I've just been invited by my friend Katherine Jenkins to contribute to "Witers Rising", which is here:
Writers Rising. Whenever possible I will be crosspsotng all articles at E. Rader Media, as well as my Faceook page.
Drop on by!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Three new articles at CWG
Here are links to my most recent work: Articles on my own personal collisions with rock and roll subculture and the wreckage that ensued, published at Chicks With Guns.
DIARY OF A FADING ROCKSTAR
Episode I: What It Is, and What It Was
Episode II: The Doors of Self-Deception
Episode III: The Pros and Cons of Time Travel
ALSO, please check out my coffee lover's blog, SERIOUS GROUNDS:
http://seriousgrounds.blogspot.com
DIARY OF A FADING ROCKSTAR
Episode I: What It Is, and What It Was
Episode II: The Doors of Self-Deception
Episode III: The Pros and Cons of Time Travel
ALSO, please check out my coffee lover's blog, SERIOUS GROUNDS:
http://seriousgrounds.blogspot.com
Saturday, July 25, 2009
My First Article At CWG
Some followers of my other blogs may recognize elements of this piece as being somewhat recycled. Others may take some things said herein personally. All that I can say is: (1) I am a firm believer in recycling.
(2) Never take me seriously. Unless I tell you to.
Enjoy, and feel free to comment.
"What It Is, and What It Was"
(2) Never take me seriously. Unless I tell you to.
Enjoy, and feel free to comment.
"What It Is, and What It Was"
Saturday, June 13, 2009
writing sample: liner notes to 'Depresso' [a mix CD]
Depresso: Track Notes for a mix CD
©2009 Erik Rader. All rights reserved.
***
Starting in 2005 and continuing intermittently through 2009, during a time in which I struggled against the dissolution of my hopes and dreams, my career, and my mind, I became obsessed with the idea of compiling a mix CD of the most depressing popular songs ever recorded. I realized that such a thematic compilation could never be perfectly realized, being that one person's depressing headphone trip might be someone else's first dance; and I found that no matter how complete and perfectly arranged the mix seemed at any given time, reviewing it the next day would inevitably be a disappointment.
The dodge, which I must say in all modesty was a brilliant one, was to arrange the songs in chronological order, beginning with the earliest composition I could think of, and ending with the most recent. With that simple structure in place, filling in the blanks was a cinch. I knew I was home free, after months of sleepless nights, when I listened to the transitions and found myself laughing hysterically. Inappropriate emotional responses are, I'm told, a symptom of depression, but for me it was a sign of catharsis.
These, then, are the liner notes to Depresso. If you'd like me to burn you a copy, shoot me an email. I'm warning you, though - clocking in at about three hours, this mix is an immersive experience that is not recommended for the faint of heart. And if you suddenly find yourself laughing hysterically, you might want to call 911.
Chopin: Prelude in E Minor op. 28 no. 4
Simply put, the sound of the most nobly gifted and brilliant musical mind of his century, dying of consumption.
Hank Williams: Alone And Forsaken
Hank Williams, better known for his folksy hillbilly pop tunes such as “Jambalaya” and “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It”, holds forth on the subject nearer and dearer to his heart: A miserable drunkard dies alone, abandoned by his God. Like many artists on this compilation, Hank Williams’ canon could largely be seen as an extended prophecy of his own death, or one long suicide note.
Billie Holliday: My Man
Possibly in the top 5 most depressing songs gathered here, this is Billie’s classic blues about a lethally codependent relationship. Morgues across America are filled every day with women who might have spoken these words.
The Beach Boys: I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
Few lyrics capture the despondency of the misunderstood musical genius/acid casualty better than these, with the possible exception of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, which wasn’t even written by its subject. While LSD overdose is not a universally held experience, it is perhaps the ultimate distillation of something more widely shared - the disintegration of a human being.
The Doors: End Of The Night
Quoting William Blake: “Some are born to sweet delight/Some are born to endless night.” Hmm, wonder which one Jim was. Like a Viking warrior of old, he went into battle as if already slain. In Bobby Krieger’s heavy reverb, one can hear the lapping of the wavelets on the bathwater in Jim’s own personal staging of the death of Marat.
The Velvet Underground: Venus In Furs
It may be reasonable to consider this track inappropriate for “Depresso”, as it’s actually quite positive – a celebration of what alternative lifestyle types like to call “different loving”. But it certainly sets a mood, doesn’t it?
Otis Redding: (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
Sheer existential panic. One actually imagines Otis sitting on the dock of the bay like Nietzsche perched on his eagle's nest observing the folly of western civilization with contempt, or Sartre unable to touch the knob of his front door for sheer nausea. Doppio depresso!
The Beatles: I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Contrary to their commonly perceived image as cheerful purveyors of frolicsome love songs, the Beatles probably single-handedly composed the largest canon of pop songs about death, tragedy, murder, mayhem and suicide of any 20th century group. On this track, we hear the simplistic and repetitive lyrics of a mind locked in sexual obsession and compulsion, followed by what can only be described as the sound of a man’s life swirling down the drain.
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath
Ozzy recounts his first meeting with the A & R scout from a major record label - possibly the same one that signed Robert Johnson.
The Carpenters: Superstar
Originally penned by Bette Midler, this song is also included in my mix entitled The Slow Death of Karen Carpenter. Karen’s misty high notes and vibrating contraltos, her languorous phrasing and agonizing sustains telegraph a painful and early death to anyone familiar with the physicality of vocal emoting; the subject matter - the pathetic pleas for love by a groupie addressed to an indifferent musician - is interesting to hear coming from a true superstar who clearly never internalized that experience enough to save her own life.
Joni Mitchell: Blue
“Acid, booze, and ass/ Needles, guns, and grass/Lots of laughs, lots of laughs”...this could be the soundtrack to the disillusionment of the 60’s generation. On par with Neil Young’s “The Needle And The Damage Done”, Mitchell’s track wins out because on Young’s you get the feeling that he’s learned his lesson; Mitchell on the other hand, brilliant storyteller that she is, leaves the ending up to the imagination, and offers no moral to the story.
The Who: Behind Blue Eyes
How many high school Heshers bit a bullet to this song, I wonder? I can think of at least one I knew personally. Statistical analysis would doubtlessly show this track to be far more lethal than Ozzy’s “Suicide Solution”, but the Who evaded a witch hunt over this song simply because it is couched in the usual poetic evasiveness that only a suffering adolescent would understand.
