Do artists and writers have an obligation to take responsibility for the effect their art has on society?

Just days after viewing the 1994 Oliver Stone film “Natural Born Killers”, written by Quentin Tarantino, young newlyweds went on a random killing spree. When arrested, they gave the names Mickey and Mallroy, the Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis characters who’s killing rampages were glorified by the media. We all recall the “Taxi Driver” connection when John Hinkley attempted to assassinate Ronald Regan, to get the attention of Jody Foster. These are just a few examples of the copy-cat syndrome that occurs when already disturbed people are exposed to horribly violent art. And Catherine Ryan Hyde’s “Pay it Forward” had the opposite effect on the public and was the impetus for a whole movement of doing good for the sake of spreading good. There are endless examples of how specific books, films and music have directly and profoundly impacted society and how responsible writing has had a positive effect on individuals. In defense of freedom of expression, there are times when violence or a disturbing story line has a vital role in creative work. And it is of course a parent’s role, not the artists, to control what children are exposed to. The question is, what responsibility do you think an artists, writer, etc has to influence the reading or viewing public? And, is it possible for someone to make a living in the arts if they are committed to only turning out socially conscious material? Last year in a hot tub overlooking the Pacific, I was fortunate enough to strike up a conversation on this topic with Catherine Ann Jones, an award-winning writer for television and film who is committed to socially responsible writing. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Catherine about her writing and teaching and the role artists play in making a difference in society. To listen to this interview now, CLICK HERE Just days after viewing the 1994 Oliver Stone film “Natural Born Killers”, written by Quentin Tarantino, young newlyweds went on a random killing spree. When arrested, they gave the names Mickey and Mallroy, the Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis characters who’s killing rampages were glorified by the media. We all recall the “Taxi Driver” connection when John Hinkley attempted to assassinate Ronald Regan, to get the attention of Jody Foster. These are just a few examples of the copy-cat syndrome that occurs when already disturbed people are exposed to horribly violent art. And Catherine Ryan Hyde’s “Pay it Forward” had the opposite effect on the public and was the impetus for a whole movement of doing good for the sake of spreading good. There are endless examples of how specific books, films and music have directly and profoundly impacted society and how responsible writing has had a positive effect on individuals.
In defense of freedom of expression, there are times when violence or a disturbing story line has a vital role in creative work. And it is of course a parent’s role, not the artists, to control what children are exposed to. The question is, what responsibility do you think an artists, writer, etc has to influence the reading or viewing public? And, is it possible for someone to make a living in the arts if they are committed to only turning out socially conscious material?
Last year in a hot tub overlooking the Pacific, I was fortunate enough to strike up a conversation on this topic with Catherine Ann Jones, an award-winning writer for television and film who is committed to socially responsible writing. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Catherine about her writing and teaching and the role artists play in making a difference in society. To listen to this interview now,

CLICK HERE

Find More Meaning in March

My friend Alice Barry  (www.entertainingtheidea.com) calls March the Month of More Meaning.  Throughout the month of March she’ll be focusing on  and exploring the many ways we can contribute to the world in meaningful ways through our businesses.  As you know, the mission of “Inspired Livelihood” is to  support, inspire and encourage artists, musicians, authors and aspiring entrepreneurs to make a living while making a difference in their community or the world.

As Barbara Winter, author of  ”Making a Living Without a Job” said in her recent Joyfully Jobless newsletter the “search for meaningful work that makes a positive impact in the world is a huge motivator” of the successfully self employed. If you are ready to activate your inner activist and add the meaning/purpose piece to your bottom line, the “Inspired Livelihood Workshop” is for you. .

Join Alice, Barbara and me f in Sedona, Arizona on April 16 & 17. With this exquisite community as our backdrop, we’ll explore what it means to create a business that is both profitable and meaningful. Read about this exciting event HERE

Recordings of Fall Tele-seminar Series

As most of you know, I had to postpone the live tele-seminar series in the fall but did record the interviews and the first several are now posted on the Inspired Entrepreneurs page. You may read about these inspiring artists, authors, performers and social entrepreneurs who make a living in the arts and a difference in the world and listen to the interviews here.

