Scott Nash - Connecting Creatives!

Scott Nash has multiple passions - from live music to film to design to interesting new schools of though like Science of Mind.  And it is this diversity of passions that led him to build Connect with Creatives; an exciting new internet tool to help creative people discover and connect with each other.  At its core Connect with Creatives is a directory & social network that promotes cross pollination of a wide range of creative disciplines. I met with Scott late last month to learn more about his web design company Tall Zebra and Connect with Creatives.Yes

LA:      A networking site for creatives was something we at Thriving Artist Alliance considered a few years back.  Ultimately we decided it wasn't within our core mission of helping creative people build wealth with real estate.  But I do feel strongly that it is a dearly needed resource.  Tell us what brought you to the decision to actually do it.

SCOTT:    The old adage "Time is Money" is truer today than ever before and there is no shortage of events & opportunities to meet people when you're out and about, but it's impossible to attend everything and it takes so much time.  Linked In is a bit dry to be naturally appealing to creatives and FaceBook is beginning to be over saturated - there's simply too much going on there to be an efficient method for targeting the creative people you are interested in finding, meeting and/or working with.  I just felt the time was ripe for a simple, inexpensive way to connect creatives & people wanting to find the products & services creatives offer.  I have the skills required for such web development and so I went for it.

LA:      What can people expect when they go to the site?

SCOTT:      When creative people connect magic happens.  It's a very unique site and is currently a highly dynamic online directory.  People can choose to be featured under 33 distinct types of creative categories. So when someone is looking for something specific they can search by category and also by key search words in bio's as well as links to creative neighborhoods. As the site expands, it will include event listings as well as social networking features simliar to Facebook.

LA:      Sounds to me like Connect with Creatives is positioned to become the "Who's Who" of people in creative industries?

SCOTT:     Absolutely.  I expect that the site will be an excellent way for creative people to "attract buyers" for their creations but that is only a part of the mission.  While sales do help allow for funding additional projects, an even grander element of helping creatives connect is the amazing potential involving the connection of a soup full of all kinds of things - people, ideas, thoughts, talents, experiences and helping remove belief systems of impossibility.  When two or more creative people get together a magnification occurs. The gears of each individuals' mind send and receive signals that link the ir imaginations of all involved in contemplating similar ideas adding to the energy of this co-creation making it a WIN-WIN-WIN for everyone!

LA:  Bravo!  Let's switch gears a bit - tell me about your web design company Tall Zebra.

SCOTT:     From the mid-90's through 2008 I was in sales and marketing in the publishing industry, very corporate environment.  I came to the realization that that was no longer for me so I took a year off and went to film school which I loved but knew it wasn't how I wanted to make my living so I went into web design.  Now I focus on web design, development and training. Specializing in skin design, software integration and graphic design.  My ideal client is an entrepreneur or business that has a site but want more functionality or a start up business wanting to begin small but still want to keep the ability to grow, increasing functionality and database capacity as they grow.

LA:     I really like your logo.  Where did the name and image come from?

SCOTT:     I love animals & wanted a fun simple name.  The red carpet conveys the  magic that can happen when a company's web presence is serving a company the way it should.

LA:     So I've got to ask, What is your driving personal philosophy in life and business?

SCOTT:     Joseph Campbell's "Follow your Bliss" works for me.  I really enjoy helping other creatives develop a lifestyle they love.

So, gentle reader, if you are a creative with a product or service to offer go immediately to ConnectwithCreatives.com and get listed!  There's a free listing and for a small fee you can get an expanded profile.  Or take a minute to like them on FaceBook

Want to see Scott in action?
WHAT:  
Makers and Doers: The Art of Business event
3 CRITICAL FACTORS THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK THE IMPACT OF YOUR WEBSITE
WHEN:    
October 30 - 6:00 mingling - 7:00 speakers
WHERE:
Laundry on Lawrence - 2701 Lawrence St  

Carol Mier Fashion

In honor of
Colorado Fashion Week

Carol Mier Fashion
Living, Working & Creating from Home
Santa Fe Arts District pioneer, business owner & fashion designer, Carol Mier, is the very embodiment of the Thriving Artist Alliance's Live/Work ideal to build wealth with real estate. In 1998, back before First Fridays & before El Taco de Mexico had a fancy location on the corner, Carol took a chance and bought an old machine shop on Santa Fe Drive with the dream of converting it into a creative tri-fecta: retail space to sell her clothing designs, studio space to create in, and her home.  Carol has been designing cloths since she was 12 years old and been making her living at it for the past 20 years.