Nick Drake: Things Behind The Sun
The scary thing about this track is, it’s probably not Nick’s most depressing song. Rather nonchalantly he tosses off the statement that there are “things behind the sun”, like a folk H. P. Lovecraft. “What?? WTF do you mean?? WHAT things???” I could have included “Black Eyed Dog”, but I had to pull back somewhere - I don’t want to get a call from the police at a suicide scene asking me why the victim was listening to this CD before they slashed their wrists.
Roxy Music: A Song For Europe
Bryan Ferry is the veritable (and venerable) Barista of Depresso. The only reason “In Every Dream Home A Heartache” did not make the cut is because in combination with “Venus In Furs” I would have had to title this mix “Creepiest Songs Ever Written”. That mix is, by the way, in the works and will be available shortly.
Big Star: Holocaust
Delicious! Not just a song about a girl blaming herself for her mother’s death, it’s also the sound of a band falling apart rancorously! Two for the price of one.
Brian Eno: Sombre Reptiles
From the master of atmosphere, expressing so simply what others need volumes to say.
David Bowie: Sense Of Doubt
The master of atmosphere meets the 20th Century’s Dorian Grey. Yep, that’s pretty much what a sense of doubt would sound like.
Patti Smith: Easter
Patti Smith has embraced spiritual ambiguity more artfully than any other poet of her generation. Few like she could so ably describe the horrors of religion while still celebrating it, short of Diamanda Galas. I should have included a Diamanda Galas song on this mix! Oh well, now you see why this process is never-ending.
Joy Division: New Dawn Fades
“Directionless so plain to see/A loaded gun won’t set you free/So you say...” In those last 3 words, Ian Curtis sets himself as Jesus before Pontius Pilate. Out of a catalog of appropriately depressing songs, this one comes the closest to an actual cry for help.
Talking Heads: Heaven
Depressing because its essential message is, “Most people lack the imagination to even conceive of happiness, so they compromise by avoiding any new experience at all.”
Wire: A Touching Display
Like my musician friends and I used to joke by shouting out: “Bass solo!!!”
As with most of Wire’s work, generous use of irony and double entendre clearly mark this as the work of Art School students. And as we all know, nobody knows depresso like Art School students.
AC/DC: Hell’s Bells
At least Joy Division had the grace to break up and reform under a new name when their lead singer kacked. This song seems to say “So our lead singer died - that’s rock and roll, baby. If you want a safer business, go back to your day job.” Brrrr!
The Cure: Faith
I don’t know...this could be it. As in, No. 1. I almost included “Cold” from Pornography, except that song is so over the top it’s ridiculous - I mean, cello? Then again...well, like I said, it’s a never-ending process.
T.S.O.L.: Beneath The Shadows
These guys were so far ahead of their time.
Hüsker Dü: Too Far Down
This song is so personal, so naked, it’s almost embarrassing. This is a song from inside the closet, a topic which probably deserves its own mix CD.
Robyn Hitchcock: St. Petersburg
One never knows whether Robyn is kidding or not; least of all on this track. Like a true artist he uses his unparalleled knack for hyperbole to his advantage here. Plus, nobody else could get away with rhyming “knife” and “wife”.
This Mortal Coil: I Want To Live
The entire 4AD Records catalog notwithstanding, I chose this above all the others because they come right out and say it.
Angelo Badalamenti: Laura Palmer’s Theme
The beautiful dead girl floats down the stream like the Lady of Shalott. Who killed Laura Palmer? The Devil in a Rolling Stones song might say, “After all, it was you and me”.
American Music Club: What The Pillar of Salt Held Up
Manchester had Ian Curtis; San Francisco has Mark Eitzel. How he’s still alive I’ll never know.
Metallica: The Unforgiven
It is my theory that this is the album that opened suburban kids’ ears up to the music of a certain suicidally depressed kid from Aberdeen, WA, and the whole big mess that followed...
Nirvana: Something In The Way
What do you do when you figure out that the thing that is in the way is you?
Kristin Hersh: Your Ghost
You think Karen Carpenter’s voice is beat? Try Kristen Hersh’s. Kim Carnes, Stevie Nicks, Lotta Lenya...none of them hold a candle to her. The addition of Mike Stipe on backups is just the icing on this depresso-flavored cake. Cello, dreams about dead people, a big bass drum, Mike Stipe on backup vocals...a recipe for despair.
Aimee Mann: Par For The Course
Resoundingly bleak. Are there any publicly available photographs of Aimee Mann smiling?
Girls Against Boys: Zodiac Love Team
Perverse purveyors of post-hardcore GVSB deal out yet another song about heroin addiction. This could be the soundtrack for the television show “Intervention”.
Therapy?: A Moment Of Clarity
Listening to these heavy-handed lyrics, this gigantic production, you’d think these guys were joking. I’ve seen them live; the other guys might be joking, but I think the lead singer is serious. He looks like he’s never been outdoors in his life.
Moby: Now I Let It Go
I think they misspelled Moby’s name - I think it’s actually supposed to be Mopy. Somebody buy that man a cheeseburger.
R.E.M.: Leave
Speaking of cries for help - when the song features a guitar feedback loop through a digital reverb unit that sounds like an ambulance siren.....
Soundgarden: Tighter And Tighter
It was a toss-up between this and Zep’s “Tea For One”. This one wins out because, well – who do YOU think wins in an all-out depresso deathmatch between Percy and Chris? Percy was the Golden God; Chris, on the other hand, lives a bit further south.
Elliot Smith: No Name No. 5
The man stabbed himself in the heart through his chest. You know how hard that is? You have to penetrate the bone of the sternum. Most people aren’t that strong. You’d have to really, really hate someone to be able to stab them that hard.
Radiohead: Exit Music (For A Film)
It’s kind of like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” if the drug of choice was Night Train instead of LSD.
Thom Yorke is a new breed of depresso singer, in that he maps the territory and sings his way out of it. The guy probably has a therapist and everything. I’m not worried about him at all.
Modest Mouse: The Cold Part
Now, Isaac Brock, on the other hand…
What do you think – Aberdeen or Issaquah? Which is more depressing?
Gillian Welch: April The 14th (Part 1)
It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.
Beck: Already Dead
Beck, who also wrote “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me”. What many people don’t know about Beck is that he started out as a straight blues musician, then just got curious about other styles, and took off on a few tangents. So this one is actually quite old school for him.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Suddenly
Kids these days, with their noise they call “music”! Why, when I was their age, we were rubbing our chests with broken glass and peanut butter…
Cat Power: Evolution
Some singers you wait for to implode during the course of their career. With Chan Marshall you wait for her to implode during the course of a live set, or halfway through a song. (Actually I hear she’s much better now. Maybe she’s taking the crazy pills, or found Jesus or something.)
