The Quotidian Ones

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The lost days of summer

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo5mIyLVb20 This post is #44 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

Between the hacking, the ungodly heat (with humidity, which is downright baffling out here in the desert), and overwhelm born of dreams you barely dared to dream actually coming true, I lost a day. Or two. Or something.

At least, I lost the outward-facing part of them. Because sometimes, the things you make to put out in the world aren't ready to live there just yet. (Especially when it's 450 degrees in your apartment and your brain has been simmering in its own juices for three days.)

It is my longstanding policy to write about things only when they are useful, and experiences only when I have enough of a handle on them to be at least somewhat illuminating. I have a year-or-so's worth of fumbling, stumbling garbage posts which, I think, prove the wisdom and prudence of adhering to such a policy.

So I "lost" a day. To you. But this day is not really lost. In addition to being, like any day, part of the rich fabric that makes blah blah blah, I also learned a Very Important Lesson about myself which should make things better/stronger/faster moving forward, and which (of course, duh!) I will share just as soon as it's been properly assimilated.

In the meantime, a word about someone else.

I met Michael Bungay Stanier at the World Domination Summit this year. I'd been a fan for a long time—he's a really smart, really funny fellow who shares terrific resources for busting through creative blocks—but I fell for him hard in Portland. Because in addition to being really smart and really funny, he's really, really true-blue. This is something you can maybe fake online, but that you cannot ever fake in person.

Michael is taking a brief break from doing all of his awesome business-type stuff to promote a very special cause: ending malaria. To be precise, he's edited a book full of terrific essays from a variety of other smart, big-hearted people (and written a bang-up one himself), the proceeds of which go to buying mosquito nets to help fight malaria. You've heard of this simple fix before, no doubt; what's kind of sad-making is that this simple fix has not been widely-enough deployed to actually fix malaria. But we soldier on, right?

$20 of each sale goes to the cause. That's the FULL PRICE of the Kindle version, and all but four or so bucks of the print edition. I've read a dozen of the essays so far, and can vouch for the quality. No fluff, no tossed-off nonsense.

And yes, I paid for my copy. Or, as I like to think of it, I bought a mosquito net to protect the girl who might turn out to be the woman who writes an epic poem that makes some warrior decide to lay down his sword, or the woman who finds a cure for malaria, or maybe the woman who becomes the mother of the guy who finds a cure for malaria. (Hey—it could happen. There are some smart guys, too.)

I know that between giving for this and giving for that (not to mention the heat of what's supposed to be fall), we're all burnt crispy. But this is a book that you're buying to help you, too. It's a book full of actual, helpful, actionable tips and tools you can use to start changing your life in ways that will help you to make the world a more awesome place. So if you don't want to buy the kid a mosquito net, buy your selfish self a book. It's all good. They'll take care of the mosquito net anyway.

xxx c

Visit the End Malaria Day website. 

Frrrrriday Rrrrroundup! #67: 50-for-50 edition

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp1uuZUaTfY&w=475&h=297] This post is #40 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

My delightful friend (and 50-for-50 interviewee) Maureen Anderson sent out another flare about our little to-do. Bless her heart, as they say south of the Mason-Dixon! And look for another sure-to-be-groovy radio interview yakfest featuring us, very soon!

Wherein we make the relaunch of the Roving Robin Report. Which we still cannot say three times fast.

What if you got a typewriter but didn't know what to write?

Danielle LaPorte, amazing supporter of women and girls and dreams that she is, pulls out all the stops in support of 50-for-50 and WriteGirl. GET IN ON THIS CALL. I did!

50-for-50 gets a sweet plug just above a sweet cake in my friend Beth Goldfarb's excellent newsletter.

A wonderful essay about the importance of writing over the course of a lifetime.

Another lovely post about WriteGirl's model and 50-for-50 from a mother and biology teacher.

Anna Rascout-Paz takes the baton from Naomi Dunford speaking out against terrorizing women and for empowering girls.

My friend Kate takes some time out of her new-mom schedule to plug 50-for-50.

Patti Digh does a good round-up. She generously included the 50-for-50 interview with Amy McCracken in this one. (Then again, what an interview!)

Building on the "you cannot focus on two things at once" advice put forth by David Robinson in his conversation with colleague Patti Digh.

Yet another wonderful, big-hearted artist has been inspired by WriteGirl to give to the 50-for-50 Project. For every piece of art you buy through the morning of 9/13/11, Jill Lena Ford will donate half the money to 50-for-50 for WriteGirl.

Big love from the GeekMom, who not only gives 50-for-50 a shoutout, but yours truly thanks for creating a non-boring campaign. Aw...the pleasure was mine!

More nerd-mom love for WriteGirl from CecilyK in the MomCrunch column at Babble.

Lisa Baldwin comes with a great idea: pool resources to buy a writing community WriteGirl poem.

Did you post about 50-for-50 and did I miss it? I would not be surprised, the days pass by in a hazy blur of frenzied activity, internet-related and otherwise. Please do let me know! I would love to highlight it here!

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Sisters are doin' it for themselves

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odyd-jrlCCA&w=475&h=297] This post is #36 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

Not to dismiss the efforts of my writerly gentlemen friends, but yes, I think it's important to especially promote the writing of women and girls, as well as the tools and practices that get them writing. Anyone who has been a girl who is in class with boys (or, sadly, a woman who is in meetings with men) has at some point experienced the horrible feeling of turning invisible. The more girls (and, subsequently, women) learn to trust in the truth of their own voice and perspective, the more they feel the strength make themselves heard, not fucked with or over.

And so, WriteGirl. And so, Rock Camp for Girls, WriteGirls more musical sister.

