Where I have been OR What d'you mean it's Thursday?

Contemplation is not always conducive to production.  This is what I have learned in the week since my last post.  I knew that I had been absent, but received a jolt today when a regular reader and friend complained of suffering from withdrawal - "it's been a week since you blogged!" he wrote.  , perh
I'm no less inspired, no less driven to write and still a keen observer of the world.  I am also working most days in a week and they are long and interesting days.  I've joined a new vocal group. I'm taking a jazz vocal class.  I've been going out more in the evenings. I'm in the Global Corporate Challenge.  I've discovered the joy of NOT turning on my computer when I arrive home in the evening, even if it's before 7pm.  My days are starting very early and this necessarily means I can't indulge my natural inclination to be a night owl.

When I started blogging almost two years ago, one of the motivators was the fact that my business was new and I could go for days at a time without working.  While I was short of money, I realised that time was a gift that I hadn't had for a long while.  I decided to use it in a meaningful and constructive way, rather than frittering it away.  It was also part of my personal mental health strategy to stay engaged and purposeful in the world.  My commitment to daily blogging was born.

It didn't take long for my daily writing commitment to turn into a habit, perhaps even a compulsion, and for me to feel my writing fitness improve as I flexed my writing muscles each day.  It's been relatively easy to sustain.  Until recently.  The increase in my (paid) workload has really had an impact.  The balance has changed.  I still love to write and I want to keep divacultura going.  I love hearing from readers and sharing perspectives either here or on facebook.  Over the last week I reached a conclusion, rather than committing to write daily and not fulfilling the promise, I am renewing my vows.

My new commitment is to post (at least) five times a week.

As with all plans I'll be monitoring and am keen to receive feedback. Giving myself a break in this way may even increase my capacity again.  Funny how that can work.

On the subject of the Global Corporate Challenge, I can tell you that after 14 days my daily step average is sitting at 10,100 steps per day and has slipped just below the team average for the first time today.  Reaching my daily 10,000 step target on days when I'm at the desk can be challenging.  To meet this, I'm now walking between Flinders Street and the office instead of taking a tram for six stops.

As I walked to the station this afternoon, here are some of the things I noticed.  I might have missed them if I caught the tram.

Afternoon sunlight on the city.
© divacultura 2013

This amazing sculpture was on the SES/fire building.
I can't believe I haven't seen it before!
It looks like fire.
©divacultura 2013

Walking up Southbank Boulevard was more like wading as I tackled this pile of fallen leaves.
© divacultura 2013

What do you need to review? What did you notice today?

We made it to 2013 - the Mayans were wrong.

Imagine that.  The world didn't end.  Who knows what the Mayans were up to?  The world could have been spared numerous B movies, apart from any angst which may have arisen from the looming end of the world.

I like milestones.  I like to take the time to think about what's next and get my mindset right for whatever is next.  I'm not really a goal setter, but I do like to be purposeful about actions that I take.  My experience over the last few years since I finished full time employment for other people in October 2008 is that things work really well for me if I think positively, don't get tense and worried and continue to act on opportunities.  I also look for opportunities.  They can be sneaky things and can easily be missed if you're not actually looking.

I just checked my New Year post for last year and am very pleased with the alignment I achieved between intention and achievement.  I am pleased with what I achieved.  I haven't tackled my lace knitting yet, but I have signed up to an online class and have the yarn wound and ready to go.  Development as a performer didn't really happen last year, but I'm okay with that.  I've been spending a lot of time developing my skills as an improviser and actor in a teaching and assessment setting.  It's not performance as such, but I'm still exercising my acting muscles.

The spare room is still a disaster - perhaps smaller and a tiny bit more organised than it was this time last year.

I'm very pleased with how my business is developing.  Bookings and interest is very strong right through the first quarter and prospects are already looking very good beyond that. I'm feeling good about 2013.

