whole heart into what you’re doing perhaps find another outlet you love to do. Anger directed at the wrong person can result in a law suit. Love expressed in the workplace can get you in trouble as well.
&
10) Know your Boundaries
Be careful who you trust. Be verbal about your boundaries; in the very beginning I told my boss it was OK to call me if extra help is needed but do so in a respectful manner. If you are going through a difficult time perhaps a letter to your boss is necessary. In my case, I did this and I was OK letting him know, but because his wife worked with him he had to show her as well which I was not comfortable with. In the end it created a triangle between me and him and him and her and I think affected the outcome of my position as well. In the end he really appreciated me letting him know, but it created issues in the future. Since jobs change all the time, try to demonstrate some privacy on your part as well. These people are your co-workers, not friends or family even though they may act like it.
Spiritual Relationships
What is a Spiritual Relationship? A spiritual relationship is one where you feel a deep, strong emotional bond to another but there may be distinct physical barriers (age, marriage, another partner, status, position of power, etc) and the emotional relationship exists to teach the other a lesson – whatever that may be.
These relationships are often deep and tend to happen when the other person involved is attached. They are meant to cause a transformation which may be disguised as Love. But it it isn’t love – it has never been about love – although the person in question may feel it. Transformations are about internal changes that shake your world. Transformations cause a paradigm shift in the other – opening their world view and expanding it. And once the person is done transforming – they toss you out – and depending on their personality it could end it heartbreak or if you’re lucky just sadness. Most people cannot handle these deep relationships as it impacts their other partner and it leaves them confused and afraid.
These relationships have plagued my entire life. I am thankful for them as they have made me stronger and have finally come to terms with them. Now, with the next one, I may even fear it – as the loss of the relationship causes me a lot of pain. For awhile, it was something I yearned for in a romantic relationship – to have someone you love and have it returned, but at the same time have a deep spiritual connection – what more could you want from that?! But in my experience these spiritual relationships the other is never available in a romantic sense. And these relationships do not last – usually 6 months tops if it lasts beyond 2 years, than that’s something – but usually means it’s riddled with lessons.
This last spiritual relationship was between me and my boss. Now, I will probably never know what he’ll truly think of his experience with working with me or what he felt – but this past relationship has taught me what second chances felt like. Second chances as a lesson within a spiritual relationship? As I’m sure you can imagine, it was a pretty powerful experience. But being the person with all the power – who had his own issues – it was a relationship where I began to feel powerless. No matter what I could do or say, it wouldn’t fix the situation and I think I know why. He wasn’t learning his lessons within the spiritual relationship that I was teaching him; valuing relationships over money, understanding others who have disadvantages, among other things. Some people cannot handle the deepness of the relationship and often struggle to break it off. A spiritual relationship is a mirror – the other a mirror of oneself – since it is a spiritual lesson, energy is exchanged – it’s a two-way operation. Yes, he wasn’t learning his lessons because I couldn’t seem to change – so I am at fault too, of course. But lesson learning requires both partners to have the courage to develop the relationship and that’s where it failed. One person usually backs out, out of fear because most people are afraid of change and transformation.
In/Finite Earth Exhibition on Hold because Shutdown
Who would’ve thunked that one of your most important exhibitions of your career would be on hold because your government couldn’t cooperate with itself?
“Government is closed, because of the irrationality of what is going on on the other side of the Capitol,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the floor of the Senate Tuesday morning. “They’d rather see the government shut down than do anything to protect the American people from the consequences of Obamacare,” countered Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
With the parts of the federal government officially closed for business today – and no path out of the political gridlock in sight – lawmakers are trying to assign blame for the first government shutdown in 17 years.
President Obama in particular laid the blame on thick in an afternoon news conference where he said a small group of lawmakers were responsible for an ideologically-driven “Republican shutdown.”
“One faction of one party in one house of Congress in one branch of government shut down major parts of the government all because they didn’t like one law,” Mr. Obama said. “This Republican shut down did not have to happen, but I want every American to understand why it did happen. Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to fund the government unless we defunded or dismantled the Affordable Care Act. They’ve shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans. In other words, they demanded ransom just for doing their job.”
The House and Senate spent the better part of Monday and the early hours of Tuesday morning passing back and forth a short-term spending bill with no agreement. Even after midnight, when funding to keep the government open had run out, the House still voted to send the bill back to the Senate. That legislation, in addition to funding the government, also included an amendment to delay the individual mandate in Obamacare for one year and eliminate subsidies for Congressional staffers buying healthcare in the new exchanges. It also appointed eight Republican members to participate in a budget conference with the Senate, something Democrats in the upper chamber had been requesting for months to no avail.
But Reid had already sent the Senate home for the night after vowing that he and his colleagues “will not go to conference with a gun to our head.” When he opened the chamber at 9:30 Tuesday morning, the Senate voted along party lines to strip out the amendments and send it back to the House.
- Government shutdown: What’s the cost?
- Government shutdown begins: Congress fails to agree on spending bill
During the night, lawmakers traded barbs on Twitter using hashtags like #GOPShutdown (the Democrats) and #HarryReidsShutdown (Republicans). This morning – as an expected 800,000 federal workers headed to their offices to officially put their work on hold – the back and forth continued on cable news. Words like “extremists” and “anarchists” have been thrown around (by Democrats).
