An insightful short video tip. Via the " Ill Doc". FTP Consultancy--
Highly recommended talk by Seth Godin on modern day marketing. For creatives interested in being their own entrepreneurs.
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by Frances Moore Lappé  Fruit juice and salad as part of a school lunch. Photo by Leah Rimkus “To search for solutions to hunger means to act within the principle that the status of a citizen surpasses that of a mere consumer.”
CITY OF BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL
In writing Diet for a Small Planet, I learned one simple truth: Hunger is not caused by a scarcity of food but a scarcity of democracy. But that realization was only the beginning, for then I had to ask: What does a democracy look like that enables citizens to have a real voice in securing life’s essentials? Does it exist anywhere? Is it possible or a pipe dream? With hunger on the rise here in the United States—one in 10 of us is now turning to food stamps—these questions take on new urgency. To begin to conceive of the possibility of a culture of empowered citizens making democracy work for them, real-life stories help—not models to adopt wholesale, but examples that capture key lessons. For me, the story of Brazil’s fourth largest city, Belo Horizonte, is a rich trove of such lessons. Belo, a city of 2.5 million people, once had 11 percent of its population living in absolute poverty, and almost 20 percent of its children going hungry. Then in 1993, a newly elected administration declared food a right of citizenship. The officials said, in effect: If you are too poor to buy food in the market—you are no less a citizen. I am still accountable to you. The new mayor, Patrus Ananias—now leader of the federal anti-hunger effort—began by creating a city agency, which included assembling a 20-member council of citizen, labor, business, and church representatives to advise in the design and implementation of a new food system. The city already involved regular citizens directly in allocating municipal resources—the “ participatory budgeting” that started in the 1970s and has since spread across Brazil. During the first six years of Belo’s food-as-a-right policy, perhaps in response to the new emphasis on food security, the number of citizens engaging in the city’s participatory budgeting process doubled to more than 31,000.
 “Direct From the Country” produce stands. Photo by Leah Rimkus The city agency developed dozens of innovations to assure everyone the right to food, especially by weaving together the interests of farmers and consumers. It offered local family farmers dozens of choice spots of public space on which to sell to urban consumers, essentially redistributing retailer mark-ups on produce—which often reached 100 percent—to consumers and the farmers. Farmers’ profits grew, since there was no wholesaler taking a cut. And poor people got access to fresh, healthy food.
When my daughter Anna and I visited Belo Horizonte to write Hope’s Edge we approached one of these stands. A farmer in a cheerful green smock, emblazoned with “Direct from the Countryside,” grinned as she told us, “I am able to support three children from my five acres now. Since I got this contract with the city, I’ve even been able to buy a truck.”
The improved prospects of these Belo farmers were remarkable considering that, as these programs were getting underway, farmers in the country as a whole saw their incomes drop by almost half.
In addition to the farmer-run stands, the city makes good food available by offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to bid on the right to use well-trafficked plots of city land for “ABC” markets, from the Portuguese acronym for “food at low prices.” Today there are 34 such markets where the city determines a set price—about two-thirds of the market price—of about twenty healthy items, mostly from in-state farmers and chosen by store-owners. Everything else they can sell at the market price.
“To listen well is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well, and is as essential to all true conversation.”
Chinese Proverb
“It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
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What is listening?
Listening is a form of communication that relates to our ability to pay attention. As humans, we communicate. It then follows that the urge for expression requires a space to deliver such expressions to, however aware this space may be. Listening, or being listened to, provides the room in which to fulfill this psychological nature; the urge to be heard, acknowledged, validated, or even criticized. Such room could be within the self, or external to I.
Within human relations, when a person writes, speaks or gestures, he/she is listened to in varying degrees. In a first situation, such a person might be completely ignored, or made to believe that they are being heard. Similarly, this individual might be hearkened, yet selectively. In these cases, the listener is typically preoccupied with one or more of the following:
1. Evaluating and making judgments in thought, based on personal beliefs or paradigms, about the speaker and his/her words.
2. Misinterpreting the behavior and motive of the speaker, without seeking clarification.
3. Formulating a response or counsel based on personal experience, and listening to the speaker mainly to find an opening to speak.
4. Thinking about things pertaining to unrelated issues.
In an ideal case, however, the speaker is given space, with the intent of the listener resting upon real comprehension. The listener is genuinely interested in understanding the expressions of the speaker, in getting inside of the speaker's frame of reference. In such a case the listener is present, influenced by the speaker, and for the moment moved, or even changed. Such manner of listening uses not only reasoning, but also intuition.
What does it mean to be present?
Presence is a broad concept. Simply put, it is being here, being there. For the purpose of this essay, the writer confines presence to the realm of listening: It is the ability to provide “an other” (be it objects, events, places, people etc.) with deliberate attention; to reach out, to link and understand the state of affairs between segments and their entirety. It can be considered a state of mind with a motionless focus and acknowledgment on fluid, passing instants. Realistically and individually, the degree of presence varies moment to moment due to external events or internal processes.
