No more complaints...

When I saw this cartoon, it gave me a good chuckle... and then it reminded me that complaining, or even just negative thoughts, don't help make the situation better.

The sooner I recognize, and accept, the current reality ... the sooner I can begin to figure out a way to change it.

I would also add that the "experimental German treatment" works especially well with an old American Indian remedy...

Kwitcherbichen and Giddyup !

[Any resemblence of the person in the cartoon to this author is purely coincidental.]

Before 6

The weather was TOO nice this weekend ... but I still managed to paint a little more on the "Before" picture.

I was surprised that I still have a good amount of black to do... and since much of it is in odd places on the canvas, I have found that it is easier to do in sections and let things dry (so that I'm not putting my hand in wet paint and tracking it all over the place).

Oh, I should add that I have started walking with slight bursts of jogging. I will have to work my way up to really running... but at least I won't look as much like the painting !

How is your "Shine"?

I saw this article from Duct Tape Marketing and even though it is about marketing and business, I really liked the concept of "shine".

...This 3rd strategy element is something I call “Your Shine.”

Essentially this is the illumination of your marketing and life vision in what is ultimately a highly personal and unique way.

You already know that line that separates your business and your life is so thin that without a vision for how one will serve the other, perhaps neither will serve either.

And that’s what I believe holds people back from building truly
remarkable businesses and equally remarkable lives.

So what does this shines thing look like? I don’t know exactly, but I do know it has nothing to do with balance.

First off, balance is impossible to achieve and it’s wrong thing
anyway. Building a business and a life that shines isn’t about balance, it’s more about blending the right notes to create a certain kind of dynamic harmony.

See, the beautiful thing about harmony is that only you can determine the kind of music that excites you.

Your Shine then is your personal understanding of your organization’s ... higher purpose or reason for being that syncs perfectly with your personal goals and values. ... You and only you can decide what “higher purpose” means, the only point I’m making is that without this driving vision or “this is why I do this” it is far too easy to get knocked off track the first time you
suffer some setback or criticism of your dream.

A firm grasp of this thing I call your Shine is what gives you the courage to stay with what you believe.

So the parts of your Shine, your harmony and by their very nature parts of your marketing strategy are:

• Your personal, business, strategic and tactical long-term and short-term goals


• Your marketing vision - the higher purpose of why you do what you do that helps you throw off the desire for a homeostasis kind of balance in search for a much more dynamic kind of harmony


• Your vision story - A detailed description of a day in the life of your business if, in fact, your marketing vision was being fully realized and that your business was indeed allowing you to create a remarkable life - in a word, a
  life that Shines.

Once you create Your Shine as part of your marketing strategy you may find that the other elements of your strategy, your ideal customer and your core difference, are much easier to get your arms around.

The most exciting thing I’ve witnessed when people take the time to really get this idea, is that all of a sudden marketing gets really easy, because they have a guiding light that drives every single marketing decision.

It doesn't just apply to Marketing.

Have you got your Shine On?

If it's worth doing, it's worth SINGING !

It has been a while since I posted something from Seth Godin (my favorite marketing author & blogger), but when I saw this post, I just had to pass it along...

Sing it!

I spent some time a few days ago listening to a nascent band
performing classic rock songs.

The first group sang a note-for-note rendition of a song by the Stones. The notes were right, but nothing else was. The singer
didn’t know what the song meant. And the musicians, they just stood there. No energy, no smiles, no connection. It could have been a funeral with a great soundtrack.

A concert isn’t about the music, is it? And a restaurant isn’t about the food.

The funny thing is that learning to Sing It is a lot easier
than learning how to play the guitar. For some reason, we work on the technique before we worry about adding the joy.

If you’re going to go to all the trouble of learning the song and performing it, then SING IT. Sing it loud and with feeling and like you mean it. Deliver it, don’t just make it. When you
answer the phone or greet me at your office or come to a meeting or write something, don’t bother if all you’re going to do is do it. Sing it or stay home.

I had composed this post in my head, when, in a scary example of blog synchronicity, they announced the next song. One by Bluë Oyster Cult, of course. And yes, the announcer demanded that the guest on stage give us more cowbell. More cowbell indeed.

As a speaker or artist, how often do we get trapped by the mechanics of what we are doing and forget that a good part (probably the biggest part) of the value comes from our emotion and connection with the material.

In other words, how we SING IT !

Are you singing today? Why not?

Leave a comment below and tell us !

Before - 5 Weekend of Progress

Again, some rainy weather this past weekend helped speed my progress on the current work.

It was also a good rest between working out and working in the yard... but, unfortunately, the sun came out on Sunday!

As the painting starts to come together, I'm starting to think about the other colors that will be added soon... I have some gray but I'm not sure if I'm happy with the current shades of blue or purple that I have.

In a few days, we will see what I decided.


Any thoughts or questions about the progress so far?

Leave a comment below !

