Category: Inspiration

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Two Building Blocks of Storytelling

Ira Glass on Storytelling was a “must see” video I watched in journalism class. This is the first of four short videos Glass shares on the topic.

Storytelling is at the heart of many successful strategies whether it’s to sell a product, win over an audience, or move a country to action. For artists who need to market their work, I recommend Seth Godin’s book: All Marketers are Liars: The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works and Why Authenticity is the Best Marketing of All.

Ira Glass hosts the radio and television show, This American Life, on National Public Radio (“NPR”). He has spent the majority of his career on radio, and hosted NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation.

Watch Glass as he talks about the two important ingredients in storytelling: the anecdote and the moment of reflection.

Is digital storytelling any different from other types of storytelling? Read about 7 elements to include.

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3 Memorable Quotes from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs combined his passion for innovation with art.

Watch how in his commencement speech he talks about the calligraphy class he took and how much impact it had on him.

“Real artists ship.” is among my most favorite quotes from Steve Jobs. In Linchpin, Are You Indispensable?, Seth Godin explains that shipping is not about perfection but getting things out the door.

An artist of worthy note (that ships) is the talented calligrapher, Thomas Ingmire.

“You’ve got to find what you love. And the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet keep looking and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart you’ll know when you find it.”

“Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Thank you Steve Jobs.

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Discovering Artist Nancy Adair

Lunch at the Lake
Lunch at the Lake, by Nancy Adair

I met Nancy Adair on a kayaking trip. At the the retreat center I spotted her expressive painting, Lunch at the Lake. The painting is about 36″ x 60″.

You can name an intersection in San Francisco and she’ll know exactly where it is because 25 years ago she drove cabs there. For the past two decades she’s been a painter, seeker and sometimes yoga/meditation teacher in Mendocino County.

She didn’t listen to a diagnosis that would require taking prescribed medicine, which she felt was “like wearing a glove on my psyche…not something I could handle as an artist.” Instead, Adair finds Vipassana the best medication.

She is also a filmmaker and one of the directors of the film Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives. The film is a documentary about Gays and Lesbians and was considered groundbreaking at the time of its release in 1977. Her now deceased brother, Peter, was the producer. You’ll find Adair’s film streaming on Netflix.

Looks like I’ve found an artist with some audacity.