©2009 Erik Rader. All rights reserved.
***
Starting in 2005 and continuing intermittently through 2009, during a time in which I struggled against the dissolution of my hopes and dreams, my career, and my mind, I became obsessed with the idea of compiling a mix CD of the most depressing popular songs ever recorded. I realized that such a thematic compilation could never be perfectly realized, being that one person's depressing headphone trip might be someone else's first dance; and I found that no matter how complete and perfectly arranged the mix seemed at any given time, reviewing it the next day would inevitably be a disappointment.
The dodge, which I must say in all modesty was a brilliant one, was to arrange the songs in chronological order, beginning with the earliest composition I could think of, and ending with the most recent. With that simple structure in place, filling in the blanks was a cinch. I knew I was home free, after months of sleepless nights, when I listened to the transitions and found myself laughing hysterically. Inappropriate emotional responses are, I'm told, a symptom of depression, but for me it was a sign of catharsis.
These, then, are the liner notes to Depresso. If you'd like me to burn you a copy, shoot me an email. I'm warning you, though - clocking in at about three hours, this mix is an immersive experience that is not recommended for the faint of heart. And if you suddenly find yourself laughing hysterically, you might want to call 911.
Chopin: Prelude in E Minor op. 28 no. 4
Simply put, the sound of the most nobly gifted and brilliant musical mind of his century, dying of consumption.
Hank Williams: Alone And Forsaken
Hank Williams, better known for his folksy hillbilly pop tunes such as “Jambalaya” and “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It”, holds forth on the subject nearer and dearer to his heart: A miserable drunkard dies alone, abandoned by his God. Like many artists on this compilation, Hank Williams’ canon could largely be seen as an extended prophecy of his own death, or one long suicide note.
Billie Holliday: My Man
Possibly in the top 5 most depressing songs gathered here, this is Billie’s classic blues about a lethally codependent relationship. Morgues across America are filled every day with women who might have spoken these words.
The Beach Boys: I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
Few lyrics capture the despondency of the misunderstood musical genius/acid casualty better than these, with the possible exception of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, which wasn’t even written by its subject. While LSD overdose is not a universally held experience, it is perhaps the ultimate distillation of something more widely shared - the disintegration of a human being.
The Doors: End Of The Night
Quoting William Blake: “Some are born to sweet delight/Some are born to endless night.” Hmm, wonder which one Jim was. Like a Viking warrior of old, he went into battle as if already slain. In Bobby Krieger’s heavy reverb, one can hear the lapping of the wavelets on the bathwater in Jim’s own personal staging of the death of Marat.
The Velvet Underground: Venus In Furs
It may be reasonable to consider this track inappropriate for “Depresso”, as it’s actually quite positive – a celebration of what alternative lifestyle types like to call “different loving”. But it certainly sets a mood, doesn’t it?
Otis Redding: (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
Sheer existential panic. One actually imagines Otis sitting on the dock of the bay like Nietzsche perched on his eagle's nest observing the folly of western civilization with contempt, or Sartre unable to touch the knob of his front door for sheer nausea. Doppio depresso!
The Beatles: I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Contrary to their commonly perceived image as cheerful purveyors of frolicsome love songs, the Beatles probably single-handedly composed the largest canon of pop songs about death, tragedy, murder, mayhem and suicide of any 20th century group. On this track, we hear the simplistic and repetitive lyrics of a mind locked in sexual obsession and compulsion, followed by what can only be described as the sound of a man’s life swirling down the drain.
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath
Ozzy recounts his first meeting with the A & R scout from a major record label - possibly the same one that signed Robert Johnson.
The Carpenters: Superstar
Originally penned by Bette Midler, this song is also included in my mix entitled The Slow Death of Karen Carpenter. Karen’s misty high notes and vibrating contraltos, her languorous phrasing and agonizing sustains telegraph a painful and early death to anyone familiar with the physicality of vocal emoting; the subject matter - the pathetic pleas for love by a groupie addressed to an indifferent musician - is interesting to hear coming from a true superstar who clearly never internalized that experience enough to save her own life.
Joni Mitchell: Blue
“Acid, booze, and ass/ Needles, guns, and grass/Lots of laughs, lots of laughs”...this could be the soundtrack to the disillusionment of the 60’s generation. On par with Neil Young’s “The Needle And The Damage Done”, Mitchell’s track wins out because on Young’s you get the feeling that he’s learned his lesson; Mitchell on the other hand, brilliant storyteller that she is, leaves the ending up to the imagination, and offers no moral to the story.
The Who: Behind Blue Eyes
How many high school Heshers bit a bullet to this song, I wonder? I can think of at least one I knew personally. Statistical analysis would doubtlessly show this track to be far more lethal than Ozzy’s “Suicide Solution”, but the Who evaded a witch hunt over this song simply because it is couched in the usual poetic evasiveness that only a suffering adolescent would understand.
Nick Drake: Things Behind The Sun
The scary thing about this track is, it’s probably not Nick’s most depressing song. Rather nonchalantly he tosses off the statement that there are “things behind the sun”, like a folk H. P. Lovecraft. “What?? WTF do you mean?? WHAT things???” I could have included “Black Eyed Dog”, but I had to pull back somewhere - I don’t want to get a call from the police at a suicide scene asking me why the victim was listening to this CD before they slashed their wrists.
Roxy Music: A Song For Europe
Bryan Ferry is the veritable (and venerable) Barista of Depresso. The only reason “In Every Dream Home A Heartache” did not make the cut is because in combination with “Venus In Furs” I would have had to title this mix “Creepiest Songs Ever Written”. That mix is, by the way, in the works and will be available shortly.
Big Star: Holocaust
Delicious! Not just a song about a girl blaming herself for her mother’s death, it’s also the sound of a band falling apart rancorously! Two for the price of one.
Brian Eno: Sombre Reptiles
From the master of atmosphere, expressing so simply what others need volumes to say.
David Bowie: Sense Of Doubt
The master of atmosphere meets the 20th Century’s Dorian Grey. Yep, that’s pretty much what a sense of doubt would sound like.
Patti Smith: Easter
Patti Smith has embraced spiritual ambiguity more artfully than any other poet of her generation. Few like she could so ably describe the horrors of religion while still celebrating it, short of Diamanda Galas. I should have included a Diamanda Galas song on this mix! Oh well, now you see why this process is never-ending.