“What we see happening with this Republican strategy is a willingness to threaten the very foundation of the world’s greatest economic power, the economy that basically stabilizes the entire world economic system, and that is a very risky proposition,” White House Spokesman Jay Carney said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Dems’ “extreme” positions shut down the gov’t, McConnell charges
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a constant thorn in the side of the administration, insisted on CNN’s New Day that the GOP had not shut down the government. “If the Senate at 9:30 this morning opens up and rejects the offer to have a conference, which is an offer to go to compromise, then they’re rejecting the constitutional process,” he said.
Unfortunately for Republicans, early polling on the government shutdown does not favor their strategy. A Quinnipiac University National Poll released Tuesday morning shows that by a margin of 72 percent to 22 percent, American voters oppose a government shutdown over attempts to block the Affordable Care Act. And though voters are divided on the law itself, with 45 percent in favor and 47 percent opposed, 58 percent of those surveyed said they opposed cutting off funding a way to stop it from being implemented.
A CBS News/New York Times poll released last week revealed that Republicans may take more blame for the shutdown: 44 percent of Americans would blame Republicans in Congress more for a shutdown, 35 percent would blame Mr. Obama and congressional Democrats more.
My mid-morning on Tuesday, the path out of the shutdown seemed no clearer than it had been Monday afternoon. Mr. Obama is expected to address the nation at 12:25 p.m., but he seems unlikely to agree to any spending bill that touches the healthcare law.
“I shouldn’t have to offer anything,” Mr. Obama told NPR’s Steve Inskeep in an interview that aired Wednesday morning, after Inskeep asked what he could offer. “They’re not doing me a favor by paying for things that they have already approved for the government to do. That’s part of their basic function of government; that’s not doing me a favor. That’s doing what the American people sent them here to do, carrying out their responsibilities.”
California Seventeen: Introduction – Numerology
[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Inquiry: California Seventeen: Introduction – Numerology” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C500%2C500italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:100%20light%20regular%3A100%3Anormal” el_class=”widget-title”][vc_column_text]Since the Occult teaches that the language of nature is symbolism and the science of symbolism is the law of correspondence, it literally states that everything is interconnected and relates to one another in some way. Something about the fact that during my spiritual retreat I split my time between two cities and the high way number was 17 I found peculiar. 17 reduced (1+7) equals to 8. In some systems 8 is the number of Karma and Fate. However, in Kabbalah, 8 means total control. Regaining control, or independence. In the tarot, the suites of are 8 of cups, 8 of wands, 8 of swords and finally 8 of pentacles. Ironically (or is it?) I experienced every aspect of those energies of those cards. 8.cups: taking a risk, consciously deciding to move on, feeling stuck, etc. 8.wands: Communication, attraction, messages, etc 8.swords: worry, concern, analyzation, etc 8.Pentacles: work, success, co-working, etc. Coincidence? I think not! I was vibrating in the energy of the 8 throughout the trip. 8 also corresponds to the Justice card in the Major Arcana as well – something will be made right, the wrongs will be made right – because I went on that trip.
Some adjectives of the 8 are:
– Strong, independent, confident and determined, goals, organization, career orientated, lone ranger – few friends, a long memory, carry your animosity till death, extremist, either aspire for and get great honor and success or massive failure, prevalent norms and often come into conflict with social or moral values, represents upheavals, revolution, anarchy, waywardness and eccentricities of all kinds While the other side represents philosophical thought, strong learning towards occult Studies, religious devotion, concentration of purpose, relentless zeal for any cause and a fatalistic outlook, may like to live alone because of many sad experiences in marital life or difficulties in finding a suitable partner. (source)
Adjectives of 17 are:
– Insight, responsibility, self-discipline, strength, compassion, spiritual consciousness, wisdom, a desire for peace and love for all of humanity. It is the ability to see beyond to find the hidden truth. It is universal healing, truth and understanding. may travel often, especially in connection with their work. Many who come under these energies have extremely high psychic and clairvoyant abilities. The number 17 is a highly Spiritual number and has been expressed by the Ancient Chaldeans as the 8 Pointed Star of Venus. It is the Star of Love and Peace and promises a 17 Day person the will to rise superior in Spirit to the trials and difficulties of earlier life. (source)
Once studied, it truly amazes me how these small details come into play.
Jump to California Seventeen: Logistics
Return to Series Overview[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sg498_8790gxe”][vc_custom_heading text=”Support the Research” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:25px|text_align:left|color:%2311322a” google_fonts=”font_family:Playfair%20Display%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”New Products” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C500%2C500italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:100%20light%20regular%3A100%3Anormal” el_class=”widget-title”][vc_masonry_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ item=”basicGrid_NoAnimation” grid_id=”vc_gid:1568586466974-e21b3793-480f-0″ taxonomies=”579, 632, 631, 580, 582, 581″][vc_custom_heading text=”Other Posts” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C500%2C500italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:100%20light%20regular%3A100%3Anormal” el_class=”widget-title”][vc_masonry_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ item=”basicGrid_NoAnimation” grid_id=”vc_gid:1568586467016-03ec862e-652e-0″ taxonomies=”132″][/vc_column][/vc_row]