practical and meaningful

hard work is heart work

When you are doing something you love, the effort feels effortless.

                                                                                                          hard work can be heart work

identify your bliss and make that your life's work

Ask yourself these questions. What motivates me? What am I good at? What is important. What gives my life meaning?

My list is varied but you can see parts of it shining through every thing I do.

Building things. Shaping people's experiences. Providing jobs. Feeding people. Knowing. Working hard. Loving hard. Organization. Seeking. Documenting. Sampling. Doing good. Creating spaces. Encouraging others. Standing back. Family. Details.  Friends. Meeting people. Making a difference. Believing. Soul work. No regrets. For the long haul.

Identify your bliss and make that your life's work.

time stands still in travel

5.5 hours on the plane with no internet, no email, no phone calls. Nowhere to be, no car to drive, no one expecting me to respond. 

I have never enjoyed being on a plane as much as this one.

Lately, my head has been overstuffed with details, decisions, stress, business, life…. and I have barely had time to think my own thoughts.

On this plane, I have listened to my music, written blog posts, taken a nap, had a picnic, and watched a movie.

I literally could turn right around and fly home, and land feeling refreshed, ignited, and satiated.  Sometimes a little down time is all you need to start to feel like yourself again. Add in some music and some rest – and you have a vacation.

time stands still in travel....

Download 03 You Are the Everything

moving, more moving, and moving yet again

For someone who does not really like change, the past six months have been utter chaos with moving things from place to place, into storage, out of my warehouse, into a new space, & into new storage.

I keep settling in, organizing, and then moving again.

This time, it is to start construction on the Cafe which will be next to the Hollywood Art Studio. We should be open in a few months.  Wish us luck !

Entrepreneur's are turning the economy around without going to business school.

I call myself an accidental entrepreneur. I never would have expected that I would own a business - or three!  I am an artist who loves to travel and document the world with my camera. I spent my twenties traveling light with very low overhead and freedom to go as I pleased.  I always supported myself, paid my way through college, and was financially responsible. I started working and making my own money in 4th grade as a score keeper. Soon after, I started working for a family realtor friend - helping her run open houses and also cleaned her house, paid her bills, and did her laundry. After college, I bought a one way ticket to New York City and moved there (I had never been!) I started working young and I have a good work ethic.

I started my first company fifteen years ago and grew it organically. Two years ago I bought an existing business (with an SBA loan) and expanded it by opening a second location. This year I will open a cafe adjacent to the Hollywood Art Studio.  I truly believe that if you can start/grow/expand a business during a down economy and succeed - you will make it in the long run.

My college degree is in Humanities and Photojournalism. I do not have an MBA. There have been a few times where I have wondered if my businesses would be different had I gone to business school. Would I have been scared away from being an Entrepreneur if I had spent two years learning how to be in business and came out of it owning a hunded grand? I do not like having debt and I know I would have gotten a job to pay off the debt - rather than making my own way and starting my business.   Love this graphic from  Tony Shin and his creative team!

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Affirmations

When I love everything around me, I am constantly inspired.
When I have money in the bank, I am more able to think, feel, and live life.
When I invite people into my home, I am more connected and loving in the world.
When I am taking care of myself and eating right and exercizing, I have more to give.
Creating jobs and making money connects me to my community and my purpose.
Appreciate your life, find meaning in everything you do.
Eliminate what does not support your true self.
Love your life, work hard, play hard, be AWAKE.

painting by Adele Sypesteyn

productive and beyond

Most of my days are fragmented and super busy with too much to do and not enough continuous time to get it all done.  Yesterday I accomplished so much due to the fact that I had the full day to work and lots of people to help.

In twelve hours, I met with the architects and finalized plans for the cafe, met with an artist and created a workshop series for the art studio, reorganized various parts of the crafty warehouse, donated big heavy file cabinets, reconfigured the entire supply room at the art studio to make room for a knitting circle seating area with better light, moved a couch into my office, tore out the ugly counter and shelf in the bathroom, worked on new software system, relocated all the cake boxes to better storage, rearranged all the fridges and set up a mock layout of the cafe based on our finalized plans, decided to donate the big desk, shelves, and extra fridge and freezer, went to the tailor to get my jeans hemmed, taped crafty receipts, did banking, finalized payroll, booked a new show, worked on scheduling, had lunch with my husband, cleaned off all the sticky labels on the trashcans and fridges, with goo gone, cleaned the windows and swept, reduced some clutter, found some money, booked a party, bid on some restaurant supplies, worked on our budget, tightened up the operating agreement, got extra sets of keys made, replaced the broken fridge lights, booked someone to detail and wash the van, paid rent (x4), and strategized about ways to make it all work together and work well.

DONE.

 

Happy New Year from Practical & Meaningful

Practically speaking, here are some resolutions for the new year.  Meaningfully speaking, here is what I loved most about last year. 

PRACTICAL Resolutions for 2012 - Tighten up my systems, simplify, & be more organized. Exercise regularly.  Take more photos. See more movies. Spend time with the people I love. Enjoy more music.

MEANINGFUL What I loved most about 2011 - My Think Days. our Valentine's Dinner Party. the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love. My daughter singing at David's 40th birthday party. Bring your dogs and parents to ART CAMP day. Moving Crafty. Hiking the Stairs in Culver City. All the great press I got through HARO. Being a moMPreneur. The Egg Project. my TWEEN.  Going to PSV.

Practical and Meaningful. Resolution and Review. Action and Appreciation. Work and Play. Friendships and Friends. Places and Memories. Systems and Recall.  Happy New Year!

sigh no more

if anyone has ever done you wrong. listen to this song. close your eyes. listen to your heart. and let it go.

 

Download 02 The Cave

                              "live my life as it's meant to be"  -Mumford and Sons

 

simplify

On a quest to make things work better, feel better, and mean more.

I am going to reduce commitments. I am going to partner with others. I will accomplish more, with less effort. I will create purpose. I will have some fun. I will hire a driver. I will refine systems. I will master my scanner and sort the files on my computer. I will be seen. I will simplify.