Well, like I said, I've been working on something new for the past few weeks, and I'm ready to share it with you. I've moved my blogging over to cindyscovel.com, where I intend to house all of my professional endeavors: Retreat Austin and financial consulting services for now, who knows what comes next. It's not a finished product by any means (a website never is, I suppose, but this one is really not finished). Still, for those of you who are following this work, I wanted to keep you in the loop. I'd love to hear your feedback!
Why a new website? Well, there were a few things that led me to this decision, and as I get further into it, it feels more and more right. First, I wasn't happy with the out-of-the-box feel I had with my web hosting package for retreat-austin.com, and I wanted to try my hand at building something from scratch - without "screwing up" the Retreat Austin website. cindyscovel.com gave me a place to play, and I worked through it with the help of a great online class. I also knew that I would be doing work outside of Retreat Austin and wanted to create a unified space for all of my work. That's tricky, but there's more and more support out there for letting the world see your various pursuits and admitting that we're all multi-faceted people, not just job titles. What I do in the world is tied together by my values, and I'd like the people I work with to see all of that.
Finally - and I wouldn't say this was a conscious motivation, but it's certainly something that's become obvious as I work through it - there's a certain amount of permanence that comes with cindyscovel.com. It's not exactly something I can walk away from, and people know that it's me. That's helpful from an accountability standpoint, and scary... from an accountability standpoint.
I'm glad you're along with me for the ride. Please feel free to spread the word - I need all of the support I can get to get Retreat off the ground, and contacts for consulting gigs are what keeps that dream alive. Thanks again for all your help!
(PS: I just committed to 40 days of blogging, so there's plenty of content to look forward to!)
Monday, January 2, 2012
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Weekend Update
Over the past few weeks, I have been working a different creative muscle (wow, that could be taken in the completely wrong direction) (ahem), which has kept me a bit removed from Retreat. (On a side note, my friend, Spike, suggested that my choice in business name is having the unfortunate subliminal effect of literally causing me to retreat. She offered up Sally Forth as an alternative. She may have a point.) I certainly don't want you, dear readers, to think I've forgotten you, though, so let me provide you with a brief update.
Retreat Austin is alive and well, albeit in a state of... incubation, shall we say? I've taken a little break from the full-on, what-is-my-true-purpose-and-how-will-this-all-happen search to let some of those ideas breathe and see which ones hang on without my intense, control-freak-y life support. I am a bit amazed at the results.
I've set a goal to have some really clear information on my business out in the world by January 1st, and that information will certainly be accessible here. Please (please) stay tuned. That's not to say that I'm signing off until the end of the year, but sparse and infrequent posts will likely be the norm.
I should also say, in all honesty... it's feeling a lot like the week before finals around here. As in: the house is clean, all of the dishes are washed, laundry is in the dryer, files are organized, and I'm thinking of driving to Office Max to get those pens that I really need. Anything to avoid the important things, work to build my business and writing to feed my soul. That's okay, I know, it's all okay in the end, it's just funny to me that this is always how it seems to work. Oh well, the house needs to be cleaned from time to time anyway.
Retreat Austin is alive and well, albeit in a state of... incubation, shall we say? I've taken a little break from the full-on, what-is-my-true-purpose-and-how-will-this-all-happen search to let some of those ideas breathe and see which ones hang on without my intense, control-freak-y life support. I am a bit amazed at the results.
I've set a goal to have some really clear information on my business out in the world by January 1st, and that information will certainly be accessible here. Please (please) stay tuned. That's not to say that I'm signing off until the end of the year, but sparse and infrequent posts will likely be the norm.
I should also say, in all honesty... it's feeling a lot like the week before finals around here. As in: the house is clean, all of the dishes are washed, laundry is in the dryer, files are organized, and I'm thinking of driving to Office Max to get those pens that I really need. Anything to avoid the important things, work to build my business and writing to feed my soul. That's okay, I know, it's all okay in the end, it's just funny to me that this is always how it seems to work. Oh well, the house needs to be cleaned from time to time anyway.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Watch it, and then watch it again.
I love everything about this video. The music, the message, the bangs, the badass, the passion, the praise. All of it, so smartly put together, so slick, and yet so honest. My favorite part? "If you try to keep ... your most divine traits off of your resume, then you're missing the power of true integrity." Sing it, sister.
