The vision for Connect Ventura is a co-working space for free-lance creative entrepreneurs, a place where they can work together, bounce ideas off of each other.
The space is 50 West Main, Ventura, just West of Ventura Avenue–and the space is rapidly becoming a place as Josh Addison and others dream and vision. (more…)
Celebrate
dolphin play, steelhead run, pelican peer
Channel Islands sail, Anacapa arch
salt lips, rock rolls, finch dawns, fog noons, moon climbs
sea, sycamore, sage, lupine jeffrey scents
Topa Topa light, Pine Mountain Star night
life, work, growth amidst our sacred landscape
Today is Earth Day! To celebrate, I am posting a poem I wrote a few years ago celebrating my local landscape.The broadside was published in ArtLife Limited Editions; it features a reproduction of a much more colorful body print I did of myself as the coastline in spring.
TAXES
taxes are like the carrot on the plate i never wanted to eat they get
Following Vintank’s blog post last week listing the 9 most influential wine bloggers, several commenters observed the list was limited to one gender–male. The comments section has quite a ruckus going on–some of it insightful and provocative.
Last year, following the publication of a similar list and various online discussions about it and the fact that it too was a list of male wine bloggers, Jo Diaz posted her list of women bloggers.
Here are highlights from another of the sessions at the Triiibes Flow Ventura Retreat March 16-18 2012, “The Flow of Community: Values, Communication and Business Leadership Flow in community” by Dr. Ed Brenegar, Ph.D.
To illustrate his point, he showed a video interview with Talia Leman. Leman, 15, is the founder of RandomKid http://www.randomkid.org. This video is from her talk at TEDxYSE: Unleashing Young Social Entrepreneurs on November 13th, 2010.
Key to moving or shifting from a network to a community is making a connection and elevating values. How? Brenegar starts with a story about the six lessons from Johnny Bunko by Daniel Pink:
1) there is no plan
2) think strengths not weaknesses
3) it’s not about you
4) persistence trumps talent
5) make excellent mistakes
6) leave an impact
In a contest, Brenegar offered that the 7th lesson be “Say thanks everyday.” He lost out to “Stay hungry” by Becky Blanton, thanks to support by Seth Godin who motivated his community to vote for her.
But Ed won too–he ended up with a transformation strategy he calls the 5 actions of gratitude; he posted this chart on his site:
1) Say Thanks–tangibly!– Everyday
Use notecards and send them out all the time. If in doubt, send one! This connects you with the person.
2) Give Back
It’s more than money, it’s time.
3) Be welcoming
4) Honor Others
5) Create Goodness
Some questions to consider…
Who are we impacting?
You do what you can do the best you can and invite others to do the same. The more we learn about how to do that the better we will all be.
What opportunities do we have?
What keeps our community from creating the impact we desire?
Ed’s posted his slideshow here: http://www.slideshare.net/edbrenegar/the-flow-of-leadership-flow-ventura-retreatdr-ed-brenegar
On to the next session at the Triiibes retreat: Investing In Ideas That Change the World by Opus Novum with Florian Selch in the house and Dr. Khalid Al-Ali online.
Dr. Al-Ali starts with the foundation of how to form an organization that can change the world: you need good people, open mindshare, mutual collaboration, and positive impact.
Which begs the question: who are good people? how do we find them and bring them together? You build a magnet using these principles:
1) make it simple
2) place trust and loyalty first
3) give before you take—nothing can be placed in a closed hand
4) honor the mentor/apprentice tradition
5) seek collaborative community
—without this, your employees will see you as a paycheck
6) apply social norms
7) favor wealth creation over wealth collection
8) be a positive change agent
An organization needs structures supporting people instead of people serving structures (the brand etc, the people behind the logo).
People who want to be more involved with this organization can apply to be a fellow.
I’m back at the Triiibes retreat in Ventura and listening to Seth Godin on a live feed where he’s doing a Q & A with participants.
Right away he’s pushing my nod button as he talks about the transition to the “connection” economy from an industrial economy.
Read All Marketers tell Stories reminds Seth Godin to Dr Andrea Neal who operates the non-profit Blue Ocean Sciences. In talking with Seth, she realizes what she’s doing is telling too broad a story and she needs to focus the story.
Now stone sculptor Michele Chapin of Stoneworks Studio is asking Seth about how to approach art sales now that people can see it all on the internet but what they buy is the story.
What is worth more is famous, says Seth to Michele.
Ok now I’m nodding my head again as someone asks about Stop Stealing Dreams, Godin’s recent online manifesto about education.
What he finishes the manifesto with his not changing it from the top down but from the parent, child, and activist level–the community level. It’s a grass-roots movement that’s happening more and more. We need to stop handing over authority to the institution, he advises.
When I go up, I tell him a little about myself and my college students, and I ask him what he would do with my summer school classes. He suggests I get them blogging which is what I have done in the past. But what is key or different that clicks is getting them blogging EVERY DAY. He suggests that I contact Cathy Davidson who is doing something similar.
Last words: If you can’t connect with people, change the message.
Thanks to business coach and WEV instructor Gloria Miele for taking this photo and sharing it on facebook.
He proposes we take on a life of leadership by learning on how and where we are leaders arlready and strengthen that and build on that, and form a community to support each other.
Leadership is about taking initiative. It’s not about being an authority, or being in charge but taking charge.
What do you bring to the table to contribute? Be confident! Don’t be afraid!
Here are some very very rough notes: (more…)
Members of Seth Godin’s invite only Triiibes ning have invaded Ventura’s beachfront Crowne Plaza Hotel for a weekend of conviviality and transformation entitled “Flow Ventura 2012″. Activities range from surf lessons to more traditional business and success related talks–see schedule below.
While the events are limited to members of Triibes (and the occasional local Linchpin), it is being video-taped; when the material gets up, I will link to it here.
In the meantime, I’ll try to get some posts up with highlights here and here’s the schedule: (more…)
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Art Predator
Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator
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