La Salonniere

Shelagh Duffett

Artist and photographer Shelagh Duffett is brimming with creativity. She paints delightful folk art,  shoots gorgeous photographs and even creates her own recipes. Shelagh resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia and is mother to an almost 21 year-old daughter and guardian of a plump grey tabby named Monty. I’m so very pleased to feature her here and hope you enjoy our conversation about some of her creative endeavors.  

1.  Shelagh, when did you decide you wanted to make your living as an artist?

When I was little, my dad got the idea of using white shelving paper (which came in long rolls) for me to draw on and as a result, the most amazing murals were duly created by tiny me, landscapes which morphed into seascapes, into fairy lands into random scribblings into outer space...all manner of things. I still have one of those rolls and it amazes me when I look at it! Very inspiring. Tells me that I was always creative.

My first "real" job was as a film editor for television news and that evolved into camerawork and producing, directing, etc. for various networks and private companies. So I guess images have always been a huge component of my working life. The painting came purely by accident.

In 1999 we had an old Huckleberry Hound lunch box that I did not want. I'd heard that they were quite collectible so decided I would sell it. Our local flea market was not an option and I had heard about eBay and wanted to give it a whirl. At that time, there was only "eBay," no eBay.CA or UK or whatever, it was in its infancy. Well...the lunch box sold for $125. Hooray! I immediately scoured the house for teacups and interesting bits I could sell. In the meantime, I had been given a box of acrylic paints for my birthday and for fun had painted a quirky folky fish. One day, I was looking at it and thought, "Hmmm, eBay has an art section..." I listed it, and it sold to a person in California! I was delighted and then felt guilty that maybe the buyer thought I was a "real" Nova Scotia folk artist. I immediately painted another to assuage my guilt and that sold to someone in Toronto, the next painting went to Vancouver and the rest is history! I've been doing it ever since. It enabled me to stay home with my daughter as she grew up.

2.  Has your creative path taken any surprising turns that you didn’t anticipate when you began your artistic journey?

My art has definitely improved since I started. The old answer is true, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice." I think the surprising thing to me is that I am still doing it. My art is all over the world now and I have to admit that gives me a thrill.

3.  Your folk art paintings are colorful, vibrant and fun. Do you have a painting schedule you like to keep, or do you wait for the muse to strike?

I used to paint almost every day whether I wanted to or not. It was my "job" and I had to paint to earn money. The more I painted, the easier the ideas came and the process of sitting at my art table became part of my daily routine. Now that I sell prints of my work, the pressure has eased a bit and I am not painting as much as I used to. I'm also busier with blogging and market selling and doing work for other venues. I hope to get back at it in a more regular way this month.

4.  Have photography and painting always coexisted in your creative life or did you come to photography later?

Photography came first. My dad had a camera and used to develop his own pictures when he was younger. I was fascinated by the process. I bought my first camera when in my late teens and have been taking pictures ever since. I actually prefer photography over painting. I think it is the immediacy and simplicity that appeals. You compose with your eye and then just click the shutter. Painting is much harder, more time and skill involved. A bigger investment of yourself.

5.  How does photography complement your painting and/or vice versa?

I think that they are both about composition, colour and light. The way the eye travels around the image. The feeling I want to evoke. They are similar. I like graphic simple images with lovely light. 

6.  You’ve sold some of your photographs via stock photography sites. Can you share an example of how one of your photos was adapted that particularly delighted you?

Gosh, I have only come across a few examples and quite by accident. In microstock photography, once your image is sold the purchaser can do what they want within the guidelines of the license. One usage that pleased me was randomly coming across one of my pictures of junk food on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution site ("Facts and Figures" at the bottom). It was there as an example of what not to eat but exciting nonetheless. That picture was also used in a biology textbook in Hong Kong.  An image of the Eiffel Tower was used in the Philadelphia International Flower Show's poster. One of my most popular photographs of a pair of red shoes has been used by an Italian advertising agency in their logo. That one was seen by someone else and reported to me. Really, it is rare to come across one's own microstock images in use.

7.  You write a wonderful blog, Alice in Paris Loves Art and Tea, which came in 2nd in the People’s Choice award in the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards. As a successful artist, why is blogging important to you?

Thanks, Marilyn! Blogging is important to me because it is another creative outlet. It also helps me to spread the word about my art (marketing) and things that are important to me (championing). For example, in 2009 I read the book Three Cups of Tea and was very moved by the work done by Greg Mortensen. I decided to take action and with the help of my blog readers we raised over $1000 for his foundation. I also love the friendships I have made and the ideas I discover through blogging. I find it quite inspirational at times.

8.  The recipes you post on your blog look positively scrumptious, yet seem easy enough that even a non-cook like me could make them. You’ve even authored a cookbook, Nova Scotia Potluck. What local dish do you recommend that visitors try?

Gee, that's a tough one. I suppose fish chowder or fresh fish and chips would be what I'd recommend to any visitor coming to Nova Scotia. Depending on the season, maybe blueberry pie or lobster. We've got some great restaurants here and fabulous cooks so one would never have to worry about not eating well.

 9.  You’ve lived in Halifax most of your life and seem to have a genuine love affair with the city, as evidenced by your beautiful photographs of it. How do you maintain a fresh eye behind the camera when you’re shooting your hometown?

Really, Halifax is an easy city to take pictures of. It is beautiful. I have my camera with me most of the time and I never know when a picture will hit me on the head and say take me! Depends on light and place. One of those weird things, images jump out at me unexpectedly.

