When Your Artistic Muse Calls

When Your Artistic Muse Calls If youre a fan of The Voice, youve heard it many times.  The contestant feels that singing is what they are supposed to do.  They feel driven to embrace and share their artistic gift. Thats a sentiment that isnt unique to musical artistry.  Be it writing, painting, sculpting, or any other creative expression, it often comes with an inner voice beckoning the artist to perform.  The call of the artistic muse. But unlike an offer of a career position that offers security and a regular income, theres no promise of a paycheck.  For the committed artist, the road ahead is usually uncharted, lonely, and full of trials. Heres some advice from the experts who have been there, and survived. Deciding to Follow Your Artistic Muse Even as you feel compelled to express your talents, there are things to seriously consider.  Perhaps in a perfect world, there would be no concerns about income.  Given that you have to pay the rent and eat, income does matter.  Are you prepared to endure the struggles common to budding artists?  Or, are you willing to balance a typical job and working at your art part time for an unknown length of time? If you are prepared to face the economic realities, there is another big question.  Success is not guaranteed.  At all.  There is no assurance youll get buyers, praise, or even artistic credit for what you create.  Are you willing to produce your art simply for the sake of your art? Promoting Your Art  and Yourself Remember that being an artist also means youre in the business of selling your art.  As in any business, promotion and marketing are important parts of the game.  Also remember that you are a  brand that youll have to develop a marketing plan for. Branding is what sets you apart.  It establishes you and your art as a unique and desirable product. Especially when starting out, this will require self-promotion, extensive use of social media, and a commitment to knocking on doors. How fast should you promote?  Baby steps and patience are keys to long-term success.  In How to Be an Artist, author JoAnneh Nagler says its best to raise . . . our art as we would raise a child, to stand on  its own two feet.  When we buy ourselves stuff that we cant yet afford even stuff we think we need for our artwork we end up desperate to have our newly launched art sell  the minute it hits the market.  Why?  Because were behind the eight ball, were borrowing up to our eyeballs, and we need our work to pay off now . . .  and our desperation makes us fail. Remember that slow growth is better than no growth.  Or worse, going backwards. Surviving Long-term success in any business requires three things: A product for which there is a market A way to deliver that product and make a profit Managing all the related affairs of the business.  This is everything from taxes to general labor that supports your efforts. So naturally, you must: Continue to improve your art Get people to buy it at a price that gives a positive net result Learn all the support tasks and how (and when) to delegate them. All of this requires just as much balance as the art you produce.  In The Artists Compass, Rachel Moore gives these seven suggestions to achieve it: Carve out pockets of time for friends and family Limit time-wasting people and activities Build some real downtime into your schedule Take time to explore other art forms or new experiences Look beyond the major cities for your career Work smart, not hard Take care of your body Your Artistic Muse Has Called . . . And youve decided to answer.  Find a good coach and mentor.  A traditional coach is the most expensive, but will also return huge dividends for the money spent.  If you cant find or afford one, invest a few dollars in the two books referenced above. The authors have shared personal insights on pursuing the life of an artist that are as good as any live coach you could hope for. Dont forget to join an appropriate local,  national, or international  artists organization.  For example, if youre into music, the Womens International Music Network (WIMN) has tons of contacts and resources. Good guidance and networking will supercharge your artistic efforts.  Together, theyll light the way towards a rewarding future.  And help you share your special gift! Images: Muses  Pierre Guinoiseau   Sally Ride  Bill Sargent  Female Singer  Mighty June

Buzz Words For Resume Writing

Buzz Words For Resume WritingAs a writer, you can use buzz words for resume writing. These words are commonly used in an internal email, which shows that you are submitting your resume on a regular basis. If you want to make a good impression on your employer, it is important to have good words on your resume.Words on your resume can make or break you. Just as certain words can give you a negative impression of you, they can also give you a positive impression of yourself. Therefore, it is important to be aware of what these words mean and how they can be used. The following buzz words for resume writing are some of the more common words that are used in a resume.A buzz word can be very specific or general in nature. For example, this word might be 'former manager'. It will specifically focus on a position that you held as a manager in the past. On the other hand, it could be a general word like 'editorial experience'. These types of words can help to focus the reader on the job posi tion that you are applying for.A buzz word can also be vague in nature. They can be used to describe an area of a job that you are looking for. For example, this could be used in the job position of a photographer assistant.While some buzz words for resume writing are not applicable to all positions, they can still be used. These words can still be used in the job description or title that you are using. In this way, your resume will be effective when it comes to marketing your skills.Buzz words for resume writing can be very personal. If you are looking for a particular position, then you can choose a specific word for your resume. You can use the words as a way to describe yourself.A buzz word can also have a negative connotation. It can show that you do not take things seriously. If you are willing to work hard to get ahead in your career, then you can use buzz words for resume writing.When deciding which buzz word to use in your resume, it is important to consider both your stre ngths and weaknesses. You should also consider the position that you are applying for. Also, keep in mind the importance of your resume when it comes to marketing yourself. If your resume shows that you are an effective communicator, it can be an effective way to present yourself to your future employer.

