On Wednesday, September 22, we’ll be hosting our 2nd Meetup Everywhere event where groups all over the world rally together to answer life’s hard-hitting questions. Together. Then later, bring what they discovered back online to share with the community at large.

This month’s question is:

What makes your city a great place to live and work?

Meet up with local Brazen members and discuss what brought you to your city in the first place. Why is it so great? Why is it not so great? With enough support, what could you change?

Film each other talking about what you discovered and bring the footage back to the community at large. We’ll create a video recap that shows the world what went down. But wait! There’s more …

We want each of you to document what you learned from your meetup on your blogs and share a link with us. We’re going to compile your posts and send them to top decision makers letting them know what we really think. So far, we’re planning on sending your posts to these people …

1. The mayor of your city.
2. Your state’s governor.
3. The EDA

Related posts:

1. Brazen Careerist Meetup

1. Brazen Careerist Meetup

Check www.pknraleigh.com for details

Related posts:

1. PechaKucha Night #4 at ideaSPARK

SPARKcon celebrates creativity in the NC Triangle. For 4 days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville St, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design and more.
SPARKcon showcases local cultural richness through an open-source approach to collaboration and cross pollination. It’s completely grass-roots and by the people for the people! Join us as we explore the creative spirit of the Triangle!

SPARKcon is a “creative potluck” of SPARKs or creative themes such as art, music, film, fashion, etc. Each SPARK is put together by individuals who are deeply embedded in that specific local scene. SPARKcon is a program of Visual Art Exchange, a Raleigh non-profit whose mission is to support emerging artists and connect the community to the arts.

Using a combination of networking and open calls for participants, organizers create diverse and representative events to show off local talent and connect disparate creative scenes. SPARKcon grows every time a new person gets involved with a SPARK category, creating their own event, or joining in to help an existing one. It’s an open-source, “for the people, by the people” approach with an intentionally dynamic focus.

SPARKcon began in 2006, when a group of creative and community-minded people realized that there is an abundance of creative people in the Triangle, but we are unconnected and even invisible to many.  Starting with no financial or managerial backing, this continuously growing group designed a weekend of showcases to celebrate local creative pursuits, and a series of workshops and speakers to nurture the growth and sustainability of our creative future. In 2010, SPARKcon became of program of Visual Art Exchange, a longtime partner in the event.

September 2010 will be our fifth annual SPARKcon. We’re still just a loose association open to any passionate individual or group who wants to get involved. We’re still grass roots–our money comes from our pockets and the pockets of others excited to support local creativity. The ideas and showcases come from inspired people who have the ingenuity to say “What if…?” and the motivation to then help make it happen.

Each year, we have over 50 organizers, hundreds of local talents are showcased, hundreds of volunteers helping behind the scenes and thousands of attendees. All of these people equal SPARKcon.

ideaSPARK
fashionSPARK
poetrySPARK
graffitiSPARK
danceSPARK
designSPARK
theatreSPARK
fireSTARTERS
artSPARK
musicSPARK
bazaarSPARK
filmSPARK
circusSPARK
tastySPARK
cyberSPARK

See official website for details: www.sparkcon.com

Related posts:

1. PechaKucha Night #4 at ideaSPARK

SPARKcon opens with 5^th Annual ideaSPARK at KINGS

August 18, 2010—Raleigh, NC – SPARKcon 2010 will open with a sharing of new ideas and creativity at the 5^th Annual ideaSPARK. The event will take place at the recently renovated KINGS in downtown Raleigh on September 16th, 2010 at 7:30 pm. This year’s ideaSPARK repeats last year’s successful format as a PechaKucha Night. The Thursday night opener will be the fourth PechaKucha Night coordinated by PKN Raleigh organizers and sponsored by Lonerider Beer, KINGS, Yelp! and TechShop.

What is SPARKcon? SPARKcon is a showcase of creativity, talent and ideas of “The Creative Hub of the South,” the Triangle NC. SPARKcon is a “creative potluck” of SPARKs or creative themes such as art, music, film, fashion, etc. Each SPARK is organized & produced by individuals who are deeply embedded in that specific local scene. SPARKcon is a program of Visual Art Exchange, a Raleigh non-profit whose mission is to support emerging artists and connect the community to the arts.