Tragedy can be the impetus for a business helping others

This morning a client was asking for guidance on how she could turn one of her hobbies into a meaningful business. As I listened, I realized that she wasn’t speaking as passionately about her many interests as she was about what she had learned from dealing with a recent tragedy. As she talked, it became apparent that a terrible part of her life had prepared her for a new career. Like many people who’ve had to be innovative during tough times, her creative solutions to a crises situation could meet the needs of a whole population facing  the same challenges. My friend found it hard to believe that people would pay her to do for them what she had figured out how to do for herself, but as we we reviewed all the time spent researching and implementing creative solutions, she realized this was a viable business that could help people solve an urgent dilemma.

Sometimes the best business ideas come from something we’ve found lacking . While no one wants to think of a tragedy as creating opportunity,  sometimes  the skills or wisdom we gain during a crises prepares us for a career helping others deal with a similar situation.

After our phone conversation, I thought of John Walsh host of “America’s Most Wanted” and of the horrific experience of losing his six year old son to

abduction and murder. Determined to not let Adam’s death be in vain,  Walsh began a lifelong career helping to apprehend over 1,050 dangerous fugitives and bring home more than 50 missing children in the past 22 years. He’s authored best-selling books and DVDs on stranger safety and internet safety, and has been instrumental in getting stricter laws passed to crack down on sex offenders,  all as a result of the most horrendous loss a parent could face.

What experiences have forced you to create solutions that  others might now benefit from?  Have there been times when you wished there’d been a service to help you deal with a situation that felt nearly overwhelming?  Did you ever wish someone had written a manual to guide you through a difficult time in your life? What did you learn from handling and getting through some of life’s toughest challenges that could be turned into a service or “roadmap” to help others?

Are making a living and making a difference separate parts of your life?

The old idea of philanthropy as writing a check or volunteering after you’ve made your fortune in a high level job is  20th Century thinking.  A trend we’re seeing at universities worldwide is to prepare graduates to build a business that makes money and embraces social change. A business degree is definitely not necessary to start a business, but it’s worth noting that major business schools are turning out a new breed of MBAs who want to make a buck while also making the world a better place. The old MBA model turned out graduates with the goal of landing a solid corporate job. If a student’s goal was to make a difference, they’d go into social work or the non-profit sector.   In a recent article in the Independent, a UK publication,  Pamela Hartigan, director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship was quoted as saying that “rather than separating where they (new MBAs) make their money from where they do good, they are convinced that it is possible to live comfortably and dedicate their careers to pursuits that are fundamentally innovative, philosophically positive and morally compelling.”

Are you ready to join the ranks of 21st Century Entrepreneurs who are creating businesses that improve the lives of individuals, families, communities and countries by using their passions and creativity to solve local and global problems and create social change?  If you’re ready to learn how you can create a profitable business that means something more, I’d like to invite you to join Barbara Winter, best selling author of “Making a Living without a Job” , Idea Artisan, Alice Barry of “Entertaining the Idea”and me, Terri Belford, self-employment muse for a life and

career changing event.

Where Can You Start to Make a Difference in the World?

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the endless possibilities of the world wide web? In the past decade, the internet has opened up the entire universe as your clientele. As my friend and mentor, Barbara Winter, Author of  best selling “Making a Living Without a Job” reminds us, your customer base is no longer limited to those who share your geography. So, your message can reach potential clients on another continent, even a different hemisphere.

But, what if you just aren’t sure where to start when the whole world is your target? Or you have a strong desire to make a difference in your own neighborhood?

An article in Sunday’s Cincinnati Enquirer featured a young entrepreneur who got her business idea from a need to borrow a ladder.  Keara Schwartz launched Share Some Sugar, a website that lets neighbors post and share items they own and borrow items they don’t.  Searching for an alternative to consuming items that we all use infrequently, Schwartz took a social anthropologist’s perspective to  create a  business opportunity out of a need she saw in her own backyard.

This business can and likely will eventually expand and go national or worldwide, but Keara started where she was, where she saw an immediate need.

