It's not easy to claim a life as a painter, especially after 34 years of being the person behind the scenes. But that's exactly what my good friend and client Mary Quinlan has done. She spent her entire career encouraging young people to express themselves...
On December 13, 1997 this egg I was commissioned to create was presented to concert pianist Adlan Cruz at the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport, CT. The event was a fund-raiser for BCHC, an acronym I can no longer identify. I'm sure I heard some buzz after...
Rounding the bend on my morning walk today, with Paul Simon singing 'Old' on my iPod, I spotted my neighbor Mrs. Young, who will be 100 on October 11, arms lifted over her head with pruning shears, struggling to cut down a branch weakened from last night's storm....
Heather Habelka told me that when she used to play with dolls, she didn't cast them as family members like mother, father, sister and brother. Nor did she pretend that they were students and she the teacher. When she was growing up, she told me recently, her dolls...
I took a scenic ride up route 136 yesterday to visit Sticks and Stones Farm, a place that has intrigued me since I heard about it, but never took the time to go see. Years ago I was having coffee with an EWN colleague, a web designer and brand strategist, who told...
Thank God Sam Horn wrote the book POP because owning it saved me from having to write down every word she spoke at the conference I attended last week in Waltham, MA. I knew that I would be able to look up the gems she shared and spend time mulling them long after...
I'm just back from a stimulating conference in Waltham, MA put on by the National Speakers Association-New England Chapter. The opening keynote speaker was David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR. His talk emphasized doing things in "real...
I've talked about Lucy Hedrick on many occasions, but her re-entry to Connecticut this season prompts another side of Lucy I'd like to share. Enviably, Lucy spends over six months a year as a snowbird in Sarasota, FL, taking her writing and book proposal coaching...
The Class of 1970 is gathering today, along with hundreds of other alumnae from Mount Holyoke College to celebrate our 40th reunion since graduation. I'm imagining that the topic of conversation among us baby boomers will have to include the enormous changes we've...
I won't mention any names, as I don't want to incriminate my wonderful and helpful counselor from SCORE. But, we were talking about the new edition of my book yesterday, and he said, "If you sell 600 copies you'll be lucky." I was incredulous. I immediately...
I couldn't think of a better way to spend a gorgeous Sunday than visiting my talented friends, colleagues and clients who were exhibiting their wares at one of the biggest trade shows in the world. This weekend featured the Stationery Show, Surtex (surface design)...
Two years ago when I made my first blog entry, my dear friend, mentor and book proposal coach Lucy Hedrick said, "This is really good, Jane. In about two years, you're going to have quite an accumulation of material. Could even be your next book." I love Lucy. What...
I was very sad yesterday to receive an email announcing the closing of Brookfield Craft Center. I feel as though I grew up there. It was at Brookfield that I learned goal setting from master teacher Laurie Klein. I took multiple classes from quilter and genius...
I'm not a big fan club person, but Oprah holds a particular fascination for me--the empire she's created, the people she has around her and the message she expounds. So, I plunked down $377 to attend the Live Your Best Life weekend in New York City in anticipation...
In March I conducted back-to-back goal-setting workshops for the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County. One of the characteristics I noticed among the creative and talented men and women attending was an inability to focus. By spreading their abilities over a wide...
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