Category Archives: Creativity

How to Live Anywhere and Love It

May 17, 2011 – 9:23 am
air bnb the freelancer how to live anywhere

We all dream about living somewhere else, right? Even if we love where we live now, it is the romantic notion of trying something new, something exotic. Am I right? I posed this question on Facebook this morning, “If you could move anywhere, where would you go and why?” Here are some of the answers: “I live where I most want to be. Not sure why anyone would do otherwise.” -Michael Troiano Though I agree with Mr. Michael, I am somewhat nomadic in nature and like to test out places before I decide to hang my hat and call somewhere home. Why? before I commit to a significant move, I want to know that I can be equally as happy in my new location as I am in Boston. For the freelancers out there, here are 3 ways to discover new cities and which location would make you happiest. I. Air BnB: The beauty of being a freelancer is that you can work from anywhere. So, why not sublet your place out and try out a new city for a month. I love using Air BnB because of the built in community component, rating system, as well as the variety [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Adventure, Happiness, Spirituality, Strategy, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (7)

How to Receive a College Education Online for Free

May 6, 2011 – 11:55 am
free online education janae the freelancer lifestyle design

Education is what you make of it. We are perpetual students, learning something new everyday. It doesn’t matter if you spend four years in college (and $200K) or time talking to someone in a coffee shop. We are constantly learning. With college tuition being as costly as it is, I know many people looking for alternative ways to continue to learn and expand their skill set. Look at any entrepreneur or historical figure and you will see that continuous self-education is a major component to their lives. Here are some free online courses from some of the top universities: Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative (my alma mater) – No instructors, no credits, no charge. Use these self-guiding Carnegie Mellon materials and activities to learn at your own pace. MIT OpenCourseWare – MIT OpenCourseWare is a free web-based publication of MIT course materials that has some of the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT. MIT Sloan School of Management – As one of the top business schools in the US, this is a great subsection of the larger MIT OpenCourseWare site. Tufts OpenCourseWare – Tufts OpenCourseWare is part of a new educational movement. Khan Academy – Over 1200 videos lessons [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

It’s Obvious

May 4, 2011 – 11:23 am
it's obvious janae the freelancer lifestyle design

Jeff was looking for his glasses…again. This was the 3rd time this week. He had to find them and find them quickly because he was going to be late for a meeting. So, the search was on. He went through everything on his desk. He searched through his bags, tore up the living room, his bedroom and to no avail. “My jacket!” They must be in my jacket.” he scurried his way to the black jacket hanging there on the coat rack. He turned every pocket inside out. Jeff even shook the jacket. Nothing. After about forty-five minutes of searching, Jeff sulked down onto the couch furious with himself. As he glanced through the window, he caught something within the reflection. He saw a little glimmer from atop his head. He slowly reached up and realized that what he has been searching for had been with him the entire time. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? Most of the time, the answers we are looking for are right in front of us or within us. Keeping your eyes, ears and minds open to what is around you can help you find the resources you need or the [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Innovation 101: 13+ Ways to Spark Your Creativity

April 21, 2011 – 10:07 am
creativity janae how to be creative the freelancer

I was working on a rather mundane project last week when suddenly I was struck with a brilliant idea that stopped my work dead in its tracks.  I love it when this happens, even if it sidetracks the work at hand for a few hours. But sparking your creativity is easier said than done.  It is usually a serendipitous phenomenon, but I believe there are a few techniques you can use to trigger that creative impulse.  Here are over 13 ways I get the creative juices flowing. 1.       Doodle.  You’ve heard of brainstorming and stream-of-consciousness writing to free your mind and unleash your creativity.  But even those activities are limited by conforming your boundless imagination to language.  Instead, just take out a blank piece of paper and a pen and doodle away.  Draw whatever comes to mind.  Just scribble anything and see what appears. 2.       Challenge Yourself.  People under pressure tend to surprise themselves.  Try giving yourself a deadline, say, coming up with 10 great ideas by the end of the week.  If your mind understands that there is a deadline to meet, it starts to work extra hard to ensure you meet it. 3.       Join with Fellow Creatives.  Creative [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Arts, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Why I Started Our Revolution

March 4, 2011 – 7:36 am
revolution social good

After a ton of planning, volunteers spending countless hours, and a ton of blood, sweat and tears, it begins. Today, is the first day of Our Revolution Road Trip. The number why question I get  is, “Why did you start such a thing?” Here’s a short video with the answer. Take a look: Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen: Topher, Anya, Ashley, Jeremy, Ron, Brandie, Geo, Stu,  Ken, Candace, Laurie, Andy, Russell, Jenni, John, Uncle Jerry and Wojtek A big thanks to our Sponsors and Partners: GreenVans, SnapGoods, Jeff Pulver and the 140 Conference, Engage Marketing and Design, Sony, Leica,  KIND Snacks, Pop Chips, Tripping, 33 Needs, and Rockethub. Come and join us in one of our 20+ cities this month. We’ll be waiting for you. If you’re interested in other areas of this project, here is a brief overall of the project ahead.