Read more here...
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 | Listening, Presence, and Developing Relationships.pdf | | File Size: | 102 kb | | File Type: | pdf |
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Learning to pause forms a fundamental part of any (artistic) process and should be treated just as important as the act of creating. Taking a break allows ideas to sit and develop. It also provides an artist the portal towards a more critical and objective viewpoint. Since fatigue can lead any artist to become unnecessarily attached to a particular work, taking a break can provide a more detached and refreshed perspective. It also pays to be patient with oneself, and the process. The proper use of this habit can make one a better artist, and art appreciator. While taking a break, consider:
1. Completely shutting down the senses. Get away from the work and avoid anything that may bring it's memory. Just forget you ever began what you started...if you can.
2. Finding and storing inspiration from other forms of art. Engaging with subject matter dissimilar to that of your focus can provide interesting insights. One can also find such inspiration from the daily events of life. It pays to write down such experiences, as they pertain to the work at hand. Such notes will become valuable when you return to your project.
3. Developing a holistic mental outlook with regards to the process. Why beat yourself up for the pause? Nothing worth doing is achieved in a single day: taking a break allows you the opportunity to improve on your process, through reflection. By treating the work according to the worth you believe it deserves, you are more likely to be satisfied with the end result.
Taking a break is to allow the mind a certain restitution that induces growth and development. It pays to take your time with the process: One day for Johnson could translate to three years for Juliet. As such, it is strongly recommended that you follow your own biological clock, not that of someone you may admire/respect. If a proper personalized break is allowed, regardless of the duration, the end result will go beyond expectation.
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| The Importance of Taking Breaks During Any Artistic Process.pdf | | File Size: | 64 kb | | File Type: | pdf |
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There is an unspoken fear amongst artists that relates to the continuity of creativity. For some of us, creativity comes and goes at it’s own will. For others, it is an unending work-in-progress that requires patience, open-mindedness and responsibility. Though not every moment in our creative journeys produce the special ideas, I believe that creativity is something that can be nourished to a slowly expansive rate.
Creativity and learning go hand in hand. One way to keep your creativity growing is to realize and accept that as human beings, we can and will not know absolutely everything. Creativity is closely related to uncertainty. Acknowledging or accepting a certain level of uncertainty can provide our creativity with intuitive range and flexibility. To grow with creativity is to learn more about all that surrounds us; while being still, with knowing that there is, yet more to learn.
Think less, relax more and observe your intelligence. This may come across as a paradox since we are used to the image of a scientist or a mathematician as hard and relentless thinkers. However, according to Guy Claxton, author of Hare Brain Tortoise Mind, “We meet with cleverness, focus and deliberation those challenges that can only properly be handled with patience, intuition and relaxation. In order to rehabilitate the slow ways of knowing, we need to adopt a different view of the mind as a whole; one which embraces sources of knowledge that are less articulate, less conscious and less predictable. The crucial step in this recovery...is a revised understanding of the human mind, and a willingness to move into and to enjoy, the life of the mind...When the mind slows and relaxes, other ways of knowing automatically reappear” (Claxton 1997, 13-14). In a world of speed, this can sound like blasphemy – but it is not.
Having a challenging day with your creative juices? Perhaps you should consider taking a day or two off (if or when you can). Sleep. Go for a swim. Do something out of the routine. Try to learn something new from outside your box. With proper effort and patience, you may very well be surprised at the outcome.
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Reference List
Claxton, Guy. Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind: How Intelligence Increases When You Think Less
The Ecco Press, 1997
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Quite inspirational.
From Karmatube.
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Despite crippling obstacles, Dr. Venkataswamy restored the sight of over 100,000 people with his own hands. Thirty years ago, at the age of 58, he started an 11-bed eye clinic in an old temple-city, and with his team, turned Aravind Eye Care System into the largest and most productive eye care facility in the world. Taking its compassionate services to the doorstep of rural India, Aravind's stunningly effective strategies have created a self-sustaining system that now treats over 1.4 million patients each year, two-thirds of them for free. This award winning documentary tells the inspired story of what made Dr. Venkataswamy's leadership and vision so compelling!
Remaining inspired to keep on with work can, at times, prove challenging. This short essay provides a reader with three suggestions on how to keep the focus and appreciation on his/her vocation, even when circumstances pull to the opposite direction.