10. Recently you’ve sold your artwork at Halifax Seaport Market. What have you enjoyed about the farmers market experience?

The Halifax Seaport Market is a wonderful ecologically constructed building right on the harbour and it is filled with light. I have only just started selling there and so far I am enjoying it. I think the location makes a difference; I don't think I could be selling if I was in a dark enclosed space. One thing have to say about the experience is that it is quite different to be talking to customers face to face rather then via an internet connection. Much nicer really. I have enjoyed the people buying and those just chatting and the vendors as well. Working from home is a bit isolating. The internet helps with that but nothing can compare to real humans.

11. I always love to see your beautiful travel photography. Is there one destination you’d like to visit in 2011? What do you envision photographing once you’re there? 

Marilyn, I have no plans for this year, yet...but I would LOVE to walk the Camino de Compostela de Santiago...have wanted to do it for YEARS. Something about a long meandering walk meeting people from all areas of life and different countries, seeing Spain and living simply for a few weeks really appeals to me. Having just said that, New York appeals too.  :)

Thank you to Shelagh for such a delightful interview!

Congratulations to Mari, our random commenter winner, who will receive a free registration in Shelagh's photography e-course, Sensational Snap Society. Thank you to all of the commenters! And thank you, Shelagh!

Blog:  Alice in Paris Loves Art and Tea

Photography e-course:  Sensational Snap Society

Paintings:  Alice in Paris at Etsy

Photography:  Broomhill Pictures at Etsy

Facebook:  Shelagh Duffett

Twitter:  @AliceinParis

Eric Shiveley

Years ago a blogging friend told me about parcels of raw land that were for sale in a huge alpine valley in Southern Colorado. We were so taken with the beauty of the place that we bought five acres. Then one day I read a blog post she’d written about a friend of hers who was already living there. He’d made a documentary about his life there. I watched the trailer for the film…and was blown away. Meet Eric Shiveley.

1. Eric, can you set the scene for us and describe the San Luis Valley where you live and work?

The San Luis Valley is a flat, scrub-brush desert that straddles the Colorado/New Mexico border.  It's walled on the east by the Sangre De Cristo mountains, the west by the San Juans, and the south by mesas and tarantulas. It's a huge valley, but because it's so flat it looks small until you have to cross it. It's also one of the coldest areas in the lower 48 (the temperature averages 40.8 degrees over a year, and the January 2007 average temperature was 12 degrees). Although it's the sunniest part of Colorado, spring is long, icy cold, and very, very windy.

But from June until October it's the prettiest place you've ever seen. The skies, thunderstorms and sunsets are beyond description.  And you wonder why no one lives or visits here.  That's the other thing, no one lives here.  Pueblo is two hours away, and a trip there is like going to New York City.

Alamosa is the biggest town (8,000 people?), right in the center of the valley.  I live a few miles east of town in the open desert.  You can see Great Sand Dunes National Park from my kitchen window.

2. Your documentary, Everyone But You, tells the story of your move to the San Luis Valley to build a recording studio on land you had purchased there. The part that amazed me was that you taught yourself filmmaking while making the film. How long did it take you to make it?

It was a year of filming, then another year of filming and editing. It's a good thing it took so long because after two years I knew much better how to cut everything that wasn't needed.

3. Was the final film the one you set out to make or did the story change over time?

What I planned to make is still there, but the best parts came up on their own. The "planned" (for lack of a better word) and unplanned storylines end up woven together, and I don't think the two could work without each other.  If the movie works, that's why.  You see this guy with a plan. He follows through, and then gets drop-kicked into the oblivion by the powers that be.

4. Everyone But You was screened at some film festivals and was well-received. What was the festival experience like for you? Are there plans to show it at future festivals?

The experience was a bit strange but with a few moments where, you know, it's like your dream comes true and it's real.

Since I was a complete nobody it's almost a miracle the movie got the recognition it did.  At the time I thought it deserved more, but it's a two-hour movie made on a low-res camera, again by a complete nobody. So it had everything working against it.  You expect it to be hard when you have no agent or connections, but to live it and have selection committee members tell you how they had to fight to get you in because you're not a big name is something that stays with you.

Eventually you get tired of selling and it's time to get back to work on something else.  So I stopped pushing the movie.

5. You’re a very talented singer-songwriter and musician. (All of the songs in the film are original.) I’m a big fan of your music. Has your songwriting changed since you moved to the SLV, and if so, how?

Thanks and thanks for listening. Weird, but before I lived here in the valley I wrote songs about living in a trailer in the desert, then I ended up here in my trailer in the desert. I don't know if my writing has changed, but you're always trying to do something you haven't, or that doesn't come naturally. And playing with other people helps because you hear new things.  It's like this: A) One of my friends loves Neko Case and I liked the songs she sent me, B) I've always wanted to write something like the Gipsy Kings, and C) A friend from the coffee shop told me about turning south at Deming, New Mexico to get inexpensive dental care in Mexico. So I tried to write a Gipsy Kings/Neko Case song and named it "Greetings From Deming." It's on my new album.

I don't think your writing changes as much based on where you live as what you hear (and like) from friends, satellite radio in the coffee shop, or wherever. 

You get sick of playing the same grooves so naturally you keep trying ones you haven't.

6. Your most recent CD is Eden’s Light. When you set out to make a CD, do you have an overarching theme in mind for the entire CD, or do you wait until you’ve written quite a few songs and then start selecting songs to record?

