Velveteen Mind: September 2010

I’m in a motorhome.

That feels like the beginning of a bad send-up of an Old Spice ad:

I’m in a motorhome. Look down. Back up.

Meg Mountain Calls

I’m on a mountain. Look down. Back up.

I am, in fact, almost to Asheville, North Carolina, for the second Type-A Mom conference. I was eight months pregnant with Olive when I spoke at Type-A Mom last year.

My memory may be tainted by all of the hormones and lavished physical attention I basked in from extraordinarily beautiful friends, but I adore this conference.

Olive will be one year old in October. As you know, I have been scrutinizing my choices more carefully as of late and making plans with a mind for bold intention. If you are attending Type-A Mom, drop in a couple of my sessions on Saturday afternoon and scrutinize those choices with me:

Blogging with Humor, Personality and Voice: I’ll be speaking with Jenny on the Spot and Clay from Dad Labs on this panel which will be a fun mix of post structure analysis and reckless abandon. Walking the line between structure and reckless abandon is, in fact, precisely what I think lends to success in blogging, so be sure to catch our circus.

What Dad Bloggers Can Learn from the Moms: This panel is just me and Ron Mattocks from Clark Kent’s Lunchbox, author of Sugar Milk. Ron is the only dad on the panel and I’m the only mom. Ron designed it that way, which makes me think he was, indeed, drunk on sugar milk at the time.

It will be as close to “If We Could Design Social Media” as anyone will probably ever let Ron and me get. God help the audience. I told Ron that I want you to walk out feeling as though “this was totally worth it,” sated by unexpected content.

Or I might have just said, “This thing had better kick ass.” Don’t miss it.

Look down. Back up. I’m in a motorhome. And these things are bumpy when blogging.

See you soon!

PS- When you see me, ask me for a copy of Story Bleed’s print preview magazine!

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Do a few things and do them well. Social media is one of those things I hope to do well. It is something I hope to participate in mindfully, when I am not participating playfully. Ideally, I would execute mindfully and playfully simultaneously. The irony is that social media nearly demands a 24/7 lock on our attention. Clearly, I won’t grant the unwieldy beast even an eighth of that.

So how do you grab the reins?

I choose. I don’t grab the reins of every beast that gallops by, no matter how exhilarating the ride appears.

Choosing to work with companies like Tide on projects like Loads of Hope is the perfect example of how I have carefully evolved how I prefer to use my platforms. Using social media to amplify messages I believe in is part of my “broad story.” The swath of color that will stand out when you step back and view the forest versus allowing yourself to become consumed by the trees.

One of those swaths of color in my broad story is orange.

I have been endlessly distracted and my attention divided the last few weeks, but before I do anything else I want to share with you how proud I was to attend the Tide Loads of Hope concert in New Orleans featuring Faith Hill and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Yes, I’m actually following up on a story I mentioned to you!

The culmination of Story Bleed’s Hope Remains carnival, it was a treat to share stories with Faith (yes, she is just that beautiful and kind) and an honor to host local bloggers at the concert (WHO DAT!). More than anything, it was a rare opportunity to spend time with Tide and the team behind the Loads of Hope program.

There is a reason I lend my voice to this program.

A simple message and a simple call-to-action: Tide Loads of Hope is a free mobile laundry truck that arrives on-scene and washes clothes for victims of natural disasters, effectively and efficiently caring for the simplest of human needs. Support the program by buying Tide’s vintage t-shirts.

Do a few things and do them well. Pat the pretty beasts as they swirl by in your social media stream, but hold tight to your reins and embrace the ones that carry you.

Make choices. Act with intent. Move with purpose.

And for the love of God, have fun.

••• ••• •••

Kids at Jolly's Diner Fairhope This summer was wonderful. Creatively, it was precisely the break that I needed. By giving my family my undivided attention, it freed my creative center to regroup. I reemerged with clarity and, most vital, interest.

I am interested in what I do creatively. That isn’t always the case when a hobby develops a business element, which is certainly the case with both Velveteen Mind and Story Bleed. I am trying to make more thoughtful choices that better support that creativity and the audience that embraces my experiments.

Which means embracing consistency. Which means timely follow-through. Which means a strong voice that maintains a steady thread through even the threadbare.

I have a slew of stories I want to share with you. News and announcements and good, good things. I’m getting back to work.

Thank you for your patience and your interest in what I choose to share with you. Ask any PR rep that emails me and they’ll tell you that I’m fiercely protective of how I engage your attention. I know how good I’ve got it with you.

As much as I’m nearly obsessive about reading and responding to your comments, I am closing comments on this post.
I graciously ask that you use the time you usually spend in comments and click through to the Tide Loads of Hope site.

Take 30 seconds and see why I afford them your attention. Then take a moment to consider what swaths of color are becoming part of your broad story.

We’ll talk soon.