On a personal level, one of my major achievements in 2012 was quitting sugar!  I made it through the eight weeks of having no sugar at all, just in time for Christmas.  Over Christmas, I have allowed myself to share a small portion of Christmas pudding and last night at dinner I had a dessert that was far too big and far too rich, given that I'm off sugar.  It's interesting that previously I would have been fighting the urge to have seconds, but that doesn't happen anymore.  The quit program has worked and my habits and palate have both changed.  Congratulations to anyone out there who has achieved the same thing!  And if you haven't quite made it yet, keep trying - it's worth it.

My main focus for 2013 is to continue to build my business, using networking and good work as my main advertising tools.  On a concrete, practical note, I do want to get my website up and running.

Incorporating volunteering into my life while I'm working freelance is quite challenging.  Because I am only paid when I work, I need to prioritise paid work over volunteering.  Contributing to my community  is very important to me and I'm feeling a little frustrated that I haven't found a way of volunteering regularly in the way my life is currently running.  I solved that problem in 2011 by knitting for charity.  This worked because it was easy to incorporate into my usual leisure activities and didn't compete for priority with my paid work.  In 2012 I started to crochet a granny square a day and these will be turned into a blanket for someone.  I will explore further charity avenues for my knitting this year.

Floating around in my mind is the idea of going unplugged for a day a month.  I need to think about this idea more and gain clarity about what I mean.  At this stage I'm thinking about it in the context of being offline - that is, not dealing with email, social media and using the internet generally.  I feel like this would be a good thing to do to clear my mind and make sure days aren't sucked into the web vortex.

On the practical side, the spare room has made it onto the list.  I know that I need to be more specific in thinking about this as making a broad statement like "tackle the spare room" really hasn't worked.  At this moment I'm thinking "turn the spare room into a useful, welcoming space, so that it is more than a storage room".  And of course, I need a timeframe.  By 31 August 2013!

I've done fairly well with saving money during 2012, but with no real plan other than to have money to tide me over during the dead period of December and January.  I'm going to put a firm aim in place and put aside 10% of all invoices (after I've taken out tax and GST).

And I want to dance more!

My plans for divacultura are to continue to write daily as much as possible.  This is no longer a chore and I find that most days the inspiration is readily available and the writing happens fairly easily.  If I'm travelling it's often difficult to post each day, but I've decided just to acknowledge that and communicate with my readers.  Given my work schedule I may need to cut back to five posts a week, but I'll let you know if that happens.  With the development of my website for this year, I need to think about the relationship between my business and my blog and make sure I seize opportunities for cross-pollination.

Here are the top 10 most read posts on divacultura:

1. MYKI: it's your key to bureaucratic frustration
2. Quitting sugar - two weeks down
3. That's how you handle a complaint!
4. Emergency services call - communication failure
5. Missing in action
6. Photo a day June - from a low angle
7. If myki is the solution, what the hell was the problem?
8. I've got the public transport ticketing blues
9. Photo a day - June round up & July list
10. 2 Days in New York - giveaway

Post numbers 2 through to 10 were all written this year.  The top post was written in 2011.  There's a strong theme of public transport and community service being subjects of these most popular posts.  And my photos have also received lots of comments and compliments, both here on the blog and on Instagram and facebook.  The one I'm puzzled about is "Missing in action" at number 5...

Phew!  That's a great list and I'm excited about what's to come.

What are you thinking about for 2013?  What's your intention?

Erraticity

I'm not sure if "erraticity" is a word...probably not...but it seems to be perfect for my purposes.  Things are a bit crazy around here at the moment.  That's going to lead to my posts being erratic for the next week; erraticity.

Normal transmission will then resume.  Promise.

Meanwhile, why not visit the archives?  There's some fun stuff in there.

Happy First Birthday - divacultura celebrates!

Today is divacultura's first birthday! On Thursday 28 July 2011, I wrote "Beginnings", the post that outlined my vision for divacultura's incarnation as a blog.

Looking back on that first post, I struggle to remember what my original title choice was.  After some hard thinking I remembered.  I'm glad that my longed-for title wasn't available.  I have the right title!

