Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.

~ Bill Bradley

All human beings are also dream beings. Dream ties all humankind together.

– Jack Kerouac

Sometimes it’s hard keeping up your commitment to your art when a lot of this society is so caught up in the dollars and cents of existence. You wonder why do your art. Does it really matter?  This refreshing video on the power of theater from Patsy Rodenberg can cheer you up whenever the road seems too hard, and remind you of what acting and theater is all about.

“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair,” goes the song of the sixties,

Well finally I am going to San Francisco, and hey I may even wear some flowers in my hair. Although I am not going to a pop music festival, and the time of the hippies is well over.

In fact I am attending a small biz conference “The Big Shift Experience” put on by coach Bill Baren. I have taken several of his  business coaching programs, and have found them top notch.  The great thing about Bill is that, he’s able to condense and simplify  the complexities of building a small business or practice, and guide you step by step  in this process.

What’s more he puts his heart and soul into everything he does, as well as providing tremendous insights and “aha” moments.   I am looking forward to many more “aha” moments during the three day conference. At the same time, it will be so fun and satisfying to meet many of my online classmates.

Then there are the perks of staying at a good hotel -  hanging out at the hotel pool, and hot tub.   And of course, I will be strolling the streets of San Francisco, absorbing the sights and sounds of the city.

Yes, I am really jazzed up. San Fran, here I come!

My friend Jackie, told me about this online resource for sacred poetry from around the world at  http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/.  It’s a wonderful place to find some words to feed your soul, including Sufi, Zen, Budhist, and Christian poets.

“For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.”

Ivan Pann ( Russian mathematician 1855-1942)

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief…and unspeakable love.”

Washington Irving

“The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one. Commitment is healthiest when it is not without doubt but in spite of doubt.”

Rollo May

Lately I’ve discovered some fascinating YourTube videos on acting from some of the greatest contemporary acting teachers. Here’s one of them from a class given by Uta Hagen, that includes comments from Whoopi Goldberg and Meryl Streep. Whether you have a career in acting or just want to appreciate more what goes into the actor’s craft, take a look at this.

As a creative entrepreneur or artist, you may be wondering what kind of website can best help you promote your work, services, or product.  You may think you have to spend hundreds or even thousands to get an attractive website up and running, with ongoing big costs to maintain it.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Almost unanimously, leaders in the world of marketing and promotion, use a software program which you can set up for free, and which can be customized to promote your projects, service, and products. You can also set up a membership site, and sell your products from this site.

The name of this software is WordPress, and there are two ways you can go, either with WordPress.org or WordPress.com.  With the WordPress.com  you get free hosting, with the other you pay a small monthly fee to your own hosting company.

I advocate you get  WordPress.org with your own hosting, as it’s only with this version that you can do all things you need to do as a creative business venture.

With WordPress you can create blog posts,  as well as web pages which feature your program, services and  artwork . You don’t have to be a techie to quickly add  text, photos, and videos to any of your pages or blog posts.

Although you can set it up yourself,  it’s probably easiest and most time and cost efficient to hire somebody familiar with the software to do this.  They will be able to help you with the initial setup so that it has  the look and feel you want, and some of the features  and plug-ins you need to promote your business.

You can easily  get somebody to setup your WordPress website and blog  this through going to such sites as www.elance.com.  It can cost you anything from $50 – $300, to set up the basics you need.

As you learn about how to promote your business, and add products and services, you can further customize your WordPress site. You can also link it to your social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

Finally, as  a creative person you obviously want your website to look good. You may be wondering whether WordPress sites can meet your artistic expectations.

Believe me they are immensely flexible, and with the right tech and design help you can showcase your work in a great number of dazzling ways.

However,  you must also remember, that the prime object of the site is to promote and sell.  Make sure to learn how to do this effectively rather than thinking that the beauty of the site will sell your wares on their own.

It’s an old cliche in the marketing world that some of the ugliest sites sell better than the most beautiful. I am not arguing that you create an ugly site. As a creative person,  it’s important that it reflect your aesthetic values. However there needs to be a balance between the look of the site, and it’s functionality as a promotional and sales tool.