GO TO SMALL BUSINESS SUMMIT FOR FREE!

Ordinarily, The Small Business Summit taking place next Tuesday Feb.3rd costs between $129 and $149.

If you volunteer for the event , YOU GO FOR FREE!

As a volunteer, you would work from approx. 7 am to 4:30 pm. Location: 55 Broad St. in the Wall Street Area.

INTERESTED?

Call Raymon Ray @ 917-685-3920

Ramon Ray
Technology Evangelist & Editor,
Smallbiztechnology.com
http://www.smallbiztechnology.com/

SAVE THE DATE: SAT., FEB 21, DUMBO ARTS CENTER PARTY AND RAFFLE

Dumbo Arts Center I Heart Art
Auction Party and Raffle
6:00- 8:00PM

The Silent Auction will be on view and open for bidding in the gallery and online from February 14 through February 21, 2009. Dumbo Arts Center's annual Benefit Auction is its most important fundraiser and helps sustain its year round programming, keeping it open to the public and free of charge.

Check back soon on their website to view and buy works.

THE BIG BREAKUP

For the past 16 years, I've been a member of eight (!) gyms. I'd join one, barely go, and then join a new one, thinking "Okay, this is going to be the place I love to come to to get into shape! This is it!" And maybe, once in a while, I'd go a bunch of times in a row and be proud of myself. But guess what? It never lasted.

Two days ago, I was on the treadmill at the YMCA. I was bored out of my mind, and the surrounding scenery - grey walls and the backs of people's heads - was utterly uninspiring.

"Why do I do this?" I wondered. It wasn't the first time I had asked myself the question, but this time the question became a decision: "I'm going to quit the gym." And by "the gym," I meant any and all gyms.

Then another question arose in my mind: "What will I do and where will I go to get into shape?" And another thought came to me: "Just trust that if you close the door, a window will open. The right opportunities will present themselves."

The next night, I went to Brooklyn Arts Exchange to take a dance class. The teacher was nice and the music had a good beat. I was doing something that was interesting and that required me to pay attention, not just pound my feet on a conveyor belt like some mindless robot. (Sorry, treadmill fans! No disrespect meant!)

Then my cousin told me she was going to take a class at The Mark Morris Dance Center at Brooklyn Academy of Music. I went to their website and, lo and behold, they offer a whole bevy of fun-sounding dance classes!

This means that my dream of dancing again is coming true. I see a whole future of having fun and connecting to music and people while getting back into shape.

I know I could be stuck on the thought, "Geez, why didn't I figure this out sooner?" But, as they say in Spain, "Mas vale tarde que nunca!"

Photo credit: Andrew MacPherson for British Vogue, March 1993

NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO GET ORGANIZED!

Hey there busy New York moms, artists, and professionals!

I'd be delighted to help you:

* Cut down on clutter

* Create more space for you and your family

* Learn and implement simple time and paper management tools.

Call today to chat about your organizing needs!
917-499-7395

INSIGHT MAGAZINE LAUNCH PARTY ON FEB.7

F.O.K.U.S. will be re-launching INSIGHT, their quarterly magazine later this month. The group will commemorate the event with a launch party as part of its Off the Wall art series on February 7, 2009 at Deity Bar & Lounge in Brooklyn, NY starting at 8:00 p.m.

Attendees will be able to view works from Destroy & Rebuild whose work is also featured on this issue’s cover, a skateboard deck designed by Jeff St. Romain of Structure NOLA, photos from New Orleans a few years following Hurricane Katrina and more.

Copies of INSIGHT Volume 2 Issue 1 will be distributed at the event. This event is sponsored by Fresh Industries + Deity Bar & Lounge.

What: INSIGHT Launch PartyWhen: 8:00 p.m on February 7, 2009

Where: Deity Bar & Lounge – 368 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Press Contacts:Atiba EdwardsF.O.K.U.S., Inc.mailto:Inc.press@onefokus.org

INSIGHT is a quarterly F.O.K.U.S. publication that offers a platform for artists and their talents. Through the inclusion of interviews, feature articles, photography and more, we present a tangible survey of art to the world.

F.O.K.U.S., a not-for-profit arts organization founded in 2003, creates diverse networks through the use of the arts. The organization has produced concerts, film screenings, workshops and more with artists including John Legend, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Jeff Chang, the Blue Scholars, Buff 1, Kool DJ Red Alert, Justin Bua, Michael Skolnik and many more. For more information, visit http://www.onefokus.org/

THIS IS A FUN CLASS - COME ON OUT!