One of the reasons I started blogging was to create a daily writing habit.  I had had one many years ago, but had lost my match fitness.  I needed to start exercising my writing muscles regularly; they were a bit flabby.  I was also interested to see how my writer's voice developed and whether I could be as compelling on the "page" as on the stage.  I'm still exploring that question and I think it depends on the subject matter.  I've been delighted to receive feedback from you, my readers, about my written voice.  It's fascinating.  Also a wonderful reminder that applies to any artistic/creative practice, that one's work takes on a new life the moment it is handed over to the audience.

I've done pretty well establishing my daily writing habit.  366 days after I started I have produced 348 posts.  That's roughly 18 days I've missed.  I'm counting that as success on meeting my commitment.  I've had holidays and been travelling for work where it hasn't been possible to post.  When this has been the case, I've flagged it.  (I'm still mystified as to why one of these posts is my third most popular post of all time.) I do acknowledge that some posts are purely pictorial and contain no, or not much, writing.  That's okay with me.  I've started to take photographs again and have noticed myself being more observant and sensitive to the world - ingredients essential for nurturing creativity.   More importantly, I now feel the compulsion to write each day - confirmation that I have successfully ingrained a habit.  


At the beginning I wasn't sure whether many people outside my immediate circle would read.  I thought some of my Twitter followers would come over and read, because divacultura is also my Twitter name, but wasn't sure how long it would last.  While I'm always conscious of audience, in the beginning I was largely writing for myself. Now, I write for my audience and am always curious to read comments on the blog and also on facebook.  So please, if you feel the urge to say something, I'd love you to act on that impulse!


My other commitment was to produce copy that was error free.  I've remembered how hard it is to proofread and sub-edit your own work and from time to time posts do contain typos and other errors.  I'm very lucky to have a very diligent and eagle-eyed post production editor - my Mother.  Mum reads everything and gives me feedback and reactions.  She will also provide feedback on corrections.  Sometimes we have an arm-wrestle when I've made a stylistic choice that clashes with formal grammar/usage.  I win those ones, but it's always provocative and I appreciate having the opportunity to read my work from a different perspective.  My writing is better for it.  Thanks Mum!

A year on, I'm taking stock and thinking about how this body of work is relevant to how I position my business.  A year on, I've become much more aware of other bloggers and have enjoyed learning from their experience.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY & YOU GET THE GIFTS!
As I contemplate renewing my commitment to divacultura for another year, I feel excitement and affection.  Thank you for sharing some of your time with me. As a thank you gift - and so I can gain a better sense of who's out there - I'll be giving away a pair of my hand knitted socks to two very lucky readers, where ever you are in the world (ie two readers will receive a pair of socks each).  To be in the running, leave a comment on this post by Friday 17 August 2012, stating why you like reading divacultura. My favourite responses will receive the prize (my decision is final).  Why not take the opportunity to sign up and follow too!


*****
In the meantime, here are some stats:


divacultura's biggest audience is in the US, followed by Australia, Russia, Ireland and the UK.

You can see the top five posts on the home page.

The next five posts which complete the top 10 are:

6. Photo a day - June round up and July list  (My interest in the July list waned and I haven't followed through on this one.)
7. Secondhand fumes - ever come across someone chroming on public transport?
8. Challenge accepted - the challenge in question was the first Photo a Day I participated in.
9. Prayers to the Goddess of parking
10. Question Time - who is the Lazy Civil Servant?  The launch edition of this regular feature.  It was fitting to feature the person who inspired me to start blogging.

And just for fun, here's one of my favourite pieces - The Man on the Steps.  A purely creative piece sparked by a glimpse while I was out and about.  It highlights the importance of being in the world with my head up and my eyes open and a preparedness to shamelessly eavesdrop!

Question time - Who is Rose Wintergreen?

Today's guest is fellow Melbourne-based blogger Rose Wintergreen.  Rose and I met a few years ago at Summersong, a music camp for adults.  We discovered we shared a sense of the silly and enjoyed some serious sessions of laughing and music making together.


One of the things I admire about Rose is the way she thinks about what she's doing.  Her blog is thoughtful and purposeful and she's a whizz on the latest technology and web tools.  Top Tool Tuesday is on my must-read list each week.  I love Rose's innate curiosity about people and the world.  A fellow traveller!


