Decompression: The Other White Meat



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I think the day after Thanksgiving is for blowing off steam.  We’ve all been unnaturally gracious and thankful, and we need to let out a collective deep breath.
 

The Black Friday thing is way too over the top for me.  It’s hugely ironic:  Yesterday we were gracious and thankful, so today we can be mercenary and maniacal.  We can make retail workers get up before dawn (we may choose to, but I bet they would not…), we can pepper spray the other shoppers, and get exactly what we need for Christ’s birth.  But I digress…

So back to decompression.  What are your favorite ways to decompress?  I like to exercise to let off steam.  Today it was an easy paddle in the kayak, but jumping on the treadmill or doing a Pilates workout also deflate my excess energy.

Photo By Marianne M. Smith on Black Friday (Center Hill Lake, TN)

I asked my husband his favorite way to decompress, but I can’t repeat what he said in an internet post J.

Decompression is a very useful tool in my arsenal, and, I hope, in yours.  Some might say that watching TV is decompressing, but I think it’s a little more intentional than that.  To me, decompressing is not passive.  It’s about setting out to drain off some excess energy.

And no matter what works for you, I think shedding some of this over the top energy is necessary during (and after) the holidays.  We usually have demands and family obligations thrust upon us.  If you can escape these, I’m envious.  But most of us do more compromising during the holidays than we do any other time of the year.

Give yourself a break during this long holiday weekend, if you can.  Take a deep breath and think about some ways you can intentionally decompress.  After all, you need your energy in top form to get ready for Christmas! J

How do you decompress?  Share your thoughts and inspire someone else!  Feel free to leave a comment.

Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com

Personal Brand or Personality?



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I’ve recently had the distinct pleasure of meeting (online)  two larger-than-life individuals who are experts at personal branding:  Mari Smith and Michael Port.  Both of them have a lot to say about the importance of being your truest self while being relevant and forging relationships.

I was looking over some notes I’ve made from their advice, when a Tweet from @johnhaydon popped up on my screen:

You don't need a brand, you need a personality. :-)

Now that made me giggle, but there is significant truth in that nugget.  Michael Port emphasizes that if you base your brand on your personality, you can take it with you when you change jobs or enterprises.  Mari Smith’s personality is so big and so unique that it truly is her brand.  And when Michael talks, people immediately know that he’s real and genuine and interested in connecting in meaningful ways.

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When I was a practicing Realtor, my personal brand was The Real Estate Cowgirl and later The NO BULL Team.  Now that I’m a freelance writer, I’m Writer At The Ranch.  Obviously the cowgirl theme is a big piece of my personality, and hence my brand.

You may be thinking that you don’t have a personal brand, or need one.  Personal brands are for entrepreneurs, right?  But I think you do have one, even if it’s simply your Facebook persona.

Your brand is what people think of when they think of you.  Are you bubbly, sarcastic, witty, or negative?  People attach recurring traits to you quickly.

What would you like your brand to be?  It’s something worth thinking about.

I would love to hear your comments.

Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com

Connecting with Craft

Recently, I discovered a gem in the middle of nowhere:  Joe L. Evins Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, TN.  Appalachian Center for Craft is a satellite campus of Tennessee Tech, and offers undergraduate degree programs, certificate programs, and workshops for the general public.  They also host exhibitions in their stunning gallery, and several special events every year.  And they have one of the finest craft gift shops I have ever seen, as well as a remarkable café with its own full-time chef.

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And although I’m doing some paid marketing work for them, this is an unpaid endorsementJ.

In case you think I left the “s” off the word craft, I have learned that craft (no “s”) is now politically correct.  Think high-end craft: artistry, skill, genius.  The best way I can explain the uniqueness of this place is to have you take a look at the workshop schedule.  Go ahead and click the link and scroll down.

If that’s not enough inspiration for you, the location itself will ignite your creativity.  It’s set on over 500 wooded acres on Center Hill Lake.  I’ve posted quite a few pics of Center Hill Lake on my Facebook wall, so you may already be familiar with its beauty.  But here’s a recent photo, just in case:



Photo by Marianne M. Smith



I think I was taken with the magic of the Center, which is palpable.  And the fact that it’s buried in the middle of a forest on the ridge of a magnificent lake puts it over the top.

Personally, I’ve always been smitten with the notion of functional art, which, to me, is craft.  Defining art versus craft is tricky, and probably the subject for a separate blog post.  But I love using hand thrown pottery for daily meals, keeping my magazines in a hand forged metal basket, and wearing a one-of-a-kind wrap woven from fleece that came from our own farm.

Some may argue with me, but I believe that the things we choose to surround ourselves with should be beautiful.  If you admire something every time you use it, that is really something.



A piece of pottery in my own collection that still delights me after 25 years



And taking it one step further, if you can learn to create your own beautiful functional objects, well then… 

If you’re ever heading towards Knoxville on I-40, you should consider taking a few hours to explore the Appalachian Center for Craft.  You’ll be both impressed and inspired.  And if you need a creative summer getaway, be sure to think about their longer workshops.  You can stay on site for the entire workshop and eat that incredible food I mentioned.  And you'll be cementing your own connection to craft!

How do you view craft in your own life?  I’d love to hear about it.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com

Collards and Cornbread

Photo by Marianne M. Smith

“What’s for dinner?” my friend asked on the phone.  “Collards and cornbread,” I replied.  “Wow!  Are you Southern, or what?!” he shot back.

That got me to thinkin’.  What exactly defines a Southerner anyway?  Is being Southern a state of mind, a state of grace, or a state of the Union?

Is it simply knowing that grits are never singular?

That tailgating is an art form?

That “ya’ll,” “thank you,” “please,” and “Bless her little heart!” hold the keys to the kingdom?

That banjo music and casseroles are sacred?

Is it about wraparound porches, screen rooms, Rugers and Rottweilers?

I mean, what really defines us?

I remember being in a quandary when I was young because my grandmother did not think I was “appropriate” for presentation at the Nineteenth Century Club in Memphis.  (Can you even imagine that?)

To me, that was quite the mysterious institution.  I do recall getting to go by with my grandmother when they were cleaning and setting up for meetings.  There were always wonderful smells:  lemon furniture polish, linen napkins with heavy starch, and the scrumptious aroma of cheese grits. 

My nose loved that place, but the rest of me was baffled by The Rules of Conduct and The Air of Expectation. ( I fully expected a magician to appear in the Grand Dining Room and pull a rabbit out of a hat.)  And of course I wasn’t appropriate.  I was young, naïve, and asked way too many questions.



Nineteenth Century Club, Memphis, TN



Even though I can now make my own cheese grits, I worry about the fate of the Nineteenth Century Club.  It has been put on the market because the service club doesn’t have the money to make needed repairs ordered by the court.  Any of my readers able to come to their rescue?

My good friends flatter me by saying that I can be charming and gracious when the occasion warrants it.  (That's why they're good friends!)  Wouldn’t Grandmother be proud?  I truly believe that Southernness is passed down, generation to generation.

I can’t separate myself from the South, even when I travel elsewhere.  Nor can I think of a good reason that I’d want to.  To me, Southernness is truly a state of grace.

What defines Southernness for you?  I’d love to hear your take on it.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com/
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com