My first website ever, created with my good friend Kathy Leeds, was done in 1999. She insisted I needed a web presence (what's a web?) and coded the entire thing herself. As websites took over our lives, I've hired a variety of pros to update and re-design me. I...
I read the obituary for Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi this morning and recalled how influential his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience was for me when I read it in the early 90s. The Times article linked to his 2004 TED talk which I also watched today. It...
Let me describe her to you. She would like my constant attention and feedback. She needs more reassurance and affirmation than our thrice monthly commitment allows. Even though I preach otherwise, she regularly compares herself to the competition and comes up...
How easy is it for you to ask for help? In my experience, it used to be a deal-breaker. I'd rather struggle along solo than risk rejection. What I've come to understand is that I am able move on from rejection, and still be okay. But more important, when I do...
My inner critic is whispering (hah!) in my ear, "Anyone with 2000 or more followers will never read this and wonder why you would even mention such a meager following." So, I just gave her an assignment while I write to you. Way back when, 1000 followers was a...
How did you fill in the blank? Sing and dance? Run and hide? My gut response, appropriately, is puke. I didn't want that word choice in the headline, but believed that you'd click to find out more. I'm learning how to write catchy subject lines, so thank you for...
When watching the HBO series Succession, I was struck by a pillow that rests opposite Logan, the billionaire patriarch of the family, as he sits on the couch. The sets for the show are opulent, and the detail of a particular textile and the character’s harmony with...
I had the extraordinary privilege of connecting with Tollisha Joseph not once, but twice yesterday. There aren't many Saturdays (the rain helps) where I'm moved to blog, but after an infusion of The Official Glue, Tollisha's alias, I had to share! I'd attended a...
Of the over 100 actions I've taken to build my new business this past year, eleven of them revolved around networking. When you see the word networking, does it conjure up name tags, handshakes and fake smiles? I used to think that way, but it has become a favorite...
Visiting my grandsons in New Jersey last weekend, I was taken aback when Owen, the 7-year old, called something I'd done "so old school." Fortunately, my failing memory can't come up with the exact moment he used the phrase, only that I was temporarily startled,...
I gave a talk early this morning to a group of business owners. The feedback I got was so uplifting and motivating that I decided I need to bring my message to a larger audience. "I should post videos of me sharing my experience, strength and hope to the masses -...
I feel like a whiny brat enumerating all that I'm doing on my own behalf to get my artwork out to the right buyer. In my case, that would be an interior designer or specialty home decor store with wealthy clientele. I'm following the instructions I give my clients....
Before I begin, simply writing the word 'judge' brought a lump to my throat since the recent death of a woman I admired greatly, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It is an enormous loss, and I mourn her passing. When my fabulous wardrobe stylist, Scarlett...
Me! I had a photo shoot with the remarkable Katie Settel this week. I had author shots taken a year ago, but wanted to update my website, social media and marketing offers with a fresh look. The past collection was no longer speaking to me, plus I've added 'artist'...
I used to like to compare myself to Paul Newman. (Have you stopped giggling?) He came into my life first as an actor. Then a race car driver. Then a salad dressing maker. I didn't think less of him as an actor when he started Newman's Own. I thought, "Wow! He's...