And so, The World-Changing Writing Workshop, which is open to men, certainly, but was created by two very special freaky and awesome ladies for the benefit of people who might not feel the courage to be heard without the right encouragement. As I've mentioned earlier, all of my proceeds will go towards 50-for-50 for the rest of the campaign, and half of Pace & Kyeli's, through today. (You can also get a pretty sweet deal on it through today. Just sayin'.)

We grow up believing in what we see, and we see what the people who came just before us created. I'm sorry to have created so many distressing images for girls and women via my participation in the advertising-industrial complex, and am working hard now to empower this next generation to grow up smarter and stronger than I by creating a better environment for them to soak in. I agree that the Internet has opened up vast opportunities for women and girls; yes, there are still wretched, unhappy creeps who single out women for attack, but we will not be silenced. We will write and we will talk and we will fight. We will not stand down, we will create and share and spread the tales of adventures and derring-do to nourish the next generation.

And you can take that shit to the bank.

xxx c

Frrrrriday Rrrrroundup! #66: 50-for-50 edition

This post is #33 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

Marion Agnew posted this absolutely gorgeous piece about the need to turn art outwards, and how the 50-for-50 Project fits into that scheme. Of all of the posts written so far, probably the piece that best expresses why I was moved to go for it with 50-for-50.

I love it when the Industry people join in on the action. Amanda, a former agency type who hails from the East Coast but has settled in with us crazies out here, gives a lovely plug for 50-for-50.

If you have not yet beheld the six-handed awesomeness of 3x3x365, Thursday's post, which includes a loving token from Amy McCracken, is a really good reason to start. (But please, do NOT miss Wednesday's pig brains.)

Nissa Sompels, a pipsqueak of not even 30 years, contributes to 50-for-50, then muses on what birthdays might best be used for.

In other news, we made the Friday Chicken! And as an example of the very best kind of good stuff!

Did you post about 50-for-50 and did I miss it? I would not be surprised, the days pass by in a hazy blur of frenzied activity, internet-related and otherwise. Please do let me know! I would love to highlight it here!

Notes from The Dip [50-for-50 video]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEYoQhTfCZc&w=475&h=297] This post is #31 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

FOR THEM OF YOU WHAT HATES WATCHING THE VIDEOS:

I have been feeling a little bit down these past couple of days because we are in the Dip.

Which means I am in the Dip.

And DAMN, you can read or think or talk all you want to about the Dip, but being in the Dip is an entirely different matter.

So from the depths of the Dip, an email came from my friend, Jennifer Lehr. She's one of the amazing women writers who did an interview for this project, and she's been hugely helpful behind the scenes as well. Plus, she gave actual cash. Which is very much appreciated.

Anyway, Jennifer made a very good suggestion, which boiled down to DO SOMETHING. She said it much more nicely and she gave specific suggestions (both of which are hugely helpful) but basically, she's right: if you are stuck, DO SOMETHING. Something you haven't done before. Something to move yourself out of where you are. And hey, while you're at it, maybe show a little gratitude, because there is never a time when that is a bad thing.

So I made a video, and we'll see, but I'm going to keep making them. Maybe not every day, but as much as I can. Although maybe every day. Maybe I'll get better at them if I make them every day, and I'll grow to enjoy it, and people who like video better than they do reading (freaks! all of you!) will have something nice by way of a "thanks."

One of Jennifer's suggestions was to share some of the terrific emails and comments I've been getting since this thing began. So today, just randomly, I picked a nice one from Clara Boza:

As a writer, reader and all-around word nerd since B.B. (before birth), I can only dream of what an organization like WriteGirl might have meant to me as a shy teen girl with few role models for pursuing my dreams. WriteGirl rocks!

Because that's the essence of my reason for doing this: I wish I'd had a WriteGirl. And from the comments and feedback I'm getting, and the things I see on Twitter and Facebook, along with the things I hear from the WriteGirl women volunteers, I'm not alone. Girls need this. Probably more than boys. Everyone needs support, but it's just incredibly tough on girls growing up in this culture. So many weird, confusing messages get thrown at them from every angle, and too often the most important thing gets lost.

Which is that how you look on the outside is not nearly as important as how you develop what's inside.

I want these girls to hear that LOUD and CLEAR.

I want them to hear it over the advertising and the magazines and the reality TV crap and everything else that shouts at them 24/7.

Thank you for your support! Keep on trucking! Never, never, never give up! And all the rest of it.

I love you all!

xxx c

Art for writing's sake

"Surrogate Mothers Nest," a painting by Geoff Barnes This post is #30 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

The same grandparents who instilled in me a love of reading and writing also gifted me with my deep and abiding love of real, honest-to-god art.

Not posters or reproductions (not that there's anything wrong with that), but art: Paintings. Statuary. Sculptures. Bas-reliefs. Lithographs, woodcuts, silkscreens. Mobiles.

I spent a good part of most weekends during my childhood with Gram & Gramps, reading or writing or making art, and hearing the stories behind the many, many, MANY paintings and sculptures thoughtfully arranged throughout their beautiful apartment on the Near North side. You grow up with an ear for words and music or a eye for color and shape by being immersed in the stuff, and I was: living with art made me an artist, albeit one more facile with words than music, color, or shape.

There's an energy that artist-made art is imbued with. We get a hint of an echo of it in dead-tree books, which is why it's so hard for those of us who grew up loving them to let go of them entirely. But fine art vibrates with the energy of the artist, the energy that flowed through the artist and into the medium. The paint, the metal, the stone, the wood. My grandparents had art of all kinds surrounding them at all times, all their lives. Their very first painting (which I own) they bought on their honeymoon, in 1928. The mat and even the matboard have yellowed, but the painting itself, of a village street somewhere in the tropics, looks like it could have been painted yesterday. It is timeless. It is a wormhole through time, connecting me to my grandparents, to that island (which they most decidedly did not visit for their honeymoon), to the artist, to a sun that shone on an Earth that is my Earth and not my Earth, on people who are like me and not me.

