Any day your eggshell peels away in one fine, contiguous curl is a day you cannot claim to have gone completely awry.
xxx
c
This is Day 6 of a 21-day series. For more scoop on the who/what/why, go here.
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Embracing the tiny, Day 5: Fly away home
A friend gave me a free wish for the holidays last year. Apparently, it’s now winging its way home to me.
Which is funny, because she already helped make my wish come true last year.
Greedy for wishes, that’s me.
xxx
c
This is Day 5 of a 21-day series. For more scoop on the who/what/why, go here.
The summer before I turned 13, my most unusual uncle—he’d already had a brief career as a Franciscan monk—was marrying a French girl he’d met while they were both serving in the Peace Corps, in Iran.
In one of my family’s smarter moves, we decided to travel en masse to her family’s tiny French village for the wedding. I believe that the mayor of said village not only officiated at the legal union, but catered the lavish event at my aunt’s family’s château after the church ceremony. (And that was the least remarkable thing that happened over those few days. By a French country mile.)
As long as we we’d gone that far, my mother figured her daughters might as well get a slightly broader sampling of culture. So the three of us schlepped first to Paris and Versailles, then over the Channel to an interminable series of world-class rose gardens in the countryside (mitigated somewhat by daily bowlfuls of mulberries drowned in heavy cream and blanketed with sugar), finally ending up in London (which might as well have been billed as Home of that Awesome Tower Full of Actual Dungeons and the World’s Biggest Jewels.)
I know now that Mom must have grossly overextended herself to get us there in the first place, never mind the impulsive upgrades made upon seeing the ratty rooms she’d booked by mail in those pre-pre-pre-Internet days. But we still got to select a few treats as mementos.
The small, ceramic box I chose is barely big enough to hold the tiny hand-painted rose inside. Yet somehow, in the grand tradition of curio holders and clown cars, it also manages to contain so much more: my first waltz, first Champagne, first sleep under a down comforter; a house with both peacocks AND a wine cellar like the one in Notorious; the Mona Lisa and Buckingham Palace; candied violets and pizzas with an EGG in the MIDDLE; and me and my sister and our mom, camped out in our swanky hotel room watching The Muppet Show on the BBC.
All that, and, currently, a pair of bright orange earplugs.
xxx
c
This is Day 4 of a 21-day series. For more scoop on the who/what/why, go here.
There are many beautiful routes I can take to walk the mile that separates me from my mail, but my favorite passes an estate that’s home to two German shepherds.
For years now, as I’d near the driveway, I’d glance down to see if there was a snout or a paw in that little space between the gate and the pavement. If so, more often than not I’d hunker down on the ground and play a highly constrained game of “fetch” with whatever chew toy the dogs were on their way to obliterating with their gigantic maws, a ritual that began years ago when I gallantly (if tentatively) retrieved an old Kong that had rolled just out of paw’s reach.
I was late yesterday—the time change will do that to a gal—and there were no dog parts visible as I approached the driveway. Still, something made me pause, lean down and call out my usual greeting: Puppies! Pu-u-u-u-u-ppies! (They could be “Hansel” and “Gretl” as easily as “Hans” and “Franz”; no way am I sticking my hand in there to check for tags or anything else.)
Eight feet bounded toward the gate, stopped for a second, then bounded away again. I shrugged, feeling just the slightest bit hurt for ranking so low, and just slightly less idiotic for feeling ignored by two dogs who have never even seen me.
I had just straightened up to continue on my way when I heard them bound back to the gate. Everyone stopped, and a red rubber bone dropped to the ground, and rolled out to my side of the gate.
You really can’t throw anything very far with only six inches of clearance and an eager dog in the way.
Then again, none of us seemed to mind that part a bit.
xxx
c
This is Day 3 of a 21-day series. For more scoop on the who/what/why, go here.
A big part of me sides with the esteemed Quentin Crisp on matters of housecleaning.