I hope you enjoy meeting her and discovering her blog.

1. Who is Rose Wintergreen?

Singer-songwriter, writer, crafty type and social media and marketing coach.

2. Where do you get your inspiration for your blog?

My inspiration comes from all sorts of places. My blog is something I use as a reminder to prioritise spending some time in my life to feeding my creativity. 

My creativity is a funny little creature. I imagine it as a pet. It behaves a bit like a cat. It can be unpredictable. It's electric blue, with acrylic faux fur. She has lime green, all-knowing eyes. When I don't feed her or pat her in the way she likes (by reading something new, going somewhere different, or trying out new perspectives or activities) she slumps quietly in the corner, growing thin and wan, occasionally hissing angrily at me to make sure I don't forget she's still there, waiting. When I make room in my life to spend with her, all sorts of exciting things happen. Everything seems more colourful.

I try to write my blog posts about things that have excited my creativity, the ways I've made more room for creativity in my life, and what I've been creating. I really love the idea that I might excite and help other people to be creative. I try to focus on things that are relevant to people who are making art, music, craft or writing, or who are wanting to start doing those things soon but don't have the confidence or know where to start.

3. What's your writing routine?

If I didn't have a blog, my writing wouldn't be so routine. I know writing is important for me (when I don't, I feel more stressed) but setting deadlines for myself isn't enough sometimes. Writing my blog makes me more accountable. I have a responsibility to write - not just for myself, but also for my readers. 

I find it easier to write when I'm not at home, sitting alone in a corner of a cafe of up the back of a tram, scribbling away in my journals or some scrap paper. Coffee makes a huge difference. If I'm sipping on a real coffee or I've had one in the last couple of hours, I feel more confident, and get things done faster as a result. The most magical writing combination for me is heading out for a walk in the morning, going to a yoga class, then sitting at a cafe with a coffee. Within an hour or so I'll manage to draft a blog post or do some creative writing, do some fun brainstorming, and plan my priorities for the rest of the day.  

Ideas come at all times of day and in all sorts of inconvenient places, so I always carry my phone or a digital recording device with me, as well as several pens and a journal or scrap paper. I get a lot of my best ideas in the car when I'm driving alone, so I try to leave the radio and stereo off to let the ideas come at me. If I'm planning on having a proper writing session, I'll always take two notebooks - one for the creative, fun, journaling style of writing, and one for work-related, strategising and planning. I didn't used to do this, and discovered that if I didn't, I would spend all my writing time working on the worky stuff instead.

   

4. What's your favourite word?

I'm sorry, but I can't just pick one. I love the word "velvet" because it sounds lush, just like the texture. I love the word "salacious" because it sounds so naughty and seductive. I generally have a thing for words that sound interesting and like the thing they describe (especially food-related ones, textures, and colours). 

5. If you could script your dying words, what would they be?

"So long, and thanks for all the fish." Just kidding. I've ripped that off from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I have no idea. It would depend on who was with me and whether they were listening! I guess it would be an expression of gratitude for all the opportunities and experiences I've had, and a plea to others saying something like: 

"You are enough. Don't wait for permission. You know the road you need to take. Surround yourself with the people who make you feel the most at peace with yourself and who encourage you. Be open, loving and trusting. Explore! Life is one big sampling platter! Taste what you want to. Do things for as long as they feel right to you."

Oh, and my favourite line from a recent movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel:

"Everything is alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end."

6. What gets your hanky in a twist?

I'm doing my best to not let people get my hanky in a twist. Yoga helps a lot. Ultimately, people will do what they want. All I can control is how I react to what happens around me.

But there are a couple of specific things that push my buttons...

People who say they aren't creative. We all are. We're born creative. We're just creative in different ways, and some of us spend more time breathing life into our creativity than other people do.

People who do amazing things that have taken a lot of work (like recording an album, or writing a book), who hope that people will love it and it will get some sort of attention, but who don't do anything to make it easy for people to find out about it and share it with the world. I don't know if they realise it, but what it says to the world is "I spent a long time making this piece of work, but I'm not going to tell people about it because it's not good enough."      