The Proper Way to Market Yourself to a Bartender

The Proper Way to Market Yourself to a BartenderThe bartender resume is an important resume to have because it is used by bar managers, owners of small bars. A bartender resume must contain the information that every company requires when choosing a bartender. These are included in the bar manager's hands while he is interviewing a candidate for a position.This is the kind of resume a bar manager should take note of. This is a comprehensive list of all the information about the candidate. It can include their professional record and all their past work experience. This is usually arranged in a chronological order and a summary of the details about each job is given.Any business needs to fill up the necessary job application forms and give the appropriate information about the candidate. When there is a need to make the decision whether the candidate will be hired or not. A bartender resume helps out in helping the bar manager to make an informed decision. It also helps out in selecti ng the best candidate and answers the question 'What would he/she do?'The resume should be brief and simple. It should show only the details required for a bartender. A bartender resume has a short cover page. The cover page contains the name, address, phone number and email address of the candidate. The next one is a short description of the applicant, which includes his/her specialization, area of employment and his/her name.The next section includes the candidate's qualification statement. It should state how long the candidate has been employed as a bartender. In addition, it should state the number of years he/she has been working as a bartender. The next part of the bartender resume, which contains the most important part, states the job requirements of the candidate and indicates the qualification for that job.The most important part of the resume is the summary. This section will contain the summary of the job requirements, skills and experience. It will give a detailed desc ription of the candidate. It will include his/her qualifications for the job, his/her skills and his/her work experience.The summary includes the salary and other perks that the candidate will enjoy while working for the company. This is the section that will make the bartender resume a big selling point of the candidate. The details of the candidate are listed down in a single place. This makes it easy for the employer to pick the right candidate.The bartender resume is a clear and concise way to market the candidate in front of the bar manager. This is a wonderful piece of literature for bartenders who want to get a promotion.

Learning styles - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Learning styles - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog While webresearching about learning, I found some info on learning styles. It seems there are different basic approaches to learning. You can be either: Active or reflective: Active learners learn by doing, reflective learners learn mostly by thinking Sensing or intuitive: This is the same distinction as in the MBTI personality type. Sensing learners tend to like learning facts, intuitive learners often prefer discovering possibilities and relationships. Visual or verbal: If youre visual you want pictures, verbal learners like words. Sequential or global: A sequential learner prefers to start at the beginning and work forwards. Global learners prefer to get the big picture first, then fill in the details. It seems obvious that knowing your own learning style must be an advantage. If you want to know what you are, theres a test here. Theres also more info on learning styles here. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Your visual resume - do you need a chart to tell your story -

Your visual resume - do you need a chart to tell your story - Today, Penelope Trunk blogged about the value and importance of the visual. She explains in her post, Next phase of your career: Design,This means that you will be more valuable and more relevant if you can think in terms of visuals. This topic has been on my mind for the past several days, especially, as I have been reviewing Visualize.me, the same infographic tool Penelope highlights in her post. What Ive been grappling with is the disconnect between what is cool and new even cutting edge and what is actually useful for job seekers. Remember VisualCV? (Maybe not?) It was an early tool to help job seekers demonstrate their skills and experience online.   It was useful for job seekers to be able to pretty easily have online versions of their resumes. However, it turns out VisualCV wasnt as useful as everyone thought, as it was not helpful for being found online; it was more a mechanism for sharing an online link with people whod be impressed you had a photo and resume they could see by clicking through. (Update: they are actually closing up shop and wont exist after December, 2011.) Today, its not very hard to put up information online. There are lots of services making it really easy. Just a few (from my book, Social Networking for Career Success): http://www.weebly.com/features.html http://www.wix.com/ http://www.doyoubuzz.com/us/ http://www.zooloo.com/ http://brand-yourself.com/ http://www.webs.com/ http://carbonmade.com/ http://chi.mp/ http://flavors.me/ I believe job seekers should have a social resume an online place to showcase and highlight their skills, but its not always the best idea to jump on the easiest or least expensive service to do it. For one thing, you never know when ads may show up alongside your personal information, or if a service will go under and leave you in the lurch. Its not always totally intuitive what to include and how to showcase the best you have to offer online its not always a case of more is better. The same goes for infographics, which is why Ive been reserving judgement and not writing about them. If youre a graphic artist and create your OWN infographic resume, highlighting and showcasing not only your resume, but the visual skills you will use on the job, theres no question in my mind a very customized resume along the lines of what Visualize.Me provides is a value add to your job hunt. Its important to keep an eye on hiring managers in your field and what they need and want, though. Its possible (likely) their systems still require the more traditional text resume, which you should always have handy. No doubt, theres a disconnect between what we can create and what hiring managers and systems can use. When even a PDF may not be a good choice, think twice when you apply with a totally visual document. Knowing how to tell your story and how to tell it well is not going out of style, even as the places and ways we showcase what we offer do change. As Penelope reminded us in her post, Short is good, and concise is fun, and in a world where we have too many facts, we appreciate a quick picture that synthesizes facts into something meaningful rather than a summary of disjointed facts. However, I dont know that a literal picture is always the best answer to the question of how to demonstrate our value. A story using words, and a hook to compel the reader to want to know more can be equally appealing, interesting and attractive. Infographics are sexy now. A chart is novel, a flow of your work life, especially if it is actually interesting and makes a case to hire you, is a potential positive. However, as with anything job search related, the most important thing to do is consider your target audience and their needs. Unless your chart will be unique and special and appeal to them, Id think twice before assuming your outside of the box approach (and how unique is it really once all of the career bloggers are blogging about it?) is going to be the thing that lands you a job. Ive been personally thinking about this as it relates to my website. Im planning a bit of an overhaul in an effort to bring my site in line with my business objectives. However, Im still convinced its the content on the site and information people find that drives them (you!) here. Hopefully, the visual experience right now is pleasant, but Im guessing I could have the most beautiful, cutting-edge visual site, but if I couldnt support it with content, Id have a lot less visitors. Focus on being able to tell your story IN WORDS in a way that is as appealing and attractive as a pretty chart, and Im betting you will be far ahead of the crowd. photo by roger4336