What is ideaSPARK? For the second year, ideaSPARK has adopted the PechaKucha format. PechaKucha Nights are local idea-sharing events in the 20 x 20 format: speakers present 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide. Slides advance automatically to keep things moving forward at a rapid pace. Anyone can present, but the most meaningful PechaKucha presentations are the ones that uncover the unexpected — unexpected talent, unexpected ideas.  Many use PechaKucha Night to present their latest creative projects, work, or passions. PechaKucha is Japanese for ‘chatter’ or the sound of conversation. All of September’s ideaSPARK/PechaKucha presentations are closely aligned with the philosophy & mission of SPARKcon. The event is free, but space is limited. Reserve your seats at:  http://ideaspark2010.eventbrite.com.

Presenters:

- Mor Aframian (I Design Ethically) – www.morlove.org
- Christine Choi – christinerchoi.com
- Dipika & Akira Morita (DesignKompany) – www.designkompany.com
- Jay Dolan – http://theantisocialmedia.com
- Katherine Droujkov
- Justin Goeres – justingoeres.com
- Josh Johnson – www.jnjosh.com
- Ashley McClelland (Triangle Hackerspace) – http://trianglehackers.com
- Paul Reimel (Downtown Raleigh Alliance) – www.YouRHere.com
- Deborah Ross – www.deborahross.org
- George Smart (Triangle Modernist Houses) –www.trianglemodernisthouses.com
- Christopher Sopher – www.youngerthinking.com
- Dave & Kim Turnage

• Date & Time: September 16th, 2010, at 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30)

• Location: KINGS, 14 W. Martin St., Raleigh, NC 27601

• Reserve tickets: http://ideaspark2010.eventbrite.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Carlee Mallard | @pknraleigh | www.sparkcon.com/ideaspark | pknraleigh@gmail.com | www.pknraleigh.com

Related posts:

1. PechaKucha Night #5
2. SPARKcon
3. PechaKucha: Creative Minds do Durham

And by that I mean literally, my fresh-out-of-college unemployed little sister, Rianna. She’s probably the

best person that I know, and I’m probably the best sister that anyone could have. Which is why I’m dedicating an entire post to her today.

I’m not sure exactly when she decided she had to move to New York City after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with an Anthropology degree this past May, but I’m pretty sure her mind was made up when we visited the city during her Spring Break back in March. While I was walking around complaining about my blisters, the cold, and what a dirtier city this was than I remembered from a few years earlier, she was plotting how she would move back there.

So what now?

Well, after 3 months of unsuccessful long-distance online job hunting (that is, a lot of “we went with someone more local”), she took the plunge and booked a one-way ticket to JFK and found herself traversing the NYC metro by Wednesday morning. Now don’t get me wrong, this girl is my best friend and she just left me in Raleigh for what appears to be, well, nothing, so I’m not super ecstatic about it. But if she wants something this badly, then gosh darnit I’m going to help her as much as I can.

For now she’s couch surfing with friends and staking out over-booked holiday weekend hostel rooms until she finds a job and a place of her own or until she runs out of money (and we really can’t have that, can we?).

What she’s looking for:

While she’s working her ass off looking for jobs online, writing kick-butt cover letters, and stalking companies like Big Duck and Carrot Creative to get her dream job, she’s not above anything that pays the bills at this point and still walks the streets of Manhattan & Brooklyn looking for “Hiring” signs in the windows.

About that dream job though, in her words:

I love people, so it makes sense that I would want to work for them as much as with them. I love non-profit, socially conscious organizations because they are groups of people with a mission they really (have to) believe in.

Working with people means that every interaction, day, minute is always different. I like when I have multiple things I have to do in a day, all with completely different teams, places or requirements. I love new things, new challenges, new problems and new solutions! One of my favorite quotes is “if we do not find something pleasant, at least we shall find something new” – Voltaire

What I know is that she’s dedicated her life to the arts in one form or another. As an artist herself, interacting with talent at performances, and even on the nonprofit organization side. And even if you’re mean to her, she’ll pretend to be your best friend. (I’m not sure where she got that from; maybe the southern upbringing, but definitely not from me!) Point being, she’s mad smart (some even say smarter than me; gasp!), insanely creative (I have her write all my catchy headlines & titles, brainstorm with her about creative fundraising ideas, and I insisted on hanging a pencil portrait she drew above my bed), and a total people-person. In my personal opinion I think she would make an amazing company spokesperson or first point-of-contact. Yeah.

How can you help?

We all know how important networking is. If you live in the New York City metro area then you can easily help just by reaching out and connecting with her. I can promise you a great return too, because she’s a pretty amazing person and the Mallard sisters are known for being genuine helper-outers.

So meet her for coffee or lunch. Send her job leads if you have them. Take her on a tour of your neighborhood so she knows how real New Yorkers live. Be all-around nice to her!