P.S. I also created a self-portrait this weekend and added an electronic thumbnail version of it to the NoteWordy Artist page.
Check it out... http://notewordy.com/Artists.html

Updated NoteWordy.com web pages !

It is official!

The primary pages are up for the new NoteWordy.com website !

We look forward to hearing what you think and any ideas you might have to make it even better.

Please send us an email or leave a comment below !

Dave Wheeler

Founder, NoteWordy.com

Before - 4 ... Progress due to rain

I made some good progress on the painting this weekend due to a rainy day on Sunday here in CT.

Since Saturday was so sunny (and taken up with a great full day Toastmasters event), I was ready for a change of pace and the rainy weather on Sunday really helped make sure that I relaxed, took care of a few errands and did not overextend my sore back. (which I probably would have done if it was sunny and I worked in the yard).

Boy that sounds boring!

... but it really wasn't.

I got caught up on a bunch of things and really got into "the groove" with the painting... but I guess you had to be there !

Stay tuned for the next update ! I think I am nearly done with black paint which means color is just around the corner!

Before - 3

Progress has slowed on the painting.

I hate it when "life" gets in the way of my art!

In particular, I've been doing quite a bit for Toastmasters (see my TM blog here) as well as work.

I've also started cleaning up the yard at my house. Maybe "cleaning up" does not give you a true idea of the full scope of what is needed.

I am hacking down overgrown brush, dealing with poison ivy, avoiding prickly bushes and, in general, trying to make at least a little progress towards a good looking environment.

It's all about progress! One way or another !

Dave

A comment on my art?????

I found this site called "Artintimity" via Neatorama blog and thought that the concept of art on toilet paper was too crazy to not pass along...

Artintimity is a collaborative, artistic and original photoblog concept where people from all horizons express what they are thinking about…while sitting alone in a toilet.

Of course, it could also be a commentary on the state of what we consider "art" nowadays...

What do you think?

Is it "Art" or something else that's associated with toilet paper?

Should we coin the term and start talking about ... "Art de loo" ?

Will the Louvre hang it and if so, where?

Before-2 plus "dark art"

I probably should have said this sooner...

This painting is "acrylic on canvas" and it measures 24 x 36 inches.

I expect that it will not include a frame when it is offered for sale ... but you never know.

Some readers have asked that I post a picture that shows the pencil work better... so here it is. The overall picture is pretty dark, but it should give you a better idea for the basic layout of the painting.

Any suggestions?

Any questions?

please leave a comment below !

Before - 1

Here are the first faltering steps toward completion.

There is going to be quite a bit of black on this painting, so I figured I would jump right in and start there.

The concept behind the painting is to evoke the feeling of hopelessness and despair associated with being overweight.

If you could see the author, you might think that this is intended as a self-portrait ... but the person in this painting has much more hair (on his head).

You can also see what happens when I just want to use up whatever amount of paint is on my pallette before quitting for the day. (That's the amorphous blob toward the middle of the painting.)

New Art started... "Before"

Wheels has a new painting in process and you will be able to see it as it progresses by tuning in to this blog....

This painting will be titled, "Before" and is part of a series called "Before & After".

The picture to the right is the blank canvas with the pencil lines added. "Before - Zero", so to speak.

It is also one of the first paintings to be auctioned off on eBay by the author.

While this "in-process" painting is being done, there will be other previous works offered for bidding via ebay so be sure to add this blog to your "Blog Reader" !

(Google has a pretty good blog reader in case you don't have on yet.)

In tribute to George Carlin ...

This picture is a tribute to George Carlin (who passed away on Sunday).

The picture is a variation of the one posted by Jessica Hagy on her blog, "Indexed"...
Special thanks to my sister, Janet, who gave me the idea (after seeing Jessica's blog post).

In Janet's words,"although to be accurate there should be a line on the graph that looks like someone giving you the finger. True George Carlin style!!"

We saw George Carlin in person on May 2nd at his show in Northampton, MA. It was a great evening of fun with my sister, my Dad & I ... all of us great fans of comedy and George!

The world will miss George Carlin's unique perspective and incredible sense of humor !

If you haven't checked out Jessica Hagy's blog, you might want to go to the main page and check out some other entries... http://indexed.blogspot.com/

Other tributes to George Carlin...
Copyblogger.com
Psychology Today.com (last interview)
Comedy Central (video tribute)
If you know of more, please leave a link to them in the comments !
Thanks.

April Fools !!! (read this blog entry)

You know the great thing about blogs?

Google indexes blogs in about 5 minutes so you are able to use a blog to pull an April Fools or practical joke on someone.

The key is to use a search term or string of words that is unique so that your post will come up first when your "victim" searches to get the "real story".

For example, my niece just passed her driver's test for her driver's license a couple weeks ago so if I put something like "Wisconsin driver test recalled" or "Recall of Wisconsin driver test" or "Wisconsin driver test problem" or "WI driving test" the odds are that my blog post will pop up at the top of a Google search !

