Going in the Right Direction

I appreciate the feedback I received on my last post. It is becoming clearer to me that I want to use all of my social media tools - blogs, Facebook, Twitter - to promote my work. I also need to work on an expanded description of my work/services and what I bring to a project (thanks Alice, for highlighting this). I have been nervous about listing all of the things I do for fear that people may think I am scattered and not focused. To turn this into a positive, I bring a diverse range of experiences to my work and can view a project holistically. For example, because of my writing experience I can edit text in the middle of designing a piece. Finding a balance between copy and design can be challenging because the client may not want to sacrifice any text but too much copy can be overwhelming to the reader. Because I am both a writer and designer, a client can entrust me to design and edit simultaneously!

It feels uncomfortable to be writing so much about myself - I prefer to write about other peoples' ideas and projects - but this is an important part of my journey. I recently had a conversation with Judy Kinney, a Law of Attraction Life Coach (check out her website Dream and Flourish Coaching) about making money doing what you love, and as a result we are going to host an event on this very topic. Just being open to this possibility has already helped me to shift my attitude.

So here I go down this road. Hope to meet new companions along the way!

Self-promotion and Micromovements

I have a hard time promoting my paid work. My "volunteer" work or community arts initiatives I have no problem talking about, pitching to the media, etc. But when it comes to my own graphic design, grant consulting, public relations, it is tough for me to sell myself. I am thinking perhaps this blog could come in handy for this.

So I am putting out to the universe that I want to grow my business and get new clients.

Here are some questions I have for myself:

- What do I have to offer a client?
- What am I looking for in a client?
- What is/are my ideal project(s)?
- How do I convey this in my promotional materials (website, business card, etc.)?

Possible action steps:
- Create e-newsletter and email list of past, current and potential clients
- Gather testimonials from past and current clients

I consider writing down these thoughts "micromovements. I found this concept years ago in a book by Sark. "Micromovements are tiny, tiny little steps you can take towards completions in your life. I'm a recovering procrastinator, and I have a short attntion span, so I invented micromovements as a method of completing projects in time spans of 5 minutes or less." (The Bodacious Book of Succulence, 1998)

My goal is to blog about my process, ideally encouraging me to move forward and help manifest my goals. I'm also interested in what others have to say about this!

Confessions of a Twitterer

Ok, I confess! I have forsaken my blog for Twitter. Can you blame me? Twitter offers bite-size chunks of information all day all the time! For a highly-distracted person like myself it is very appealing. Plus you can meet people from all over the world that you would never find on Facebook and that you would have to spend hours searching for on the internet. On Twitter, they just pop up, out of the blue, and you have a new source of information.

That being said, I have been reminded of the importance of blogging from my friend Margie, who launched her new blog recently! Yeah Margie! She acknowledged me as one of her inspirations to start blogging, so I do not want to let her down.

So I am recommitting to blogging. At least for today. :)

Downtown Scavenger Hunt!

Pop Up Spaces presents
Downtown Scavenger Hunt!! Sunday, March 1, 2009

Walk through the streets of downtown Tucson and you will find multiple FOR RENT signs on every block. While that may be discouraging to some Tucsonans, a group of artists sees these spaces as blank canvases. In the Downtown Scavenger Hunt on March 1, participants will be given clues to find 10 locations, each one with a short activity that will encourage them to engage with the current environment, reflect upon the historic record, and imagine future possibilities for the space. The resulting photography and writings will be displayed in the future at a time and venue TBA.

Clues and instructions can be picked up at Shot in the Dark Café, 121 East Broadway Blvd. between 12pm and 2pm.

Downtown Scavenger Hunt is free and appropriate for all ages.

Downtown Scavenger Hunt is the inaugural project of POP UP SPACES, a collaboration between artists Rachelle Diaz of Tu Scene, Molly McClintock of MAXED ART and Julie Ray of The Burrito Files. POP UP SPACES seeks to produce temporary, interactive, site-specific installations in empty spaces in which the visitors are not just expected to be passive viewers, but asked to be active participants. The goal of these art-based experiences is to enhance economic vitality and public engagement in downtown Tucson through promotion of the area's culture, history, architecture and business community.

Visit PopUpSpaces.org for more info.

Complete the Hunt and enter a Drawing to Win a special prize regarding Historical Downtown Tucson!

Altered Book Exchange

Community Storytelling Arts is hosting a 12-month altered book exchange. An altered book is any book, old or new that has been recycled by creative means into a work of art. Altering can include (but is not limited to) painting, embossing, collaging, and rubber stamping individual pages.

First meeting is Sunday, March 8th from 1pm - 4pm.

Community Storytelling Arts

40 W. Broadway, between Church and Stone

Park in lot off of Jackson behind building

Cost is $12 per Sunday

To sign up or for more information email csatucson@gmail.com or (520) 882-3988.

The Impossible Project

I just love the name of this project. It feels very appropriate for this time we are in - war, economic crisis and at the same time a new administration. What are the opportunities here for creative people and entrepreneurs? Can we create some new paradigms [david aguirre] - perhaps more collaboration [therese perreault] instead of always re-inventing the wheel and sticking in our silos [monica spigelman]? In the spirit of collaboration I am crediting the folks who have inspired me about these concepts. Let's give more people credit.

here are some folks that are stepping out there and contributing to our Tucson creative scene.
TDAC (Tucson Digital Arts Community)
Maxed Art
TuScene
PLAY
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO HIRE ARTISTS TO WORK IN SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES
Tucson Main Street
Community Storytelling Arts

What else and who else is out there? Step up and BE HEARD [IABC tagline]

Open Source Social Change

love this concept - The Power of Us: Re-Imagine Media
A collaborative competition is an interactive solicitation to identify and develop innovative, workable solutions to the world's most entrenched social problems. Competition entries are posted online and made available for anyone to view and collaborate with by providing new ideas, asking insightful questions, and providing connections to new resources.