The remaining portion grudgingly cedes the potential spiritual benefits of several days spent on one’s hands and knees applying a handheld steam cleaner to an expanse of filthy carpet. Release from obsessive thinking for a slice of the day; redemption, one square foot at a time. Each one the sweeter for being hard-won.
Plus there’s the sheer Morbid Fascination Factor. I mean, holy cats, that was one filthy @%$! rug.
xxx
c
This is Day 2 of a 21-day series. For more scoop on the who/what/why, go here.
How do you begin again what it feels like you’ve stopped since forever?
Any way you want to. Or any way you can.
(Conveniently, sometimes they’re the same thing.)
That damn tree can take a few months off, even out here in the land of perpetual growing seasons. No one wonders what the hell it was doing while those shrubs down the block had it going on. When it blossoms again, no one disparages it for slacking off, or wonders why its flowers aren’t bigger, already, or whispers behind its back that last year’s blooms were soooooo much better.
So I’m going to make like a tree, and come back slow and tiny, one bud at a time.
Here we go…
xxx
c
Me! In Philly! In a way-too-big auditorium!
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)
- “Making People Love You Madly” tour for ASMP [February dates: Salt Lake City, 2/23; March dates: Denver, 3/1; Cincinnati, 3/22] Still (whew!) on the road with my “marketing in the postmodern age” talk for the American Society of Media Photographers. Many of the chapters allow non-members to attend for a fee. This version of the talk uses specific examples from the world of commercial photography, but anyone with a small creative business will come away with plenty of ideas. And, if you’re good at networking, many new contacts from the world of photography!
- February L.A. Biznik Mixer at Jerry’s Famous [Los Angeles; Tonight, Wednesday, February 15, 5:30-7:30pm!] Fun, free, low-key networking plus great tips, tricks and ideas from your fellow indie-biz folk, which of course includes me. Duh. I co-host with South Bay designer-illustrator, Donna Barger, but really, she’s running the show. Heeeeeere’s Jerrys!
- WPPI [Las Vegas, NV, 2/21] A-a-a-also, ASMP is generously sponsoring my marketing talk at this annual gigundo wedding photography conference hosted by Nielsen. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t post anything so market-specific here on the blog, but I was reminded a week or so ago that all kinds of people read this crazy blog, EVEN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS. Like, even my wedding photographer. Yes, really.
- TEDxConcordiaUPortland [Portland, OR; March 31] I am beyond thrilled, honored, and yes, terrified to be presenting at this conference whose theme is “Becoming Extraordinary.” I mean, pressure much? But I had such an amazing, amazing time at the last TEDx produced by my now-friend Michelle Jones that—well, I made her be my friend. So there you go. Tickets are on sale now. Please don’t wait to buy them; it will sell out!
Colleen of the Past (what I have done for you lately)
- Mac Power Users podcast :: I was beyond honored—not to mention cartwheel-turning happy—when co-hosts David Sparks and Katie Floyd invited me to be a guest on a “workflows” episode of their popular podcast. I’m not as super-smarty-pants nerdy as many of their guests, but there are puh-lenty of tips we got out there on both writing and tweaking your Mac to do your writerly bidding more efficiently. Plus, it was just rollicking fun! [Running time: 66 minutes]
- 30-Day Art Challenge :: How blown away was I that Oliver Emberton chose THREE of my little musings to illustrate for his monthly self-imposed creative challenge? How about “VERY, VERY and VERY.” Thank you, Oliver!
- The Strictly Business Blog :: I’ve continued to write for my wonderful clients, the ASMP, on a variety of marketing and productivity-related topics. This month, I contributed posts on creating successful collaborations, my writerly “secret weapon”, and how to best handle referrals to ensure more of them.
- Savor & Serve Blog :: My lovely and smart pal Jennifer Louden created a wonderful roundup of suggestions on how to find your tribe when you’re moving to a new town, either permanently or temporarily. I threw my 20 cents in, but there are scads of suggestions—you’re bound to find a few you’ll love implementing.
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!
- 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 :: You know, I have not been so much with the Internet flotsam of late. Mostly posting links/etc. and chatting on Facebook. This could change—and probably will. Most things do, given time.
xxx
c
Photo by Greg Benson.
