Growing Bolder Community

My company is called ideaLizms. Aside from being clay sculptures I have created, ideaLizms are intended to inspire and encourage people to live their lives creatively and with fun. This may sound like an intimidating concept to some, but the bottom line is this - creativity relieves boredom. Don’t you find it to be excruciatingly boring to make the same recipe over and over again? To drive...

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Picasso. Our lives have been a linear sequence of education, work, babies, minivans, college tuition, and care-taking. There is no question the joy imbued in these stages is irreplaceable. But somewhere in this process it’s easy to lose parts of ourselves. We begin turning beige as color and joy seep...

Be Brave. Lose the Beige is the name of my little company as well as the name of my blog. Be Brave. Lose the Beige aspires to inspire and encourage Lady Boomers and other Empty Nesters to discover their own colorful spirits. Is running from meeting to meeting, checking off the to-do list really what life is all about? Lady Boomers! This is a clarion call to resolve this new year to imbue your...

Lady Boomers wear a lot of hats. One of the hats I wear is that of market researcher. I conduct focus groups, talking with women around the country about various issues facing their families and communities. This week I was in Winston Salem, North Carolina talking with 11 women about the economic recession and its impact upon their families. Now, I have to say, I've worked in this field since...

Writing essays and posting them on line was certainly a stretch for me when I started blogging right before New Years in 2007, but never in a million years could I have predicted that I'd be reading them in front of an audience in Chicago. But welcome to Essay Fiesta, which is a monthly reading series of extraordinary talent and energy. Chicago's my home town, and it finally gives me a reason to...

Have you ever heard someone say, "I had a great idea when I was taking a shower this morning"? I have heard this expression on countless occasions, so many times in fact I no longer think it’s a coincidence. Let’s face it, it’s one of the only times during our day when we are alone and not being bombarded by sound. We can actually listen to ourselves. Try spending time alone...