This is the menu at my local juice bar.

Yesterday (when it was almost 100 degrees in NYC!) I ordered my Super Power Smoothie and immediately smiled and thought of last weekend’s World Domination Summit.  That was truly a Super Power Smoothie!  I am so grateful to everyone who shared their Super Powers.

I was also reminded of my experience at Lift Off last year.  That has all the ingredients of a Super Power Smoothie:  Pam, Charlie, the awesome group of creative people who come, everyone sharing ideas, getting focused, and most of all, amazing support!  There’s also strawberries and bananas because you need that in a smoothie. 

The kindness and openness of everyone is something I will never forget.

Definitely take a moment to check it out.

Why not now?

So when inspiration hits, I make a video…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Look forward to meeting lots of non-conformists next weekend!

Inspiring piece and yes, the food is wonderful!

http://www.ilovebuvette.com/

Are you looking for some creative feedback on a video you made?

Perhaps you have a technical question about the shooting, lighting or audio?  Or maybe you’re wondering how best to tell your story?

Let me know because I want to help.

Making videos should be fun and not stressful, but sometimes the process can be overwhelming.  We all know its a super way to connect more deeply,  and I don’t want you to miss out.

So…

I’m excited to offer a limited number of *free* 10 Minute Video Audits.

Here are the details:

You send me 10 minutes of your video and I’ll give you 10 tips to make it better.  Its that easy.

Or if you prefer…

We can do 10 minutes of video coaching on the phone or Skype.  This way we can discuss specific video questions you may have and even brainstorm a little bit.

There are 10 spots avail for September.

Why do this?

I really want you to shine.  I love creating, collaborating, and coming up with ideas for videos and multi-media projects.  And I really want to help you tell your story.  I like to see ideas happen.

Do you have questions or just want to get started?

Contact me today and we can set something up.

Email me at karen [AT] openskyvideo [DOT] com or call me at 646-807-9202.

I want to see your videos!

What I did to answer this question was to read as many stories, books and blogs of people who had started doing their own thing.  These stories really motivated me and I began to see that its a path of creative exploration, living with uncertainty,  letting go of control, staying positive, and most importantly, believing in yourself.

The people I read about weren’t always sure how something was going to turn out, but they did it anyway. They followed their talents and passions, enhanced a skill they already had and began to share what they knew with others.

I found the confidence to try the same thing little by little, step by step.  Its definitely been an imperfect path, but I’m happy to be on it and see where it goes.

One of the people that I read about is Tammy Strobel of Rowdy Kittens.  She began blogging about how she is creating a life with more freedom and less stuff.  She is a true inspiration, as well as a super nice person.

Tammy’s new eBook, Smalltopia: A Practical Guide to Working for Yourself answers some of the questions I had including, how do I start?  In it, she shares her Smalltopia philosophy about living small while thinking big,  and highlights the fundamentals of planning and creating your own small business.

The eBook is filled with awesome ideas, tips, and resources to create more freedom in your life while doing something you love, work that matters.

If you are ready or just considering starting your own small business,  creating more freedom and flexibility and living the life of your dreams, then Smalltopia is absolutely worth a read.

I thought to share about this new eBook here as its filled with beneficial information that may be helpful for you.

I can’t wait to dig in more myself!  Click here to view more details

The Smalltopia link above and on my sidebar are affiliate links.  Note: I only recommend products I totally love and find valuable.

What I do is help small business entrepreneurs get what matters on video and help tell their stories of the amazing work they are doing.

I thought it would be a good time to look back, reflect, and share progress so far.

Here is some of what I learned in the first six months of being an entrepreneur:

I love being creative and collaborating with clients to get their best stuff out in the world.

It makes me extremely happy to be able to provide a useful service that can do this.

I love designing my days and having the freedom of working when I want to, on my own terms.

I appreciate that I’ve gotten to work with the most awesome clients so far.  They continue to inspire.

It takes time and a lot of effort to grow a successful business.  I am learning to be more patient and enjoy the process.

Money is coming in, but I’m not making the amount of money I want to… yet.

It’s perfectly fine for me to do freelance TV gigs (my background is working as a tv post-supervisor) to help with cash flow when necessary.

This doesn’t mean I am not successful at my small biz.  To me it means I have resources, skills and experience that come in very handy.   In reality, the money from these TV gigs is what enabled me to start the business in the first place.  For this I am grateful.

You learn a ton about yourself when you start a business.  One thing I can share is that even though I enjoy my alone time, its definitely been an adjustment to spend most workdays solo.

I am getting more comfortable with the unknown, and letting go of the need to know exactly what’s up next.

It’s beneficial to have a mindfulness or meditation practice, or some activity that grounds you and calms the mind. This can be just sitting quietly for five minutes, taking a walk, going to a gentle yoga class.

Doing exercise and moving the body is crucial.  It helps my stuck energy get flowing and re-sets my mood.   Last weekend I attended a dance workshop/retreat and didn’t realize how much creativity could be unleashed through the fingers, toes, elbows and feet.  Awesome!

Also time spent in nature, at the movies, seeing art, or meeting a friend for coffee all contribute to more creativity and ideas when I return.

It’s beginning to feel like I made the right choice to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

It’s beginning to feel like I can make a difference.

I am committed to the journey, to this path that probably has no end, but has many bumps and twists along the way.

What talents and passions do you have to share with the world?  I’d love to know.

Shama Kabani talks about how video is the ultimate social media in her recent interview with Pam Slim.

Elizabeth Potts Weinstein is doing really fun, interesting things with video and shares how it helps you speak your truth.