LA: Would you share with me the story of getting into this building?  What was this place like when you bought it?

CAROL: It was a greasy machine shop full of machines, old equipment, metal flakes everywhere. The minute I walked in that first time I knew this was the place for me.  I basically came in with a blow torch.  We had the seller move all the old machines out before closing on the purchase, then I had to do the rest.  We pulled out the drop ceilings, tore down walls, built the loft that is now my living quarters, re-painted everything, updated the electrical, removed an old roof mounted swamp cooler, added insulation, all in the first month after closing on the property.  Then I moved in and finished it little-by-little.

LA: Would you share a bit about the financing of it all?

CAROL: Sure. I knew it was a big risk &, yes, I was scared but I also knew I could do it.  The owner gave me financing for the first 5 years with a balloon payment at the end of that period. I paid a bit over $100,000 for it back in 1998.  A recent appraisal valued it at more than 3 times that. 

LA: How has owning your real estate effected you & your business?

CAROL: It is a wonderful feeling knowing I have accomplished ownership of a building that I can work, play live in and show my art work in.
I'm in the hub of the Santa Fe Art District, and I was also one of founding artists. Which gives me pride.  Having a permanent location with an affordable monthly payment and knowing that I'm building equity gives me enormous piece of mind.  My clients know where to find me and are comfortable coming here.  I'm also part of a fantastic community, the Santa Fe Arts District!  Our First & Third Friday Art Walks bring a steady stream of potential new clients. And I am free to program the space as I choose, showcasing my fashion of course as well as other artists' furniture, jewelry, paintings as I desire.

LA: I know you have dressed the likes of former First Lady, Dottie Lamb, award winning actress Cynthia James, Lon Van Eaton who recorded George Harrison, Paul McCarty and that you made the inaugural outfit for former city council person, Carla Madison to name a few.  Your cloths are in boutiques around the country, including the Denver Art Museum and you've even designed costumes for Kim Robards Dance.  Tell me about your fashion designs.

CAROL: I create basics, all one-of-a-kind pieces that pay attention to the shape, color, and style that compliment the wearer and are geared toward helping clients create their own style trend.  I suppose my signature piece are my patchwork jackets.  I love to re-purpose & re-style items from the client's own closet or things I find at second hand shops so they work better for today's styles.  I love helping clients work within a budget. Say you come to me with $500, I can maximize that money so you get several pieces that all mix & match into multiple outfits.  My clothes move easily from casual to work to evening.  Prices run between $20 for earrings to $49-$79 for tops & dresses, to $300 for coats, and all prices in between. 

LA: I know the pieces I've bought from you are amazingly flexible, they wash, wear & pack  easily.  My favorite piece is my purple, crushed-silk, elephant bell-bottomed pants.  They make me feel hip & glamorous when I wear them.

You can see Carol's designs on the runway during Colorado Fashion Week.

For more on Carol's fashion visit: www.carolmierfashion.com
Shop Hours: Thurs-Sat 12:00-5:00
She's also open for First & Third Friday Art Walks
754 Santa Fe Dr. Denver, 80204
303-446-0117

Creative Work and the Work of Creativity 

Steven J Tepper, Associate Director of Vanderbilt's The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise & Public Policy, makes his point by first stating the obvious: today's world moves faster than ever before and this is, for many, resulting in increased stress and anxiety.  Most likely we can all agree on that!  And then he says that the secret to dealing with these symptoms is found in the nature of the creative spirit.  Creatives are; less ideological, less authoritarian, less punitive, more flexible, more resilient, more adaptable. In short "we need to be creative in order to survive".   

