Katy's Blog
Danielle LaPorte is my business guru. Her digital course “The Spark Kit” (formerly known as “The Fire Starter Sessions”) is easily the most inspirational and helpful guide for any entrepreneur looking to fire up and build an authentic, satisfying and successful business. (If you’re not yet hip to Danielle, I strongly urge you to visit her website: www.whitehottruth.com. Pure gold.) Danielle has changed the way I think about my life and my work and has empowered me in more ways than I can articulate…
Over the weekend, I was writing in mud. I spent over seven hours in front of my computer, toiling away on something that should have taken me an hour and a half or two hours to finish. I battled with every word, for the most part unsuccessfully. They stood stubbornly in the distance, flipping me the middle finger. It’s actually been like this for about a week now. I keep pushing down on the gas pedal. The gears grind and grind but I can’t…
It’s been a bit of a grim summer. With the relentless news of an economy trembling on the brink and a political divide that seems to grow uglier by the day, a gloomy pall has settled over our collective psyche. We’re fatigued. We’re weary. We’re increasingly frustrated with a situation that is, by and large, impossibly out of our hands. There is a pervasive sense of scarcity and fear across the land. In such an environment, it’s easy to succumb to cynicism or despair. But…
Today I’m thinking about venues that present live music verses venues that are pro- music. The former hires musicians to play in their clubs, throws some coin to the band (And, if the band is lucky, a meal and a few drinks.) and folds live music into the overall ambiance of the environment. The bottom line in these joints is usually food and drink sales. The more bodies the band can put in the seats, the better. The latter, however, is specifically about the music.…
OK, here we go…. Last week I posted a link on my Facebook page for the Up-Beat Girls Jazz camp, which is taking place August 8-12 at Jazz Night School. I have recently become affiliated with JNS and want to promote this camp, which I think is a cool idea. Shortly after I posted the link, a male musician, whom I like and respect, posed a question in the comments field: “Why an all girls jazz camp?” Although I quickly pointed out that I could…
Fear appears to be an ongoing theme in the lives of many creative people, or so it would seem judging from what I see out on the blogosphere. On any given day, I come across multiple posts on this topic. I’ve certainly written about it myself a time or two. (Here and here.) For as much as we go on and on about it, fear remains a curious challenge for most of us. We are perpetually trembling. SO, WHAT ARE WE SO AFRAID OF ANYWAY?…
The premise for Jazz Canvas is simple: A swingin’ jazz trio, a guest performer and a visual artist share the stage for a two-hour performance. Throughout the course of the show, the band does its thing and the artist creates a painting in response to the music being played. Both the music and the painting are immediate in nature. It is the ultimate improvisational interplay of mediums. Jazz Canvas is the brainchild of drummer Terry Marsh and artist Leigh Knowles Metteer. After presenting a few…