After deciding to bag boring classes at the gym, I ventured over to Brooklyn Arts Exchange on 5th Avenue to try out Pene's Hard Core Dance Workout.
I was a little nervous about going, because I'm out of shape. It was a lot of fun and Pene is a great teacher!

Here's an update about the class from BAX Director, Mayra Warshaw: "I am delighted to announce that HARD CORE WORK OUT taught by Pene McCourty will CONTINUE. There is one more class of the current series (February 2) The class will then continue on Mondays February 9, 23, March 2 and 9 from 7 – 8 p.m. NO CLASS ON MONDAY FEBRUARY 16. The workshop is available for $40 (for 4 classes) or by the class as a drop in at $15."

HERE IS THE CLASS DESCRIPTION:

Imagine a hot sweaty dance party does a major mash-up with a structured dance class. You learn new steps, get to do your own dance and de-stress.This class will get your adrenaline pumping, your soul groovin' and your core working.No push ups or sit ups. Just some bad-ass music so you can get your groove on.No prior dance experience necessary.Just bring your bad self!

I'M IN LOVE WITH ONLINE STAMP-BUYING

As much as I like to go to the post office to view their array of stamps from a living breathing person, the local post office branches often don't have the stamps that I'm looking for. Because I love stamps, tiny works of art that they are, I am picky when it comes to picking them out for a big mailing. It's just not worth waiting in a LONG line, only to be dissappointed by the selection available.

For my Valentines Day mailing, I really wanted the Love: All Heart stamp and I knew the post office branches wouldn't be carrying it because it's from 2008. So I hopped online and ordered a whole bunch of them from the USPS website.

It took all of five minutes to order the stamps online! I'm gonna remember this in the future.

SPOKE THE HUB RENTING SPACE TO TEACHING ARTISTS AND HEALTH PRACTITIONERS

Spoke the Hub (STH) is now seeking the area's finest massage therapists, acupuncturists, Alexander teachers, nutritionists and other kinds of bodyworkers to join our fabulous team of independent teaching artists and health practitioners in our newly renovated facility in the heart of Park Slope.

Prime movers and shakers in Brooklyn and beyond since 1979, Spoke the Hub has offered creative arts and fitness classes to legions of infants through adult professionals in Park Slope for over three decades. With the completion of our recent massive renovation and expansion of our Union Street center, we are now able to broaden the spectrum of what we can offer to community residents, as well as redefine the interface and interconnection between art, spirit, community and health. Please join us!

The STH bodywork room rental includes ---
a separate entrance and intercom system,
use of a shared waiting room, bathroom and shower,
wifi access,
a washer/dryer onsite**,
discounted rent (25% off) on small adjacent meeting room and the two bigger studio spaces for group sessions, special workshops, master classes, and private movement sessions**
plus inclusion options on Spoke the Hub's website and in future Spoke the Hub mailings and promotional materials**

Short term rentals: $25/hour (4 hour minimum; non-refundable)
Long term rentals (6-12 months or more): $250 a day/month; 2 months security required.

**These amenities only available to long term rentals

Please send letters of interest , work and client references, and your resume to: Elise LongSpoke the Hub Re:Creation Center748 Union StreetBrooklyn, NY 11215

Also, please feel free to make arrangements to preview the space in person on Mondays or Tuesdays with Spoke the Hub's space manager, Rachel Odoroff at: Space@spokethehub.org.Space will be available for rent beginning March 1st.

WHAT I’D LOVE TO HELP YOU DO IN 2009

* Put pen and passion to paper: I’ll help you document personal and business goals for 2009 and set you in motion to reach them.

* Create networking and marketing strategies to grow your on-line and off-line community of clients, customers, supporters, donors, and readers.

* Develop blog content and practices to expand your fanbase and get your message out to the world. It’s a new day!

Call to set up an appointment! 917-499-7395

SOME THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT GOING AFTER YOUR DREAMS

What do you yearn for? What is brewing in you?

Structure your yearning as a question – e.g. “How can I create more space in my life for making and spending time with friends?”

A goal is a dream with a deadline – e.g. I will have a gallery showing of my paintings by June 1.

Put your goals in writing and/or in images.

Expect to get what you want.

Be specific in naming what you want – e.g. "I want to make friends with three new sets of couples that Mike and I can socialize with" (versus "I want to meet more people"). By being specific, it is easier to track your progress and to recognize when you’ve reached your goal.

How do you want to feel emotionally and physically when your goal comes to fruition?

What kind of choices do you need to make so that you can have what you want? What do you need to say no to? Yes to? Decide where you want to put your attention and energy and put it there.

To stay focused, name the year – e.g. The Year of Fun, The Year of Creativity, The Year of the Body, The Year of Making Friends.