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Adventure, Innovation, Spirituality, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (1)

Revolution! Solutions: Your 5 Minute Spotlight

March 3, 2011 – 9:20 am
solution revolution

Revolution! Solutions Contest for March: Your 5 Minute Spotlight: People talk about change. They talk about how restless they are, how conditions are intolerable, how something must be done. They stamp their feet and holler and let anger, resentment, and disillusion fill their heads. And when the pressure has been building long enough and enough people are riled up, there is rebellion, revolution, dissent. This is usually the end result of something that’s been long overdue. But then what?  Most people don’t plan for the end. They get caught up in a wave of emotion or swept away in a tide of personal attachment. They know something must change, but they’ve no idea what to do if that change actually were to take place. They have nothing to fill the vacuum. So what about you? Imagine, for this exercise, that you actually got five minutes – before the President, a legislative committee, the mayor, the town council, the board of trustees – to convince them of the importance and validity of your project. Is there something in your town that’s an injustice? Is there a crisis that the locals are dealing with that you wish you could escalate to someone [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Adventure, Innovation, Our Revolution! Project, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Revolution! Solutions: Single-Payer Medicare for All?

February 9, 2011 – 9:36 am
the revolution love revolution

Last week, we began Revolution! Solutions: The Fall of Healthcare. Part of this project is Revolution! Solutions, a 30 day collaborative exchange of ideas around a specific storyline. We are all in this together and the more we brainstorm solutions, the more likely we will be to find solutions that work! Click here to play the game. One of last week’s submissions was by The Economist. Here is their solution: Do you want a sane, sustainable solution to the health care crisis? And the Medicare/Medicaid “crisis”? Single-payer Medicare for all. Eliminate the for-profit private health insurance industry and replace it with a universal, public non-profit insurance program that covers ever man, woman and child from cradle to grave. In other words, just expand Medicare to cover everyone and cut out all of the other middle men who take their respective cuts out of our health care dollars at every stage of the current game. Currently 35 cents of every health care dollar goes to pay for unnecessary administrative overhead due solely to the multiple private bureaucracies of private insurers and providers fighting over who is (or isn’t) going to get paid how much for what. In a $2.5 trillion/year health [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Revolution! Solutions: The Fall of Healthcare

February 1, 2011 – 12:40 pm
the revolution love revolution

As I mention in my post a few weeks ago, this month launches Revolution!,  an interactive transmedia project that will empower each and every one of us to help facilitate change in some way, no matter how small. Whether its change at home, in your community, globally or just within you- you will have the tools you need to be the change you wish to see in the world. Part of this project is Revolution! Solutions, a 30 day collaborative exchange of ideas around a specific storyline. We are all in this together and the more we brainstorm solutions, the more likely we will be to find solutions that work! So, let the game begin. What if….. <2011 – the first of the Baby Boomers becomes eligible for MediCare and begins the cycle Gerontologist’s coined, “The Silver Tsunami”. <2015 – the hospital and emergency medical systems in the major cities feel the strain and suffer under a critical shortage of competent staff and teachers to train them. <2019 – the pharmaceutical industry reels from prescription drug benefits in the MediCare package. Their answer is a rate hike that leads to a 40% increase for all medications sold across the board. <2021 [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Adventure, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (7)

The Revolution! Roadtrip: Who’s Coming?

January 20, 2011 – 10:03 am
green vans revolution roadtrip ja-nae

Last week I announced Revolution! – a transmedia project designed to help empower ordinary people facilitate small or great changes to improve their community or even the world we live in.  Revolution! will kick off in February and gear up for The Revolution Roadtrip on March 4. The Revolution Roadtrip leaves from Boston and stops at various US cities before arriving at Austin for the SXSW conference.  After the conference, we’ll hit other cities on the way back before returning to Boston for our Welcome Home Party.  At every city we stop in, we will work to create content and social good that promotes change and inspires others to take action to step up and realize that they can change their environments for the better. Our destination is South by Southwest (SXSW) an annual series of film, interactive and music festivals.  Over the years, SXSW has earned a reputation as a breeding ground for new thought innovations and creative technologies from the brightest entrepreneurs.  Industry leaders, world-class speakers and emerging technology pioneers mingle and share ideas while networking to promote change.  Trendsetting musicians converge from all over the globe at SXSW to share their brilliant talents with hundreds of musical [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Adventure, Arts, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (3)

The Power of the Epic Win and Taking Online Gaming Offline

January 3, 2011 – 12:12 pm
epic win jane mcgongal online gaming

With epic wins comes a rush of positivity; a glowing feeling of victory that washes over those able to succeed in something they thought was not possible. This feeling is addictive, and perhaps why gamers stay in these worlds rather than attempt such feats in the real world. Gamers, and most people in general, feel that the real world does not give us epic wins and real world problems are truly insurmountable – no matter how well you play.

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)