Joy Division: New Dawn Fades
“Directionless so plain to see/A loaded gun won’t set you free/So you say...” In those last 3 words, Ian Curtis sets himself as Jesus before Pontius Pilate. Out of a catalog of appropriately depressing songs, this one comes the closest to an actual cry for help.
Talking Heads: Heaven
Depressing because its essential message is, “Most people lack the imagination to even conceive of happiness, so they compromise by avoiding any new experience at all.”
Wire: A Touching Display
Like my musician friends and I used to joke by shouting out: “Bass solo!!!”
As with most of Wire’s work, generous use of irony and double entendre clearly mark this as the work of Art School students. And as we all know, nobody knows depresso like Art School students.
AC/DC: Hell’s Bells
At least Joy Division had the grace to break up and reform under a new name when their lead singer kacked. This song seems to say “So our lead singer died - that’s rock and roll, baby. If you want a safer business, go back to your day job.” Brrrr!
The Cure: Faith
I don’t know...this could be it. As in, No. 1. I almost included “Cold” from Pornography, except that song is so over the top it’s ridiculous - I mean, cello? Then again...well, like I said, it’s a never-ending process.
T.S.O.L.: Beneath The Shadows
These guys were so far ahead of their time.
Hüsker Dü: Too Far Down
This song is so personal, so naked, it’s almost embarrassing. This is a song from inside the closet, a topic which probably deserves its own mix CD.
Robyn Hitchcock: St. Petersburg
One never knows whether Robyn is kidding or not; least of all on this track. Like a true artist he uses his unparalleled knack for hyperbole to his advantage here. Plus, nobody else could get away with rhyming “knife” and “wife”.
This Mortal Coil: I Want To Live
The entire 4AD Records catalog notwithstanding, I chose this above all the others because they come right out and say it.
Angelo Badalamenti: Laura Palmer’s Theme
The beautiful dead girl floats down the stream like the Lady of Shalott. Who killed Laura Palmer? The Devil in a Rolling Stones song might say, “After all, it was you and me”.
American Music Club: What The Pillar of Salt Held Up
Manchester had Ian Curtis; San Francisco has Mark Eitzel. How he’s still alive I’ll never know.
Metallica: The Unforgiven
It is my theory that this is the album that opened suburban kids’ ears up to the music of a certain suicidally depressed kid from Aberdeen, WA, and the whole big mess that followed...
Nirvana: Something In The Way
What do you do when you figure out that the thing that is in the way is you?
Kristin Hersh: Your Ghost
You think Karen Carpenter’s voice is beat? Try Kristen Hersh’s. Kim Carnes, Stevie Nicks, Lotta Lenya...none of them hold a candle to her. The addition of Mike Stipe on backups is just the icing on this depresso-flavored cake. Cello, dreams about dead people, a big bass drum, Mike Stipe on backup vocals...a recipe for despair.
Aimee Mann: Par For The Course
Resoundingly bleak. Are there any publicly available photographs of Aimee Mann smiling?
Girls Against Boys: Zodiac Love Team
Perverse purveyors of post-hardcore GVSB deal out yet another song about heroin addiction. This could be the soundtrack for the television show “Intervention”.
Therapy?: A Moment Of Clarity
Listening to these heavy-handed lyrics, this gigantic production, you’d think these guys were joking. I’ve seen them live; the other guys might be joking, but I think the lead singer is serious. He looks like he’s never been outdoors in his life.
Moby: Now I Let It Go
I think they misspelled Moby’s name - I think it’s actually supposed to be Mopy. Somebody buy that man a cheeseburger.
R.E.M.: Leave
Speaking of cries for help - when the song features a guitar feedback loop through a digital reverb unit that sounds like an ambulance siren.....
Soundgarden: Tighter And Tighter
It was a toss-up between this and Zep’s “Tea For One”. This one wins out because, well – who do YOU think wins in an all-out depresso deathmatch between Percy and Chris? Percy was the Golden God; Chris, on the other hand, lives a bit further south.
Elliot Smith: No Name No. 5
The man stabbed himself in the heart through his chest. You know how hard that is? You have to penetrate the bone of the sternum. Most people aren’t that strong. You’d have to really, really hate someone to be able to stab them that hard.
Radiohead: Exit Music (For A Film)
It’s kind of like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” if the drug of choice was Night Train instead of LSD.
Thom Yorke is a new breed of depresso singer, in that he maps the territory and sings his way out of it. The guy probably has a therapist and everything. I’m not worried about him at all.
Modest Mouse: The Cold Part
Now, Isaac Brock, on the other hand…
What do you think – Aberdeen or Issaquah? Which is more depressing?
Gillian Welch: April The 14th (Part 1)
It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.
Beck: Already Dead
Beck, who also wrote “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me”. What many people don’t know about Beck is that he started out as a straight blues musician, then just got curious about other styles, and took off on a few tangents. So this one is actually quite old school for him.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Suddenly
Kids these days, with their noise they call “music”! Why, when I was their age, we were rubbing our chests with broken glass and peanut butter…
Cat Power: Evolution
Some singers you wait for to implode during the course of their career. With Chan Marshall you wait for her to implode during the course of a live set, or halfway through a song. (Actually I hear she’s much better now. Maybe she’s taking the crazy pills, or found Jesus or something.)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Staying current
Blogging, they say, is a harsh mistress. I've been informally (okay - read that as "in cowardly anonymity") blogging for most of this decade, and reading blogs voraciously during that time. What I have found is that blogging is not a hobby, nor a pastime, nor a sideline. If you're going to do it and do it to the hilt, it's a full-time job. It's the pinnacle of self-employment as a writer: You must set your own schedule, manage your time, and PRODUCE, PRODUCE, PRODUCE. The ultimate test of a blog is timeliness and prolificity. So what happens to even the best of us who aren't hunkered in a bunker, blogging our fingers to the bone? What happens is that after days of real-world networking, scouting out fresh opportunities, working on various projects paid and unpaid, and oh yes - taking care of our homes and families, we come back to our blog to find that we haven't updated it in a week...two weeks...a month...or more.
Did I mention that I have a vegetable patch in my backyard? Did I also mention that it is currently a wasteland barren as the moon? And before that, a trackless jungle of invasive and poisonous plant species?
This is a prime example of the two direst imperatives of blogging: UPDATES and EDITING. It is necessary that you blog about what you read, heard, saw, thought, felt, and did TODAY, and create linkages, and at the very same time, spare your readers your stream-of-consciousness unschooled and undisciplined rants.