Danielle LaPorte is not always my cup of tea; she strikes me as a bit hard core, and I'm not sure she would approve of my nap schedule. Also, I feel a bit weird about posting what is essentially an ad for a product I haven't (yet) used. But I keep coming back to this little commercial, when I think I need a little push, a little tough love. It works. Try it. I also really dig what she's saying about hope today (hint: it's probably not what you think).
Forgive me for the intermittent blogging schedule these days; among other exciting events, my laptop was recently stolen, and with it, a bit of my will to post. It will come back (my will; doubtful on the laptop front). In the meantime, here's Danielle:
Danielle LaPorte Sizzle Reel from Danielle LaPorte on Vimeo.
Danielle LaPorte is not always my cup of tea; she strikes me as a bit hard core, and I'm not sure she would approve of my nap schedule. Also, I feel a bit weird about posting what is essentially an ad for a product I haven't (yet) used. But I keep coming back to this little commercial, when I think I need a little push, a little tough love. It works. Try it. I also really dig what she's saying about hope today (hint: it's probably not what you think).
Forgive me for the intermittent blogging schedule these days; among other exciting events, my laptop was recently stolen, and with it, a bit of my will to post. It will come back (my will; doubtful on the laptop front). In the meantime, here's Danielle:
Danielle LaPorte Sizzle Reel from Danielle LaPorte on Vimeo.
Friday, October 7, 2011
I heart Ira Glass. I'm sure you do, too. Unless you hate him.
I just - gosh! - can I tell you how much I love Ira Glass? I know, it's cliche. I should be over it by now. But... whatever, there's not even anything I can say about it, he's just that awesome. Can I just tell you, though, probably once every 6 months or so, for the past, like, 5 years, I have been overcome with the urge to gush about him (just like this!), and I type up a blog post (just like this!), and then I end up deleting it because people will just think I'm a crazy. But not this time!
(Let me break to say, to those of you who see him as the face of self-indulgent, empty quirk: I get it, and I'm sorry, I'm still buyin' the act.)
Okay, seriously? I was just having a really nice, quiet evening tonight, and I randomly put on some old TAL that had been living in my iPod for years, while I was eating dinner, and I caught this great piece that I kind of wanted to tell you about, which doesn't even really have anything to do with Ira Glass (but then, it's Studs Terkel, who's about the only storyteller ever that could make TAL even better). But then, I let it go, and moved on with my life.
And then I found this, and well, I just had to share it.
Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.
(Let me break to say, to those of you who see him as the face of self-indulgent, empty quirk: I get it, and I'm sorry, I'm still buyin' the act.)
Okay, seriously? I was just having a really nice, quiet evening tonight, and I randomly put on some old TAL that had been living in my iPod for years, while I was eating dinner, and I caught this great piece that I kind of wanted to tell you about, which doesn't even really have anything to do with Ira Glass (but then, it's Studs Terkel, who's about the only storyteller ever that could make TAL even better). But then, I let it go, and moved on with my life.
And then I found this, and well, I just had to share it.
Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
You guys, I totally made this.
Josh at Little Deli (fabric, embroidery floss, buttons, lipstick, marker), a photo by Retreat Austin on Flickr.
So... here's why I want to share this piece with you:
1. I think it's awesome. Yes, I am concerned about going a bit overboard about my little arts and crafts project, but c'mon - it's awesome, right? :) I am not an artist, and this is the first project I've ever done like this. But Kat's class description sparked an idea, and I thought it would be a fun way to use my craft love in a new way. There is a poster in my living room which says, "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong" (Joseph Chilton Pearce). I referred to it constantly. The other day, when I was almost done with it, I was SO EXCITED about how it turned out (except for the lips, which is a whole other story). I started planning out the kitchen wall, and then the judgement snuck in. Should I really put this in the kitchen? Where everyone will see it? This is kind of stupid, right? So I thought, maybe I will hang it behind the bar, in the other room, where just about nobody ever goes. When my best friend came over for dinner on Saturday, though, I couldn't resist getting it out. And she loved it! Her excitement gave me some courage, and onto the kitchen wall it went. Lessons: art doesn't have to be perfect, you're not the only judge of what looks good, and when in doubt, invite your friends over.
