Posts Tagged ‘life’
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
Guest post co-written by W.O.R.D. Ink team members, Jaya Mukherjee & Vanessa Ziff Lasdon
I love the revision process because in writing and life, to revise our process can signify more about us than the art we create. The challenge we must pose to ourselves is to revisit something familiar with completely new eyes. Whether it’s an essay, a facet of our own identity, or our perspective on the world, if we approach revision with an open mind, the process can be an opportunity of discovery and exploration. I find this notion of revision to be particularly pertinent during the holiday season.
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Tags: advice, advocacy, celebrate, challenges, DISCOVER, holiday, inspiration, life, literature, motivation, parents, practice, process, purpose, responsibility, REVISE, self-expression, storytelling, strategy, students
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Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
IT’S CALLED “THE GREATEST SHOW (AND TELL) ON EARTH!”

There’s a reason the MAKER FAIRE has wound its way around the globe in seven short years and spawned over 60 mini-Maker Faires from Tokyo to Oslo. This is not just another social gathering – it’s a mega-science expo, an inventor’s haven, and a county fair rolled into one.
Yes, the Maker Faire is a geeked-out weird-science fest. But, really, it’s so much more. The Maker Faire is totally Geektastic for every age, gender, and profession — for anyone who makes anything and everyone with a thirst for knowledge, resourcefulness, and creativity!
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Tags: creativity, DISCOVER, educators, free time, inspiration, learning styles, life, parents, self-expression, share, students, teachers
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Tuesday, February 12th, 2013
This Saturday, 2/16: March As One
For this week’s OBSERVE post, W.O.R.D Ink implores Angelenos to March As One this Saturday, February 16, 2013! Stand by educators, families, and public education advocates participating in a crucial community march and rally to drive voter registration and turn out for our March 5th school board and mayoral elections, to raise awareness about unequal access to high quality education, and to ask our candidates to listen to the community and commit to strengthening our public education system.
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Tags: advocacy, educators, life, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, purpose, responsibility, self-expression, students, teachers
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Tuesday, February 5th, 2013
Today’s WRITE Post is dedicated to six-word memoirs, a reminder that an entire story lays hidden within a single sentence. (And a brief marvel at how the whole of our personal existence might fold neatly into six well-chosen words.)
“For sale: baby shoes, never used.” — Ernest Hemingway
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Tags: advice, educators, life, sentences, storytelling, technique, WRITE, writers
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Tuesday, January 8th, 2013
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Last week I made a plan to write and I did not stick to it. At least, not the way I’d intended.
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Life got in the way again, and I just let it barge right through my carefully carved-out quiet time. Then I spent the rest of the week feeling terrible about not having kept the promise to myself. Well, today, I’ve decided to shorten my post in OBSERVANCE of the writing I must complete.
You will find Silas House’s observations on The Art of Being Still quite apropos for creators of all kinds. Please take a look, if only to press the “reconnect” button within yourself as an artist. The essence of House’s reflection boils down to this:
Stop talking about writing or not writing, and Just Do It already.
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Tags: advice, commitment, creativity, imagine, inspiration, life, listen, live like a writer, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, practice, process, responsibility, sensory details, serendipity, stillness, success, technique, wonder, WRITE, writers, writing process
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Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Hello, 2013! Year of the Snake! Let’s make this year a time of steady progress and attention to detail, of focus and discipline in achieving what we set out to create.