Yes, all. I don't know how other people do it, but I usually have this big, vague, dark story in my head. It's not something I force, and the songs aren't literal chapters or anything, but it's all loosely but deeply related.  When you have most of the songs sketched out, you say, "Oh, this is way too depressing, I'll write a happy song for the beginning of the album." And that song ends up the darkest thing you've ever written. And so it goes.  But you do know when you're done.  And the only fun (and relatively easy) part is the packaging. The story and hard work are done, and for some reason it's fun, even though it's just as detailed as the writing and recording. It's like getting dressed up in your fancy, studded western suit for a gig.

7. In the film you document some of the jobs you took recording music for other bands and artists. Do you still take recording/engineering jobs? Has your studio produced client work for you in that area or do you use it primarily to record your own music?

These days I just do a song or video here and there for friends, for dirt cheap or free. If I record someone I want it to be great, and when I try to sleep I think, "Aw man, that should be a church organ at the beginning instead of strings." So for me it's not worth what a band without a budget can afford.

8. As a DIY musician, what challenges do you face when marketing and promoting your music?

Good question.  I won Best Composer at a top-tier film festival.  When I got home I gave a copy of the soundtrack to our local public radio station, figuring they'd at least listen.  During the next pledge drive I went in to make a donation and they told me to take something from their free bin.  There was my soundtrack, never been played.  If you're unknown you're up against every law of nature.  Your hometown doesn't give a shit until you're famous somewhere else, and the world at large mostly only wants what they already know.  Everyone does it. If you like Wilco but their new album bores you on first listen, you'll give it several more chances. If you've never heard of the band, you probably won't. Because of that, my goal has always been to wait until I have something great and polished before throwing it out there.

People don't realize how much they like polish. Presentation is probably 88% of this life.

9. The San Luis Valley is a very sparsely populated area and you live miles from the nearest town. What’s a typical day in the SLV like for you?

We all wake up at four, adjust the buffalo hides on the mules to make sure they don't freeze, and then hitch a buggy ride to the tradin' post to barter some egg-pone for chicken-pone and a twopence of shoelaces.  Then we scamper home over hill and dale to count the chickens and make sure the dial-up wasn't interrupted in the middle of that goat porn we've been downloading forever.

Anyhoo, Alamosa is pretty much like living anywhere but without the traffic. We have a four-year college and a 24-hour Walmart.

10. I love how your dogs make unexpected appearances in your projects. Can you tell us a little about them?

I love my doggies. I never thought I'd have Chihuahuas, then I met Macy (she's in my movie) and her Chihuahuas. Soon after you get a Chihuahua, everyone else's dog seems three times larger.  And you can't believe you used to think Chihuahuas are useless. Chihuahuas have it harder than you can imagine.  Children think they're toys and yank them around like dolls. Then they snap at the kid and get beaten by the kid or a parent.  Look at any Chihuahua rescue site and see how badly they're abused. The poor dogs are defenseless. Anyway I love Senor and Toro, and I wish people were nicer to Chihuahuas.

11. What’s one thing you’d like to see happen in your creative life in the coming year?

If I can make one absolute knockout video for a song on "Eden's Light" that would be cool. Maybe I could let the album go and start the next one.  I'd like to make one more album and be done. 

Thanks to Eric for a great interview!

In 2000, when independent bands were just beginning to release CDs, Eric Shiveley recorded his first album in the basement of his Denver home, with no previous experience writing, recording or singing.  The album, 'Everything Is Good' received overwhelming praise from a Denver/Boulder scene that was just beginning to get recognition that would soon explode. The Boulder Daily Camera wrote, "Several tracks could be Shiveley's ticket to the big time." But when Eric saw a legion of bands record one album and spend a year touring with very little gain, he decided to work on his writing and recording and put off promotion. Four more albums and a two-hour documentary later, Eric finally released "Eden's Light" (which he considers his first "real" album) in 2010.  But that's only the beginning of the story.

Website: http://ericshiveleymusic.net/

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/eshiveley

A note from Eric:  Several people have been unduly kind and supportive of me and my music. They're on the Music & Friends page of my site.  Please visit them.  And thank you Marilyn.

Linda Davick

When I think of illustrator and animator Linda Davick, two things immediately come to mind:  color and creativity. I first discovered Linda when Andrea Scher featured one of Linda's illustrations at Superhero Journal four years ago. It was titled “anatomy of a superhero necklace” and since i owned one, too, and was tickled by Linda's illustration (see it here at her blog), I couldn’t click over to her blog fast enough. I’ve been reading there ever since. Linda sees the world in such a creatively colorful way. You know how sometimes you meet people who can make the most ordinary, mundane details come to life in unusual ways? That’s Linda. I’m so happy she agreed to be interviewed because her blog is one of my favorite happy places to visit.

1.  Let’s start with geography. What compels a woman in Tennessee to move to San Francisco?

I'm definitely a Tennessean. But Tom and I had been vacationing in Northern California for years. You know how it is: when you go some place you love for a vacation you always wonder what it would be like to live there. Twelve years ago we both had a break in our businesses and decided that it was now or never. 

For me it was an excruciatingly hard move and I'd never do it again. We lived like animals for two years! But after therapy, marriage counseling, meditation, medication, and daily walks on the beach–after five years I was extremely glad we made the change.

I remember living in Tennessee and thinking at dinner time, "If we lived in San Francisco we'd be able to order any kind of delicious, inexpensive takeout every single night."