UPDATE and EDIT. These things require a time and energy commitment. The easiest way to do this is to have "blogging time" scheduled in your calendar - first thing upon waking for example, or exactly at noon, or immediately after the dinner dishes have been washed. Otherwise you are in danger of leaving it on the "when I get around to it" pile with the rotting laundry and unspeakable vegetable crisper.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to put on my elbow-length gloves and head into the kitchen. If I don't report back within the hour, please send in a rescue team.
Did I mention that I have a vegetable patch in my backyard? Did I also mention that it is currently a wasteland barren as the moon? And before that, a trackless jungle of invasive and poisonous plant species?
This is a prime example of the two direst imperatives of blogging: UPDATES and EDITING. It is necessary that you blog about what you read, heard, saw, thought, felt, and did TODAY, and create linkages, and at the very same time, spare your readers your stream-of-consciousness unschooled and undisciplined rants.
UPDATE and EDIT. These things require a time and energy commitment. The easiest way to do this is to have "blogging time" scheduled in your calendar - first thing upon waking for example, or exactly at noon, or immediately after the dinner dishes have been washed. Otherwise you are in danger of leaving it on the "when I get around to it" pile with the rotting laundry and unspeakable vegetable crisper.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to put on my elbow-length gloves and head into the kitchen. If I don't report back within the hour, please send in a rescue team.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Some random thoughts on writing for the web
For creative writers like me who are old enough to remember manual typewriters, positioning oneself as a "creator of web content" can be a somewhat daunting task. Especially those of us who didn't get a degree in Journalism and who don't keep an APA style manual on their nightstand [not that it isn't somewhere on my shelf!] might find what we are asked to do a little nebulous. "Snappy! Friendly! Tech-savvy!" Except for that last part, it sounds pretty much like standard advertising copy. [note: if that last link doesn't creep you out, then you're not a professional writer.]
Meanwhile, I surf the web every day [sometimes I miss those days of hanging out at the public library, but the coffee's better at my house] and I keep coming across sentences [or the fragments thereof] that make me groan. While snappy is good, language pared down to the point of being little more than a thin layer of buzzwords is not something that enhances communication.
I'm on Facebook just like you are - come on, no sense in denying it - and do you know what I've noticed? Every day, i read the complaints of users who are saying [1] the interface gets in the way of their easily finding out things or telling about things; and [2] they're "dumbing themselves down" in terms of language. Is this an inescapable side effect of the medium? I don't think so. The "Notes" area that's linked to on every Facebook page, for example, is a rich and mostly unexplored opportunity to get back to something pretty close to what you and I might recognize as blogging - I know, it seems so old-school now.
As for Twitter, it certainly is very Zen, very editorial, and very good for one's character - like a literary bran muffin or dish of broccoli, if you will - to be forced to condense one's thoughts down to what can be expressed in 140 characters or less. One of the many hats I wear is the rock trivia fanatic, and sometimes the impulse comes over me to "Tweet" a brief song lyric pertinent to the way I'm feeling in that moment, to see if any of my followers will respond with the next line. And for creative writers, anything that helps to stir the pot is worth keeping around. Not to mention the fact that using Twitter has greatly reduced my need to carry countless little scraps of paper in my pockets.
I guess what it all boils down to is this: Use the tools, but don't let them use you. When I was in college, I typed when I was sitting at my typewriter, I scribbled in my diary when I was away from my dorm room, I doodled in the margins of my class notes; my walls were covered with drawings and paintings, and everything I drew and painted contained some text. I also wrote letters both on my typewriter and longhand whenever I could. This helped me flex my creative muscles as well as keeping my friends and family up to date as to how I was doing. Similarly, online social media are great for networking or just keeping in touch with your friends, sharing an in-joke or a crazy candid snapshot - but they're also useful for keeping in touch with yourself and your own process. In the next few weeks, I'm going to be spending a lot of hours consolidating and editing things I've blogged under various fake names since, oh, about 2000. I'll probably be discarding a lot of commentary around links that have gone dead, but there are some rants out there that could be very entertaining, maybe not too incriminating, and most definitely would never have come into existence without the provocation inherent in this medium.
Meanwhile, I surf the web every day [sometimes I miss those days of hanging out at the public library, but the coffee's better at my house] and I keep coming across sentences [or the fragments thereof] that make me groan. While snappy is good, language pared down to the point of being little more than a thin layer of buzzwords is not something that enhances communication.
I'm on Facebook just like you are - come on, no sense in denying it - and do you know what I've noticed? Every day, i read the complaints of users who are saying [1] the interface gets in the way of their easily finding out things or telling about things; and [2] they're "dumbing themselves down" in terms of language. Is this an inescapable side effect of the medium? I don't think so. The "Notes" area that's linked to on every Facebook page, for example, is a rich and mostly unexplored opportunity to get back to something pretty close to what you and I might recognize as blogging - I know, it seems so old-school now.
As for Twitter, it certainly is very Zen, very editorial, and very good for one's character - like a literary bran muffin or dish of broccoli, if you will - to be forced to condense one's thoughts down to what can be expressed in 140 characters or less. One of the many hats I wear is the rock trivia fanatic, and sometimes the impulse comes over me to "Tweet" a brief song lyric pertinent to the way I'm feeling in that moment, to see if any of my followers will respond with the next line. And for creative writers, anything that helps to stir the pot is worth keeping around. Not to mention the fact that using Twitter has greatly reduced my need to carry countless little scraps of paper in my pockets.
I guess what it all boils down to is this: Use the tools, but don't let them use you. When I was in college, I typed when I was sitting at my typewriter, I scribbled in my diary when I was away from my dorm room, I doodled in the margins of my class notes; my walls were covered with drawings and paintings, and everything I drew and painted contained some text. I also wrote letters both on my typewriter and longhand whenever I could. This helped me flex my creative muscles as well as keeping my friends and family up to date as to how I was doing. Similarly, online social media are great for networking or just keeping in touch with your friends, sharing an in-joke or a crazy candid snapshot - but they're also useful for keeping in touch with yourself and your own process. In the next few weeks, I'm going to be spending a lot of hours consolidating and editing things I've blogged under various fake names since, oh, about 2000. I'll probably be discarding a lot of commentary around links that have gone dead, but there are some rants out there that could be very entertaining, maybe not too incriminating, and most definitely would never have come into existence without the provocation inherent in this medium.
Friday, April 17, 2009
about me
Thank you for visiting my writer's portfolio web site. I have been writing fiction, poetry, plays, essays, criticism and other types of creative written work since early childhood. My earliest memories growing up include drawing my own graphic novels and comic strips, as well as writing numerous stories and poems. I completed my first novel at the age of 11.