Dale Gurvis Resume Writing Career

Dale Gurvis' Resume Writing CareerDale Gurvis is not only an actor but he is also an entrepreneur. He has appeared in movies like 'My Best Friend's Wedding', 'Private Parts', 'Blood on the Leaves'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'. In addition to all these films, he has been a frequent guest on the popular TV show 'Saving Hope' which is famous for its portrayal of the difficulties faced by the Christian faith.It seems Dale Gurvis resume writing career began during his childhood when he wanted to become a musician. However, the plans of a budding music prodigy were thwarted by his father who was an architect. When he was given the choice of choosing his art or career, he chose to become an actor. His early films have been box office hits and his songs have won awards all over the world.Dale Gurvis has continued with his career in film as he was already the movie star before he even realized it. The title role in 'Bonnie and Clyde' is one of his favorite films of all time.Dale Gurvis' resumes writing career has also included commercials, TV shows, commercials and tours. As a tour guide, he has guided audiences in a variety of countries around the world. And now, as an actor, he is the personification of professional and more importantly he is a successful and reliable actor.What makes Dale Gurvis resumes writing career more interesting is that it is all part of his desire to be a successful businessman. He has proved himself a businessman by being a business partner with The Gurvis Group. He has earned the respect of his peers as well as the public because of his keenness to nurture new ventures. Being the CEO of his own company is a huge honor and responsibility for Gurvis, and it is evident that he takes it seriously.One more thing that makes Gurvis resume writing career interesting is that it does not only pertain to his own business interests, but also his commitment to his friends and families. He is an ardent and devoted Christian and his first love is to spend time with his family and close friends.When you need to write a resume, you may think that Dale Gurvis resumes writing career can't be the best because his personal and professional life is already very exciting. But it can really be. So, if you are a career minded individual, please consider him as an inspiration and remember that he is just one of the many who are already writing their resumes today.

Milan to Introduce Program Paying Commuters to Bike to Work

Milan to Introduce Program Paying Commuters to Bike to Work Want to reduce automobile-related pollution? Try giving people money if they bike instead of driving to work. That’s the theory behind a new proposal from city officials in Milan, which wants to pay people if they commute via bicycle. It comes in response to nearly a month of unhealthy levels of smog in December. Located in a valley, air pollution often gets trapped in Milan, which has been ranked as one of the most polluted cities in Europe. The city isn’t certain yet how the plan would work. It’s considering giving money to directly to those who bike to work, or offering them “some other sustainable-mobility incentive,” Pierfrancesco Maran, Milan’s mobility councillor, told Fast Company. This isn’t the first step Milanâ€"which has some of the worst traffic in Europeâ€"has taken to get cars off the road in response to high pollution levels. It recently banned cars from the city center and offered discount “anti-smog” tickets on public transit. Milan has also become more biker friendly in general, adding 50% more bike lanes and additional bike share stations around the city in recent years. The city claims those steps have already helped reduce the number of vehicles on the road. It thinks this positive energy can be sustained with the addition of a commuter incentive program. However, other cities that have tried similar programs, with limited success. France tested a pilot program in 2014, but of more than 8,000 employees who were eligible to participate, just 400 switched from commuting by car to riding a bike. Read next: 4 Easy Tips for People Commuting to Work by Bike So why don’t people jump at the chance to get paid to travel to work? One study suggests bicycling incentive programs have failed in the past because employees are fixed in their existing commuting routines, especially when their employer gives them perks like free parking spaces.