Vancouver, BC: A Destination For the Artist

The 2010 winter olympic games are just around the corner, and this time around they're being held in Vancouver, BC Canada.  I've been fortunate enough to visit Vancouver a few times over the past ten years.  It's a gorgeous city no matter what season it is - a perfect place for a getaway.  For the artist, it definitely is a great place to visit to get in touch with nature.

All the pictures I took in Vancouver were stored on an old computer...and unfortunately, I never saved them to a disk.  However, I did happen to find one picture of Vancouver Bay that I uploaded to my web host. 

With its beautiful, green scenery, easy-going vibe, and abundant activities for the nature lover, Vancouver, BC attracts many visitors every year - especially those seeking skiing holidays. So one can only just imagine how many people will be attending the winter olympic games next month. 

I've never been skiing, but it's definitely on my list of things "To Do" in this lifetime.  I love watching the skiing competitions during the olympics - especially the ski jumping competition.  I also love watching figure skating.

What I never really noticed and just found out about ski jumping in the Olympics is that there isn't a competition for women.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted against it because supposedly there aren't enough high level women to create competition worthy of their own event. 

Can you imagine not being able to compete in something you feel very passionate about?  What if there was an art or writing competition, but only men could enter because a committee thought there weren't enough women with "high level" art or writing skills to compete?

New Year's Resolution: Share Yourself, Tell Your Story

What I love about the internet is that there are so many tools that you can use to express your creativity. Being an artist, writer, and photographer, I can share my thoughts, art, and photos with the world. I can create a website, create a photo blog or video blog, share my works of art online, and so much more.

The other day a friend and I were reminiscing over our childhood days when we would create videos, take crazy pictures of us pretending to be models, and record ourselves with the tape recorder. I told my friend how I wished we had the internet back in the 80's. We'd have our own website like iCarly and be able to share all the memories with future generations. Unfortunately, because of all the moving around we've done throughout the years, the tapes and videos have gone missing.

Every one of us has a talent to share with the world. I always encourage people to either start a blog or create a website because I think so many other people could be inspired by what you do or what you say. Your passion and energy can spread to others.

As we head into the New Year and you're thinking about new goals and projects, consider how you can share more of you to the world. Tell the world your story - whether it be through music, art, writing, photography, or even through the way you dress.  

It's your time to shine!

Photo Credit:  Chris Lott

Studio 747 Network News and Links

It's been a quiet month here at the Studio 747 network as I've decided to take a little break from blogging.  I've only blogged when I feel inspired to say something.  Here are some thoughts I've shared this month:

• Your Calling in Life:  What Are You Meant To Do? - I've come to realize that my calling in life is to inspire people to follow their dreams and live life with passion.  How about you?

• Over at Online Business Resources I talk about how your attitude affects your success in business.  Many business owners are going through a rough patch right now.  If you stay focused on what you want and know without a doubt that things will turn around, it's only a matter of time that you will start to attract more abundance in your business. 

• The holiday season is here, so I've shared some tips and exercises to de-stress and relax .

Here are some noteworthy posts from a couple of my favorite bloggers (I also recommend following them on Twitter!):

• Liz Strauss (@lizstrauss) says: Stop Thinking Poor:  Start Irresistibly Growing Your Business 

• Stephanie Quilao (@skinnyjeans) shares her tips for handling her identity online...both personally and professionally.
  

What Social Media Means to Me

Social media is a fairly new concept to many people.  For me, it's been part of my life from the time I started blogging - which was about five years ago.  Social media is my way of sharing information and connecting with others.  I don't know where I would be without it, really.

I tend to live the life that most people think artists live.  I stay home most of the time and work on my art or writing.  I'm not very social in the traditional sense in that I go out and party or hang out with friends all the time.  However, with Twitter and Facebook in my life I've become an online social butterfly ;) 

Social media has changed my life in many ways.  For one, blogging has become a big passion of mine and has turned into an entrepreneurial endeavor.  I feel very fortunate that I can do what I love and make money doing it!

How has social media changed your life?

In a recent interview with CB Whittemore of Flooring the Consumer, I offer my insight on social media and its relationship to marketing.  I also share tips on how companies can bridge old media and new media to connect with their customers.  The interview is part of an ongoing social media series that I highly recommend reading if you're interested in using social media to attract people to your art business.