Is it possible you are looking at too big a picture and being paralyzed by too much choice? When you try to figure out where to begin to make a change in the world, does it sometimes feel like trying to decide what to order in a Chinese restaurant? Or not knowing where to begin to sort through decades of clutter in your great aunt’s basement?

Try narrowing your focus a bit and reigning in your perspective. Look around your community, explore what unmet needs you notice on your own block. Where can you make a tiny impact? If you can drive change in your own neighborhood, your vision may eventually make a global difference. If you doubt the possibility, consider Craigslist was started as a local site. You can’t make any change if you don’t start somewhere. So start right where you are.

There’s still plenty of time to turn your craft into cash before Christmas.

Have you noticed that many of the small boutiques and galleries that sell handmade are low in inventory two weeks before Christmas? I have, and I know why. And this is to your advantage as a craftsperson.

As a result of the media’s fear-based reports, small retailers ordered light this season anticipating slow sales. But guess what? Discerning consumers are searching for unique, handcrafted, meaningful gifts this season, catching retailers unprepared with insufficient supply and no time to re-order handmade gifts.  Most people say they haven’t even started shopping yet which means shop owners are missing out on revenue if they don’t have inventory. While the big-box retailers can mark their wares down after the holidays, and still make a profit, as you know,  craft retailers don’t have the margin to discount since their markup is so low. So, they are afraid to purchase this late in the season.

But this is where YOU come in. Boutiques and galleries that may not have had space to display your work previously need the inventory between now and Christmas. You likely have pieces you’d love to turn into cash and the shops NEED your work now. It’s risk free for them if you put pieces on consignment and you have nothing to lose either. (review previous tips on consignment.)

Don’t limit yourself to galleries. The next three weeks, women are dressing for holiday parties and looking for that one-of-a-kind accessory to add pizazz to their outfit. Approach apparel shops and offer to consign your handcrafted jewelry, evening bags, shawls, etc.

No one can buy them if they are sitting in your studio unseen,

Check back frequently for more “eleventh hour” tips on selling your crafts and if you haven’t yet received your “13 Quick, Easy, Low-cost or NO-cost Ways to Turn your Craft into Cash” get your free gift here.

How Well Do you Really Know Yourself?

I apologize for being so quiet recently and will explain in a future email. Much has been happening in my personal and business life and one tool that’s been an enormous help to me through this transition is journaling. I’ve been journaling for years but a few months ago, I took an online “Journaling for Self Discovery” workshop with my good friend Sandy Dempsey, founder of the Dreaming Café. The 4-week workshop. gave me fresh new insight into who I am and what really matters now. So, I’ve invited Sandy to write a guest post today and I want to encourage you to take advantage of the great deal she’s offering on the last workshop of 2009. Even if you’ve been journaling for years, you’ll gain valuable insight into your life purpose through this guided journaling process.
Thank you for the generous opportunity to tell your readers about The Dreaming Café’s 4-week online Journaling for Self-Discovery workshop.

I’ve been journaling for more almost thirty years. Journaling has been my constant companion. All of life’s ups downs and everything in between lives in my journals. I have stacks of them. They are wonderful documentaries of my life.

When people think of journaling a lot of times they think about recording the traumatic or painful events in their life. They turn to journaling as an outlet for their overwhelming emotions.

I’ve used journaling for this same purpose, but I’ve also discovered that journaling can be so much more than just a diary of pain; it can be a diary of joy. I discovered the power of positive journaling and journaling for self-discovery.

Journaling has been one of the main keys that have helped to me discover, and accept, who I am, what I am, what I want to be and where I want to go.

The things I have learned and the exercises I have used have been so life changing that I wanted to share them with others.

The Dreaming Cafe’s online Journaling for Self-Discovery workshop is designed to help you achieve greater personal awareness and establish a regular, positive journaling practice through accountability and feedback.

If you were doing these exercises on your own, you may or may not finish them. Knowing that you will post them each week provides accountability. Once posted, I will provide feedback and answer questions to help you dig a little deeper, or just provide a positive mirroring of your responses.

This online workshop is designed to prove a safe, non-judgmental atmosphere where you can explore who you are and what you want.