7. What's your ambition for your blog, your business, you? 

These are all very closely intertwined for me. My goals are to keep being creative, to keep learning about what works for other creative people, and to share this with people. I want to show people that it's possible for them to do creative things too, and to promote themselves effectively with social media, if they want to. There's no secret club, no secret password. 

I really enjoy helping people with their social media and online marketing strategy, so I'll definitely keep doing that! 

I'm also working on songs for a new recording, and writing a book of conversations with professional singer-songwriters about how they stay creative and prevent burnout. I also have a couple of other top secret book ideas in the pipelines. 

8. What blogs do you read? 

I read a lot of blogs! I used to use Google Reader to keep track of them all, but it's more usual for me now to keep up-to-date by following people on Twitter and reading their posts as they tweet about them. 

Some of my favourites are divacultura, The Rachel Papers (writing), Brain Pickings (creativity and lots of other things), The Lazy Civil Servant (personal), Anna Spargo-Ryan (personal), Puttylike ("lifestyle design" for people with lots of different interests), Everyday Adventure (writing and personal), Handmade Love (art), The Seamstress (art),  Timber and Steel (music), and Fearful Adventurer (travel). 

9. Finish this sentence, "If I wasn't blogging I'd be...."

If I wasn't blogging I'd be crazy. Crazier than I am now. And lonely. I'd probably still be creative, but I'd be feeling pretty constipated creatively, and very alone with it. I've made some great friends through blogging, and many sources of inspiration and encouragement. 

----

Question time - who is Sexy Mom GP?

Today's Question Time guest is Corenne Tavares, the author of SexyMomGP.

Corenne and I "met" over a game of Scrabble which one of us started randomly on Facebook. We were a pretty good match on the Scrabble board and chatted occasionally.  One day I told her about my new project, a blog called divacultura.  Corenne read it and liked it and after a little while confided her own writing ambitions.  Corenne asked my advice about a few things when she started writing SexyMomGP and I was very pleased to encourage her.

Corenne has also encouraged me to explore new things.  She threw down the original photo a day challenge to me, something I'm very pleased about.

I've never visited South Africa and I enjoy the opportunity to read about Corenne's life there.  It's interesting to discover the differences and the similarities.

I hope you enjoy discovering her blog.

1. Who is SexyMomGP?


I'm a South African woman. I love this country and it's home but sometimes I'm embarrassed by society and the stupid things we do to each other. I can get quite worked up about things (hmmm where is my wooden baseball bat that's supposed to be in my car so I can beat stupid people over the head?).

I'm married and I have been to the same man since 1995. We haven't killed each other (regardless of how tempting it’s been) so instead we reproduced. Twice. Our daughters are now 16 and 10 and I'm nice (enough) to them now so they'll let me move in with them when I'm old. And then I'll let the crazy woman loose and get them back for all the naughty things they did as kids. (Cue evil laugh.)

I'm a Jill of all trades, master of some. I've worked in just about every industry in just about every job. From the bottom all the way to the top. And until now, I've never had to sleep with the boss. Husband and I own a glass and aluminium business. He's the muscles and I'm the brain. (Cue the "don't you dare argue" stare.)

I'm a professional procrastinator. Ask the filing. And the windows. And the ironing. I do have a few hobbies though. I love reading. Eating. Dancing. I crochet. Lots. I've started a side line business through which I sell my wares.

I collect dust bunnies too. When I have too many of the same kind I haul out the broom and the mop and all sorts of other tools that make me look really busy for a while. The next day I start my collection again.

I used to be deeply involved with gym. But we broke up when I started my affair with the couch. The chocolates are helping me through this - one slab at a time. I can (not so) proudly say that I am now twice the woman I used to be.

I'm probably forgetting a few (personalities) but these are the main roles of my life. Oh and I should mention that I'm an aspiring writer. When I was little this skill was unrestricted and I expressed it on everything. The walls, the furniture, in my sister's books ... I'm hoping to get some of that freedom back - although I'll probably leave my sister's books alone this time.