2.  When did you know you wanted to be an illustrator?  Did you show an early aptitude for it?

I showed an early desire to draw. If there wasn't a piece of paper at hand, I drew on books and clothes and furniture. I couldn't stop myself and neither could my parents. Finally my dad had an idea. He bought a gallon of chalkboard paint and made one whole wall of my bedroom into a chalkboard.

3.  How did you make the leap from illustration to animation? Do you have formal training in animation or are you self-taught? If the latter, can you share a little with us about your learning process?

Ten years ago Amazon started a whole division of e-cards. They hired me to do a couple of cards for them. Then suddenly they decided they wanted the cards to be animated! I ended up downloading a free program called Gif-Builder. I used that for years and loved it. Each card had to be under 50k–and they didn't use Flash–so planning each card so that the file would be so tiny was a feat in itself. I ended up doing over 200 animated cards for them. 

Later I went to College of Marin to learn Flash. I also got to know the great animator Sally Cruikshank, who offered her help at every turn.

A simply fantastic resource for learning almost any software–animation included–is lynda.com. It's $25 a month–no strings attached–and whenever I hit a snag I can go over there and find a clear tutorial.

4.  I love seeing the photos on your blog that document your daily beach walks and the lovely and quirky things you collect on those walks. Do you think that your geographic location near the beach impacts your creative process? If so, how?

The ocean is mysterious and wonderful–scary, too. It throws up little treasures every day. It looks different and acts different every day. It compels me always to have my camera in my pocket because there's always something amazing to be captured. Buying a digital point n' shoot camera is what led to my having a blog.

Being near the beach makes it a tiny bit easier to walk or jog. (Believe me, it's never easy to leave my computer. I could plant myself in front of it and be content never to leave.) Most people find walking on the beach to be a kind of meditation. When I'm out there, I'm multi-tasking in the best and worst way. I'll be jogging, but at the same time I'm on the lookout for photos, and at the same time I'm beach combing–trying to fill my pockets with beach glass. I'm also hooked up to Pandora. Also, it's a time for socializing: you know that spark of adrenaline you get when somebody you like appears, running toward you from out of the fog and you stop for a second and say hello.

When I get home from the beach I feel like my camera is a little box of treasures waiting to be opened. Before uploading the photos, I'll shoot a picture of the little things I've found that day. Maybe I'll have heard an Albert Collins song I didn't know. I think all of those things that happen out there feed my creativity like crazy.

5.  Linda, you’ve created the illustrations for several published children’s books. What do you enjoy most about creating illustrations for children?

I get to be the boss of everybody. I'm the architect and the interior designer and I can make everyone look and dress the way I want them to. I can create the food and games and toys. In the case of the four holiday books I've illustrated, I can let all my personalities out–one in each of the ten kids. (The ten kids live in a purple apartment building with their cat. Each kid has his own apartment and no adults are allowed to live there.) I get to create a whole little universe and make it just the way I like it.

6.  One of my favorite things on your website is Therapy, where you ask people to “Find Yourself.” What inspired you to create all of those wonderful, animated icons?

I've always been fascinated by charts and graphs. I remember seeing the Periodic Table of Elements in junior high and thinking it was so funny and mysterious. I also think personality is funny and mysterious. I thought it would be nice to put the two together and make a kind of Periodic Table of Personalities. Naturally the personalities morphed into personality disorders, and I wanted each character to move in a way that would describe his particular disorder.

7.  I get a vicarious thrill when I read that you’ve attended a museum or gallery exhibit. What have been some of your favorite exhibits of 2010?

The shows that come to mind are the Wayne Thiebaud show in San Jose, the Maira Kalman show, a tiny show of Kenneth Patchen's work at the de Young, and of course the two big Impressionism shows there.

But my most enlivening experiences are always the shows at Creativity Explored. That's the gallery in the Mission that shows work made by developmentally disabled artists, who are somehow way ahead of everyone else when it comes to making art. 

I went to their December opening two weeks ago. The whole place was bursting with energy. The openings at CE are usually as packed as the Impressionism shows were; you practically have to elbow your way over to see the next painting or print or ceramic piece that catches your eye. The art is unguarded–it comes out plain and straightforward. When an object is created with such honesty it has a good chance of turning out to be an exquisite piece.

8. As a self-employed woman who works from home, what’s one tip you use to keep your workday on track?

I have to trick myself every step of the way, starting with the placement of the coffee filter the night before just to make getting started one tiny bit easier. 

For me, what's harder than keeping on track is simply getting started. Even when I'm working on the best project in the world there's a hesitancy to start. Maybe because once I actually do get started, I "go under" and am lost to this world. That phenomenon can make it easy to keep on track, but there is always something in me that fights against getting started and stepping over into the other realm, even if it's a wonderful realm. Does anybody have a tip for me that can help me to get started?

As for keeping my workday on track once I've gotten started, noise-blocking headphones help. My husband's studio happens to be right on the other side of the door–and unlike me, his main mode of communication is the telephone. 

I guess my one somewhat sorry tip for staying on track is keeping a list. A list made the night before, and added to even before I get out of bed. A list with boxes before each task so you can have the pleasure of checking off the boxes. And if you forget to put something on your list and do it anyway, there's no law against adding the task to your list after the fact so you can have the joy of marking it off.

Thank you to Linda for a wonderful interview. Her creative worldview always inspires and delights me.

Linda Davick is an illustrator and animator. Her first illustrated book, 10 Trick-or-Treaters (2005 Random House, by Janet Schulman) was a New York Times best seller. Her work has been published in Communication Arts and Print Magazine. She lives and works in San Francisco.