Related posts:

1. April Monthly Goal Meetup
2. I’m A Human Being, Not A Human Doing
3. To the unemployed whiners: make your own job!

Am I wrong to scoff at those unemployed citizens who keep applying for job after job like everyone else out there? I can’t help but think that if you’re not thinking like an entrepreneur and creating a job for yourself instead of waiting until someone creates a job for you, you’re just not living in the now.

There aren’t a heck of a lot of jobs out there. And when a job opens up, a million people are going after it. The fact of the matter is that unless you’re some big wig superstar or have been dating the hiring manager, chances are you’re not gonna get the job.

So you say, “yea, I know that, but I’m trying my best!” Well I say that you’re not. If you know that all the jobs you want are going to go to someone else, you either take a job way below you or something you didn’t think you would have done—say, selling cars, waitressing, or temping at a secretary—or you just sit around unemployed for months (even years for some) telling yourself that the economy will get better or that eventually someone will notice and hire you.

But hey—there’s a third option out there too! Make your own job. Nobody is going to hand you anything. I’m not saying that everyone needs to freelance or “be their own boss” (although that seems to be the trend), but I am saying that you need to take control of your career and make a place for yourself.

If you really want to work for Cosmo or Cisco and they don’t appear to have any openings where you fit in or you keep getting rejected from the stock applications, get creative. The phrase “get your foot in the door” still rings true today. Maybe not in the “start working in the mailroom” sort of way, but definitely in the start somewhere sort of way.

Know what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing (at least to some degree) and just start doing it! Even then if you still can’t make your own job just doing it, maybe you’ll end up being a superstar. Who knows?

But what I do know is that if you don’t act like you’re the one in control of your own life and career, you will never get what you want.

Related posts:

1. 3 Reasons To Work For Free
2. Finally, The First Day Of My New Career
3. HASO (Help A Sister Out)!

On Wednesday, August 18, 2010 I organized a local chapter of the

Brazenites at the first official meetup

Brazen Careerist’s “Crowdsource Your Career” meetup where 8 other fellow brazen careerists and I met – some for the first time, although many were very familiar faces—to talk about why we were drawn to Brazen Careerist and to discuss the question of the day (below). It was certainly a success (if I ignore the loud after-work crowd at nearby tables). I both met some new people (with new perspectives) and made even stronger connections with some Brazenites that I had not yet had the chance to speak with in such depth. Even more exciting is that we will be organizing similar continuing meetups from now on to help support the Triangle’s community of young professionals (and wannabes), providing feedback, guidance, and mentorship. More on that later, though! On to the question of the day.

Question: What does it mean to be in the driver’s seat of your life and career?

Answer 1: You are in control, no one else. You might have backseat drivers that try and tell you what you do – but ultimately you make decisions. – Courtney Burns

Answer 2: You determine your worth. You control the flow of income based on your own schedule. Autonomy. The ability to make your own decisions. – Brianne Villano

Answer 3: To be in the driver’s seat of my life and career does not mean that I have to name a destination. Each minor decision is my decision. I may make a wrong turn according to my backseat drivers, but who is to say what is wrong and right when you don’t know where you are going (or how you are getting there). Being in the driver’s seat means being in control, listening to your self and being confident in your decisions. – Rianna Mallard

Answer 4: You know what you want to do, and you know how to get it. – Tony Shaffner

Answer 5: You are following your passion with a single focus and you are the determiner and measurer of success. – Bruce Robinson

Answer 6: You turn off the GPS and toss the maps of people’s previous travels and go for it! – Emily Moore

Answer 7: Driving is important and at the same time it’s important to drive with a purpose, of intention, a destination or you could be driving aimlessly. Being in the driver’s seat of your career is about being aware of your external environment: education, career, and life options and making the decisions/choices for your life with your inner knowing (self-knowledge), to ensure that your drive has meaning and purpose for you. – Latoya Williams

Answer 8: You’re location independent, you are financially independent & you love what you do. – Kristen Jeffers

Although all of us are Brazenites (yea, I used that word, again), everyone took a different angle in responding to the question. Some of us took the driver’s seat analogy a little further while others completely ignored it and got to the heart of the meaning. I think what we all agreed upon, though was that “being in the driver’s seat” means having control and a direction (although some would argue that you don’t need a destination). And even more than that, we all believe that it’s important to be independent, driven (no pun intended), passionate, happy, and that to be in the driver’s seat of your life sometimes you need to break away from the mold.