My grandparents had paintings like they had books: everywhere. The kitchen, the bedrooms, the hallways, the bathroom, not just the living room. (Their personal photographs, on the other hand, actually were personal, tucked away in discreet leather frames on the dresser, or on a corner of the desktop. Or, you know, with a magnet to the fridge, just like everyone else in the known air-cooled universe.)

Which is how I have my artwork, everywhere, just like my books. Above my desk, in my hall, in my bathroom, in my kitchen. By my front door, where they're the last things I see when I leave. In my bedroom, where they're the first things I see when I awake.

Art makes my writing possible, inspiring me out loud when I can't have music on, putting into two- and three-dimensional form what floats around in my head.

Which is why I was particularly delighted when a fellow writer, Geoff Barnes, outed himself to me as a fine artist, and offered to contribute to the 50-for-50 Project not only his dollars (which he'd already done, and generously, thank you, Geoff!), but his artwork. Or, to be precise, his original, custom, one-of-a-kind-made-for-a-supporter-of-50-for-50 artwork.

That's right: the winning bidder of this newest auction will become the owner of a one-of-a-kind, custom, original painting by the one and only Geoff Barnes (aka @texburgher).

You can see one sample of Geoff's delightful work above. You can see a number more in this Flickr gallery. And you can (and should) most definitely hear Geoff talk about them in this video. He's charming and self-effacing and all the things one should be in general in life, and specifically on video.

Now, come on: what better holiday gift can you imagine than painting created on behalf of a good cause by a writer/artist/father-of-three? "Pony" doesn't even come close.

xxx c

Frrrrriday Rrrrroundup! #65: 50-for-50 edition

three people and a ridiculous button This post is #26 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

My friend Heather Parlato graciously wrote up the backstory to the beautifully bucolic desktop wallpaper she designed.

On her own birthday, Patti Digh asked for her present to be people's gifts to my birthday project. She did it so eloquently, it's a gift in and of itself. Happy 52nd, Patti. And I'm right behind you.

John Gruber wrote what is pretty much the perfect "ask" on his insanely popular blog. And his readers replied with their dollars. In droves.

Claudia Snowden, Chief Elderblogger at Fried Okra Productions, wrote a positively wonderbubbly post on exactly what you should do to support 50-for-50. She also introduced me to the term "wonderbubbly." All-around awesome.

After already agreeing to do an interview and create a desktop wallpaper, my good buddy Alissa Walker wove it all together with a beautiful piece of her own. And then bought a ticket to the head-shaving. No wonder I love her so.

In a completely unrelated event, I was quoted in the LA Times! Unfortunately, the adorable photo of me posing atop my desk is only available in the section view. You'll have to trust me, it was adorable!

And finally, thanks to Donna Barger, crafter supreme, there are now BUTTONS (see above). Five bucks a pop, all to a good cause. You'll have to hit me up in person if you want just one. But I will mail them to you with a minimum order of four. (C'mon. Buy a button for the baby!)

We're at just under $29,000 as I write this. Pitch in if you can, this next $11 grand is gonna be the hardest, but then it's BALD, BABY, BALD!

What's up & what's gone down :: August 2011

the author with and without hair A mostly monthly but certainly occasional round-up of what I've been up to and what's in the hopper. For full credits and details, see this entry. It is #24 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

Colleen of the future (stuff I'll be doing)

  • August L.A. Biznik Mixer at Jerry's Famous [Los Angeles; Wednesday, August 17, TODAY]  Fun, free, low-key networking plus great tips, tricks and ideas from your fellow indie-biz folk, which of course includes me. Duh. My co-host again this month is South Bay illustrator Donna Barger. Rumor has it there will be buttons available to support a certain cause. And that they are effing awesome. Join up here (free membership, which is nice), then sign up here. And come say goodbye to my hair!
  • My 50th Birthday Party/Head-Shaving :: We're over halfway to our $50,000 goal at just under halfway through the campaign. I do believe I will be bald on September 14, but first, there will be much making of merry at a party on my actual birthday, here at a swank private residence in L.A., on September 13. $50 gets you in for the show (and there will be a show!), food, and bevvies!

Colleen of the Past (what I have done for you lately)

  • Interviews! Lots of them! :: To support the cause, I've solicited interviews with 50 terrific, inspiring women writers. Seriously, tons of good reading, plus tips on more good reading. (What? Of course I asked? Get 50 fab ladywriters together and not ask for their best resources? Are you kidding me?)
  • ASMP's Strictly Business Blog :: Two new pieces up, on my own favorite resources and some of the ways I bust through creative block. Besides signing on to do a 50-day marathon, I mean.

Colleen of the Present (stuff I do, rain or shine)

  • communicatrix | focuses :: My monthly newsletter devoted to the ways and means of becoming a better clearer communicator (plus a few special treats I post nowhere else). This month: How to talk FAST (or, pulling a talk for 500 people out of your ass the night before). Free!
  • Act Smart! is my monthly column about marketing for LA Casting. Nominally for actors, there's a ton of good info in there for any creative business person. Browse the archives, here.
  • Internet flotsam :: If you suffer from a surfeit of time, you can always look for me on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, StumbleUpon and delicious. Oh, and that Google+ all the nerds are yakking about. But not much yet. Only so many hours in a day.

xxx c

Photo (with hair) by Shawn G. Henry; Photoshopping (without hair) by Donna Barger.

Writers helping writers helping writers

world-changing writing workshop

This post is #22 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

Nobody gets there alone.