Website:  Linda Davick

Blog:  Linda Davick

Books:  Random House

 

Mari Pfeiffer

Mari Pfeiffer is a true Renaissance woman--journalist, copywriter, baker, screenwriter, mother, wife.  She astounds me with how many hats she wears because she manages to do it all with smarts, humor and touches of beauty. Mari resides in Los Angeles and is a self-employed business owner. In this interview, she shares some great videoblogging tips, talks about the struggles of balancing a freelance career with mommyhood, explains how her reporting skills help her baking career and much more. I’m honored to call her my dear friend. I hope you’ll enjoy this interview as much as I did.

1.  Mari, you and your husband, Wolf, are both freelance professionals who work from home. You have a 1-year-old daughter, Mimi. How do you balance parenting a toddler with a freelance work life?

It’s hard. Really hard! Before Mimi was born, I had a nice mix of assignments both as reporter and copywriter. Whenever I was free, I attended networking meetings and used social media to make new contacts. But once I became a mother, everything changed. With a baby, you can’t set a schedule.  That baby sets it for you! I joke with friends that I’ve gone from the relative freedom of freelancing to having a new boss: my kid. I have reduced my work drastically; I’ve taken myself off of lists of active freelance reporters, and I have reduced the number of businesses for whom I write content such as web text and marketing collateral. My main responsibility is my daughter, so I have to get my work done around her needs. Generally I work a minimum of 10 hours a week, and no more than 25.

2.  You have a new business, Wolf and Redhood Media, where you teach small businesses, nonprofits and creative professionals how to create compelling video content. I think it’s a great idea for a business because more and more of us are adding video to our blogs and websites. How did you come up with the idea for this business?

Over the past year a lot of friends and clients asked me whether they should put videos on their sites because marketing experts were telling them to. Those experts said that video would drive traffic to their sites, convert visitors into customers and boost their businesses. All of this made sense, but I realized that no one was telling these people how to make good videos.

I figured that with our television and film experience, we were in a unique position to educate small businesses and creative professionals – generally people with small budgets and little knowledge - how to make interesting videos for their websites, starting with what they have. We want to help them tell interesting stories about themselves and their businesses.

3.  How have the skills from your career as a broadcast journalist translated over to your video production start-up?

There are many I’m bringing but the two big ones are:  understanding who my target market is and building strong relationships.

When we decided to start this small consulting business, we really had to draw up a list of needs that our target audience has and find ways to speak to them and provide them with the information they’re looking for.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad (I confess I’ve never read his books but I do occasionally read his guest columns in business magazines) once said that strong businesses are always built on strong relationships, not big transactions. He’s absolutely right. When I was a full-time journalist it was impossible to get interesting and/or exclusive interviews without building important relationships first. I feel the same way about Wolf and Redhood Media. I know it will take time, but I’m confident it will be worth it.

4.   You’re a screenwriter and a graduate of American Film Institute. How can someone who doesn’t know anything about screenwriting begin to come up with good storytelling skills for videoblogging?

I’ll tell you a little secret: I don’t think you need any formal training in screenwriting to drum up ideas for a video blog. It’s very much like most forms of storytelling in that you need a good story idea that has a beginning, middle and end. What’s most important is that you have a clear purpose for what you’re doing, and that you’re passionate about it. Once you’ve got that down, you’ll need an interesting angle from which to tell it. This is not an easy task.

One of the best ways to get started is to look at other people’s videos. If you like a certain blogger’s style, then consider how they came up with the idea, and how they executed it. Then take notes on the following: how the video starts. How it ends. What makes it a good video? Is it that person’s passion for what they do? Are they telling you something that’s fascinating? Helpful? What keeps you coming back for more? How could you do that? And how could you do that in your own unique way?

Just remember that the population of videobloggers is mushrooming. It’s getting harder and harder to get noticed. So don’t be afraid to be yourself, and don’t be afraid to insert interesting, personal tidbits about yourself that will make you memorable.

5.   One of the things I like about your view of the rapidly-changing freelance life is that you’re not as quick as some to toss aside traditional marketing mediums. How are you marketing and advertising Wolf and Redhood Media? Are you using both traditional and newer methods?

At the moment, we’re doing most of our marketing through online channels such as our blog, Twitter, YouTube and an upcoming webinar. We do have a Facebook page but we have our weekly (and sometimes daily!) qualms about good ol’ Facey-Facey, so we haven’t updated that page since putting it up.

We’re in the process of putting together our physical marketing collateral and will be pushing harder on that end in the new year. And yes, there will be some really cool T-shirts with our funky logo.

6.   Switching gears, you’re also a fabulous baker and the creator of Mischief Mari Cookies. (Mari's chocolate cookies are featured this holiday season at the New York Times. The Times tested eight holiday cookie recipes and Mari's was the unanimous favorite.) Have your journalism and baking careers turned out to be complementary in any surprising ways? If so, how?

I’m so glad you asked this because the answer is yes! At first I was just happy to have found a hobby outside of writing that was so much fun. But as I became more skilled at baking and decorating, I realized that I was drawing on skills and beliefs I had as a journalist. In order to be a good baker, you really have to understand your ingredients and how they interact. It’s an art form that has a lot of science in it. And presentation, for me at least, is very important. It has to be original. A cookie is still a cookie. But it has to be different. That’s what makes people look, and hopefully take a bite.