What will help you sustain momentum in going after your dream, especially if/when you get discouraged, fearful, or distracted?

Ask for help from different people. Ask, ask, and ask some more.

Accept help that shows up. Allow others to share their energy with you.

Listen to your inner voice. Make time for silence.

Share your energy with others by helping them to achieve their dreams.

When you hit a spot where you stop going after what you want, ask yourself “What am I afraid to give up?” (Some possible answers: comfort, an old image of yourself, etc.)

Keep a Gratitude Journal. What you focus on expands.

Keep a Dream Binder. Document what you want in words and pictures.Design pages which assume that you’ve already reached your goals.Create pages which celebrate victories along the way. Fill it with all that inspires you.

NAME YOUR YEAR

I am a proponent of naming your year: give it a theme, a title, a slogan - whatever helps you stay focused and inspired.

For me, 2009 is The Year of Creative and Profitable Collaborations.

What are you going to name your year?

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH 15 SECONDS?: LAURA ALLEN CLUED US IN!

At the end of MLK Day, Mike and I went to In Good Company (a space for women entrepreneurs) for Laura Allen's 15 Second Pitch workshop. We both wanted to learn how to speak more effectively about the work we do. Evidently, so did the other folks who showed up. The motley crew included a magician, a jewelry-maker, a trademark lawyer, and a baker of organic marshmallows.

Laura, with loads of entertaining anecdotes from her 7 years of experience as Queen of the 15 Second Pitch, explained the need for developing a pitch that is easy to pass along. "Smart networking," she shared, "is about having a story that other people want to pass along. A pitch needs to be specific and compelling."

Laura had us get started on answering the four questions that build a good pitch. They are: (1) Who are you? (2) What do you do? (3) Why are you the best?/What makes you different or interesting? and (4) What is your call to action?

Laura also explained that while many of us might be good at doing many things, it's not so great to go into a networking event and say "Hi, my name is X and I am a dog-walker, graphic-designer, basket-weaver, and Reiki master."

Guess what's going to happen? The person you are talking to is going to slowly back away as their eyes glaze over. The alternative? Become known primarily for one thing. Also: it's great to have a separate pitch for each kind of work you do.

RICKI M. GOES INAUGURAL

Ricki McGlashan is an old family friend who lives in San Mateo, CA.

"Well, friends, I made it! We got Obama sworn in! The summary has to be that it was an experience of a lifetime--so packed with adventures and inspiration (and PEOPLE!) you wouldn't believe.

The short report is that there were three dominant elements to the whole cram-packed two days. First of all, starting from SFO, the excitement of the zillions of people embarked on a shared, positive, hopeful experience was overwhelming. It absolutely pervaded every minute of the time, even when we were stuck, stuck, stuck, in some long line. All positive and electric, no kidding.

Second was the momentousness of what we were witnessing. All the hoopla aside, we each deeply felt the import of this event, this new presidency and ALL its promise.

Third was the serendipitous nature of the experience. Never have I had to adapt to such rapidly and unpredictably changing circumstances. Our best laid plans . . . it was astonishing how opportunities and hurdles presented themselves in a flash. I was among those who got a ticket to the swearing in (18 hours before the event!) only to be stymied outside the entry point, forced to head out onto the Mall in search of SOME place to at least hear the proceedings. My college friend Miri and I made it in the nick of time to a Jumbotron.

There were many, many people who had this happen to them, and we all agreed we would do it all again it was so exciting and momentous to be there. I'm sure I've never been on the move, pushed by stress and happy anticipation as much. I bet if you checked my adrenaline level right now, it would read ZERO, all used up.

Now we just have dreams that our hopes and expectations will come through.

GOBAMA.
xoxoxo"

BRIT IN BROOKLYN COVERS THE INAUGURATION

Adrian Kinloch, author/photographer of the blog Brit in Brooklyn, experienced the inauguration from Foley Square and had this to say about the experience:

"It was hard deciding on a spot to watch from in this huge city, but I settled on Foley Square as there’s amazing governmental architecture all around and it was pretty laid back. Well, until THAT speech!. Times Square would have meant corporate logos in the background of every shot!I was blown away by the intensity and range of emotion. Never seen anything like this."

Check out THIS LINK to see all his photos of this event.

VISIT WITH THE HEROES OF BLUEBARN PICTURES

I had a blast visiting with the crew at Blue Barn Pictures - Jim Baker, Steve Duke, and David Castillo. They work out of a sweet artist-oriented building in DUMBO and seem to have a brotherly connection to each other.

Last year, these guys took countless hours of volunteer time to document the stories of Brooklyn bloggers. Their film piece was then aired at Brooklyn Blogfest, an annual gathering of hundreds of Brooklyn Bloggers and their friends.

