Art, artists, Australia, Benchmarking, birds, Birdwatching, Books & Writing, business planning, Business Strategy, creativity, goal-setting, leadership, life balance, Photography, Strategic Planning, Victoria, Women, Women in Business, writer in transit, writing, writers, writers in residence, Writers

Change is good

Mono Negative

Keeping one’s blog up-to-date is important and the same is true with the associated website! I felt mine needed a good refresh so I’ve implemented an upgrade and reorganised my site. I’d love to hear your feedback. If you think it’s better than before let me know.

As I’m not so active on Facebook I’ve moved my bird photos onto this site and you’ll find them here  I like taking time to write about the things that interest me – and my interests are varied and on occasion, unrelated – but  I want to spend less time online … this is a challenge for all of us I’d say.  I find Facebook has become just a series of anonymous videos for the most part as many friends ‘follow’ but do not post or like so therefore communication has become a bit one way. So I’m putting my efforts into this site. Such as they are.

I have new projects I’m working on and hope to share them here soon. Less time on line (I’m hoping) means more time for real world projects to be completed.

If all of this makes sense to you, please let me know. We’re all friends here.

Austin Kleon, Australia, birds, christmas hampers, Victoria, Women in Business, Writers, Yarra Valley

Another Australian adventure…

Wine-200ml-sparkling_big

 

I’ve always been interested in promoting ‘Australian-made’ and so for a long time I’ve looked for interesting ways to promote home grown innovation.

Of course, Australian food and wine have a deservedly excellent reputation so with this in mind, i’ve decided to start a ‘pop up online store’ to promote Aussie products by way of Christmas hampers. This brings together my love of Australiana, creating a new online alternative and …shopping! What a great combo!

Christmas hampers are mostly very traditional so I’d like to offer something a bit different.  With my pop up store, you can choose the traditional option but also one with a contemporary slant and a luxury alternative.

So what would go into a ‘true blue’ Aussie Christmas hamper? My thoughts are some of the regulars – like Tim Tams. While not a ‘just for Christmas’ item, who doesn’t eat packets of them over the festive Aussie summer season? Then there’s wine. We have some fantastic Shiraz… just right for that family get together. And I’m even learning to love Chardonnay… the less oaken varieties have won me over so they would need to be well represented.  Living as I do in Victoria, I would need to have in my basket some of our fantastic cheeses and relishes possibly from the Yarra Valley. My mouth is watering at the idea. Perhaps a bottle of sparkling wine of the Domaine Chandon variety or something equally gorgeous to accompany that cheese platter? A Botrytis Riesling from the Yarrawood Vineyard? Or a classic Rose from Dominique Portet also of the Yarra Valley. So many choices!

show-your-work-cover1Now normally I wouldn’t share this with you so soon but I’m taking a tip from Austin Kleon and his book ‘Show your Work’ and while this isn’t about my art (as his book refers) but to a new ideas I’m developing, I still thought it a good idea to start getting things out into the world and worry less about waiting til it’s absolutely ‘ready’. It may also generate some great ideas or even some Australian producers who’d be interested in collaborating with me.  Therefore: I’ll be opening my ‘store’ in just a few weeks in time for Christmas orders.  Look forward to sharing some Aussie delights with you.  I’d love to hear what you’d like to find in your Australian Christmas Hamper? Do tell me!

 

 

artists, Australia, Melbourne, Music Stores, Uncategorized, Writers

Want to revitalise your creative juices? Visit your local music store

What do you mean… what music store? I know, so many of them have vanished, eaten up by the e-monster that is that online fruit store but if you can find one (and I’ll let you in on the secret of a few of my favourites as a gift for your kind attention) then you are in for a treat.

Today, I walked around my absolute favourite and came away buzzing with creative ideas. Is it the fact that they have reintroduced actual LPs? With cover art? Joy! Is it the rows of beautiful art books that have recently appeared? Double happiness! Or perhaps it’s the calmness of the music playing and the almost mystical potential of rows and rows of fabulous and enticing CDs? All of this was experienced by me spending 1o minutes (which should have been spent rushing to my parking meter) in a joyful, tactile, friendly, sense-enhancing environment. But for my need not to have a parking ticket (so I have more cash to spend on music) I would have spent more time testing the knowledge of the store manager about whether, really, there is a definitive Ella Fitzgerald collection.

Yes! I know as soon as I buy the CD I’ll upload it and probably never look at the cover again. Yes, I also know that beautiful art book that I covet and think will make a great gift will stay – after purchase – on my own book shelf because, really, let’s face it, no-one else will really appreciate it as much as I do.

As I departed the store with the tips of my toes a few centimetres above the pavement, into the glorious sunshine of a Melbourne late-spring afternoon (before the cool change: Melburnians, you know of what I speak) I fancied I had discovered something new, a place to recharge my batteries and my creative notions.  In fact, it was a trip to the past and also a sign of things to come when we remember WE LIKE SHOPPING IN REAL STORES! So. Just in case you do in fact still have a music store (or for that matter a book store) in your part of town, protect it. Love it. Visit it. And buy things. You wont regret it. 🙂

A few of my favourite music stores:

Thomas Music Store, 31 Bourke Street Melbourne 3000 Ph: (03) 9650 9111 (Actually, this is my No.1 favourite)

Basement Discs, 24 Block Place, Melbourne VIC 3000 Ph: (03) 9654 1110 (Love this underground cave of a store!)

Polyester Records, 387 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy  (03) 9419 5137

Go on … be a slave to the rhythm.

Not for Profit Sector, ubud Writers festival, Uncategorized, Writers

Ubud Writers’ Festival 2013 Dates

2013 marks an important year for UWRF as we get set to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Southeast Asia’s most renowned literary event.

urf international_poetry_slamIn 2013, UWRF comes full circle returning to its original theme Through Darkness to Light/Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang honouring Indonesia’s beloved women’s right pioneer RA. Kartini, Paying homage to Kartini the Festival focuses on women’s stories, women’s rights and education, heroes and visionaries, and embraces writers across all genres including travel writers, songwriters, playwrights, poets, comedians and graphic novelists.

‘To add to the excitement of celebrating our ten years, the Festival welcomes our new International Program Manager – Summa Durie who joins our existing programming team of Kadek Purnami – Community Development Manager, Wayan Juniartha – Indonesian Program Manager and Ida Bagus Putra Wira Adnyana – Program Coordinator. Also joining the UWRF team is Marketing Manager – Madeleine Smith. Both Summa and Madeleine have had immense experience in arts events and will bring an effervescent youthful spirit to our upcoming mammoth 10th Festival’, said Janet DeNeefe – Festival Director/Founder.

In breaking news – the dates of the 2013 UWRF have now changed to 11 – 15 October to avoid a clash with the upcoming APEC meeting, which is being held in Bali early October. Please make sure to update your diaries and calendars now with our new dates.

Whether you have been to every UWRF, have experienced the Festival once or twice, or have ever thought about attending – 2013 is the year to see you at the Festival, as they welcome the world’s most exciting writers, thinkers and artists to Ubud. www.ubudwritersfestval.com