The same goes for reporting; you have to know your subject ahead of an interview so you can tell a good story and present it the way you want or need to. A lot of people think that reporting is just putting together the facts in a logical, understandable way. But I really disagree with that. Every reporter has his/her unique style which adds to the story overall. I mean, can you imagine if someone other than Walter Cronkite had reported on television, the news that President Kennedy had died? History would have looked and felt a bit different.

And finally, the best part of both interests have yielded the same great thing: friends. Good friends. I don’t take this for granted.

7.   Your husband is Norwegian and I know that you’ve been to Norway many times. Are there any Norwegian customs that you’ve incorporated into your life in Los Angeles?

Um…no, not really. Oh wait. Norwegians are fanatic about breakfast. Before Wolf, I used to have no more than a cup of coffee every morning. Now I start my day with a decent breakfast.

We do make a gingerbread house every Christmas, which is how I started my cookie decorating mania. And we smash it at the end of the holidays, which is what Wolf and his siblings did when they were growing up. I’ve seen our nieces and nephews in Norway carry out this tradition. It’s not a pretty sight. All those kids fighting over gingerbread scraps. The Vikings live on through them. Ha! 

8.   For those of us new to videoblogging, what would you suggest as a good first video to create for our blogs or sites?

The easiest way to start is to introduce yourself. You don’t have to sit in front of the camera the entire time and talk. But do tell everyone who you are and a few interesting things about yourself, and why you’re adding video to your blog. Tell them what to expect. Use interesting imagery. And try to find an interesting, entertaining way to do this.

Getting started is probably the hardest but just write about yourself. Here’s an example: “Hi, my name’s Mari Pfeiffer. I’m a freelance journalist. I’ve been published in Vogue, The Wall Street Journal and Yoga Journal. I love interviewing people and finding out what makes them tick. That’s why I became a reporter.”

Very basic. I’d put photos of the publications I’ve written for, video of me, and narrate the whole thing. Edit and upload to YouTube. Boom. Done. 

But what if I wanted to give people a more interesting, even humorous insight into how I became a reporter? With shots of me growing up, my late father, stories I published in high school and college, I might write something like this: “Mischief mari. Chief Dirty Feet. Mari Mustard Sandwich Pfeiffer. Muddy. When I was a kid, my father made a long list of nicknames for me. But Mischief Mari was the one that really stuck. Because I was always putting my nose in places it didn’t belong. Naturally, I became a reporter.”

There are endless ways of doing the videoblogging thing. It’s mostly a matter of finding a fun, smart and unique way to engage with your audience. You might stumble a few times. But you’ll get there. Keep trying. Most of all, have fun!

 

Thank you to Mari for a great interview and for sharing such great videoblogging tips!

 

Mari is a freelance writer and web video consultant based in Southern California. She's also known to bake and decorate a few cookies every now and then. That's Nunuk, her Malamute, in the background. He can be shy. 

Twitter:  @mischief_mari, @WandRMedia

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/marip

Irene Nam

I don’t remember how I initially crossed paths with Irene Nam, I just know that over the years she has become one of my true soul sisters. She’s kind, thoughtful, loving, supportive and generous. She’s a very talented photographer, writer and teacher who lives in Paris. We talked about being multilingual, the joys of photography, collaborative communities and how one small act can transform lives. Irene is a beautiful soul and I’m so very pleased to interview her here.

1. When we converse, I’m always struck by how very fluent you are in English. I’m curious—did you study it in school or did you learn it on your own? And if it was the latter, what were your methods?

My method? Spending all my weekends at the theatre growing up and watching American movies with subtitles and not dubbed in French!

I first studied English formally in school when I was 12. I was already fluent in both French and Korean (Irene is the daughter of Korean parents and was born in France), so my brain was used to switching back and forth from one language to another. Learning English was easy for me and it quickly became my favorite subject in school.

2. This year you launched Irene Nam Kids Life Photography. I can imagine what some of the challenges might be when you’re shooting children, but what has been one of the unexpected joys?

Children are playful, they’re fully present and engaged, they’re not self-conscious and they don’t pretend. I always feel incredibly blessed to be given the opportunity to capture a moment in their lives, as fleeting as it might be and no matter how wiped out I am afterwards.

Last summer I photographed a little boy named Kyllian who is autistic. He ignored me during the whole session. He didn’t listen to me, make eye contact or interact with me. But there were moments where I felt like he was gently allowing me in and we shared something. I still don’t know what it is. But it touched me deeply.

3. You’re a contributing author at Shutter Sisters, a wonderful online photography community (which is celebrating its three-year anniversary). For those of us who love photography but might be intimidated at the thought of joining a community of well-established photographers (okay, me!), what have you found to be the benefits of being part of a collaborative photoblogging community?

I wasn’t a professional photographer when I first joined Shutter Sisters three years ago, so I certainly understand why some people might be intimidated at the thought of joining our community, or any collaborative photoblogging community.

Joining Shutter Sisters has been a turning point in my life, not only because it offered me opportunities to get published and collaborate on wonderful photography projects, but mostly because being surrounded by like-minded individuals who share the same passion, doubts and fears helps me accept and approve of exactly who I am. And this is what I love most about this job, and inspires me to work harder every day.

4. I recently completed your 4-week online photography course, Simple Soulful Photography. One of the things I really loved about your course was that you incorporated so many gentle life lessons and suggestions. It reminded me that photography is often practiced even when we don’t have a camera in hand. What do you love about teaching photography?

I believe in sharing what you have and giving what you can. And I’m passionate about it, about helping people discover what they can do with their cameras, about inspiring them to grow creatively, to do what they love and live authentic and fulfilling lives.