I think the piece is significant because it shows the collective story of Brooklyn's storytellers. We are people who care deeply about the daily goings-on the overall quality of life for people in our borough and beyond.

Here's the reel:

http://www.bluebarnpictures.com/home/reelMotion/movies/blogfest.mov

I'd love to have the Bluebarn trio be part of Blogfest 2009.

Keep up the good work, guys!

YOU GET THE PICTURE

This chart is from Seth Godin's blog

TELL ME: WHAT WERE YOU DOING, THINKING, AND FEELING ON INAUGURATION DAY?

Also: where were you and who were you with?

Send me some words and/or photos (JPEG attachment, please) about that and I’ll post them on my blog along with your name, where you’re from, and a link to your website or blog.

WHAT I HAVE, AM, AND WILL BE CELEBRATING THIS YEAR

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY (MONDAY, JAN.16)

I walked into a jam-packed Brooklyn Academy of Music for their 23rd Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The all-star program featured Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine.

INAUGURATION DAY (TUESDAY, JAN.17)

Mike and I started this day by dancing in our small home office to will.i.am’s video It’s A New Day. (Please watch this video! Also worth watching: will’s Yes, We Can and We Are the Ones.) I then subway’d up to Symphony Space on 96th and Broadway to watch the inauguration on their big screen. I could barely contain my excitement on that subway ride. I wanted to shout: “Hey, everyone! It’s a new day! Let’s get up and boogie!” (I’m saving that for this Friday when it’s Disco Night at Santos House here in NYC.)

It was a great crowd at Symphony Space. There were schoolchildren who had arrived by the busload along with lots of older folks from the neighborhood, many of whom had strong ties to the social movements of the 1960s. I loved that it was a rowdy group, with people laughing, shouting, and starting up different chants.

Afterwards, Sandhya, Ayisha (pictured above at Symphony Space) and I went into a packed Upper West Side restaurant and then back to her apartment to continue watching the festivities. On the subway ride home, I turned to the person next to me and said “What a day, right?” and we had a great conversation.

At night, Mike and I watched The Neighborhood Ball and Youth Ball on t.v. and I watched the It’s A New Day video a couple more times before heading to bed. (Yes, I am addicted!)

CHINESE NEW YEAR

It’s the Year of the Ox, y’all, and as usual I’ll be heading over to PS 124 in Chinatown. Their huge, community-inclusive celebration includes traditional dances performed by the students as well as the official unveiling of the Lunar New Year stamp by the stamp’s artist. To find out about other festivities, look online.

THE TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF MY BUSINESS, INSPIRED ORGANIZING

Heartfelt thanks to hundreds of inspiring clients and fellow/sister entrepreneurs.

30,000+ VISITS TO CREATIVE TIMES

VALENTINES DAY

One of my favorite holidays and a time to spread the love to friends, family, colleagues, clients, and significant other. Spread the love, people! Think of someone who would be surprised and delighted to know that you care about them and let them know.

MY 40TH BIRTHDAY (NOV.) AND MY DAD, LEN TRAUBMAN’S, 70TH BIRTHDAY(AUG.)

MLK DAY AT BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC (WHERE I'LL BE TODAY)

(Image and text taken from BAM website.)

23rd Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mon, Jan 19 at 10:30am

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

Free! First come, first seated. (Note: One ticket per person. No groups.)

BAM, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York present New York City’s largest public celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This year, BAM welcomes keynote speaker Minnijean Brown Trickey, part of the "Little Rock Nine." Rounding out the program will be inspirational performances by James Hall Worship & Praise as well as music by Brian Jackson, best-known for his historic collaborations with spoken word icon Gil Scott-Heron.

Following the event in the Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas will present a free screening of the acclaimed documentary Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later (2007, 70 min), which provides a candid look at the lives of contemporary Central High Students, the film will be introduced by Ms. Brown Trickey.

Also visit BAMcafé to view Picture the Dream, a youth art exhibition, and to hear free musical programming as part of BAMcafé Live.

LET'S DISCO ON FRIDAY NIGHT!

I've been wanting to go to Santos House for forever and now there's a bunch of reasons to go:

(1) Disco Night (2) Free (3) Starts at 6 pm

DISCO PARTY Fundraiser

Friday January 23

UPSTAIRS

21+ Doors 6PM

$0
5th annual Appreciation Party!

As an expression of our sincere gratitude for your support in 2008,

ADMISSION IS COMPLIMENTARY FOR ALL WHO ATTEND!

DJ Herb Martin will be playing the MUSIC for your DANCING PLEASURE