Yesterday an anonymous person (someone ahead of me in line) purchased my hot cider. There are less than 24 hours left to be someone’s Secret Santa! And, as a person who was just on the receiving end, I’m very thankful! I’ll do my best to give back today.
Happy holidays everyone!
~ Thankful
I’ve just started contributing to an online publication, Made Woman Mag. Check them out, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Hopefully there’s an interview with the founders in Thankful For a Million’s future.
Here’s a link to my first article.
I hope that everyone is enjoying (or in some cases looking forward to) their holiday!
~Thankful
Occasionally I come across things that make me smile. I just learned about Sola Rosa, a group out of New Zealand. They have a very different sound and I like it!
I just received the BEST gift/note from Santa ever…
Santa, for the record, one of these street sweeping tickets was received while doing a favor for a friend. Just sayin’… I’m not all bad.
~Thankful
It’s crazy how quickly the New Year comes along. I mean, one day you’re writing resolutions and then, BAM!, the year is over and you’re left trying to determine if resolutions can “roll-over” like cell phone minutes. A while back I decided not to make resolutions based on an absolute result such as, “lose 10 lbs,” or “get all A’s.” Instead, I chose to focus on values or lifestyle changes like, “live healthier,” or “work on prioritizing tasks.” My change in mindset allowed me to accomplish more because, instead of focusing on those 10 lbs I wanted to lose, I made smaller choices. Each choice led to a much happier, healthier me and seemed less daunting. My success rate skyrocketed!
I’m a firm believer that the universe presents you with things exactly when you need them. Just as I was considering next years resolutions, I ran in to a sociable older woman at a film screening. I’d like to believe that she’s always personable but, in truth, I think she’d succumb to a crush on a male friend I’d brought along =). At any rate, this 70-something year-old woman started a relatively unprompted discussion about self-doubt. She’d overheard my friend and I talking about career paths and was eager to chime in.The first thing she said was:
“When I was your age I was waiting on my carriage. Now, I’m waiting on my coffin.”
Of course my initial thought was, please let this negativity lead somewhere enlightening. Well, I asked and received! She went further to explain that, early on in her career she worried about what her family expected of her, what would happen if she made the wrong decision and how each and every step she took would help to manifest her dream life. At that point, she was of course waiting on her carriage. There were endless possibilities available to her. However, now she can, admittedly, only see her coffin. Due to this, her mind that was once clouded and slowed by self-doubt is now clear and swift. She makes decisions confident that they are the right ones, and sure that, if anything ill befalls her, there is always another choice to be made. The things that aided her self-development were no doubt, her experience and realization that death is an absolute.
Now, while looking to one’s death may be too heavy an image to consider when making decisions, I felt that this woman shared a valuable experience with me. In truth, in her youth, she failed to realize her own mortality. Because, we are all no different from her. The coffin is in view for each and every one of us. It may be 6 months, a year, 5 years, 50 years or more away, but it is still a guarantee. At any point in our lives we choose to focus on the carriage or the coffin. Endless possibility or looming finality. What’s important to remember is that it is all possible at any given point in time, no matter how short or long we’ve lived. Whether you’re 25 or 75, you can accomplish goals, learn, grow, love and contribute. So, my answer to the question above: BOTH. Our limited time means that we must make decisions based on our goals, values and strengths and, at the same time, try our best to throw away self-doubt. We must be clear and swift so we can have as many carriage rides as life allows.
So, what’s at the top of my resolution list?
… the rest of the list will soon follow.
Today I’m thankful for those willing to share their experiences.
I hope that your resolution lists are going well! If you have any to share, please do.
~Thankful
“Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
~Unknown (to me, but if you have any idea, please share!)
It may be true that certain things get better for every generation. Right after I graduated from high school, the school got interactive white boards. Then, once I finished at UC Berkeley, the University broke ground on a new athletic facility. And now, kids (not to date myself) are fully equipped with laptops, iPhones and iPads. The recent increase in access to digital mediums is revolutionizing the way children learn.
Which brings me to, Arynetta Floyzelle Northcutt and her company, Girl Team Mobile. A Graduate of Hampton University, she pursued many interests after college, but truly fell in love with writing. In 2008, Northcutt came up with the idea for Big Hair, a children’s story that would explore one girl, Effie’s, journey with her hair and self acceptance. Northcutt quickly partnered up with Illustrator Shawnte Hicks and together, they developed the pictures for her story. Faced with the expensive costs of self-publishing and eager to make the material easily accessible, Big Hair was subsequently published for iOS platforms. The story gives children the option to read alone or be read to. As a by-product of this, she founded Girl Team Mobile with the intention of creating empowering educational tools for girls. Northcutt is still a proponent of actually getting your hands on a cold, hard book, but sees the benefits of reaching the younger generation through digital means!
Thankfully, I got the chance to ask her a few questions…
Let me first say, this is incredible! How did your journey with Effie begin?
Thank you! I was actually at Barnes and Noble Cafe at the Grove treating myself to a latte and perusing books when I saw a beautiful little girl with what appeared to be her mother. The little girl appeared to be multi-cultural. In a flash a poem came to me about a little girl who is not comfortable with her hair because it’s different from her friends. I pulled out a little yellow notepad and started writing, and in an hour I had the girl’s entire journey to loving that which makes her different. That’s how my main character, ‘Effie’, and the Big Hair story was born.
Growing up, I never had books with characters that looked like me. I’m convinced that reading something like BIG HAIR would have helped me develop a stronger sense of self. Was this your intent?