To support this statement he shares some statistics:
• Creative businesses added $931 billion to our GDP. That's 3 times the value of the construction business.
• 1500 CEO's of top businesses across the country say creativity is THE key skill they look for in new employees
• People send on average $350/month on entertainment
• 17% of college graduates want to be artists. That's equal to the number of students choosing medicine as their career. Compared to 3% wanting business degrees
• Creativity is a better predictor of a successful graduate than SAT scores
• The vast majority of graduates first choose the city they want to live in based on lifestyle they want and the cultural life of a city.  They first move to their city of choice and only then look for work.  This is the exact opposite of how things worked 15 years ago when most grads found a job then moved to where the job was.
• Science majors on average make $66,000/year upon graduation.  Add an art degree and that salary jumps to $72,000.

Bottom line? CREATIVITY - employers want it, graduates want it and its actually necessary to survive!

We at Thriving Artist Alliance agree whole heartedly!  And we can't help but wonder: Is creativity an evolutionary trait being weeded INTO our culture as a method encouraging "survival of the fittest"?

A special thanks to Coloradans for The Arts for sponsoring professor Tepper's trip to Denver!  Want to learn more about The Curb Center? Visit www.vanderbilt.edu/curbcenter/

Client Interview- Lisanne Libner & SweetBrush Productions

"It felt like the walls were breathing & that quality inspired me to start SweetBrush Productions." shared Thriving Artist Alliance client, real estate investor & artist, Lisanne Libner.  "Dad was American & Mom Swiss so as a child we spent the school year in Connecticut & summers in Switzerland.  Italy was 20 minutes away. The frescos, villages and farm houses all had these plaster walls - they were so beautiful.  I was fascinated."

LA: Tell us a bit more about your artistic journey

Lisanne: I got my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Clark University in Worcester, MA and moved to Denver in 1992. My last "real" job in the corporate world was  working as the Director of Telecommunications at Berger Funds.  I'd take faux finishing work for friends on the side.  It was 2 things really that converted me to a full-time artist; I discovered joint compound and I met  interior designer Rhonda Hiatt.  

Everything here in the US is so new but when I discovered joint compound I realized I could recreate that same feeling of breathability & luminescence that I'd experienced in Europe.  Rhonda loved my work & promised that she could keep me busy full time doing my art. So I made the leap & went to work with Rhonda.  She was an amazing friend & mentor, teaching me how to stay calm, relaxed and focused as I strove for perfection in working with our clients.  Working with Rhonda gave me the confidence to be an artist & a business women."

Then in 2003 my Dad got sick so I chose to move back to Connecticut to care for him & my life took another turn.  I began managing some commercial properties Dad had. It was three years of caring for Dad but when he passed I missed Colorado everyday - in 2007 I returned to Denver.  

LA: We'll get into the real estate side of your life in the next blog installment.  For now tell me more about SweetBrush.  Where does your inspiration come from?

Lisanne: I've recently rented space inside The Collection at 9th & Broadway to sell my furniture pieces.  I still take private clients and I'm teaching classes on some of the faux finish techniques I've created, most of which were born of mistakes.  Like one day I was working on a Venetian plaster piece for a client & I spilled my coffee on it.  Where the big pool of spill was didn't look so good but where it splattered was very cool.  Out of that accident came my "signature" joint compound with coffee technique.  I'm inspired by the work of McKenzi-Childs too.

Once we are moved into the new house I'll have a home studio.  In September I plan to offer classes in; Venetian plaster, furniture refinishing, relief stencil and burlap as canvas. The burlap as canvas creates such an interesting texture and can be used to create framable art or even to cover walls.

LA: In the first part of this blog you shared your journey as an artist and business owner.  Would you share with us a bit about your real estate investing & how you balance it with your art?