Every single woman who has participated in an interview for the 50-for-50 Project has stressed the importance of the teachers and counselors and mentors who helped them along the way.

Every single woman who writes today stands on the backs of the women who fought for the rights of girls to learn to read and write alongside of boys.

And, hey, if you want to get technical, every single human alive is here because some woman said, "Okay, fine, I'll host you."

WriteGirl alumnae, 100% of them, have gone on to college because someone said "Hey, let me help you apply/find grants/study your ass off", and because a whole lot of someones said, "Hey, I believe in you, AND HERE'S MY CHECK."

That's what it takes to get people from one place to another: time AND commitment AND money. There's only upside to providing these things: they move forward and you cannot help but be moved by it, too. It is the world's greatest high, and I have extensive experience in the getting-high department.

But it's also nice to get something tangible for your giving. It's why I sweated those crazy perks so much; it's also why I'm so intensely grateful to all of the people who are contributing get-able items to this massive, fundraising machine.

The designers and their wallpapers. The musicians and their MP3s. Smile's generous donation of TextExpander licenses, Coudal Partners' equally generous donation of Field Notes. And, as we like to say on late-night TV, more: Bee Franck's stellar subversive cross-stitchery; the Mule Design team and the special run of the "Old." shirts.

I'm especially thrilled about today's announcement because it comes from two of my favorite ladies who work their butts off to help people get better at the kind of writing that they hope will change the world, Pace & Kyeli of the World-Changing Writing Workshop. I taught a "pod" of the first year's class and this year, I created and contributed a bonus module, gratis, because that's what you do when you believe in something: you GIVE.

From today, Monday August 15 through Thursday, August 25, Pace & Kyeli will donate 50% of the profits from the home sale version of this year's World-Changing Writing Workshop to the 50-for-50 Project benefitting WriteGirl.

Additionally, because I am addicted to giving (see above) and also because I am one competitive motherf*cker, I will donate 100% of my affiliate fees for the duration of the 50-for-50 Project* as well. Which will probably be all of them, period, because I while I believe in the power of world-changing writing, I think I serve the world better by doing it, not promoting it, and any ding-dong noob knows you don't actually make passive monies by being passive.

Oh, and did I mention that Pace & Kyeli back it all up with a money-back guarantee? Because they do. If you're not satisfied, you get your dough back. Period.

If you've been on the fence about WCWW, I hope this entices you into taking the plunge. What we're doing with the 50-for-50 Project is amazing already, but with the extra juju of writing supporting writing supporting writing behind it, I think it will be even more so.

xxx
c

P.S. And yes, this is the same Pace & Kyeli that sing backup on "The Dirty Keywords Search Song," that infamous, egregiously NSFW tune that's included in the $5 song pack. It's like they sit around their house in Austin, thinking up ways to help me part you from your money on behalf of young girls who yearn to make something of themselves and the world through writing. So hey, even if the WCWW ain't your thing, pony up for a song pack. Just five bucks! For the children...

Details of the 50% for the WCWW2 Home Study/50-for-50 promotion:

  • What? 50% of ALL WCWW2 home study profits will be contributed to The 50-for-50 Project benefitting WriteGirl
  • Why? Because Pace & Kyeli believe that girls who can write will change the world!
  • When? 8/15 - 8/25 ONLY
  • How much? $297 (plus an additional $99 if you opt to get WCWW1, too)
  • Anything else? YES. When you buy via this promotion, you'll get a free preorder for Kyeli's upcoming ebook, a writing guide for brand-new writers, which will be $37 when it goes on sale.

*We'll pick a cutoff date of 9/9 for my part of the deal, just to make Pace's life easier. Math, you know.

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Frrrrriday Rrrrroundup! #64: 50-for-50 edition

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photograph by claire on zazzle This post is #19 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

A beautiful tribute to WriteGirl and 50-for-50 from Jenn Forgie, who muses on what might have been had we all been exposed to this kind of mentoring as girls.

My friend Dave Seah did a detailed and fascinating deconstruction of his process in designing a desktop wallpaper for the 50-for-50 Project.

For the next month, longtime reader Claire is donating 50% of the sales from her Rocklawn Arts Shop to benefit the 50-for-50 Project for WriteGirl.

Thanks to strong support from everyone, almost $25,000 less than halfway through our campaign, we were the cover kids for this month's issue of IndieGoGo's monthly newsletter.

Finally, as of this writing, over 120 people have joined the 50-for-50 Project on Facebook, many of whom I've never even met before. I thank each and every one of you for this, and for everything else you're doing both out loud and behind the scenes, in support of this effort for WriteGirl. It is overwhelming in the most joyous kind of way; rest assured that some 20 days into this craziness, I still open my email or visit Twitter or read some comment at least once a day and burst into tears.

People are really, really good.

xxx c

Image by Claire. To purchase it and many other wonderful images as stickers, greeting cards, and other nifty pieces of merch in support of WriteGirl, please visit her Rocklawn Arts Zazzle shop.

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The writer's motto

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digital rendering of the author's motto This post is #15 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

Joy is all well and good in its way, but there are plenty of days when life is just a piece of shit.

The client rejects your proposal. The hard drive crashes. The post you worked on for days languishes unnoticed.

The check bounces, the sentences won't come together, the dog rips out the neighbor's flower bed. The letter comes back unopened. The mammogram comes back with a shadow. The migraine comes back, period.

Or, you know, the bottom drops out of the economy. Again.

Here's the deal, as I see it: we are here to live our damned lives until we are not, with no idea of when "not" is coming. The bus that is 20 minutes late to get you to a job interview could be fifty years early for the cyclist who swerves to avoid hitting a pedestrian and ends up suddenly ending. So it is incumbent upon us to really and truly LIVE those damned days, every last one of them, even the shit ones.