I can improve my chances by adding tags such as "Wisconsin Driver Test", Wisconsin Driver Test Recall, recall, driving test and Grafton (where she might have taken the test).

Let's try it .... (I just posted this and will wait a few minutes to see if it works).

It worked ! Now to put my plan into action with a telephone call ....

April Fools Alex ... from your Uncle Dave !!!

Where in the world is.....?

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if you plotted all the places you have visited in the world? Where have you always wanted to visit?

Tripadvisor.com has a neat tool (under their "Fun & Free section, I believe) that allows you to plot locations across the globe and display them very quickly !

Here is an example for Dave Wheeler...

1. Grafton, WI, USA


2. Harrisville, NH, USA


3. Bozeman, MT, USA


4. Chicago, IL, USA


5. San Francisco, CA, USA

• View my profile


• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Visit TripAdvisor.com

It is interesting to see that although Dave has traveled extensively within the US and parts of Canada & Europe, he has yet to go to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Guess where his next vacation might be?

Kentucky 4-H note card contest !

As reported by News-Democrat & Leader Online, the Kentucky 4-H organization is running a notecard contest with the winning cards available for purchase in April 2008. There are a number of different age categories and it will be interesting to see who wins...

... but I'm wondering why they don't have different art categories?

By having different art categories, they would have more entries to choose from and more ways for the kids to experience winning (which, I assume, is a big part of the motivation for the contest). If it is simply a way to raise funds... well, I'm very disappointed.

If anyone in Kentucky is reading this and would like to publicize their notecard, please email a digital photo of your submission to theshot [at] gmail [dot] com. (The email address is in a funny form so that computerized spammers will be less likely to find it.)

Best of luck to all the 4-H artists !

Dave Wheeler
Founder, Notewordy.com

P.S. Press release writing suggestion for Gary Michael Templeman, 4-H/Youth Development Extension Agent for Logan County... a web address or telephone number would be helpful as part of the press release. Saying "contact Logan County Cooperative Extension Service" does not give the general public enough information and you are losing out on a large chunk of your potential audience.

Sympathy during tough times...

Over the past years, we have blogged about how to handle sympathy cards and helped people come up with the appropriate words to write on them. [How-to Sympathy cards here.]

Recently there was a short (but effective) article on lifehack.org about how to handle the "face-t0-face" part of offering sympathy.

When attending the funeral of someone we know, the thought of going up to express our condolences to the friends and relatives of the deceased can often fill us with apprehension - it’s not exactly the kind of experience we go through every day. However, with the right approach it can actually be a very
inwardly rewarding experience.

In [condensed] summary, this is what they had to say...

• Say it with feeling.


• Empathise.


• Show up.


• Talk about fond memories and good qualities .


• Write a sympathy notecard.


• Act from the heart.

Click here to read the full article !

Do you LOVE notecards?

We are looking for two or three people who would be willing to review notecards or up-and-coming artists (mostly from pictures online) and write about them on this blog.

If you are interested, please send us an email at theshot92 at gmail.com. (The email address left off the @ symbol so the address doesn't get picked up by automatic "spammers".)

We hope to hear from you soon !

Dave Wheeler
Founder, NoteWordy.com

Church of the Customer tackles Thank You notes

One of my favorite blogs is "Church of the Customer" because they often have articles with ideas to improve your business and Jackie Huba just posted a great article titled, "Five must-haves for thank-you notes".

In short, this is what she had to say...

... there are five must-haves for an effective, buzzworthy thank-you note:

1) Spell the recipient's name correctly (doh!).

2) Thank the person for choosing your business. If they shared a specific reason why they choose your business of why they like it, reaffirm it. For heaven's sake, though, don't turn it into a sales pitch.

3) Include a personal detail about the recipient that you picked up on. Prove that you were listening. Humanity is a good thing in the antiseptic world of business.

4) Open the door to feedback. Whether the recipient provides it isn't the point; it's the idea that you're passionate about creating a recommendable experience.

5) Be authentic: Include your full name and contact info -- email and/or phone. Or a business card.

These 5 keys are important... and they begin to give you a feeling for what a Thank You note, especially one from a business to their customer, should include. The last one, "Be authentic" is especially important and is one of the reasons that most businesses fail to use thank you notes... they see business as impersonal or "just a job".

When you care enough to make your business GREAT, the idea of sending handwritten thank you notes is a simple step in that direction. It shows how much you care to do a good job (very unusual nowadays) as well as how much you care about your customers... and people will always do business with people who care about them over the standard [i.e. rude, impersonal, rule-following] businesses.

Click here to read the full article including an example of a thank you card that Jackie received.

Dalmation Note Cards !

We found these dalmation (doggy) note cards at Texas Sauce Art Life blog.

They are donating 10% of each sale of these cards to Save the Dalmations charity. Sounds like Cruela Deville will be out of business soon !

One more example of how note cards can be both creative and a benefit to society!

Woof ! Woof!