Lisanne: I have 2 rental houses, 1 here & 1 back in Connecticut, I'm still managing the commercial properties and I've just bought a live/work home in Lakewood so soon I'll convert my current home into a rental once we've moved to the new place.  As for achieving balance - I've discovered it works best for me to segment by whole days.  So some days I only make art or work creatively and other days I do the administrative work for my real estate.  I found it very difficult to switch hats, you know, spend 2 hours working on admin stuff then spend a few hours creating.  So if I start with art in the morning then that's what I do all day.  If I start with admin stuff then that's my day.

LA: What advice would you give other creatives thinking about investing in real estate?

Lisanne: I found my leases on LegalZoom.com.  Their documents are pretty thorough, its easy and inexpensive.  Over the years I've modified them to include things that have come up particular to situations with my renters.  I know being a landlord isn't for everyone so if you don't that job then hire a property manager.  I do spend time managing my properties and that works for me but may not be for everyone.  Sometimes it makes sense to spend a little bit of your income from the property to get the freedom you want as an artist.

LA: We met when you called from one of my listings on the internet.  You were looking for a property with a good amount of land, a small house and the ability to grow food, keep chickens and maybe even horses.  At the time you didn't know about Thriving Artist Alliance or my specialties in working with creatives and live/work properties.  What are you envisioning for your new home?

Lisanne: It's no accident how we met!! I didn't know about your affiliation with the Thriving Artis Alliance and your specialties...but what kismet that we had been put together. You helped us find the most charming 3 bed/1 bath place. It sits on 17,000 soft lot, has a 2-car detached garage with a small studio space attached, raised garden beds, and a 2-stall barn.  So I'll be letting my rented studio go and moving SweetBrush operations to my new home.  We are thinking of building an additional building/studio apartment along the NW line of the  paddock, adding more food growing gardens, and we'll be getting some chickens.  Meeting you under the circumstances of looking for homes was just the tip of the iceberg. The enthusiasm that you brought to the search of our new home and the interest that you showed in our needs, wants, desires made the whole process fun and enjoyable. I loved it when we started to quickly gel, and know what houses worked and what houses didn't. I'll never forget the time I somehow found a house on a lake in Wheat Ridge that was way out of my price range, but I wanted to see it anyway -- and you joyfully took me there. What I like best about getting to know you is your very easy spirit. You love to learn and you have a very sacred talent - you listen with attentive skill and compassionate understanding. Your sense of humor is amazing and you have what it takes to get people home. House hunting with you is an art form in and of itself. 

LA: Lisanne, thank you so much for taking the time to share with us about your life and art.  I'd like to let readers know we'll be doing a Thriving Artist Potluck at Lisanne's house in the Highlands sometime soon - so keep a look out for that invitation.  

To learn more about Lisanne's classes, see beautiful examples of her work and see furniture she has for sale go to her web site:
http://www.sweetbrush.com/SweetBrush/Welcome.html

 Lisanne Libner

5D MODELING PROCESS TO MANIFEST YOUR VISION

Scott Perlman – 

5D MODELING PROCESS to MANIFEST YOUR VISION

Scott Perlman has been in the creativity business for a long time and he has a unique method of helping individuals and corporations tap into their ability to manifest their dreams.  He calls it 5D Modeling, a process developed with Todd Siler, Ph.D. (M.I.T.), author of “Think Like A Genius” (Bantam Books), and his brother Eric Siler, that results in a physical 5-dimensional model/sculpture of your vision. 

What is Visualization?  If you’ve ever watched Olympic skiing then you’ve most likely seen athletes standing at the gate waiting to take their turn down the slope.  You’ll see them go thru the course in their mind.  They literally visualize each gate, turn & bump of the course – they see themselves successfully navigating the course with perfection and of course, a winning time. 

5D Modeling dimensionalizes visualization, making it tangible, and giving form to one’s thoughts.

The 5 dimensions are as follows:

1D – The vision is born, you have an idea or dream you want to make reality and you use words to describe your vision.  This is akin to a white paper document.  It captures the ideas but doesn’t necessarily inspire you or others.

2D – You use 2D images to illustrate the dream/goal much like a “vision board” with photos & other imagery illustrating/representing the vision.

3D – You get invested in the process and you start to see it.  You run scenarios in your mind (like Olympic skiers), you take steps in the 3D world.  This is much like an architect’s scale model of what a building will look like.

