#Harvey Relief: A Creative Response

In all the years I've been blogging, this may be the first time I've posted on the weekend. But this post is for a very special cause, and prompted by a very special person.

Bud Simpson, itinerant photographer, announced on Twitter and Instagram that all profits from prints and digital rights sales of his images through Sept. 4, 2017, will be donated to the Red Cross Harvey relief efforts.

Buy a beautiful image. Do a beautiful thing. You'll find Bud's incredible work here.

I chose this one, taken in Texas.

#MondayMotivation -- Trust Your Dream

This month marks 15 years since I decided to ignore conventional wisdom (don't quit your day job), trust my dream and launch Sokoloff Harness Communications LLC. I am tremendously grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way, and those who have given me the honor of helping them! My big advice after 15 years?

Throughout August, in honor of the fabulous 15, I'm going to post lists of 15 favorites. I decided, naturally enough, to start with books -- and quickly realized there's no way I could choose 15 favorite books. So, here's today's list of the 15 favorites on my bookshelves. Read fast. It could change tomorrow ...

15 Fabulous Favorites -- Books

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
   Life changing. I still want to be Jo. 
2. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
   Drawn from her life. And mine. And quite possibly yours. 
3. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
   I have several of his other books, and don't like them as well. But, if I could only choose five favorite books of all time, this would make the list. 
4. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
   I could have listed Siddhartha or The Odyssey or Les Miserables ... or any of the books I still have that I read in my lit classes at Center Senior High School. Thank you, Miss Harvey and Mrs. Harper. I'm sorry I argued with you. I'm sure you were right re: that symbolism.
5. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
   I love the book. You can start with the blog. Best description of depression EVER. And that's just part of it. I mean, This is Why I'll Never be an Adult. 
6. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
   Vonnegut is the best-represented author on my bookshelves. I don't have all of his books, but I do have a lot of them. I chose this one because, as I remember, it was the first one I read. 
7. The Eden Express by Mark Vonnegut
   A remarkable memoir by the elder Vonnegut's son. Excellent writing runs in the family. 
8. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
   Also life changing -- nothing like reading this as a young Jewish girl, Anne's age. 
9. i carry your heart with me by e.e. cummings
   My favorite poem, in book form, illustrated by mati mcdonough.
10. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
    If you've ever lost a loved one, and you haven't read this book -- read it. 
11. The Pocket Book of Modern Verse, edited by Oscar Williams
    My first true love gave me this and it includes a few of my all-time favorite poems, including Cascando by Samuel Beckett and A Space in the Air by Jon Silkin. And Robert Frost is in there, so I won't list a Frost collection. 
12. Samurai Widow by Judith Jacklin Belushi
    Fascinating journey through grief and recovery.
13. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
    Reading and discussing this in college was the first time I really went: "Oh. That professor just transformed my entire literary experience." Thank you, Mrs. Ehrlich. 
14. The Associated Press Styebook
    Am I a word nerd? Yes. Do I like rules? Yes. Do I look at this book all the time? Yes. Why clutter up my mind with effect and affect when I have my trusty stylebook?
15. The Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope
    My Bobbsey Twin will understand -- as she has, from the days when my love for books began!

I have purposefully not included books written by people I know and/or love and/or am connected to via social media -- like Shanna and Mark and Steve and Cotton and Brian and Bob and Stephanie and Walt and Phil and Donna and Peternelle, because that would have taken up most of the list!

If you have any ideas (or requests) for future lists of 15 Fabulous Favorites, let me know!

Creative Exercise: Create the oomph

I'm always delighted when I find creative, fun copy in unexpected places. For example, I sent a message to Creative Mornings yesterday, and instead of the usual, "Thank you. Your message has been successfully delivered." kind of response, this popped up:

How spectacular is that? The info I needed -- yes, my message went through -- and a compliment. One that I thoroughly appreciated, since I was really rocking the jammies, bed-head and first cup of coffee look.

What's more -- this isn't brain surgery. It's simply an example of smart thinking about possibilities, words, audience and messaging. It's capitalizing on a moment, rather than letting it slip by.

Today, seize your moment. Take a look at some of the copy you use all the time -- something like the signature line on your emails. How could you make it more creative, strategic, meaningful? What would give it extra oomph?

It's a new year. Update your messaging. Delight someone!

Thanks, Nora Ephron

A writer I've long admired, Nora Ephron, died yesterday. Too young. 71. As is fitting, her obituary in The Washington Post is well written. It begins with the line:

“Take notes,” Nora Ephron’s mother advised her as a child. “Everything is copy.”

So noted.

Applause! Keepsake Portraits by Fran

Is that gorgeous? Now, take a look at this:

I just want to reach into the computer and pet them both. These beautiful pups are helping me launch a new feature on the CI blog: Applause!  It's the perfect way for me to introduce my amazing, good, creative friends to my other amazing, good, creative friends ...

Fran from Keepsake Portraits agreed to answer a few questions as my Applause! guinea pig. (Hey, she draws pets. Give me a break here!)

You built a career as a graphic designer at Hallmark and then began doing the portraits after you retired. When -- or how -- did you know that you were an artist and that your art was more than a hobby?
From the time that I was a very young child I loved to draw. My mom and dad owned a clothing store in St. Louis and I would sit in the back room and draw on the white cardboard that was taken out of the men's dress shirts. Anything I could find became my canvas. By junior high I began winning awards in fairs and through school activities. Of course, that pushed me to believe in myself and think seriously about art as a career by high school. 

When people tell you -- and I know they do -- "I can't draw anything -- not even a straight line!", what do you say to them?

When people discuss my paintings and say, "I can't draw a stick figure, you're amazing!",  I always remind them that there are many things I do very poorly. Especially math! That was truly a struggle in school. My talent just happens to be more visual. Thank goodness my husband does the bills!

Why do you like drawing pets?

When I early retired, after 23 years, from Hallmark as a Graphic Designer I decided to get a dog.  Always wanted a pet, but did not want one until I had more free time. Once our Golden Retriever, "Sadie" became a part of our lives, I started sketching her and received interest from friends and family who wanted me to draw their pets. The more I created the more I realized I could turn this into a small business. This became the beginning of "Keepsake Portraits by Fran." 

I have now completed over 300 portraits and am fulfilling my passion for art daily. What a blessing!  I also love going to people's homes, if they do not have a favorite snapshot of their pet, and photograph them and get to know their personality(s). This is part of the fee because it is important for me to get exactly what the client wants. I also have begun painting people as well.  Love doing both, and as you see in my sample below, many times pets and people together.

I love the way Fran talks about drawing on the white cardboard, turning anything she could find into a canvas. Art is where we find it.

Holiday Shopping Tip! If you'd like a portrait by Fran as a holiday gift, now is the time to commission it. Take a look at her gorgeous portfolio and click on the "email me" button at the bottom of the page if you're interested. Or, here's an idea: Send that link to someone else and suggest they commission a portrait for you!