Entries Tagged 'General' ↓

This Week in Blogs — March 9th

March 9th, 2014 — General

Photo Jul 03, 7 34 35 AMThis week’s blogging roundup, featuring posts on the blogs and the mini-blogs:

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This Week in Blogs — March 2nd

March 2nd, 2014 — General

Photo Jul 03, 7 34 35 AMThis week’s blogging roundup, featuring posts on the blogs and the mini-blogs:

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This Week in Blogs, February 23rd

February 23rd, 2014 — General

Photo Jul 03, 7 34 35 AMThis week’s blogging roundup, featuring posts on the blogs and the mini-blogs:

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Hispanicize 2014 Free Blogger Passes

February 19th, 2014 — General

Latino and Multicultural Bloggers can apply for one of the 200 free passes made available recently to the Hispanicize 2014 conference:

Hispanicize 2014, the 5th annual Latino trends event for marketing, social media, journalism, film, music and tech, will be held at the InterContinental Miami hotel, April 1-4, 2014 in downtown Miami. Book your room here: http://bit.ly/1gsYQF3

Who qualifies:

The 200 full access event passes are available to Latino and multicultural bloggers who have been blogging consistently for at least one year and fill out a short online form http://bit.ly/1bZZNUr. A wide range of bloggers, women and men, from entertainment to parenting and fashion to tech are eligible. Qualifying bloggers who have already paid to attend Hispanicize 2014 and meet the criteria will be fully refunded.

I am not going to be available to attend the conference this year, but I recommend it based on my experience last year. I learned a lot and made some great connections.

Are you going? More info.

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In defense of the internship

February 18th, 2014 — General

I was lucky enough to get two paid internships while in college. Even then (I won’t tell you how long ago that was), in PR, landing a paid internship was almost like catching a unicorn — a mythical experience. I looked for many months, nearly giving up. I was told by many students, professors, and professionals that I should settle for an unpaid internship. Then I found one making $5 an hour for 15 hours a week (my first), followed the next year by one making $10 an hour for 32 hours a week (my second).

I was very very lucky.

The truth is that if I hadn’t found paid internships I wouldn’t have been able to take an internship at all. I worked my way through college. I earned money for bills, tuition, and living expenses. Even that semester when I had the 15-hour a week internship, I also had two other part-time jobs. Working for free, even with the possibility of long-term benefits to my future career, just wasn’t an option.

And my internships were exceptional learning opportunities. I learned more about public relations in those two internships than I had in my classes. I made connections with people in my industry that helped me a lot. And both my “bosses” from those internships later paved the way for me to get in the door for after-college jobs.

I was very very lucky.

I don’t approve of hiring interns without paying them. I know that at some point in my future I am going to have to do that. I admit that I have had unpaid interns in the past. But I am honest that I don’t like it. It feels wrong. Many interns are doing associate-level work and should be compensated. Many interns simply need the paycheck. I believe that interns should be paid, and held up to the standards of a paid employee.

I don’t approve of hiring interns and then not teaching them anything. I was ready for a job in public relations when I graduated college in large part because of the internships I took. My bosses forced me to step outside my comfort zone, gave me assignments and feedback to improve my skills or use them in new ways, and often took the time to explain to me why I needed to make changes and how the changes made the assignment better. I did plenty of grunt work. I didn’t always enjoy the markups on my writing, having to redesign flyers and other items, or simply being told that I was wrong. But I learned… a lot. And I produced a lot of good work while there (at least I think so).

I’ve been having conversations with college students, undergraduate and graduate, about the challenges with internships these days. I am told that there aren’t any paid internships. I am told that internships aren’t really a learning opportunity. I am told that there isn’t a clear path from an internship to a career. I am told that “bosses” aren’t doing more than spending the internship assigning them low-level grunt work, not things that they can use in a portfolio later, then just cutting all ties when the internship is over.

I hope things aren’t so bleak out there. I hope these conversations aren’t representative of the industry as a whole.

And I think, just maybe, I need to revive my internship position… even if I can’t pay them… even if it feels wrong.

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This Week in Blogs, February 16th

February 16th, 2014 — General

Photo Jul 03, 7 34 35 AMThis week’s blogging roundup, featuring posts on the blogs and the mini-blogs:

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This Week in Blogs — February 9th

February 9th, 2014 — General

Photo Jul 03, 7 34 35 AMThis week’s blogging roundup, featuring posts on the blogs and the mini-blogs:

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The Artist’s Way: Week 4

February 3rd, 2014 — General

2013.12 Artists wayLast week I wrote about Chapter 3 and leadership qualities and blocks.That chapter was a week late, since I began to experience severe scheduling issues. I’m still having issues with time and scheduling. I don’t think that’s going to go away. It’s something I should have been able to anticipate but somehow didn’t.