An end-of-weekly roundup collecting fffffive of the fffffoxiest things I fffffind stumbling around the web. More about the genesis here. Every dang Friday Round-Up here, you procrastinating slacker!
While I’m pleased that my friend Lisa is gainfully employed again, my fondest wish is for a full book full of her startlingly clear and beautiful prose pieces—like this one, on divorce.
A trifecta from Seth, as he has been en fuego lately, making it impossible to choose. Learn about the dangerous game of the reciprocal recommender, the hazards of well-meaning lizard-feeding, and/or why you need to get off the page.
How one doctor used diet to help reverse her M.S. symptoms. [TEDx video, 18 minutes]
The controversial Caitlin Flanagan takes a stab at explaining the fanatical worship of (early) Joan Didion among women writers.
Image of shadow art by Fred Eerdekens, via Patti Digh/others on Facebook. (Or, view a full gallery of amazing “shadow” art.)
Hey! It's Charles Foster Godin Chodron Kane!
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)
- “Making People Love You Madly” tour for ASMP [January dates: Albuquerque, 1/17; Phoenix, 1/19; New Orleans, 1/23; February dates: New York City, 2/1; Philadelphia, 2/9; Salt Lake City, 2/23] I’m continuing the road with a beefed-up version of my “marketing in the postmodern age” talk for the American Society of Media Photographers. Many of the chapters allow non-members to attend for a fee. This version of the talk uses specific examples from the world of commercial photography, but anyone with a small creative business will come away with plenty of ideas. And, if you’re good at networking, many new contacts from the world of photography!
- January L.A. Biznik Mixer at Jerry’s Famous [Los Angeles; Tonight, Wednesday, January 11, 5:30-7:30pm!] 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. Heeeeeere’s Jerrys!
- TEDxConcordiaUPortland [Portland, OR; March 31] I am beyond thrilled, honored, and yes, terrified to be presenting at this conference whose theme is “Becoming Extraordinary.” I mean, pressure much? But I had such an amazing, amazing time at the last TEDx produced by my now-friend Michelle Jones that—well, I made her be my friend. So there you go. Tickets go on sale January 28, and this event will sell out. And yes, I’d pay to go even if I wasn’t speaking—it’s that kind of day.
Colleen of the Past (what I have done for you lately)
- Points of View :: Photography consultant Selina Maitraya invited me to talk shop on her BlogTalk radio show to talk shop (in our case, how photographers/imagemakers can harness the power of awesomeness to mesmerize people. Kidding! We talked about fear and change and social media and how not to be a jackass online. Good times!
- The Career Clinic :: Way back in September, my friend Maureen Anderson invited me back to her weekly syndicated radio show, The Career Clinic, to talk about what I’d learned so far from 50-for-50. Little did we know that that very evening, we’d break through our $50,000 goal…10 days early! If you can’t see the little player here, click through this link to listen online.
- The Strictly Business Blog :: Since my last one of these round-ups, I’ve posted pieces about the work behind the gloss, a trick I use to get myself writing, how to pick the perfect personal project, why your blog may be behind the times, and my #1 marketing tip heading into the new year. (And here you thought I’d been slacking off and stuff.)
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!
- 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 :: You know, I have not been so much with the Internet flotsam of late. Mostly posting links/etc. and chatting on Facebook. This could change—and probably will. Most things do, given time.
xxx
c
Photo by Michael Smith.
[Long-ass video clocking in at a whoppin' 5:05]
Salutations, and apologies for the distinctly lengthy, somewhat self-indulgent, purportedly “useful” video above. In my defense (and I’m nothing if not defensive), I’m both: (a) woefully (or not) out of practice; and (b) pressed for the kind of time needed to write a shorter letter. We’re looking at a rather tense couple of months here at communicatrix HQ, deliverables-wise (after which time I’m sure my essays will return to their previously scheduled interminability; my videos will return to a brisk conciseness; and my newsletters will return, period.) (Kidding. I think. I mean, I should be putting out a newsletter next Wednesday, but don’t quote me on that. But you can sign up here, if you want to roll the dice.)