This can be a tough slog. Some days, resignation is all I can muster. But most days, I choose also to laugh at something, even if I'm the only thing handy. I choose to let things be messy and imperfect. (HIGHLY reluctantly, but whatever.) I choose to surround myself with things that comfort and soothe and amuse and bolster.

You have to have a calendar; why not have one by an amazing artist, or three, for that matter, so that whenever you look up to find a date, you're reminded of the beauty in the world?

You have to have walls; why not have art hanging there that inspires you?

You have to have a motto, well, actually, you don't. But if you were casting about for a good one, and you had a slightly black and perverse sense of humor, you could do worse than "Push the cocksucking boulder up the motherfucking hill." It's catchy. It works in march-like, 2/4 time. It has swears.

Which is why, when I approached the legendary Bee Franck to ask whether she would kindly contribute a desktop wallpaper to the 50-for-50 Project to benefit WriteGirl, I suggested she illustrate this sturdy and useful motto. And I guess it must have resonated with her, because immediately, she offered not only to do that, but:

  1. to create a cross-stitch pattern for the crafters (see illustration at the top of this post)
  2. to stitch one up herself with her own two hands
  3. to donate it, framed and shipped, to the cause!
Bee finished it this weekend and now one lucky bidder can be the owner of this magnificent work of inspirational art:

framed original cross-stitch by bee franck

So. Let's recap. Need some personal bolstering in a world falling to pieces? You can...

(And of course, you can sing along with the song anytime you want for FREE!)

Remember, as bad as the world you're dealing with is right now, the one we're handing off to the next generation is probably going to be worse. Just sayin'! WriteGirl is helping turn amazing high school girls into the strong, confident, awesome women leaders we're all going to need tomorrow. Give what you can to help them and we'll all be better off for it.

Excelsior!

xxx c

Frrrrriday Rrrrroundup! #63: 50-for-50 edition

old. This post is #12 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

All of this week's entries in the Frrrrriday Rrrrround-up were written in response to and support of the 50-for-50 project. I thank you, fellow writers!

I ain't gonna bury the lede: we made it onto Oprah(.com)!

Some fellow would-be-do-gooders found our 50-for-50 campaign while trolling the web on behalf of their own fundraising project. So what did they do? They promoted ours, on their blog! Talk about good fellowship!

A lovely supporter and contributor, Jamie Wallace, aka @suddenlyjamie to you 140-and-under folk, wrote a beautiful piece about the campaign, including a brief lament that there was no WriteGirl back when we were coming up. What might have been, indeed. #Amen, @suddenlyjamie!

Oh, I can't remember when the tshirts went live, but the tshirts went live. All you people who are all the time bugging me about where I got the "Old." shirt, buy now, or forever hold your peace. Seriously, do you want to be the only person at the 1-year reunion not wearing a shirt?

Last but most definitely not least, I had a rollicking good time talking to Tea Silvestre, the Word Chef, on her bloggy-radio show. She asked all the good questions to draw useful stuff out of me, then wrote it up neatly, in bullet points. Oh, I do love the bullet points (judiciously used, of course). You can read the summary of the convo and/or listen to it yourself, all right here.

Photo by Brenton Fletcher used under a Creative Commons license.

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Frrrrriday Rrrrroundup! #62: 50-for-50 edition

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q6XecpOje0&w=476&h=301] This post is #5 in a series of 50 dedicated to the art and life of writing, in support of the 50 for 50 Project to benefit WriteGirl. If you like it, or if you think it could have been improved by a better writing education for its author, please give generously. And pass it on.

All of this week's entries in the Frrrrriday Rrrrround-up were written in response to and support of the 50-for-50 project. I thank you, fellow writers!

Delia Lloyd reflects on how middle age seems to bring with it the joys of discovering philanthropy. I couldn't agree more.

Daniel Shannon weighs in with a lovely tribute to the two women teachers who made them the (glorious) writer he is today.

Jodi Womack extracts early lessons from the project that hadn't yet occurred to me. She's good like that, is Jodi.

A writer/marketer who also happens to be a mom goes into the importance of teaching all children a love of writing.

Finally, the adorable Alice Bradley writes way too many nice things about me and the project.

And in case you didn't know, we have interviews up on the 50-for-50 blog with the first five of my favorite inspirational women-who-write:

They're lively and wonderful interviews, thanks in no small part to my friend Marilyn Maciel who basically came up with the interview questions after I begged her. But I did beg politely!

Please, please, tell your friends, pass along useful information, use what you will, and most importantly, give what you can.

xxx c

Video largely by the unstoppable team of Heather Stobo & Lisa Casoni.

Music is "St. Louis Tickle," by The Heftone Banjo Orchestra, Brian Heffernan, Director

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Let it be wild. Let it be weeds.

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waiting to exhale

Oh honey, you don't need anything tidy - that's for dang sure. Let it be wild. Let it be weeds. Time to paste some tears to the bathroom floor. and Time to burn some stuff. Make some ashes and roll in them.

, "Let it be Weeds," by akka b.

For my 13th birthday, I asked for, and received, one of my favorite gifts ever: a canary-yellow, two-drawer, metal filing cabinet.

I am a lady who likes order. Control, some might say. (They'd be right.)

But you cannot control everything. I may take stabs at doing so, I may play at it, but if there are two things I learned during my bloody epiphany, they are that (1) no one can control anything, and (2) this is a good thing, as generally, human beings do not dream big enough.

This bit of wisdom, received within hours of my 41st birthday, was almost as good as the filing cabinet.

Almost.

* * * * *

I spent most of last week alternately hiding and putting myself front-and-center. And of course, most of what I was hiding from was having to put myself front-and-center.

It is not so much that I dislike being front-and-center as it is that I quake at the thought of doing it imperfectly. Which, well, you know.