For those of you paying attention, this is my second attempt to make it through all 12 chapters of the book. One of the reasons I decided to blog the experience this time was to hold myself publicly accountable, making me less likely to abandon the project midway (as I did last time). I don’t remember how far I got in my last attempt, but I am determined that I am going to finish the journey this time.

The ongoing tools continue: daily morning pages, affirmations and weekly time-outs.

The Third Transformation: Part One
Week Four — The Abyss

Of all the chapters I’ve reviewed so far, this week’s chapter hit me the hardest. And I haven’t even done the assignments yet. This week is all about anger and overwork, in particular overworkaholism. I read the chapter twice.

Quote from the book:

Much of what passes for depression is actually blocked creativity.

TOOL: Admitting your emotions

As you can guess from the name, this assignment is about admitting your feelings without judgment. Set up a safe place, with privacy; choose soothing music; complete the following statement 10 times: If I let myself admit it, I feel ________________________________.

TOOL: Anger as a map

The book covers the different ways anger can be a productive feeling:

  1. Anger is uncomfortable;
  2. Anger is useful;
  3. Anger announces our boundaries and goads us in the direction of our dreams;
  4. If unchanneled, anger is a highly destructive force; and,
  5. If channeled for change, anger is a booster rocket.

List three situations that anger you. Identify why you are angry, and write about each one. Identify what positive action you can use your anger to accomplish.

TOOL: True confessions

Write down everything that you find embarrassing or threatening in your current work environment. Take up to 30 minutes, but not more. Don’t censor yourself and don’t judge yourself.

TOOL: Define your inner wall

You will need to check the book for this one. It covers assignments about core values, breaches to your inner wall, past incidents and what you’ve learned for the future.

TOOL: Workaholism quiz

Another Tool for which you’ll actually need the book. It’s eye-opening. A few quotes to share:

Most blocked creatives do not work. They overwork.

And…

Workaholism is a block, not a building block.

And…

The trick is to lean to differentiate between work and overwork.

TOOL: Bottom line

In my opinion, the most important assignment of the week. Set a bottom line clearly defining the behaviors around work that are self-abusive. And, do not go past them. Once you have learned to tell the difference between work and overwork, you need to keep to behaviors that will keep you from overworking.

TOOL: Signposts

Post a sign that tells you:

  • Quantity does not equal quality.
  • Overwork is not working.
  • Workaholism is a block, not a building block.

TOOL: The “Fraudian Slip”

List five reasons why you feel like a fraud. For each reason, write the viewpoint that counters it. Be truthful about what makes you feel like a fraud, but also in the counter points.

* * *

My “The Artist’s Way at Work” journey:

  • A new year, a new project: navigating The Artist’s Way
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 1 — Week One summary and assignments
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 2 — Week Two summary and assignments, and review of Week One
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 3 — Week Three summary and assignments, and review of Week Two
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 4 — Week Four summary and assignments, and review of Week Three
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 5 — Week Five summary and assignments, and review of Week Four
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 6 — Week Six summary and assignments, and review of Week Five
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 7 — Week Seven summary and assignments, and review of Week Six
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 8 — Week Eight summary and assignments, and review of Week Seven
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 9 — Week Nine summary and assignments, and review of Week Eight
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 10 — Week Ten summary and assignments, and review of Week Nine
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 11 — Week Eleven summary and assignments, and review of Week Ten
  • The Artist’s Way: Week 12 — Week Twelve summary and assignments, and review of Week Eleven
  • The Artist’s Way: the last week — review of Week Twelve

Additional Links and References:
(Some links are affiliate):

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This Week in Blogs — February 2nd

February 2nd, 2014 — General

Photo Jul 03, 7 34 35 AMThis week’s blogging roundup, featuring posts on the blogs and the mini-blogs:

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Social Media Rock Star

January 29th, 2014 — General, Video

Televised events are now online events as well. No media has embraced the online/offline marriage between entertainment and social media conversation as fully as television has. The recent Grammys are a great example of that. Ever wonder who runs the social media dashboard for an event like that?

From Mashable: “Lindsay Gabler is a one-woman social media team. As the lead social voice behind the Grammys, she’s a literal social media rock star. Lindsay tells us about musicians embracing Twitter, that long Grammy work day, and how social media has grown since she started.”

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