2.              Where do you get your inspiration for your blog?

My own life is chaos (sometimes organised, mostly not) so naturally things happen that are blog-worthy. Other times a memory is triggered and I share that. People-watching is a sure fire way of finding inspiration. Generally I go with whatever is happening at that particular moment; what’s made me happy, or mad, or just whatever’s given me that “aha” moment. I try not to overthink a topic and rather just let it flow naturally.


3.              What's your writing routine?

I’m a rebel against anything routine so right now I write when inspiration strikes. I try to write everyday but I find that as soon as I get going with work or the kids or the house or one of the many other things I have to do I don’t always get back to writing. Lately though I’m much more creative at night, just before bed, so that’s when I get my ideas on paper. I have a lot of “stories” running around my head all day, especially when I’m driving. I wish that one of the voices in my head could keep quiet long enough to get a computer and start typing. I think it’ll take some practice for me to set aside specific writing time, and I have to master my “don’t disturb me” threatening stare so I don’t get distracted.


4.            What's your favourite word?

AWESOME. It’s a fabulous word that can apply to people, places, experiences, the weather – anything. Today is awesome. She is awesome. What an awesome waterfall. It just works. AWESOME can be said just like any other word in the sentence, or all breathlessly or add a “dude” and it becomes surfer-like. 'just an AWESOME word.


5.              If you could script your dying words, what would they be?

Dying words? Can it be phrases or sentences or even paragraphs? I don’t think my dying moment could be summarised in “words”. Since I’m Catholic its quite ironic but I’d definitely pull the Jewish-mother routine and be telling everyone to do everything they’re supposed to do. I swear they’ll all starve and die without me around. They wont wash the dishes properly. The milk goes in before the hot water when making coffee. The toilet roll has to roll over the top not from the bottom. Wash the jeans separately from the other washing. I forgot to label the light switches, and the cupboards for where everything goes. I swear I’m the only one who lives in this house to know where things go.

They’re not ready. Come back in a few years and we’ll talk again. Next time bring chocolate when you visit. Didn’t your mother teach you anything? You don’t show up empty handed. (Cue that sucking teeth sound that I have no idea how to spell)


6.              What gets your hanky in a twist?

I could write a book about this, never mind just a blog post. My worst has got to be idiotic parents. You know the kind that just keep reproducing without any consideration for the children. Parents who don’t teach their kids any manners so the kids get called brats but it’s the parents that should have been suffocated at birth. Parents who either neglect or abuse their children. Parents who are selfish and although they keep having children, still put their own needs before those of their children. Parents who let their children jump and stand in the car instead of buckling them up. Parents who get their hair and nails done but let the kids run around looking like street urchins.

I’m going to stop now. I think I need my baseball bat. And some chocolate.


7.              What's your ambition for SexyMomGP?

I’m new to the blogger community but I hope to stay for quite some time. I’m searching for my Voice, I hear it faintly in the distance and every so often I know I’m close. I want to establish this Voice into a rhythm that flows from one topic to another. I insist that my writing has to be authentically me. Written as I would talk. Honest, straightforward and hopefully entertaining enough to keep reading.

I love to write and while I’m pursuing this through creative writing courses, I definitely want to be published one day. What genre exactly I don’t know yet. But I’ve got plenty of time and will share my trials and tribulations with my readers.


8.              What blogs do you read?

The first one of course is divacultura – your blog. I wouldn’t have a blog if it wasn’t for you inspiring me in the first place. 


I also read:


Memoirs with a glass of champagne 
Piles of Washing
Edenland
Random Ramblings of a Stay at Home Mum

to name but a few!


9.              Finish this sentence, "If I wasn't blogging I'd be...."

Eating. No watching TV. No crocheting. Ok I’ve got it.

If I wasn’t blogging I’d be eating my chocolate while watching TV and crocheting.