5. I know you’re a passionate advocate of Polaroid photography. For those of us who don’t own Polaroid cameras, how can we incorporate some of the beauty specific to Polaroid into our point-and-shoot lives?

Just imagine that you have only 10 takes in your camera, no more. You will immediately slow down, become more thoughtful about what you choose to shoot and mindful of details like light, colors and shapes around you.

6. Irene, you wear so many hats--wife, mother, photographer, writer, teacher. As mother to 8-year-old twin boys, how do you create balance in your life so that both your family and creative needs get met?

I don’t. It’s just as simple as that. Balance is not something that I’m striving to achieve (although I’ve tried, believe me). Instead I wake up every morning and do the very best I can.

A few years ago I made the personal decision that my family is my priority. It means that I have to create a work routine around school schedules, activities and doctor appointments, turn down interesting projects sometimes and miss important work-related events.

But to my own surprise, and even though some days are definitely more challenging than others, I’m very much at peace with the decision I’ve made, regularly doing things that feed my passions, and full of gratitude for the life that I have.

7. You recently attended a conference in Amsterdam that you shared with me touched you deeply. Can you tell us a bit about that conference and what you took away from it? What one thing would you ask each of us to do in response to what you learned there?

The European Summit for Global Transformation is an annual event where activists, social entrepreneurs and change-makers from all around the world gather for a high-impact weekend. My experience there was humbling and transformative. I’ve met wonderful people whose work and dedication have changed the way I think and perceive things.

I am deeply committed to making a difference in children’s lives, and my workshop supports several non-profit organizations and projects like Blink Now Foundation and Wrap Up Africa that help improve and sustain the quality of life, education and health of children in under-developed and developing countries.

If I could ask one thing from your readers it would be to consider supporting these organizations, or any organization that resonates with their spirit. And to remember that one small act can change a life.

Irene has created a beautiful 2011 calendar featuring her photography. It's a FREE download and you can get yours here.

You can find her at Twitter here.

THANK YOU to Irene for an inspiring interview!

Irene Nam is a writer, Paris-based Polaroid and child/family photographer and creator of the Simple Soulful Photography workshop. She is the co-author of the book Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters’ Guide to Shooting from the Heart and her photos are in the upcoming exhibition “Facing The Impossible” at The Impossible Project’s New York gallery store.

Lori-Lyn Hurley

I've wanted to do a blogging interview series for years. I'm thrilled to kick it off with Lori-Lyn Hurley, one of my oldest, dearest blogging friends. She's a writer, a Reiki Master and an intuitive healer. Lori-Lyn extends such beautiful, loving energy out into the world. We talked about family history, her intuitive healing business, writing inspiration, social media, pursuing one's passion, the time demands of self-employment and the one thing she would encourage you to do every day. I hope you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

1. I’m fascinated by genealogy. How has your ancestry and/or family history shaped your choice to pursue work in healing and wellness?

My family and family history influenced my choice in several ways. When I was growing up, there was much discussion in my home about the fact that there was more to life, health, spirituality--more to this human experience--than one is often led to believe. I always knew the door was opened for me to explore pathways of thought and practice that felt right to me, rather than accepting what the dominant culture of the time wanted me to do or believe. 

Both of my parents were college professors, but when I was in middle school, my dad took a year's leave of absence from teaching so that he could pursue a career as an entertainer. He was actually about the same age that I am now. It was a risk - but he decided to take it and pursue his dream. He never went back to teaching and he's still performing. That decision of his was a great role model for me. It showed me the power in stepping forward into your desires and doing the work you love.

I can also see some direct links between my ancestry and the specifics of my work. Even though it wasn't always spoken about publicly, my grandmother experienced profound psychic ability. I've always known that was a part of my genetic structure and family history, as was anxiety and depression. Watching family members struggle with emotional issues, and hearing stories of the similar struggles of my ancestors, inspired me to want to find a better way. Part of my passion for learning all that I can about the way the body mind and spirit works, and how we can shape and influence our lived experience -- how we can heal -- is inspired by this history.

2. As a Certified Reiki Master, can you tell us where Reiki originated and what kind of global presence it has as a healing art?

As far as the origins of Reiki, there's some confusion and contradictory information, but what is widely understood is that Mikao Usui had a mystical experience in Japan in 1922, which led him to organize Usui Reiki as a hands-on healing technique. Reiki is actually a general term that describes a variety of spiritual healing methods, and Dr. Usui's technique is formally known as the Usui System of Natural Healing or Usui Reiki Ryoho. 

Dr. Usui's methods were changed slightly (for the American audience) when they were brought to the west by Hawayo Takata, and teachers like Diane Stein helped spread the teachings in an accessible way in the 70s and 80s, somewhat demystifying Reiki, in my opinion. (As much as energy healing can be demystified.)

I think we're living in an exciting time for energy work. What was once strictly the domain of spiritual seekers, shamans and mystics, is now broadening. Science is beginning to catch up with what spiritual healers have always known. Reiki is practiced in clinics and hospitals, more and more people are hearing about it and adopting it as part of their wellness routine.

I don't think the influence of nurses should be underplayed when it comes to how Reiki has spread in the western world. Doctors diagnose, but nurses heal. They know the power of loving human touch, and many nurses have been working quietly behind the scenes, and publicly, to promote the art of Reiki and bring it into the mainstream.

Even though I am trained in the Usui tradition, like many practitioners, I use the word Reiki loosely to encompass a variety of methods, both physically tangible and spiritually intuitive, that accelerate the flow of energy between the body and the emotional body, to promote healing and wellness on all levels.

