1800askDonna

Personal Branding: Artist shows how to create and get attention

In marketing and in coaching, we talk about business and personal branding. Establishing an identity for yourself or your business. A 23 year old Pratt Institute graduate student has set about creating herself as living performance art. She has sold her DNA on ebay, ran the 2003 NYC marathon dressed in salami (I kid you not) and willed her remains to the Guggenheim Museum in New York "with the stipulation that they are to be freeze dried and displayed nude in a prominent location."

She's set about creating buzz for herself, and not only does interesting and quirky things (wonder where she gets her ideas?) but makes sure they are publicized! We might all take a page from her book (as the expression goes.)

Thanks to Boing Boing for this!

Boing Boing: Artist plans to marry dead poet, seeks attention, gets it

Artist plans to marry dead poet, seeks attention, gets it
New York artist Shishaldin is planning to marry a French poet. That wouldn't be newsworthy if the poet wasn't Comte De Lautreamont, who has been dead for 134 years. Apparently, an obscure French law allows the country's president to sanction weddings between the living and dead. No word yet on whether French President Jacques Chirac will give his seal-of-approval though.
Shishaldin, a 23-yeard-old student at the Pratt Institute and former Alaskan tennis champion, seems to be on a PR blitz. Earlier this month she bequeathed her remains to the Guggenheim Museum.

Thinking by Peter Davidson: Ipod For Books?

Thinking by Peter Davidson: Ipod For Books?

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/573314

I admit to being a book hoarder. It's never enough to be reading a book, I have to have several in a stack waiting to be read, or I feel a lack. Well this new device may be the answer for me. Download a dozen books and only have to carry one device? Where can I sign up to get one.....

collision detection: Courtney's high-tech Love

collision detection: Courtney's high-tech Love

Some people should be confined to paper and pen. But it is amusing.

One Thousand Reasons to Dump George Bush

One Thousand Reasons

Just in case you needed a few reasons, there's a website that helps. It makes quite a compelling case.

Anything worth doing, is worth doing with someone else!

Anything worth doing, is worth doing with someone else!

I've had the wonderful opportunity in the past year to collaborate and work with some truly amazing people. Most of the time we work together virtually, via IM, email and the occasional phone call. But I've begun the practice in the last few months of trying to work face to face at least once a week.

Now if you work in an office or work with your customers or clients face to face, at this point you are "thinking what's the big deal? I do that daily." The fact is, that as a coach, I never even meet my clients since they are all over the world, and we work via phone. And my colleagues at Coachville.com all work virtually as well. But I digress from my main point.

I'm a very productive, quite creative person. But I've noticed an interesting dynamic lately. Working face to face with someone creates a different energy. Yes, it's partially about the bouncing back and forth of ideas, the different points of view. But beyond that, there really is a palpable energy that eminates from two or three creative minds working together to create. Perhaps it comes from the joy of sharing the accomplishment with someone.

And it applies to the rest of life too. A funny movie is so much funnier when watched with someone, or a whole movie theater of people. Listening to music on your IPod is great, hearing it in concert with a concert hall full of folks is awesome. Meals are better with people than alone. The list goes on.

I can only think of two things that are better done alone. Shopping is one. Reading is the other. But there are even exceptions to those.

Anyone want to blog with me?

Seth's Blog: My Prius and the Parking Garage

Seth's Blog: My Prius and the Parking Garage

Now here's something I never thought of. If you have a Prius (my friend Kerul has one and I love that display complete with talking GPS unit, not to mention the gas mileage she says she gets!) you don't need a key to open the doors or start the car. So what do you do at garages? And where do you keep the "key" if you don't have pockets?

Nonetheless, I want one.

Pursuing Old Goals

I was on a call with a client this morning (I'm a Life, Business and Mentor Coach) and we were discussing why it's sometimes such a struggle to actually do the things we set out to do. That's true for business goals, personal goals, and everything in between.

There are lots of reasons. Sometimes it's because there are pieces missing...knowledge, time, money or opportunity. Sometimes it's because the goal is too large, and needs to be "chunked" down into smaller pieces. And sometimes...now listen up...it's because it's the wrong goal.

The wrong goal? Yes. Sometimes we pursue a goal for years and years. Think of wanting to lose weight. Think of New Year's resolutions made and broken within days. Think of all those goals you've been working on for a long time.

Now consider this...maybe the time has come to give up those old goals. Because if you haven't achieved them or worked on them consistently for a long stretch, then it's likely that they are no longer really something that you want, or you don't want them enough. Often, it's a habit to pursue them. Perhaps once you really wanted to be a size six, or to have a PhD, or to become a master bridge player. But continuing to pursue them is a habit rather than a true desire.

Worth thinking about. More than that...worth doing something about it! What do you think?

Not a Good Thing

Bill Schorr, United Media http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/MarthaStewartCONVICTED/2.asp

Poor Martha. But maybe there's an opportunity for her.

the friday five

the friday five

Okay...so it's Saturday, not Friday. I was a bit busy yesterday. But in my morning blog skim, I came across the friday five. Apparently so did 675 other bloggers, who all posted five questions to their blogs and responded to them. I figured why not...it's Saturday and I have vowed to do no meaningful work today...so this fits in just perfectly!
What was...

1. ...your first grade teacher's name? Wow...that was a loooong time ago. But I think her name was Mrs. Shapiro (or was that second grade?)

2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon? Ummmm...I don't watch these. Is there a Saturday morning Peanuts cartoon? Or Garfield? Should I be watching them? Why did Katy Keene never become a Saturday morning cartoon?

3. ...the name of your very first best friend? I don't recall at all! Couldn't have been that great a friend! But today? Oh...that's easy. Lois. But I am blessed with many good friends... there's also Stephanie, Rick, Kerul, Barbra, and Maria (in no particular order, really) And I didn't include my husband Michael, because although he's my best friend...I think that's cheating.

4. ...your favorite breakfast cereal? Oatmeal with raisins.

5. ...your favorite thing to do after school? Um, after school? Well, I am the Dean of a school, so I guess I can answer that. Blog, read, have a glass of wine and watch some mindless television.

The Devil Duckie - engadget.com - www.engadget.com

Oh my...I wonder what the customer demographic for this little goodie--the Devil Duckie is a USB 2.0 Flash drive-- is. But wait...I want one. Wonder what that says about me?