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Solo-preneurs’ Dangerous Misreading of the DIY Story
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Solo-preneurs’ Dangerous Misreading of the DIY Story

Note: This is a op-ed blended with personal narrative. It’s unapologetically 3200 words. I welcome your views and comments to further the conversation. 1. Are You a Punk or Outlaw?  The DIY movement has its roots in home improvement – decades before Home Depot made it vogue and cheap. But its more current currency has…

The Surprising Reason Why Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Splits Went Viral
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The Surprising Reason Why Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Splits Went Viral

You’ve likely heard and seen by now the Volvo ad that went viral as Jean-Claude Van Damme performs his “epic splits.” But why did it go viral? Maybe if we took a closer look at what happens to most of us emotionally as we experience the 72-second video from beginning to middle to end, we…

On Our Resistance to Decode Magic: Sunday Essay
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On Our Resistance to Decode Magic: Sunday Essay

Note: Around once a month, I pledge to break blog decorum and essay = attempt to say something; a trial; an artful testing out on foot.  The essay more than any other writing form is the amorphous form of the writer’s quest. “The essay’s engine is curiosity; its territory is the open road….This is what makes…

Tracking Wonder, Serendipity, & Creative Virtuosity on the Web
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Tracking Wonder, Serendipity, & Creative Virtuosity on the Web

The Cost of Creative Excellence Take an experiment with me. First, consider this. When it comes to production value, I’ve noticed we creatives can get trapped between extremes. By production value, I mean how well we execute and produce our final products, stories, designs, jewelry, services, presentations, or offerings – or even marketing. On one…

Publishing Options for Hybrid Authors Like Laraine Herring
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Publishing Options for Hybrid Authors Like Laraine Herring

This is a story about seeing beyond either/or. It’s a story about choosing friends and fulfillment and your readers while still forwarding your career. It’s a story about collaborative publishing. It’s a tale of two novels, too, coming out on the same day by the same author. But context, first. (Skip down if you don’t…

Why Book Design Matters More Now Than Ever
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Why Book Design Matters More Now Than Ever

Whatever publishing route you take, you need to know what choices for book design – inside and out  – can affect your book’s success.   How a writer thinks of design often distinguishes an amateur from an artist or professional. Why? Amateurs often fixate on what the writing does for them. Artisan-authors and professional authors, on…

The Heart of Story (any genre)
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The Heart of Story (any genre)

1. From A Taste of Fish to a Taste of Freedom Thelma wanted to go fishing for a weekend with her buddy Louise. Just the two of them cutting back, drinking beer, and soaking in the great outdoors. Problem? Her good ol’ boy hubbie wouldn’t hear of it. And wide-eyed Thelma complied. With savvier Louise’s…

Essential Tools (& Tips) for Digital Publishing
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Essential Tools (& Tips) for Digital Publishing

Not long ago, the closest an author could achieve to creating an e-book himself or herself was converting a word processing document into a PDF and then e-mailing copies to close friends and family members. Today, though still a burgeoning industry, e-book publishing is becoming creative and fruitful in ways comparable to traditional book publishing….

The Give & Take of Entrepreneurial Wise Failure
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The Give & Take of Entrepreneurial Wise Failure

We get ourselves in trouble as creatives when we try to build our presence – that is, in how we promote, market, and brand our work. How we give and take gets us in trouble. What we expect of others gets us in trouble. How we take care of ourselves or not gets us in…

3 Reasons Apple Still Captivates & Elevates
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3 Reasons Apple Still Captivates & Elevates

Any animus toward Apple aside, they still captivate and elevate in ways that small businesses, solo-preneurs, creative professionals, and creatives & authors can learn from. Many of my clients and groups struggle with telling the Story of who they are and what they do with consistency and integrity. And others actually feel trapped by their…