Suggestion #1: Be kind to your self by keeping healthy habits. Without a sound body and mind, we risk initiating a slow downward spiral with serious consequences. Eating lots of good food, drinking enough water, taking deep breaths regularly, performing exercises (or stretching), and sleeping well all contribute to a clearer experience of living. In addition to being kind to yourself, be kind to others, including the environment and its non-human inhabitants. This contributes well to a sense of purpose and fulfillment. According to the kindness center in Biddeford, Maine (USA), “Medical studies have even revealed that an act of kindness is so powerful, that it actually elevates serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has many effects, one of which is to simply feel good. But what is more astonishing about kindness is this: when an act of kindness is performed; the giver, the receiver and even a person who is a witness to an act of kindness have their serotonin levels increased”.
Suggestion #2: Strive for balance between the work life and the personal life. Though this proves especially challenging for those of us who tend to push the limits, it is possible to achieve. Such possibility becomes the result when we commit and stay loyal to healthy and holistic boundaries, set by placing personal growth as a first priority. Set some quiet time aside for self reflection to ensure your actions are aligned with the boundaries set. During stressful periods, seek counsel from people you trust and respect. This will help to relieve your mind of worries because you are sharing your thoughts with those important to you (best friend, spouse, children, etc.). And as a rule of thumb, for adults especially, do not forget to laugh and play!
Suggestion #3: Appreciate both the achievements and the failures. It is easier for us to down trod on failures while exalting the achievements. The key to equally appreciating both the accomplishments and the failures is to realize that there would be no learning without failure. Every failure is a success so long as something valuable can be gleaned from the experience.
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Reference List
The Kindness Center
http://www.thekindnesscenter.com/Living.html(Accessed July 7, 2008)
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Quite insightful and useful.
Written by George Howard.
From ArtistsHouseMusic
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Once an entrepreneur has identified the problem she holds a solution to, and developed a general business strategy, it’s imperative to then begin thinking specifically about goals. From a broad perspective, these goals must all connect to the core values of the entrepreneur. These values, which are given form via an entrepreneur’s mission statement (or, better, mantra) provide the guidance and drive for the attainment of goals. Importantly, by connecting your goals to these values, you reduce the chances of falling into one of the worst things you can do as an entrepreneur: engaging in random acts of improvement. I’ve seen so many good ideas never result in anything because, while the entrepreneur is working hard, she is not working efficiently. Random acts of improvement are actions intended to accomplish a goal that is not connected to any other goal. While these random acts of improvement can result in short-term accomplishments, they have a negative correlation to success over time. Essentially, random acts of improvement pull the entrepreneur away from the core of their enterprise.
When developing your strategy for setting goals and tracking progress, it’s essential to find the core and constantly ask whether the strategy and the goals that lead to accomplishing that strategy relate to the core. In their book Made to Stick Chip and Dan Heath relate the story of how when a Southwest Airlines executive was questioned about why Southwest didn’t serve food on their flights, the executive responded that adding meals would not help Southwest be the low-cost air carrier. Being the low-cost air carrier is Southwest’s core; anything that diverts from that core is to be avoided. Keeping this idea clear in mind acts as a very effective filter when determining goals. This step alone will aid you in accomplishing goals. It’s far better to have a small amount of very focused and germane goals than it is to have a laundry list of random acts of improvement.
An important additional step in setting goals is to be certain that, as Jim Collins says in his fine book Good to Great, you confront the brutal truth without losing faith that you will succeed. The music business is both full of challenges and full of opportunity. When setting goals, you must be certain to examine both the challenges and opportunities. Too often entrepreneurs see the opportunity, but fail to accurately assess the challenges. Don’t fall into this category. Instead, be sure to create goals in a manner where you face your challenges head-on. Again, as with avoiding random acts of improvement, facing the truth and developing strategies will enable you to maximize opportunity filters and focus your goals.
In terms of more specific strategy for accomplishing these goals once set, you should—of course—be certain that any short-term goals align with your long-term strategy. More specifically, your goals should have the following characteristics, they should be:
--- Difficult but achievable
--- Observable and measurable
--- Specific, with a target date
--- Participatively set, when possible (assuming, of course, you’re not working alone; if you’re participatively setting goals when working by yourself, you may have some other issues to sort out)
In terms of tracking your goals, once they’ve been created using the principles above, again you must remember to confront the brutal truth. Resist the temptation to hedge on your evaluations of the efficacy of your progress. For instance, if you had a goal to draw 100 people to a gig, and you got 50, it’s important to attempt to figure out why you didn’t hit your goal. Only by assessing the outcome of your goals by tracking them, you can continue to evolve your strategy. Over time, you begin to gather data which enables you to revise your strategies and achieve your goals.
In terms of specific goal tracking mechanisms, there are quite a few tools available for free online. Basecamp is a wonderful tool for creating a list of goals, and keeping track of progress. Similarly, Google sheets is a very good way to list a series of goals that can be shared by all parties involved.
Good strategies evolve over time via an ongoing process of iteration and analysis. Remember, while you cannot measure and track your way to business excellence, you can certainly increase your odds of success.
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