This is the last workshop for 2009 and will provide a wonderful foundation to meet your dreams head-on in 2010.

Journaling for Self-Discovery is designed to help you:

· Achieve greater personal awareness

· Establish a regular, positive journaling practice

· Identify & define your personal values and life themes

· Acknowledge the things you love and want

· Prepare to choose a dream or goal that aligns with your personal values and life themes

· Begin writing a Life Mission Statement

The next workshop begins November 22, 2009.

Since this is the last workshop of 2009 and to celebrate my Get Inspired Project interview (http://www.getinspiredproject.com/2009/11/06/day-37-sandy-dempsey/) I am taking 50% off the regular price of this workshop.. Use discount code GIP1109 when you register. Go to: http://dreamingcafe.eventbrite.com for more information and to register.

Thank you again and happy journaling!!

Warmest Regards,

Sandy Dempsey

Sandy is the founder of The Dreaming Café – A Destination Oasis on Your Creative Journey to Self Discovery.  If you aren’t already subscribing to her delicious Free newsletter, go here

Do you Still Suffer Office Mentality?

You’d think I’d be used to it by now but it’s a weekly surprise to me to see tweets declaring “Thank God it’s Friday”. I assume most of the people I follow are either self employed or aspiring entrepreneurs and it makes me wonder how satisfied and successful they are or will be if they view “work” as something to get through, something to do for 5 days and then celebrate a break for two.

I want to believe that the people who spend their week aiming for the weekend are still in jobs they are strategically striving to escape, that they see the weekend as a time to focus on building the bridge to their entrepreneurial dreams. I know many of those I follow are writers and artists who are working to create a livelihood that will eventually lead away from the day job. It makes sense that they would look forward to the weekend as time to hone their craft, create product and make concrete plans to work at what they love. My surprise, though, comes from those I know are already self employed who still see their “work” life as Monday through Friday. Maybe it’s the result of years of conditioning in the same way that I still, three decades after finishing school, view September as the beginning of a new year.

I wonder, though, how likely is someone who sees their business as a chore to be gotten to the end of and escaped for two days to have long term success? Now, I don’t expect every entrepreneur to be a workaholic. I recognize that my tendency, even on vacation, to view everything as a business opportunity is viewed by friends and family as obsessive. It does seem though that someone who still views their life in segments of work time and play time has not found their ideal livelihood.

What about you? Are you still operating in office mentality? Do you view your work life as separate from your leisure time? Is this out of habit or do you look forward to the weekend as a time to escape your career and try not to think about your business? Or do you find yourself so excited and enthusiastic about your livelihood that you don’t even realize when it’s time to stop and prepare a meal? Do you get so engrossed in your work that you have to set an alarm to remind you to pick up the kids or walk the dog?

If you have found your ideal livelihood, most likely you find it so satisfying that you have no sense of separation between work and life. Do you think I’m idealistic? Ask someone who is making a living doing what they were born to do. They will tell you that they do feed the kids and walk the dog. They do spend time with friends and enjoy leisure activities. But Friday is just another day.

What about you? Have you found your ideal livelihood?

How do you decide which ideas are worth pursuing?

I apologize if I’m reporting on news that is a few days old. I wasn’t feeling well the last few days so just this morning caught up on days of reading my favorite updates.

If your mind is an idea generator like mine, always working overtime, you probably have more ideas than time and it’s difficult to decide which ideas to invest time and money on.

An Aug. 3rd article in Business Week tells us that Whirlpool uses the following criteria to decide which ideas to pursue:

-It must meet a consumer need in a fresh way

-it must have the breadth to become a platform for related products and

-It must lift earnings. (Add-on innovations are expected to deliver results within months, while new-to-the-world ones are given three to five years.)

to read the whole article, go here

Do you have a set of criteria that your  ideas must meet?  What’s your personal criteria for deciding if an idea is worth pursing?. If you don’t have a mental list yet, do take the time to define what makes an idea worth pursuing or shelving. Everyone’s list is different, though certain criteria are consistent for businesses in similar fields. What are yours?

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