Definitely. I wanted to encourage African-American and multi-cultural girls to love their hair and start a movement of kids embracing that which makes them different. I have no doubt that girls will relate to Effie; she’s such a fun, fabulous and inquisitive protagonist. It is my goal that Big Hair entertains and uplifts as it educates.
In writing Big Hair I remembered so many things about my own hair that used to frustrate me growing up. I guess in many ways Big Hair pays homage to my younger self. The funny thing is that at the same time I wrote Big Hair, I was transitioning away from getting relaxers (the creamy crack… it took me awhile to break it! But that’s another blog post…) so many of the frustrations that Effie was going through in the book, I was experiencing again in re-learning the natural texture of my hair! Relaxed or natural, the hair journey is certainly a personal one… in this sense I hope adult woman relate to the story of Effie, and that Big Hair encourages them to embrace their own individual fabulousness as well.
How did your partnership with illustrator, Shawnte Hicks begin and who in the group had immediate knowledge of the digital world?
I met Shawnte at Melrose Trading Post. She was displaying some of her incredible art work, and it pulled me in. We struck up a conversation and I got her card. She ended up donating a few pieces of art to some fundraisers I was involved with. A year later, after I knew I wanted to turn my poem into a children’s book, Shawnte was the first artist that came to mind to bring Effie to life. I was researching publishers to submit Big Hair to, and had learned that publishing houses preferred writers submit only text when wanting to contribute to picture books. Though I wanted to be published, I so believed in Shawnte’s art, that I followed my gut and hired her to illustrate Big Hair.
Because Shawnte is an artist and graphic designer, she had more knowledge of the digital world than I originally had, but we were both virgins when it came to iOS (Apple’s Mobile Operating System).
Thankfully, I found fabulous programmers. The team at Tien Wah Press, based out of Singapore, held my hand through the entire process.
The biggest obstacle to starting a new business is often capital. Was this ever an issue for you and what was your game plan from the start?
Big Hair happened very organically, when one thing didn’t work, staying open-minded led to something that worked better. When I learned publishers preferred to match authors with their own illustrators, immediately I thought, ‘well, let’s try self-publishing and get Big Hair out that way’. When self-publishing was proving to be expensive, and I learned the printing house I was using had an e-book publishing department (responsible for iOS, Android, Nook, iBook, etc.) I said, ‘alright, let’s see about this’.
That being said, one thing I did allow myself was time. Big Hair was an entirely cash flow operation, and I let everyone I was working with know upfront that I preferred a payment plan option. Things took their time… the poem was written in 2008, illustrations began in 2009, iOS programming started spring of 2011, and the Big Hair App was released November 16th. So, it was a three year plus journey… but step by step the Big Hair App was born.
The most crucial part to starting a new business is developing a mission statement, how did this evolve once you and Shawnte partnered?
With Big Hair I had the simple mission statement of ‘encouraging multi-cultural and African-American girls to love their hair, and to embolden all children to embrace diversity.’
Shawnte was on board and things took off from there!
What’s awesome about the Digital Platform is that it is world-wide. That distribution has taken my mission global. Big Hair has sold in Singapore, Russia, the U.K and I’m excited for it to continue to sell internationally. Kids all over the world are experiencing and learning from Effie, which is a dream come true for me.
I imagine that BIG HAIR is only the beginning. What other stories do you have in the pipeline?
The idea of writing stories which entertain kids while they learn about diversity so motivated me, that I started Girl Team Mobile, an App Development Studio and Independent Publishing House whose goal is to educate while encouraging positive values, exploring diversity and inspiring confidence.
In 2012 Big Hair will be available in hardcopy form. Also, in 2012 Girl Team Mobile will release two new children’s e-book apps.
What would you say to parents who are wary about introducing their children to the digital space?
Digital technology is so amazing and inspiring. Introducing the interactive element into the storytelling process allows kids to participate in the learning experience which is awesome.
That being said, I love hardcopy books, and don’t feel that they are going anywhere. I think there is a place for both, but the Digital Space is the future.
What’s one piece of advice for those interested in being published?
Write, write, and write some more. When you are happy with what you’ve written, go for it. With mobile devices like Nook, iBooks, Kindle and Sony, the writer doesn’t have to wait for a publishing house to say ‘okay’ to get their stories out there. Just make sure that it is your best, and something you would be proud for anybody to see. Once you self-publish in the digital realm, it’s out there for every and anyone in the world to rate and review!
What are you thankful for?
I’m thankful for the opportunities to work toward and realize dreams. Life is just so precious and can change at any moment, and to be with and share with those we love and support each other in living full, creative lives is an extraordinary blessing.
Arynetta could have said, it’s too expensive to get published, or given in to the fact that she didn’t know about the iOS platform, but all of these potential obstacles were little more than speed bumps for her. Very cool!
If you or anyone you know has small children that may be interested in reading BIG HAIR…
You may purchase: HERE in the iTunes App Store!
Thank you Arynetta!
I hope that everyone runs into something or someone inspiring today!
~Thankful
Happy Monday! It’s a great day, there’s a lot to be done, and thankfully it’s the beginning of a new week!
Plenty of people say that they’re going to write a novel, very few do. Pierce Minor, a fellow Berkeley Grad, has recently completed his supernatural young adult novel, Twistir. In an effort to self publish, Pierce has created a Kickstarter Page. His goal is to reach $5,000 by January 25th. Please take a moment to check out his page!
Aside from Twistir, Pierce has a couple of other novels in the works. It’s amazing to see someone complete such an ambitious goal!
I hope everyone is enjoying the start to their week~
~Thankful
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