I’m interested in all kinds of things, which is great for variety, but not always so great for focus. Here are some sites and blogs that make me curious, make me happy, make me think. Sometimes they belong to friends of mine, sometimes to complete strangers, but always people I would love to know. Check them out, and see what you discover!
- The Creative Life
- Film & Video
- Food
- Images & Photos
- Kansas City Connections
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Words & Writing
The Creative Life
Despite our protestations, we are ALL creative. We just need to step up and own it.
- Brain Pickings – A one-woman labor of love — a subjective lens on what matters in the world and why
- Flora Bowley – I adore Flora’s spirit – and her painting. She’s a generous soul who shares her love for painting with others.
- Kelly Rae Roberts – A wonderful mixed-media artist (I’m taking her “Flying Lessons” course to learn all about building a creative business”
- Shutter Sisters and Camera Men – An amazing group of women and men who have banded together to inspire and encourage each other
Film & Video
Who doesn’t enjoy a great movie – whether it’s a sweeping saga on the big-screen, a fascinating documentary on the flat screen, or something totally unexpected on the computer screen.
- Filmmaker Magazine – The magazine of independent film
- Kansas City Women in Film and Television (KCWIFT) – A dynamic organization dedicated to empowering, promoting and mentoring women in the entertainment, communications and media industries
- Simply Scripts – Read scripts online
- Sundance Institute – Discovering and developing independent artists and audiences
Food
Yum! Try out a new recipe or just enjoy the delicious images of foods you may know – or not.
- The (ex)Expatriate’s Kitchen – Good food that’s good for you
Photos & Images
We live in a visual world. Here’s proof!
- Camp Photoshop – Adobe Photoshop Tips, Tricks, and News (Adobe Certified Expert Roger Ridpath)
- Dara Russell Photography – Beautiful photographs from my photobuddy, Dara
- Digital Dimensions & Beyond – Kansas City Metropolitan Photographic Society and Camera Club
- Marciana Vequist Photography – More beautiful photography from another of my favorite photobuddies
- Red Point Collective – A select group of individuals who love photography, travel, and exploring the world with their cameras.
Kansas City Connections
In the spirit of thinking local, here are some great Kansas City sites you should explore.
- Camp Photoshop – Adobe Photoshop Tips, Tricks, and News (Adobe Certified Expert Roger Ridpath)
- Creative Nectar Studios – A safe haven for creative Self discovery
- Dara Russell Photography – Beautiful photographs from my photobuddy, Dara
- Digital Dimensions & Beyond – Kansas City Metropolitan Photographic Society and Camera Club
- The (ex)Expatriate’s Kitchen – Good food that’s good for you (Beth Bader)
- Independent Filmmaker’s Coalition (IFC) – A non-profit organization that promotes regional independent film, video and media production.
- Kansas City Women in Film and Television (KCWIFT) – A dynamic organization dedicated to empowering, promoting and mentoring women in the entertainment, communications and media industries
- Marciana Vequist Photography – Beautiful photographs from my photobuddy, Dada
- Mary C. Taylor: Visuals that Play – Production and Post-Production Services, including animation, video, graphics, Web, and more
- Red Point Collective – A select group of individuals who love photography, travel, and exploring the world with their cameras.
- UniverseK – Professional Illustration: Imagination is the highest Kite you can fly. (Kevin Myers)
Social Entrepreneurship
Many businesses are adding “social responsibility” as a bottom-line measure of their success, and in the process, are creating viable businesses that help people help themselves – and make money.
- The Kauffman Foundation – The world’s largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship
- Phoenix Family – Phoenix Family empowers people living in low-income housing communities with the on-site support they need to gain stability and achieve self-sufficiency (a compassionate and caring non-profit that I’ve worked at part-time for over five years)
- TED, Inc. – Ideas Worth Sharing: Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world
Words & Writing
It’s one of the first pleasures many of us are fortunate enough to experience: a bedtime story read to us, or the first brightly colored book we learn to read (memorize) to our parents’ amazement.
- Creative Nonfiction – Literary craft in presenting nonfiction
- Narrative Magazine – Tons of Stories
- Narrative Nonfiction – Telling Stories that are True
- Sweet Salty (Kate Inglis) – Writing that astonishes me, she also creates photographs that show people’s character
- The Writer’s Place – Midwest Center for the Literary Arts