2. I got to make it with my mom (and some other fun girls over at Stitch Lab). Maybe I've mentioned this arts-in-community thing? Visits for my mom and I actually tend to include some kind of project - we've sewn a shopping bag at Christmas, built a hidden medicine cabinet when I was getting ready to sell my place in Chicago, made dishcloths during a fall visit (she crochets, I knit), put together our own "deluxe" pin cushions from fabric scraps (you can see a picture of mine - at least for now - on the home page for Retreat Austin). My mom is a whiz on the sewing machine, and she continues to amaze me with the power tools she's able to master. So I learn a lot from her (and sometimes she learns from me), and the work feeds our relationship, and then of course, we usually end up with something tangible that's pretty cool. This project was a bit of an accident - not sure I would have suggested that we sign up for the course together, but I'd already registered when she booked her trip, so I asked her if she wanted to come along. We had a great time in the studio, met some fun and interesting women in the class, and had something to work on for the two weeks she was visiting. I love this.
3. Courage. Do you mind if I digress for a moment?
Thursday, September 29, 2011
About page, check.
Posted the About page over at retreat-austin.com today - this is an accomplishment! (Inner Perfectionist, you hush. I needed to get this out there.) And now I'm off to the pool to celebrate...
In other, related news, please forgive me for switching around the design here and there, possibly on a daily basis, for maybe an extended period of time. Shocking reveal!: I am not a web designer. It is taking me a while to figure out how to make this space (these spaces - ugh, another problem) look like something that is not held together with masking tape and bubble gum. I know it can be annoying for my loyal readers, but there are, like, three of you, and I know you're all very adept at managing change. My apologies, in the meantime.
In other, related news, please forgive me for switching around the design here and there, possibly on a daily basis, for maybe an extended period of time. Shocking reveal!: I am not a web designer. It is taking me a while to figure out how to make this space (these spaces - ugh, another problem) look like something that is not held together with masking tape and bubble gum. I know it can be annoying for my loyal readers, but there are, like, three of you, and I know you're all very adept at managing change. My apologies, in the meantime.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
10Q, and real reflection
I love everything about this.
“Thanks to new technologies like texting and Twitter, people have more opportunities than ever to express themselves, but fewer than ever to express themselves well,” said 10Q co-founder Ben Greenman, a New Yorker editor. “What 10Q wants people to do is what people should want to do for themselves — to reflect on life without worrying about status updates.”
As I'm taking the small steps each day to get this business up and running, I feel like a lot of the actions are running counter to the goals that are driving them in the first place. Nowadays, blog posts and Twitter updates are the way to "get noticed" or "build a following" - and they are free - so I'm doing them, using them to plant seeds of ideas or connect with other like-minded folks. But it doesn't feel like connection, of course, since there's so much chaos in all of the talking going on, and those like-minded folks never come over for dinner or anything (they're online). And there's this pressure, to post-post-post, and do it ever more quickly, saysomethingsaysomethingsaysomething, to the point where it feels like there isn't time to think.
Anyway. I've rambled enough on this topic for today. I think 10Q looks like a great process for slowing down and spending some time with your own inner knowing. Check it out for yourself, won't you? More information about 10Q here; sign up here.
And thanks to @rachelwcole, who of course alerted me to this great project via Twitter.
“Thanks to new technologies like texting and Twitter, people have more opportunities than ever to express themselves, but fewer than ever to express themselves well,” said 10Q co-founder Ben Greenman, a New Yorker editor. “What 10Q wants people to do is what people should want to do for themselves — to reflect on life without worrying about status updates.”
As I'm taking the small steps each day to get this business up and running, I feel like a lot of the actions are running counter to the goals that are driving them in the first place. Nowadays, blog posts and Twitter updates are the way to "get noticed" or "build a following" - and they are free - so I'm doing them, using them to plant seeds of ideas or connect with other like-minded folks. But it doesn't feel like connection, of course, since there's so much chaos in all of the talking going on, and those like-minded folks never come over for dinner or anything (they're online). And there's this pressure, to post-post-post, and do it ever more quickly, saysomethingsaysomethingsaysomething, to the point where it feels like there isn't time to think.
Anyway. I've rambled enough on this topic for today. I think 10Q looks like a great process for slowing down and spending some time with your own inner knowing. Check it out for yourself, won't you? More information about 10Q here; sign up here.
And thanks to @rachelwcole, who of course alerted me to this great project via Twitter.
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