In my teens I became a professional songwriter as the lead vocalist of a popular local band, and began my affiliation with Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). In my twenties, i began printing and selling my own poetry chapbooks under the imprint of a fictitious publishing company called Scandinavian Obliterati Press, and read my work in a variety of venues both academic and public. At that time I also began editing other people's writing professionally.
In my thirties I became initiated into life on the web and pursued both web design and content production, marketing my own creative work via a self-designed web site, and studying the art and theories of usability and web standards. however, while I've been interested in the design of web experiences, I've reaffirmed that my greatest calling (besides rock and roll music) is in the areas of writing and editorial work.
Everyone has their own amusing or horrifying anecdote of being in a business situation, surrounded by highly trained and deeply educated professionals with impressive skill sets, and yet finding that none of them seemed to be able to write a complete and concise thought in the English language. or, if they were capable of writing proficiently, they were unable to fluently express the true depth of their vision via the written word. Those abilities are of premium importance now more than ever to anyone seeking to communicate ideas, be they in the realm of business, in the arts, science, or service to the community.
Simply put, skill and flair with the written word is something that never goes out of style. Stories about instant messaging and social media shorthand being the death of formal English usage have, i believe, been greatly exaggerated. while every day each of us commits some vernacular crime against this language, it's still possible to broadcast profoundly meaningful ideas by using English formally yet fluidly.
Proper English need not be boring. Sometimes, an academic drafting a paper, a physician dictating patient notes, an ad executive pitching a promotion, a public figure creating a speech, or a talented chef seeking to publish her first cook book are all driven by the same imperative: To say something boldly and uniquely, without confusing their chosen audience - not to mention, having an audience to speak to in the first place.
What I have to offer as a writer and editor is a passion for bold, unique, clear expression. Something as prosaic as bus poetry has the capacity to inspire, amuse, anger, depress, or quiet me, all on the same ride. Every once in a while one can see anyone's native genius shining through - maybe they just needed someone to help them put in words what they really wanted other people to know, in a manner that's understandable and accessible, and yet still manages to capture that certain special something that makes it theirs.
I'm here to help.
In my teens I became a professional songwriter as the lead vocalist of a popular local band, and began my affiliation with Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). In my twenties, i began printing and selling my own poetry chapbooks under the imprint of a fictitious publishing company called Scandinavian Obliterati Press, and read my work in a variety of venues both academic and public. At that time I also began editing other people's writing professionally.
In my thirties I became initiated into life on the web and pursued both web design and content production, marketing my own creative work via a self-designed web site, and studying the art and theories of usability and web standards. however, while I've been interested in the design of web experiences, I've reaffirmed that my greatest calling (besides rock and roll music) is in the areas of writing and editorial work.
Everyone has their own amusing or horrifying anecdote of being in a business situation, surrounded by highly trained and deeply educated professionals with impressive skill sets, and yet finding that none of them seemed to be able to write a complete and concise thought in the English language. or, if they were capable of writing proficiently, they were unable to fluently express the true depth of their vision via the written word. Those abilities are of premium importance now more than ever to anyone seeking to communicate ideas, be they in the realm of business, in the arts, science, or service to the community.
Simply put, skill and flair with the written word is something that never goes out of style. Stories about instant messaging and social media shorthand being the death of formal English usage have, i believe, been greatly exaggerated. while every day each of us commits some vernacular crime against this language, it's still possible to broadcast profoundly meaningful ideas by using English formally yet fluidly.
Proper English need not be boring. Sometimes, an academic drafting a paper, a physician dictating patient notes, an ad executive pitching a promotion, a public figure creating a speech, or a talented chef seeking to publish her first cook book are all driven by the same imperative: To say something boldly and uniquely, without confusing their chosen audience - not to mention, having an audience to speak to in the first place.
What I have to offer as a writer and editor is a passion for bold, unique, clear expression. Something as prosaic as bus poetry has the capacity to inspire, amuse, anger, depress, or quiet me, all on the same ride. Every once in a while one can see anyone's native genius shining through - maybe they just needed someone to help them put in words what they really wanted other people to know, in a manner that's understandable and accessible, and yet still manages to capture that certain special something that makes it theirs.
I'm here to help.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
writing sample no. 3 - business
[Research piece/review for educational information site]
_____ College is a multi-state educational institution for people interested in entering the healthcare professions, with 20 accredited campuses nationwide, including 13 in California, 5 in Washington, and two recently added campuses in New Orleans and Saint Louis. Part of _____ Colleges Incorporated, _____ offers state-of-the-art training in the medical professional and technical fields that provides students with a competitive edge in pursuing a career in healthcare administration, technology, or patient care [medical assistant, nurse’s aid, etc.]
Each program in the _____ College network features hands-on training by professionals active in the specialties that they teach; class sizes are small, optimizing teacher-student contact. Many courses are available during the evening or as online “distance-learning” classes, making it easier for working students to complete their studies. The colleges maintain a close relationship with employers of their respective localities, and provide career guidance to students to assist them with transitioning into their field of choice; most _____ students acquire employment relevant to their training upon graduation.
_____ College supports the professional education of a highly diverse student population; according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the college has rated consistently among the top educational institutions in the country for the conferring of certificates or diplomas to minorities since the NCES began counting fifteen years ago. In a rapidly changing job market where specialization becomes more and more the norm, and up-to-date, relevant, experience-building education is a must for all professionals, _____ College stands out as an industry leader.
_____ College is a multi-state educational institution for people interested in entering the healthcare professions, with 20 accredited campuses nationwide, including 13 in California, 5 in Washington, and two recently added campuses in New Orleans and Saint Louis. Part of _____ Colleges Incorporated, _____ offers state-of-the-art training in the medical professional and technical fields that provides students with a competitive edge in pursuing a career in healthcare administration, technology, or patient care [medical assistant, nurse’s aid, etc.]
Each program in the _____ College network features hands-on training by professionals active in the specialties that they teach; class sizes are small, optimizing teacher-student contact. Many courses are available during the evening or as online “distance-learning” classes, making it easier for working students to complete their studies. The colleges maintain a close relationship with employers of their respective localities, and provide career guidance to students to assist them with transitioning into their field of choice; most _____ students acquire employment relevant to their training upon graduation.