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Tags: artwork, community, conversation, creativity, educators, inspiration, kids, life, literature, motivation, parents, practice, publish, safe, self-expression, storytelling, students, success, teachers, teens, tweens, voice, word lovers, WRITE, writing process
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Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Amidst sensory overload, the holidays provide valuable details for authentic storytelling. Have a journal handy, because proof of holiday writing inspiration is in the Figgy Pudding!
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Tags: advice, authenticity, creativity, details, holiday, inspiration, life, motivation, sensory details, storytelling, WRITE
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Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
Have you OBSERVED your students’ online habits lately?
I first spotted this infographic created by KBSD Digital Marketing on Lisa Nielsen’s Innovative Educator site, and decided, along with Nielsen’s reference links, that it was a must-share with you all. The infographic does such a great job conveying the reasons and ways we can help our students (as educators and parents) manage their online reputation, that I have little need to add my own two cents. Except to say this: kids do not inherently understand the value and impact of their e-reputation. They are not necessarily tuned into the challenges they face each day in maintaining strength of character and in preserving the integrity of their digital identity, as they trawl their favorite social media platforms. While we have them in our sights, let’s be aware of our own obligation to teach and model responsible online engagement. Regardless, mistakes will happen. Boundaries will be crossed; lessons learned. Whether you are an educator, a parent, or both, share this post and reach across the proverbial aisle to observe how both schools and families can play key supporting roles in an ongoing dialogue about students managing their e-reputation.
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Tags: advice, communication, educators, infographic, life, OBSERVE, parents, reflection, responsibility, self-expression, students, teachers
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Tuesday, November 6th, 2012
Today is a WRITE post, and that means providing you with the encouragement and opportunity to get your thoughts down on the blank page. Consider this Dear Luck post a spiritual pick-me-up quick-write that you’ll want to revisit time and again.
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Tags: accountability, advice, challenges, creativity, deadline, drafting, dreams, effort, goals, guidance, inspiration, inspire, journal, life, mentor, motivation, persistence, practice, process, publish, purpose, quick write, reflection, responsibility, self-expression, success, technique, vision, WRITE
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Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012
This week on DISCOVER:

I am SO excited to share with you Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun, which hit bookshelves and online stores on October 16th.
Unbored, written and edited by Joshua Glenn of HiLoBrow and Elizabeth Foy Larsen, and illustrated by Tony Leone, is a 350-page DIY “activity guide and curiosity-sparker” for all things fun. The book is geared toward ages 8-14, but many activities involve adult participation, and you’re definitely going to want to play!
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Tags: activities, adventure, challenge, confidence, creativity, DISCOVER, DIY, educators, explore, free time, Freeskool, fun, games, gift, innovation, inspiration, kids, librarians, life, motivation, parents, projects, self-expression, sharing, social media, teachers, Unbored
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Tuesday, October 9th, 2012

“I’m too busy.”
Do you know how tired I am of iterating that refrain? How I wince at the worn-out words?

It’s been my ball-and-chain, my masochistic modus operandi, for the past twelve years. Yes, I’ve been a slave to responsibility. The calendar is my master. It reminds me to take my vitamins and floss; to get dressed, clean the cat box and water the plants; to see a client, post to Facebook, and go to bed. It even dictates, “Saturday – Free Time: 11:30-3:30.” Worse, that free block inevitably shrinks as extra work spills over from other times in the week when I was too exhausted, too distracted, or too disinterested to complete a “Must Do”; when I defied orders, reshuffled priorities (aren’t they more like suggestions, anyway?), and caught up on Modern Family. I’m surprised I haven’t squeezed in a regular, “Have a good cry, 3:30-5.” Of course, getting a business off the ground is no easy feat, so some allowances need be made when I’m still working through L’s and my Friday Breakfast Night routine. Still, busybodies are boring and I refuse to accept “workaholic” as my permanent middle name.
It’s not only me. All my clients and friends are “completely booked” too. And living in Los Angeles, you factor in drive time with every activity. So half the time, I’m just rushing around in raging traffic. Busy is an Angeleno’s norm, as sure as our Cali-blue sky and insatiable caffeine habit. Some of us cling to the craze with pride; for others, there’s just no way out right now. Many of us haven’t stopped to consider whether there’s an alternative.
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Tags: abundance, ambition, boundaries, burnout, business, children, choices, creativity, expectations, free time, freedom, fulfillment, gratitude, happiness, life, Los Angeles, OBSERVE, parents, peace of mind, perception, priorities, productivity, purpose, responsibility, strategy, stress, success, teachers, time, wellbeing, work
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