I’ve been thinking and talking about video a lot lately too.  People are sharing their remarkable ideas and inspirations for videos they want to create.  Together we are figuring out how to get what matters on video.

I am truly grateful to be working with such awesome people to help get their messages out and grow their businesses.  I am loving what I do and excited to grow as well.

A few things video can do for your small business:

It’s personal:  When folks can see you and hear your voice they feel a closer connection.  It’s like your talking directly to them.  It’s honest.  This is big.

It’s real:   You can really show your passion, your humor,  your thoughtfulness and even your mistakes in a video.  It’s totally okay if you flub, this puts a human face on a business.

It’s doable and fun (really!) and doesn’t have to cost a fortune: Planning and creating a short video doesn’t have to be difficult and can even be fun.  Technical hurdles?  No problem.  I encourage you to download my free eBook, How to Create & Share Quality Video Without Spending a Fortune.

I sincerely hope this is a valuable resource for you as you prepare to create your own awesome videos.  I welcome your feedback and if there’s anything I forgot to include, please do let me know.

Here’s a wonderful example of a video that’s super creative and powerful.  It uses graphics and moving text as visuals.  I think its really great.  It’s from Michael Bungay Stanier and the folks over at Box of Crayons.

http://www.domoregreatwork.com/

If you’ve got a video idea in mind, or perhaps a few — but are too busy to get started or unsure what steps to take next, I’d love to talk with you.  We can discuss your vision, and come up with a workable plan and budget perfect for you.

Enjoy and have a great week!

I am thrilled to share something really awesome today.  Kelly Kingman of http://stickyebooks.com/ is releasing an eBook – The Sticky eBook Formula.

Over the past year I’ve gotten to know Kelly through our participation in Pamela Slim’s group coaching program.  In that time it’s been fantastic to see her side business grow into a full fledged ittybiz.  Yay Kelly!

She is the go to person if you are thinking about writing an eBook, but are in need of some assistance organizing your thoughts and ideas.

Even if you aren’t a writer, she can show you how to get your valuable experience and knowledge out of your head and into an eBook.  There is more than one way to do this!

I know it can be daunting to consider writing 5,000 words.  I don’t consider myself a writer – I’m a video producer, more like a writer of visuals – but I am now in the final stages of formatting my first eBook.

I am grateful to have had a sneak preview of The Sticky eBook Formula to help guide me through the writing process.

Kelly clearly defines what steps to take, shares tools and methods for gathering information, organizing it, even how our brains work!

This eBook is packed full of remarkably great, useful stuff.

I invite you to consider checking out this eBook.  I am an affiliate partner for this wonderful product and honestly feel it’s a fabulous resource. The sale price of $17 ends Friday at midnight EST.

If you are interested just click on the book:

Enjoy and have a great week!

The other day I was preparing to do my taxes and was going through credit card receipts when I noticed that I joined Pamela Slim’s Quickstart to Self Employment http://www.escapeseminars.com/ in May of 2009.

I am thrilled that just under a year later I have partnered on a product with Pam along with the talented Christy Risser-Milne http://onlinesoundadvice.com/ and Kelly Kingman, http://stickyebooks.com/.  We all met in the Quickstart Program.

Together we created a multimedia product called Escape From Cubicle Nation Workshop in a Box http://escapeworkshopinabox.com/ with footage recorded at Pam’s New York Workshop.  There are also cool bonus additions with Colleen Wainwright http://www.communicatrix.com/ and Tim Berry http://timberry.com/. Included are videos, audios and a fantastic workbook!

It feels soooo amazing to have worked on a project that can really motivate and help people live the ideal life they desire and do the work that matters most to them.

Its funny how the right people and things start to come together when you choose to move beyond your fears, and begin to open up to exploring new ideas, trying new things.

I am getting going with my small video biz and am forever grateful for the coaching, support and guidance I received from Pam and folks in the Quickstart Program.   I highly recommend finding positive-minded people to surround yourself with as you begin the path to entrepreneurship.

Also huge thanks and a shout out to musician Rich Goodhart http://www.richgoodhart.com/.  His beautiful music is the theme for the sneak peek and all the videos.

I really loved putting together the short sneak peek for this project.  I find these so fun to do.  This really shows Pam’s enthusiasm as well as the excitement of the participants.

Was an awesome experience all around!

If you or anyone you know is contemplating becoming an entrepreneur and escaping the cubicle, I invite you to share this with them.

http://escapeworkshopinabox.com/

Last February I would have never dreamed that this February I would be gathering with a group of creative entrepreneurs at a ranch in Arizona for a weekend retreat.

Lift Off wasn’t a yoga or meditation retreat  in the traditional sense – we didn’t do downward dogs, meditate for hours, or have kitchen cleanup duties.  But like a spiritual retreat, we did go deep within ourselves and share our dreams and passions in a safe and supporting environment.

The safe space or container for all this was created by Pam Slim and Charlie Gilkey. They led us with amazing tenderness, genuineness and clarity.

We dug, and they helped us dig deeper.

We looked at the meaning of the work we’re doing.

We looked for what feeds us and discovered what nourishes us.

We took a really long walk!

Following my own path is scary, risky, exciting and exhilarating all at the same time.  It’s like constantly riding a roller coaster up and down.  But traveling the path with fellow seekers is truly transforming.  The open-heartedness and open-mindedness of everyone and their remarkable caring is something that I will never forget.

I am so grateful and appreciative to be a part of this brave bunch.  I am inspired and thrilled to be a part of this community.

Huge thanks to all of you for your amazing presence.  You are brilliant and beautiful. ~ Karen

www.ivanmartinezphotography.com