Warming Up Solo
Though I love it when there's a full team on a project, I've gotten accustomed to working solo when I need to. One of the things I learned along the way is that I shouldn't skip steps that are normally part of my process just because I'm on my own. Case in point:...
Connection in the Time of Corona
Along with the rest of the world, I am trying to navigate the volatile and murky waters of this pandemic. Just when I think I've found a groove, something else comes up that makes the situation heavier, more personal: a too close for comfort encounter with a woman not...
Writing Unfractured
For a long time writing lived in separate spheres for me. There was writing for art (poetry, fiction, or serious creative non-fiction) which used more creative license. Then there was personal journaling, not meant for others, just recording and processing life like a...
Through The Brambles
When I began the process of visioning for 2020 for YAY, what I came with sounded sort of familiar. Oh, right. That's because the focus areas were really similar to what I had chosen for 2019. I stewed on that for a good while. Would this set YAY up for a stagnant...
2019 Highlights
Reflecting on this year, it’s hard to get past how challenging the last quarter was for me. In addition to managing the business and all of my client work, I had committed to several major personal endeavors all at once, including training for and running my first...
Cultivating Creativity
As kids, we're all these wildly creative beings. Growing up, our opportunities to practice can become less and less frequent, unless as individuals we're driven towards art or music or cooking, or other outlets that let us flex muscles. Even sometimes within places we...
Matters of Scope
Even when people have agreed to a course of action, sometimes things still fall apart. There are all sorts of reasons, but one very common place things go awry is misunderstanding the current scope of a project or initiative. When I'm helping people navigate this...
Feedback is a Gift
One of the easiest traps to fall into as a business person (and heck, as a human) is to assume you know what's going on in someone's mind. To invent a back story, fill in the blanks about their feelings and motivations, and then convince yourself it is the gospel...
Take it to the Anti-Limit
I believe humans are full of this infinite creative potential. Not just some of us, but ALL of us. It's the driving purpose of YAY to be able to help people and organizations rekindle and fully realize their creative capacity. To the ends of the earth I'd defend this...
Equalizing Voices
In an ideal world, everyone would feel valued and confident sharing their thoughts in a group setting. All kinds of dynamics can pose a challenge for openness and collaboration. Workplaces with a lot of hierarchy or with teams that work in silos may find it difficult...