But now it is time, or almost time, to announce that Big Scary Thing I've only alluded to up until now. It will mean putting myself front-and-center, nay, hanging my ass out in the breeze, as I have never done before. It will mean committing to a degree of work that's daunting even to someone who enjoys work. It will definitely mean doing things a whole lot less than perfectly, and ceding wide swaths of control.

It will also mean asking for help, far, far more than I've asked for already. Which is where (hopefully) you come in.

* * * * *

On September 13, 2011, I will be 50 years old. To mark the occasion, I am planning rather a Big Thing. Not a party, exactly, nor a trip, and certainly not a present in the traditional sense. For now, best to leave it at "Big Thing." Or, as I've already said, a "Big Scary Thing." A thing so big, I cannot get my arms around it.

Will it be a fun thing? I think so! Fun and scary are not mutually exclusive, and if you don't believe that, you haven't fallen in love lately. Or ridden in the front seat of the front car on Space Mountain. Or spoken before a crowd, or asked to pet a passerby's dog (did you know that sometimes they say "no!"?), or put it all on black.

So. If you'd like to get in on this probably fun (for everyone), definitely scary (for me) thing before I announce it to the world, sign up here. I could use the moral support, if nothing else, and really, I'm not asking for anything yet. The only thing I'm asking for now is that you not divulge anything before it goes live. In two weeks from today.

Two weeks. From today.

I think I just made myself sick.

xxx c

Image by Andrew Currie via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

What's up & what's gone down :: June 2011

colleen wainwright A mostly monthly but certainly occasional round-up of what I've been up to and what's in the hopper. For full credits and details, see this entry.

Colleen of the future (stuff I'll be doing)

  • June L.A. Biznik Mixer at Jerry's Famous [Los Angeles; Wednesday, June 22]  Fun, free, low-key networking plus great tips, tricks and ideas from your fellow indie-biz folk, which of course includes me. Duh. All that, and Happy Hour specials, too. My co-host this month, photographer/creative director Josh Ross, may or may not be taking excellent shots of the whole affair. Join up here (free membership, which is nice), then sign up here.

Colleen of the Past (what I have done for you lately)

  • World Domination Summit [Portland, OR; June 3-5] This fantastic conference put on by my friend Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity and his crack team of dedicated volunteers exceeded even my loftiest expectations. (Bollywood dance lesson! Group crying! Free, Oprah-style fortunes taped to the bottom of our chairs!) There are photos available to view on Flickr (and my June newsletter shares one lesson learned). There will also be a documentary assembled eventually. What can I say? Get on the list for 2012; I've already bought my ticket.
  • ASMP's Strictly Business Blog I'm an occasional contributor now, because dammit, I just can't talk enough about marketing. This post covers the use of personal work in portfolios, written for photogs, but applicable to any artist whose life and work overlap.
  • The Suitcase Entrepreneur Podcast The already-high-spirited Natalie Sisson got rip-roaring drunk on cider and asked me my thoughts on how to build your audience as a blogger. And she did it all from a café somewhere in the world with really spotty wifi. God bless the internets!
  • World-Changing Writing Workshop 2011 My special poetry feature bonus thingy gets released later this week. If you're a member of this year's WCWW class, please be sure to join the forum dedicated to my bonus feature. It's the place, and the only place, where I'll be discussing aspects of the pieces, and answering questions.

Colleen of the Present (stuff I do, rain or shine)

  • communicatrix | focuses :: My monthly newsletter devoted to the ways and means of becoming a better clearer communicator (plus a few special treats I post nowhere else). This month: How to talk FAST (or, pulling a talk for 500 people out of your ass the night before). Free!
  • Act Smart! is my monthly column about marketing for LA Casting. Nominally for actors, there's a ton of good info in there for any creative business person. Browse the archives, here.
  • Internet flotsam :: If you suffer from a surfeit of time, you can always look for me on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, StumbleUpon and delicious.

xxx c

Image by Armosa Studios via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

C*cksucking boulder update for Wednesday, May 11

photo of Colleen Wainwright by Shawn G. Henry After a banner week that for some reason came to a screeching halt at the stroke of midnight on Monday, I bow to no man and no calendar, I spent yesterday doing the digital equivalent of wrassling alligators.

Emails that were supposed to go out but didn't. On multiple fronts.

Cell phone outages, Skype SNAFUs and a very exciting full-on cable outage.

Even my chicken wouldn't poach properly, for crying out loud.

Which means there's no cheery video today (although there's a growing catalog you can amuse yourself with).

The spectacular nature of my week was not public-facing enough to share in a fresh forward/backward post (although last week's is still fairly fresh, and has details on an event happening tonight, if you're L.A.-local).

There will not be a poem tomorrow, although BOY HOWDY, if you decide to take Pace & Kyeli's World-Changing Writing Workshop, there is a doozy of a poem by me in there, plus a doozy of a deconstruction.1 You know, in case you're interested in how a completely non-poetry-writing person becomes someone with dozens upon dozens of not-half-bad "poems" that people seem to enjoy reading. (Free hint for you non-poetry-writers: do not even think of the word "poem" without quotes around it.)

So I thought I would share two things:

First, the AMAZINGLY AWESOME shot that Shawn Henry took of me at SB3 Chicago. He is a genius photographer and super-nice and has totally cute legs (he's got this thing about wearing shorts, which I would, too, if I had legs like that). If you're in or around San Diego, you should hire him. I mean, look at that shot! I look fantastic, and still like myself!2

And second, my newsletter. It is also AMAZINGLY AWESOME. Well, most of the time. This month's is especially good, I think. Or maybe it's just especially long. But it occurs to me that since I took down the newsletter signup link from the front page and anywhere else it might be easy to find, you may not have found it, so how would you know whether it's good or bad or even if it is at all?