I can think of a few other qualities of a driver, too:

• Leadership. Think about when you’re in a group and need to decide who’s going to drive some place, chances are the same person offers to drive over and over again. They’re being a leader, taking the reigns when nobody else steps up.
• Competency. There are some basic competencies a person needs to be in the driver’s seat. You have to learn a new skill, practice, pass a test, and then prove every time you get in that seat that you still have a right to be there by knowing the rules to play by. Our lives and careers are the same. We need some basic skills to get us going, but then it’s up to us to stay in the game.
• Adequacy. Let’s face it, we’re all adequate enough drivers, we get from place to place hopefully without crashing, but very few of us have mastered the art of driving as stunt drivers have. The same goes for our lives: we’re not perfect, but “ya mon, ebeything’s gonna be alright”, or rather, we get by!

I think it ended up being a pretty good analogy, don’t you think?

Thanks again to Ryan Paugh at Brazen Careerist for setting up the meetup and getting us started connecting face-to-face!

Related posts:

1. Lesson From Social Media Day: I’m An Expert, Too
2. Mixing It Up
3. First Speaking Engagements. Scary, Right?

I won’t lie. I’m a wimp. I have this reputation with my family and friends for being frail, weak, and often physically ill.

While my friends in high school were practicing on the cheerleading, track, and Ultimate Frisbee teams, I was recovering from mono on the couch for months at a time. Every time I moved (just about once every 6 months after graduating high school) I counted on my father or a good Samaritan male off the street to maneuver all my furniture up the stairs and through the doorways while I begged them not to scratch the new chairs I bought and continued to feel like I was helping by organizing all the boxes. They know not to ask me to play paintball (“Sorry, I bruise too easily.”), run too fast during a racquetball match (“Am I actually supposed to move my legs from the floor?”) or take a bike ride in the middle of summer, which have on more than one occasion ended in vomiting on a stranger’s front lawn or passing out on the sidewalk even after drinking a liter or two of water.

And I’ve whined about all of it. I cry when I stub my toe, I complain about how much my arms hurt the day after carrying groceries home from a mile away, I make it known to everyone around me if I’m dehydrated, tired, or sunburned, and I call the doctor for every rash, fever, and sinus headache.

Then when I’m worried that I’m whining too much, I check the symptoms for hypochondriasis, as if I need to confirm another ailment. Maybe I am a hypochondriac. Or maybe I’m really just a huge wimp. I could even be dying faster than a 90-year-old grandmother right now. But it doesn’t matter, because I want to keep living life, like now. I’m sick of telling myself I’m not strong enough or tough enough. I’m sick of holding myself back. I’m sick of being sick.

And when did I come to this realization? Funny story.

I started going to the gym about two months ago. I didn’t just sign up for a gym membership, though. I signed up for additional sessions with a personal trainer for the next year and I committed to a healthy lifestyle.  I knew that I had a heart condition (SVT) and anxiety that would try to convince me that I’m dying every time I had to catch my breath. But I also knew that I wanted to walk up a flight of stairs without panting, that I had a family history of breast cancer, diabetes, and brain aneurysms, and that I just didn’t want to be that whiny weak girl anymore.

The first few weeks I complained a lot. I complained about not being able to squat over the Port-a-potties at Bonnaroo for days after my first lower body workout. I gave my trainer the evil eye & a sad pouty face every time he pushed me harder than I thought I could handle. I even sat out one session that I paid for because I couldn’t get my heart rate to normalize.

I’m gradually getting stronger and stronger. Not just physically though, mentally too. Every time I push my physical limits further than I thought I could and don’t die, I realize that I’m not as frail as I thought. I used to be scared of the sessions with my trainer and now I see them as challenges. I used to leave the gym thinking I was so abnormal and unfit because I was so sore, and now not a day goes by that I don’t feel sore. I barely notice it anymore. I’ve accepted the soreness and the pain as part of feeling alive.

AND THEN, and this is the embarrassing part, I had a moment while watching the latest Twilight: Eclipse movie. Remember that part of the end of the movie where Bella is sitting in the grass with Edward? Edward tries to convince Bella that she’s not ready to become a vampire, but what Bella said really hit me. She explained how she had already gone through the most difficult part of her life when she thought she was going to die; after that she could handle anything. Very super-hero-like, right? Alright so maybe I didn’t have vampires hunting me down for the kill, but somehow, those silly movie-character lines hit me just at the right time in my life to make me believe one thing: I am strong, even if my mind tries to convince me I’m not.

Related posts:

1. Tips From My Journey To Find The Cheapest Gym