This video—which you may have to click through to watch if you’re reading this somewhere other than on the web and an actual computer—contains two main sections.
Section the First is just a hair update. While very little has changed, hair-wise, since September, amazingly (as is abundantly evident via this video), it takes me A MINUTE and THIRTY-NINE SECONDS to state this very obvious fact. I suppose part of the issue is that I’m taking a little time to say howdy and to provide context, and another bit is that I had to shill show off my fancy new Wahl cordless electric all-in-one hair-clipper thingy. Lots lots lots more to say on this whole being-bald(ish) thing, but those are stories for another day—a day which has not quite made it on the publishing calendar yet, but which certainly will at some point.
The second section concerns books. Not just any books, but a particular ritual of reading certain books—one I’ve been engaged in for some time, and which I’ve found to be extremely helpful in keeping me focused/on-track (a perennial challenge) and non-depressed (ditto, and how).
I’ve actually written at some length about daily reads in my marketing column for actors, so I won’t belabor it here except to say this: the daily devotional has its place in the secular world, too. Some kinds of change are particularly slippery and elusive, and the right words (i.e., from people who’ve been working on this stuff longer than you, and are further down the road, and are maybe not too preachy) in a manageable, portion-controlled size (for me, extremely small), repeated at the right intervals (in my case, daily) can be great helpmates. Two of the books are listed in the column I link to, above, but for your convenience, they are:
Think and Grow Rich Every Day, a carving-up of the Napoleon Hill self-help classic by two enterprising fellows, and more power to ‘em. Each month focuses on a particular aspect of Hill’s teachings, with one month lumping together two of the shorter chapters (“The Subconscious Mind” and “The Brain”). The authors claim to have updated the language a bit from the fusty original text, but damned if I can tell much difference. And that chapter about the sex urge is just nutso; you’ll want to take October with a grain of salt, or a pinch of saltpeter, or something. But it’s eminently more readable in these bite-sized morsels, and has helped me to keep my eyes on the prize. And as I mention in the video, this book was, in a weird and witchy way, partly responsible for the success of 50-for-50.
One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, a compendium of teachings from the 12-step recovery programs for the friends and families of alcoholics, who (boy, howdy) generally suffer from their own addictive, self-destructive tendencies. I hope you don’t need this one. I hope that you have no boundary issues or co-dependent b.s. or any other of the narsty, sticky residue of self-loathing that growing up in an alcoholic (or xholic) home can leave. But if you do, and you can put up with a little Higher Power here and there, you may find it not only steadying in stretches, but shockingly illuminating. I have taken in a few days’ entries with the wonder I can only imagine Helen Keller must have felt by the family pump.
The third book I cannot conscientiously recommend yet, as I’ve only been playing with it since the start of this new year. (Which somehow already seems old at four days in—how weird is that?) But in the month or so since I finally got over my squeeginess over the covers, I have become quite taken with the output of Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, aka SARK, reading a full two books’ worth and well into a third. (I put down another one a third of the way through because the erratic typesetting was making me seasick.) But in case you want to check it out—which I did, literally, from the library—here it is.
But really, with all of these books, I’d suggest test-driving them via your amazing public library before committing your hard-earned dollars and even more precious attention. Unless you are filthy rich, in which case please buy them and anything else your heart desires via my Amazon affiliate link.
Okay! This post is already too long and my to-do list isn’t getting any shorter. One short request before I go: if you have any daily-devotional-type books you LOVE, feel free to leave them in the comments. Right? Right!
And happy new year, while I can still say it.
xxx
c
While this is probably obvious, for the purposes of 100% transparency, this post contains a shitload of Amazon affiliate links. Feel free to buy ANYTHING through your local bookseller, or to test-drive via your local library. Except for maybe that hair trimmer. Because (a) doubtful that anything but a chain store will stock electric clippers or that libraries carry them at all and (b) ew, gross.