If you're looking for stuff of a more explicitly useful nature, how to market yourself, how to improve your writing, how to not want to stab your eyes out when you go on Twitter or Facebook, that's the place. One highly useful article plus three "treats", once per month. I get more good feedback on my newsletter than anything else I make. Someday, I might even share it with you, like I do those crazy rotating kudos on the website.

Until then, trust me, and sign up for it. You'll get the latest issue, and every issue after that until you unsubscribe, which you can do at any time.

Thanks, and feel free to leave kind and loving notes to me in the comments, or just raves for Shawn's work.

I mean, really, look at that!

xxx c

1Oh, and that's an affiliate link, by the way. Because damn straight, I'm gonna make bank on that "poetry." Plus Pace is kind enough to go through great machinations so that I am an affiliate solely for the WCWW among all of their other stuff. It's a long story I'll get into at some point when I'm ready to reel off my affiliate-linking policy. Until then, just trust me: I do not recommend anything I wouldn't buy myself, and if you're looking for some sound schooling on how to become a better writer at a really reasonable price, I think you should buy this.

2Because you are my pals, I will also share with you my favorite-favorite shot from the group. I mean, come on, does that not make you laugh out loud? We are an unstoppable combo, Shawn Henry and I!

Photo © 2011 Shawn G. Henry

What's up & what's gone down :: May 2011

the author kissing a fave client on the cheek

A mostly monthly but certainly occasional round-up of what I've been up to and what's in the hopper. For full credits and details, see this entry.

Colleen of the future (stuff I'll be doing)

  • World-Changing Writing Workshop 2011 [Registration opens May 9] It takes people like Pace & Kyeli to get me more excited about making an entirely new thing and giving it away for nothing than I did teaching a paid class. But that's how they are. Bastards. And kids, for as good as last year's WCWW was, and it was an astounding value for your dollar, this year's is going to wipe the floor with last year's. What did I conjure up for this year's lucky participants? Poetry, baby, sheer poetry. (Okay, and a deconstruction of how I do it, and how you can, too. It's a class, right?) Check it out, get on the mailing list, blah blah blah.
  • May L.A. Biznik Mixer at Jerry's Famous [Los Angeles; Wednesday, May 11]  Fun, free, low-key networking plus great tips, tricks and ideas from your fellow indie-biz folk, which of course includes me. Duh. All that, and Happy Hour specials, too. Join up here (free membership, which is nice), then sign up here.
  • World Domination Summit [Portland, OR; June 3-5] Alas, the WDS has been sold out for months, but I have a hunch that many of us who got golden tickets will be prowling around PDX outside the cozy confines of the venue. If you're in town that weekend, follow it on the Twitters or what have you. Extracurricular meetups FTW!

Colleen of the Past (what I have done for you lately)

I cannot shut up about the life-changing experience I had at Strictly Business 3, the conference series produced by the American Society for Media Photographers (ASMP). I came to keynote; I left with 600 new best friends and an upended perspective on how to look at meeting people. It's over now, but the awesomeness keeps on rolling:

  • I wrote about my breakthrough "A-ha!" moment for Strictly Business, the ASMP blog in an uncharacteristically brief essay called "Avoiding the Curse of Familiarity." How I lived this long without ever hearing that phrase is mystery enough, but the real shock is that it took me this long to get why you must get out and meet people.
  • Jill Waterman interviewed me on marketing in the postmodern creative landscape for the Spring issue of the ASMP Bulletin. You can't buy it on newsstands (or at least, I don't think you can), but you can read the even more excellent version, or the lengthier one, anyway, for free on their website. It's slanted towards photography, but I talk about all kinds of stuff of use to the creative person in today's nutty world: what makes one person get the job over another, equally-qualified person; why "awesome" is the new normal, and how you can be more so; ways the focally-challenged person can get her act together and much, much more. (I'm telling you, it is looooong.) (But Jill did a kickass job, so it's also good.)
  • Speaking of kickass, one of my 600 new best friends wrote something so nice about me it made me cry. Thank you, Ellen Boughn. May we gather together to eat extra-crispy bacon again very soon.

Oh, okay, one non-ASMP-related thing, which was also totally awesome:

  • Maureen Anderson has become one of my fave people I've never actually met. We have such a good time yakking, she's made me a semi-regular guest on her terrific Career Clinic radio show. Last month, we spent the better part of an hour talking about how to talk about yourself. Stuff like: do emails have to be short to be good? What makes a good subject line? Why do people hate your sales pitch? Is there a secret to "working the room"? We also get into things you might find interesting if you wonder how coaching works, and specifically, how coaching works with me. Good stuff up in there! Go get you some!

Colleen of the Present (stuff I do, rain or shine)

  • communicatrix | focuses :: My monthly newsletter devoted to the ways and means of becoming a better clearer communicator (plus a few special treats I post nowhere else). Free! (archives & sign-up)
  • Act Smart! is my monthly column about marketing for LA Casting. Nominally for actors, there's a ton of good info in there for any creative business person. Browse the archives, here.
  • Internet flotsam :: If you suffer from a surfeit of time, you can always look for me on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, StumbleUpon and delicious.

xxx c

Photo of me and my beloved client, Susan Carr, Education Director supreme of the ASMP, at SB3 Chicago, by my other beloved client, Judy Herrmann, who introduced us. This is how it works, people!

What's up & what's gone down :: March 2011

cat looking back at itself in mirror

A mostly monthly but certainly occasional round-up of what I've been up to and what's in the hopper. For full credits and details, see this entry.