Most of us in one way or another have done these first 3 steps and intuitively understand how the more dimensions you add to your visualization and communication, the more effective you are.  The final 2 steps are where things get more powerful as a manifestation tool.

4D – Involves leveraging Symbolism & Metaphor.  For instance the sentence; “The band’s song rose to the top of the charts.”  The mind responds to this statement differently than, “The band’s song had a meteoric rise to the top of the charts.”  The mind draws on the metaphor “meteoric” bringing an emotional sense of power & speed.  Scott makes the point that “the use of symbolism and metaphor is a natural process for the human brain and when we apply that ability to our ideas with intention it brings more dimension & meaning.  That added power taps the emotions and enrolls others in the process of making our dreams reality. This is not just conjecture, but is backed up by current brain science. Specifically Elaborative Encoding, which shows that adding dimensionality, such as a tactile element (3D) and an emotional hook (4D), is how are brains integrate information.” 

Making dreams reality requires more than just the individual dreamer.  This has certainly been true for my vision of Thriving Artist Alliance as a company dedicated to helping artists build wealth with real estate & benefit from the economic wealth that they create.  Dozens of people from strategic partners who provide complementary components of expertise for clients, to people who love the idea invite me to speak to their members, to clients & friends who refer me to new artist interested in buying, selling or investing in real estate, to people who host TAP (Thriving Artists Potluck) Evenings – all have helped build & improve TAA.

Which brings us to the 5^th Dimension of Scott’s technique:

5D – Sharing your vision with others.  Putting your idea out into the world.  Inviting others to participate.  Thru vividly sharing your vision with others you’ll learn more about your dream, and how others react to it.  You’ll get new ideas that feed the vision, participation from others, a deeper understanding of how to bring your dream into reality.

The process looks like this:

The 5D Modeling process always begins with a “Focal Question”.  To develop your focal question ask yourself: “Ideally, what is my vision for my ... art, company, project, life…  (fill in the descriptor that best fits you) over the next three to five years?”

As you work through the process consider:

-       What does “success” look & feel like to you?

-       What hurdles must you/your team overcome”

-       What resources do you need?

-       What is you unique contribution to the world and how does your project reflect your core values”

-       Who will benefit from you product/service?

-       How will you inspire, enroll & empower others to help fulfill your vision?

Scott, along with his partner, Sheri Burnham, and their company Rayo Strategic Partners, are passionately dedicated to the empowerment of his clients.  He works primarily with socially responsible companies, both for-profit and non-profits, to help them define their vision, get buy-in from the essential people and raise the capital necessary to bring their vision into reality.  If you’d like to know more, you can reach Scott directly at:

Rayo Strategic Partners
Scott@RayoPartners.com
720-988-8855

Manifesting Dreams - Once More with Feeling!

Laurie Miranda - aspiring author, feng shui master and interior designer

For Laurie, manifestation is about alignment of thought, word & deed.  "Some people think in different ways. The majority probably thinks in words, others in images.  Imagery is one of THE most powerful ways to manifest & when you attach feelings, the ability to bring it to reality is potent.  It's all about what you are declaring to the universe."  Laurie's power to create is so strong she's pioneering a new genre of literature - Buddhist Sci-Fi.

Due out sometime in the next year, Laurie's book uses the Mayan calendar as its jumping off spot.  Hollywood has portrayed 2012 (the Mayan calendar's end point) as an apocalyptic event. Laurie's story uses it as a critical turning point for our planet - an awakening of consciousness bringing mankind & nature back into balance.

What brought Laurie to the verge of publishing her first work of fiction?  

An interesting story that started during a rafting adventure down Cataract Canyon in Utah, (Laurie comes to Denver via New Jersey) progressed with years of studying Japanese Buddhism & chanting, and fed consistently with a nightly dose of visualization. While on the raft, she was overwhelmed by an image to write a book. Years later, while unable to fall asleep, a story arrived in her imagination. "My bed-time movie picks up each night where I left off the night before."  Twenty years after the rafting trip, while engaged one morning in her Buddhist practice, she was encouraged to share this nighttime story, currently in the editing process.