;-)

Emerging Writers' Festival Blogging Masterclass - being a good person

I've been locked in a classroom since 11am today.  I am tired.  My brain is full.  I paid for the privilege.  I'm pleased and inspired.  I've been at the Blogging Masterclass presented by the Emerging Writers' Festival at the Wheeler Centre.  Apart from the presenters themselves, I had some really interesting conversations with other participants, took pages of notes and had the unexpected pleasure of spending the day with Rose Wintergreen.

divacultura will celebrate her first birthday in July, so it's timely to be drinking inspiration and thinking about what I'm doing.  My tool kit is bursting and my well of ideas is chockablock.

One of the things I loved most about today was the level of contradiction amongst the presenters.  It highlights that blogging can be anything you want it to be and for any purpose at all.  It's up to you!  I plan to think about everything I heard today.  Some things I may implement.  They may work or fail.  Other things I already know  will be discarded because they don't fit with my personal philosophy and purpose.

Many times today, I felt myself thinking that I had already written on the subject being discussed; in particular the value of reciprocity and good will. My post "In the flow" holds really true.  John Tjhia (blogger for the Wheeler Centre) resonated when he said that social media works the same as social encounters in the real world.  His motto?  "Try to be a good person".  So simple.

As I have time to reflect I'll be writing about today's discussions and what I'm thinking as a result.

Feeling inspired is a wonderful, wonderful thing!

What inspired you today?

Emerging Writers & blogging masterclass.

I'm so excited!  I've enrolled in a masterclass being run as part of the Emerging Writer's Festival here in Melbourne.  With divacultura approaching its first anniversary and the blog being part of my daily work, I thought the opportunity to learn some professional skills and network with other writers was too good an opportunity to pass up.


The topics covered are wide ranging and relevant.  From the website:

• Blog to Where? – a blog’s success can lead to a variety of opportunities. See how they can be pursued
• Monetisation – tips and tricks to making money from your blog
• Content Creation – writing blog, podcasting, video blogging – how should you say what you want to say
• Strategic Planning – planning and forecasting for blogging success
• Audience Development – how to create and engage an audience for your blog

It will be interesting to think about some things that I haven't really thought about.  

I'm a great believer in thinking and exploring the world, including the things that I do regularly.  There's always more to learn.  I spend such a lot of time helping other people with their professional development, it's a luxury to be on the "other end", sitting in a room and being the receptacle, rather than the facilitator.  I've never participated in the Emerging Writer's Festival before either, so that's another aspect of interest.

I don't know what all of this will mean for my blog, or for me as a writer and a person.  We shall see.  Maybe you will too.  Meanwhile, I'd better start thinking about who should play me in the movie!

What investment have you made in your professional development lately?

Beginnings

Imagine what it feels like when you've come up with the "perfect" name for your blog, only to discover that someone else is using that name for their blog.  Okay, so that's annoying.  But then, you go and look at the blog that has "your" name and discover that it's an ultra right wing, conservative blog written by someone who appears to be a religious zealot.  That's disturbing.  It made me question my very values.  I spent hours in conversation with myself: "But what does it mean that I came up with the perfect name and someone with values so far from mine thought the same thing?"  You get the drift.

I let it go.  Madness may lie that way.

And here I am, posting for the first time on my new blog that is self-titled.  Nothing wrong with that.  Rock stars do it all the time.  If you consider naming something after your Twitter name counts as "self-titled".  Hmmm.  Looks like I've got something to discuss with myself tomorrow.

What's it about?  I am a compulsive observer of life.  I'm one of those people who doesn't listen to an iPod on public transport.  And I catch public transport everywhere.  The reason is that I love to eavesdrop on conversations and discover that most of us seem to speak rubbish a lot of the time.  Especially on public transport. Loudly.  (Note to self - must write about this.)  I have some time on my hands and am hungering to establish the habit of regular writing.  (I used to have penpals - remember them? - must write about this.)

So "divacultura", the blog, written by divacultura the Twitter girl, will roam widely and wildly on whatever takes my fancy.  I can promise that it will be spelt correctly and apostrophes will be accurately placed.  These things matter to me.  Additionally my aim is to entertain and provoke my audience daily.

I'd love you to join me.