_____ College supports the professional education of a highly diverse student population; according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the college has rated consistently among the top educational institutions in the country for the conferring of certificates or diplomas to minorities since the NCES began counting fifteen years ago. In a rapidly changing job market where specialization becomes more and more the norm, and up-to-date, relevant, experience-building education is a must for all professionals, _____ College stands out as an industry leader.
writing sample no. 2 - business
[Recruitment piece]
Washington State Employment Security Department’s Labor Market and Economic Analysis database states that as of 2005, the position of Radiological Technologist/ Technician in Washington State offered an hourly mean wage of $25, on a scale between an hourly entry-level wage of $19, and an hourly experience-level wage of $28. With only a 2-year AAS required to certify, this makes Radiological Technicians a well-paid group compared to other medical technicians requiring the same amount of training, such as Lab Techs who are paid about the same at entry level but less at experience level. In most medical facilities in Washington, particularly those that are largely State-funded such as Harborview, Radiology Techs are SEIU members and as such enjoy the job protection and advocacy offered by that organization. WetFeet.com, an employment research agency, says that “radiological technicians are currently in very high demand and will continue to be in demand in the decade ahead.” A fascinating field with broad applications across the various medical disciplines, Radiology is a sound choice for the individual considering a career in Healthcare.
Washington State Employment Security Department’s Labor Market and Economic Analysis database states that as of 2005, the position of Radiological Technologist/ Technician in Washington State offered an hourly mean wage of $25, on a scale between an hourly entry-level wage of $19, and an hourly experience-level wage of $28. With only a 2-year AAS required to certify, this makes Radiological Technicians a well-paid group compared to other medical technicians requiring the same amount of training, such as Lab Techs who are paid about the same at entry level but less at experience level. In most medical facilities in Washington, particularly those that are largely State-funded such as Harborview, Radiology Techs are SEIU members and as such enjoy the job protection and advocacy offered by that organization. WetFeet.com, an employment research agency, says that “radiological technicians are currently in very high demand and will continue to be in demand in the decade ahead.” A fascinating field with broad applications across the various medical disciplines, Radiology is a sound choice for the individual considering a career in Healthcare.
writing sample no. 1 - business
[Excerpted from a Usability Analysis conducted for a consulting firm]
Example 1
Designers and focus groups agree – the Yahoo.com style web portal with absolutely everything linked on the front page is unfriendly. Users attempting to access the site are overwhelmed by all the information presented up front; what people tend to prefer is to have presented to them a short list of major categories to navigate, linking to sub-categories. This can be implemented in a variety of ways – form data dropdown menus, Javascript or CSS flyouts, etc. – but the important thing is to allow the user to take in information in stages.
Aesthetically speaking, the use of fonts, images, and colors on this site is extremely bland and generic looking. Users have a surprisingly sophisticated sense of look/feel and will lose interest in a site that doesn’t stand out in some way visually. Even a very minimal design can have more impact with less real estate taken up on the page. At the very least, the logo needs to be redesigned for more brand identification, for instance with a proprietary font with some effect other than a drop shadow.
Finally, the choice to put the link to the inquiry form in gray font underneath the logo, without any visual or textual hooks to attract attention, almost guarantees that no users will access it.
Example 2
This site has a very low level of usability. The look/feel is reminiscent of the experience of reading the classified ads or a phone book; there’s no sense of interactivity to draw in the user. It actually resembles the kind of spammer website one gets redirected to when a URL is typed incorrectly. If I were a prospective student I would pass this site up at a single glance – nothing available here is superior to a simple Google search.
Example 3
This page is vastly superior and much more professionally designed than either of the ones descried above. Its interface is logical, broken down into categories, and highlighted by excellent use of image, layout, color and font – while similar in some ways to the color and font choices of the first web site, there are subtle yet powerful differences. The yellows contain more orange and therefore more warmth and contrast; the blues are richer and balance the yellows more forcefully. The photograph isn’t randomly placed, but flows into the tagline “Find your passion etc.” which really serves to sell the site.
The logo is unique and memorable and contains movement as well. The teasers to articles on the right, which resemble a newsfeed, are a very “hot” way to distribute information online right now. It gives the site an almost magazine-like or blog feel. Finally, a search engine placed at the top right with options for the user to conduct a self-directed search right away is excellent strategy: It gives the user choices and control over their experience – a way to truly NAVIGATE the site’s information – without being overwhelmed.
Example 1
Designers and focus groups agree – the Yahoo.com style web portal with absolutely everything linked on the front page is unfriendly. Users attempting to access the site are overwhelmed by all the information presented up front; what people tend to prefer is to have presented to them a short list of major categories to navigate, linking to sub-categories. This can be implemented in a variety of ways – form data dropdown menus, Javascript or CSS flyouts, etc. – but the important thing is to allow the user to take in information in stages.
Aesthetically speaking, the use of fonts, images, and colors on this site is extremely bland and generic looking. Users have a surprisingly sophisticated sense of look/feel and will lose interest in a site that doesn’t stand out in some way visually. Even a very minimal design can have more impact with less real estate taken up on the page. At the very least, the logo needs to be redesigned for more brand identification, for instance with a proprietary font with some effect other than a drop shadow.
Finally, the choice to put the link to the inquiry form in gray font underneath the logo, without any visual or textual hooks to attract attention, almost guarantees that no users will access it.
Example 2
This site has a very low level of usability. The look/feel is reminiscent of the experience of reading the classified ads or a phone book; there’s no sense of interactivity to draw in the user. It actually resembles the kind of spammer website one gets redirected to when a URL is typed incorrectly. If I were a prospective student I would pass this site up at a single glance – nothing available here is superior to a simple Google search.
Example 3
This page is vastly superior and much more professionally designed than either of the ones descried above. Its interface is logical, broken down into categories, and highlighted by excellent use of image, layout, color and font – while similar in some ways to the color and font choices of the first web site, there are subtle yet powerful differences. The yellows contain more orange and therefore more warmth and contrast; the blues are richer and balance the yellows more forcefully. The photograph isn’t randomly placed, but flows into the tagline “Find your passion etc.” which really serves to sell the site.