The book is a story which teaches us the power of thought-that we are creating our reality. "The ability to manifest is grounded in our awareness and genuine knowing of who we are." Laurie shares.  "Its critical to know yourself, to know what you want & how you are dealing with your thoughts & feelings, throughout the course of the day.  The sequence of your thoughts is key.  Be mindful of what you want.  Anytime a negative thought, a doubt or trash thinking that doesn't serve your goals comes up; if you are aware then you can intentionally let the counter productive thought go and shift back to the path of what you want to create. It's critical to not give doubt power." When she closes her eyes at night she sees a "movie" of the life she wants to build complete with experiences she wants to have, the people she hopes to meet, the milestones she seeks to achieve. It is this SEEING the desires come true and then allowing herself to FEEL what it feels like to actually DO those things that makes her realty.

"How does one do that?" I asked.  

 "When you become aware of a doubt that counters the vision your a creating, imagine yourself put it inside a balloon.  Then take a pin and pop the balloon and let the doubt go with it.  Then make your declaration of the reality you are wanting.  This is how we can change the world. Embrace determination and imagery to set a course for the life you choose." 

Manifesting Dreams - Don't Worry About the HOW

DARICE JOHNSTON:Efficiency Training & Life Coaching for the Entrepreneur

What does "manifesting your desires" mean to you - personally ... professionally?

People come to me as an efficiency coach so they can get new results, they are looking to manifest different result - ultimately manifestation hinges on who you are wanting to become.  It must come from the point of BE-ing not the point of DO-ing.  People know what they need to do but they don't always do it.  It’s important to understand that it’s NOT a lack of action that's the problem its who they are BEING that is the problem.

There is action that feels like it’s a big effort or there is Inspired Action.  Most people are in a state of lack and then decide they need to make changes.  But we can't be successful when making change from a state of lack.  When we take action from a state of inspiration, possibility and excitement that is when success is attainable.  So I focus my efforts with my clients to get them into a state of inspiration, excitement.  I don't do "accountability coaching" because its frequently given and taken in a state of Do-ing.  So I work to re-frame clients' thinking into a state of BE-ing.

Once the Be-ing is in place then they are ready to take inspired action and greater success results.

When you work with coaching clients, how do manifesting techniques play into the sessions?  How do you help people get into sate of BE-ing?

Through shifting feelings.  There are only 2 visceral feelings - one feels good, one bad. The Law of Attraction is the basis for all of my coaching.  If you take action from a place of felling good then more of same will come - I always go back to the question of "what do you want?" and how does that feel to have what you want?  Once you can really FEEL the good of having what you really want then that's the place from which to launch into action.

Shifting into a new space of positive feeling - whatever they are feeling - they must take ownership of where they are now & that they have manifested their current state.  Then we focus on their belief that they are capable of turning things around.

I attribute my style of coaching to Abraham Hicks & Michael Bernard Beckwith.  I study Universal Law to help my clients.  Their current state of affairs has nothing to do with the potential of what they can create.  

What's the single most important thing anyone can do to manifest what they want? 

Be clear about what is wanted and trust that they do NOT need to be clear about the HOW.  Stay focused on elevating your feelings to be continuously good.

Truth is in a realm of its own - Meaning, it can't be altered, changed or touched, but beliefs CAN be altered.  That's how you know the difference - Beliefs are simply thoughts we keep telling our selves - you thought it and then looked for the evidence of it to support it.  If one wants to change a belief then go look for the evidence of the correctness of the new belief.

Our beliefs are the greatest road blocks to achieving our greatest desires.  They can also be the greatest propellant to what we want to achieve.

I live with tear filled gratitude to be doing this work.  The more I see my clients excel the more blessed I am.  Seeing people move from the perspective of I have to effort my way through life to realizing life is easy.  

I'm living my heart-felt calling and I get as much if not more back from working with my clients.  

To learn more about Darice go to http://www.daricejohnston.com/