Colleen of the future (stuff I'll be doing)

  • March L.A. Biznik Mixer at Jerry's Famous [Los Angeles; Wednesday, March 16] , Fun, free, low-key networking plus great tips, tricks and ideas from your fellow indie-biz folk. Join up here (free membership, which is nice), then sign up here.
  • Tongue & Groove [Hotel Café, Hollywood; Sunday, March 27 at 6pm; $5 at the door] I don't know what I'll be reading yet, but I've been tasked with providing levity for a dark and stormy evening. Me and the Goths, baby! Tongue & Groove is a long-running spoken-word (with occasional music) evening I've longed to be part of since I first went (on a real dark and stormy evening) over three years ago. Some SERIOUS writer-performer chops on display; I assure you, I'll be the worst one there. But still good! And light!
  • Strictly Business 3 - Chicago [Allerton Hotel, Chicago; Friday - Sunday, April 1-3] If you're a working or aspiring commercial photographer in the Chicago area or the Midwest, or you just didn't get it together to come to the other two stops on the trip, this is your last chance and you are an IDJIT if you miss it. No lie. The feedback from attendees and presenters alike on this iteration of the ASMP's biannual conference has been phenomenal, like, crazy-good.
  • L.A. screening of SHINE On [Blankspaces, Weds., March 23, 6:30pm] I saw an early cut of this Biznik-made short documentary about the unique path of the entrepreneur at CFC two years ago. It made me cry, in the good way. Bring Kleenex and your business cards.
  • SXSW Interactive [Austin, TX; March 10 - 14] My calendar is already pretty much full for this annual nerd spring break, and owing to my delicate state of health I'll be avoiding the big parties almost entirely. But if you see me walking around, please say "hi!" And if I actually can drag my ass to the Men with Pens party or the Copyblogger party, I'll do the same. Or something like that.

Colleen of the Past (stuff I did, or that was done to/with/about me)

I've been sick since late January, so I did diddly. Other than talk my ass off at SB3. Which, have I mentioned, was AWESOME? So instead of me making up a bunch of stuff, I'm going to link to a bunch of stuff people wrote about the event. Because there's a way these things work, and the best way to show it is to model it.

  • Brian Kaldorf wrote a comprehensive three-partseries on his experience at SB3. And included some very nice words about my talk and a nifty snap from the audience in this installment. (Narcissist at an all-photographer event? Like Christmas that lasts three days long.)
  • Felicia Perretti, super-dynamo of focused positive energy who will clearly rule the world one day, did a writeup that's rivals the weekend itself for pumped-up enthusiasm. Naturally.
  • Gail Mooney, whose workshop I haven't had a chance to catch yet, wrote a quick, clear-headed post on the value of SB3 whether you're speaking or "just" attending. (Spoiler alert: attendees are easily half of what makes a great conference truly great.)
  • Neil Corman included SB3 in his weekly roundup post, as well as a photo of the street from his hotel room. Which is about as much of Philly as I saw during those three days, excepting my visit to the incredible Mütter Museum. Neil also said my talk was responsible for an aha! moment, have I mentioned that I love you, Neil?
  • Andrew Fingerman from PhotoShelter also included SB3 in his roundup of noteworthy items and said nice things about me. (I am not paying these people, people! I swear!)
  • Gregory Benson, who was smart enough to buy a half-hour consult with me, also was smart enough to attend one of my favorite workshops at the conference, Sean Kernan's "The Artist Lost & Found," which I alluded to in my own weekly round-up last Friday. You can read his take on it here.

If you did a write-up and I missed it, please email me the link and I'll add it to the list. The Internet is forever! Or at least, as long as you pay your hosting bill!

Oh, wait! I did one really cool thing a while ago that became part of another really cool thing. David Trotter, fellow follower of all things Chris Guillebeau (we met at the December book signing) compiled a massive PDF of transcripts from a handful of his favorite interviews. And the one with yours truly is very much included! Fella has a knack for interviews, and knows a really interesting cross-section of people, so while I haven't read it all yet, I am going to! You can download it, free, without having to input any email or name nonsense, as God intended, right here.

Colleen of the Present (ongoing projects)

xxx c

Image by madnzany via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

What's up & what's gone down :: February 2011

cat looking back at itself in mirror

A mostly monthly but certainly occasional round-up of what I've been up to and what's in the hopper. For full credits and details, see this entry.

Colleen of the future (stuff I'll be doing)

  • February L.A. Biznik Mixer at Jerry's Famous [Los Angeles; Wednesday, February 16, TONIGHT] , Last month we mixed it up at the mixer, adding a couple of little info-sharing exercises. BIG hit, so we're repeating it this month, with new questions. Join up here (free membership, which is nice), then sign up here.
  • Strictly Business 3 - Philadelphia [Crowne Plaza, Philadelphia; Friday- Sunday, Feb 25 - 27] If you're a working or aspiring commercial photographer in the Philadelphia/New York area or environs, I cannot recommend the ASMP's biannual conference highly enough. And not just because I'm giving the keynote or doing some (very) rare in-person consulting: the quality of content is just outstanding, and the people in this professional organization are, too.

Colleen of the Past (stuff I did, or that was done to/with/about me)

  • Interview on La Salonniere :: My longtime blogging friend Marilyn Maciel did one of the best interviews with me EVER. She asks really great questions, which draw out really great answers. Love this new blog. One of my faves of the past two years.
  • Video interview on LAUNCH52.tv :: I met David Trotter at the L.A. stop of Chris Guillebeau's book tour. We talked each other's ears off at the after-party, so he figured maybe we ought to try it via video Skype. He drew me out on walking away from stuff, being scared, and doing it anyway, etc. And of course, because I'm Tangent Girl, we talked about all kinds of other stuff as well.

Colleen of the Present (ongoing projects)

xxx c

Image by madnzany via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.