The logo is unique and memorable and contains movement as well. The teasers to articles on the right, which resemble a newsfeed, are a very “hot” way to distribute information online right now. It gives the site an almost magazine-like or blog feel. Finally, a search engine placed at the top right with options for the user to conduct a self-directed search right away is excellent strategy: It gives the user choices and control over their experience – a way to truly NAVIGATE the site’s information – without being overwhelmed.
ed. note no. 1
the sacto kings did not exist as a franchise until the 80's. changed to the sonics. i could see the 70's blazers beating the sonics with no problem.
caught some typos.
billy squier is also 80's - replaced with lynyrd skynyrd which is more stylistically appropriate anyway.
always appreciate a heads up if you catch things like this. thanks.
caught some typos.
billy squier is also 80's - replaced with lynyrd skynyrd which is more stylistically appropriate anyway.
always appreciate a heads up if you catch things like this. thanks.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Writing Sample - Grant Proposal Synopsis
Synopsis: Creating a Language of Widgets
[redacted for confidentiality]
In this project I plan to use the traditional form of Postmodern Widget Making in a series of collaborative workshops employing trained widgeteers in the co-creation of widgets with customers. In these groups the customers will be encouraged to share their experience of what it means to deal with being a widget user– things they want people to know about their widgeting, what it is like to be a user of widgets, the realities of their everyday lives, and their triumphs and challenges in working towards successful widgetry. The workshops will involve a dialogue in which the customers tell the widgeteers what they want people to know about them; the widgeteers will then translate this verbal language into a language of widgetry on their behalf. The customers will be encouraged to give feedback as to the accuracy of the widgetry - whether they accurately reflect the needs they intended to communicate - so that they feel they have an investment and are heard in this process of creating a new language of widgets.
The goal of these workshops is to generate widget components and a widgetry vocabulary that we will then be able to bring into workshops off-site when we are generating a finalized widget. The mined material will then be used to design a widgetry presentation, under the direction of a professional Master Widgeteer to be named at a later date. The presentation will be performed initially on-site, and then as time and the availability of the participants allows, in other venues expressing interest. Throughout this process, a documentary filmmaker will record the entire process from its initiation to its fruition, including interviews, with the intention of creating a valuable historical record.
[redacted for confidentiality]
In this project I plan to use the traditional form of Postmodern Widget Making in a series of collaborative workshops employing trained widgeteers in the co-creation of widgets with customers. In these groups the customers will be encouraged to share their experience of what it means to deal with being a widget user– things they want people to know about their widgeting, what it is like to be a user of widgets, the realities of their everyday lives, and their triumphs and challenges in working towards successful widgetry. The workshops will involve a dialogue in which the customers tell the widgeteers what they want people to know about them; the widgeteers will then translate this verbal language into a language of widgetry on their behalf. The customers will be encouraged to give feedback as to the accuracy of the widgetry - whether they accurately reflect the needs they intended to communicate - so that they feel they have an investment and are heard in this process of creating a new language of widgets.
The goal of these workshops is to generate widget components and a widgetry vocabulary that we will then be able to bring into workshops off-site when we are generating a finalized widget. The mined material will then be used to design a widgetry presentation, under the direction of a professional Master Widgeteer to be named at a later date. The presentation will be performed initially on-site, and then as time and the availability of the participants allows, in other venues expressing interest. Throughout this process, a documentary filmmaker will record the entire process from its initiation to its fruition, including interviews, with the intention of creating a valuable historical record.
Writing Sample - Grant Proposal Marketing Plan
Marketing Plan
[Redacted for confidentiality]
I. Present live demonstration followed by documentary film on site to internal staff and board members, in 2 – 3 shows with panel discussion afterwards.
Advertising: Company intranet, bi-weekly newsletter, and poster campaign.
II. Present live performance and film to public-facing staff and clients (including agencies) and their families.
Advertising: Company intranet, bi-weekly newsletter, and poster campaign.
III. Outreach via fliers, letters, and (if accepted) posters to other Seattle area agencies, offering presentation to their clients and staff; especially agencies that may have their own specialist group (but not a full department).
• Agency No. 1
• Agency No. 2
• Agency No. 3 – I have a personal connection with the CEO, as she was the COO for _____ for 4 years and supported this department; she often said to me “You are the one who brings life to our clients”
• Agency No. 4
• Agency No. 5
IV. Depending on length of work (if under 12 minutes) will audition at [venue] for curated open showcase for local performers. Will have video on loop in the lobby.
V. Will submit process and film for _____ Association conference.
VI. Will contact local schools teaching [field of specialization] to educate them about [FOS] as a profession, a viable efficacy-based method for referral, and an educating tool of how it is used with clients. I will develop a letter, and flier, and follow up with a phone call to these departments:
• Organization No. 1
• Organization No. 2 – we have a strong affiliation with them as we sponsor interns
• _____ University
• _____ College of the Arts
• _____ University
• _____ University
Marketing Plan (Contd.)
VII. Contact via letters, fliers, and phone calls the local chapter of National Association for _____ in Western Washington to present film as an event for members and families.
VIII. Send out letters and fliers and follow-up with phone calls to other facilities to help educate them about the uses of [FOS].
IX. Send copies to all [FOS] schools in the United States to have in their libraries as a teaching and inspirational tool.
X. Create a website for the project. I will act as moderator and have a section where people can post their responses and reactions to either the dance or the film to foster communication between all types of people that are privileged to view the work.
[Redacted for confidentiality]
I. Present live demonstration followed by documentary film on site to internal staff and board members, in 2 – 3 shows with panel discussion afterwards.
Advertising: Company intranet, bi-weekly newsletter, and poster campaign.
II. Present live performance and film to public-facing staff and clients (including agencies) and their families.
Advertising: Company intranet, bi-weekly newsletter, and poster campaign.
III. Outreach via fliers, letters, and (if accepted) posters to other Seattle area agencies, offering presentation to their clients and staff; especially agencies that may have their own specialist group (but not a full department).
• Agency No. 1
• Agency No. 2
• Agency No. 3 – I have a personal connection with the CEO, as she was the COO for _____ for 4 years and supported this department; she often said to me “You are the one who brings life to our clients”
• Agency No. 4
• Agency No. 5
IV. Depending on length of work (if under 12 minutes) will audition at [venue] for curated open showcase for local performers. Will have video on loop in the lobby.
V. Will submit process and film for _____ Association conference.
VI. Will contact local schools teaching [field of specialization] to educate them about [FOS] as a profession, a viable efficacy-based method for referral, and an educating tool of how it is used with clients. I will develop a letter, and flier, and follow up with a phone call to these departments:
• Organization No. 1
• Organization No. 2 – we have a strong affiliation with them as we sponsor interns
• _____ University
• _____ College of the Arts
• _____ University
• _____ University
Marketing Plan (Contd.)
VII. Contact via letters, fliers, and phone calls the local chapter of National Association for _____ in Western Washington to present film as an event for members and families.
VIII. Send out letters and fliers and follow-up with phone calls to other facilities to help educate them about the uses of [FOS].
IX. Send copies to all [FOS] schools in the United States to have in their libraries as a teaching and inspirational tool.
X. Create a website for the project. I will act as moderator and have a section where people can post their responses and reactions to either the dance or the film to foster communication between all types of people that are privileged to view the work.
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