It will be interesting to see how and where we go from here, but I do believe the world is catching on and more and more people are waking up to the profound power of channeling energy.

3. You have a M.F.A. in Fiction Writing and write beautiful nonfiction at your blog. Who do you read when you feel stuck as a writer?

(Well, first of all, thank you.) 

When I was eighteen or nineteen, someone I barely knew gave me a copy of Sharon Olds’ Satan Says and completely rearranged my understanding of what one could do as a writer. I had an immediate visceral reaction to her work. I think I own every Sharon Olds collection in publication, and those poems are my go-to medicine when I'm feeling stuck. Her words shoot straight into my blood and remind me how to be brave. Her poems also speak to the power of the personal. We, on this planet, are living a shared experience. She can tell the story of a moment in her life and even thought I didn’t live that moment, I can get in it with her and understand.

I also reach for Francesca Lia Block, because style is liberating to me. She reminds me about the freedom of art and how magical it is to be wildly truthful and wildly creative at the same time. Her words seem to zip across the page.

4. You also have a YouTube channel. What do you like most about vlogging?

I started posting videos online several years ago when I was part of the Co-Creating Your Reality project. I felt self-conscious at first, and when that project ended, I let my YouTube channel go dormant. I recently revived it, however, because I find video to be a great vehicle for connecting and getting the word out about what I do, but most importantly, for introducing myself to potential clients and friends. I see my work as a relationship. I think video allows people to know me in a way that the blog doesn't. It's also just really fun. It feels playful to me and it definitely pushes my boundaries in a good way.

5. How has social media contributed to your practice as an intuitive healer?

Social media has given me a community. I have not only met people, but forged real, deep and lasting friendships with people I never would have met otherwise. It allows me to find other voices that challenge and compliment my own. I feel that the internet, but social media in particular, is my school, my stage and a room in my temple. Like any tool, it can be used for good, evil or indifference, but I make sparking soul connections everyday via social media and those moments contribute to my work in a big way. 

In a practical sense, social media is how I advertise. (Although, I'm not crazy about that word!) I don't have the budget for ads, but I can talk about what I do on Facebook and Twitter and my people can find me and I can find them and we can, and do, have meaningful conversation and connection.

The fact that I can be sitting in Kentucky in my pajamas with my cup of coffee conversing with my dear friend in California, in real time, while we're also conversing with other people, blows me away. I mean, yes, there are also telephones, but there's just something about the wider community of social media -- the marriage of public and private -- it makes sense to me.

6. This year you became self-employed. What has been one of the unexpected gifts of self-employment?

Being able to see and be in my world fully has been a great and unexpected gift.

It actually took me a while to realize that I was in charge of how I scheduled my time. When I feel like it's a good time to go to the store, I can go. When I feel like it's a good time to sit on my porch, I can. I'm not saying that I'm living a life of leisure (I'm actually working more now than I was in my 9 to 5), but I'm in touch with my natural rhythms and the rhythms of my environment now in a way that I wasn't before. 

Even I didn't realize how much of myself, my senses and the way I experience life I had deadened and muffled so that I could survive in an office environment. Self-employment has felt like blooming open. I watch the animals in my yard. I notice the way the wind moves in the leaves outside my window. I listen to the body of my home, how it moves and how it works. 

I am present in my world. I'm actually alive. (It's pretty cool.)

7. How do you juggle the time demands of healing work, writing, social media and marketing your business?

Not very well, actually. That's something I'm looking at as we head into 2011.

I love my work and I have a wee bit of an obsessive personality, so it's easy for me to get out of balance and dedicate all of my time and energy to one area of my life at the expense of the other areas. I'm looking at ways to place a more of a structure on how and when I tend to the aspects of my work and expression.

At the same time, my nature is to flow without structure. I think I work best when I can go where I'm called and immerse myself in whatever it is that comes to the surface and speaks to me. I don't want to "tweet" on a schedule, for instance. I prefer to chat on twitter when the inspiration strikes. 

I think there's a happy medium between lists and schedules and divine inspiration. I hope to ease myself in to that place in the coming year.

8. What’s a favorite way you like to unwind?

My favorite moment of the day comes after dinner. I often take a salt bath to release and detoxify. Afterwards, I put on my pajamas and curl up on the couch with Tracy (boyfriend) and Woody (pug) with a quilt or two and the laptop. We watch old movies or tv while I surf around on the net. That's my favorite downtime. It sounds so, well, digital, but it actually feels cozy and sweet.

9. If you could encourage everyone to do one thing every day, what would it be?

Meditate.

I almost hesitate to use that word because there's a lot of pressure and resistance around it, but I believe that meditation (in whatever form you choose to engage with it) is the power cord that connects you to source energy.

I talk to people every day who are struggling to find clarity or answers or awareness. We can be complicated creatures; we can make things much more difficult than they have to be. So often, the answer to everything is simply to be still. In quieting the mind and the body, you make the space for spirit to move through you and speak to you.

A small, simple meditation practice can change your life.


Lori-Lyn is a native Kentuckian who spent almost a decade in New York City before returning to her home town. She is a writer, Reiki practitioner and intuitive. She teaches workshops and works with holistic wellness clients in person and distance. She has a BA in studio art, and MFA in fiction writing and is attuned to Level III Usui Reiki.

Website:  Dream Life Wellness

Blog:  The Dream Life

YouTube Channel:  The Dream Life

Twitter:  @lorilyn

Facebook:  Dream Life Studio