Ananda Leeke

My White House Tour with #SOTUSocial Social Media Leaders

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 28, 2014January 30, 2014in Digital Citizenship, State of the Union Social2 Comments

Greetings from the White House!

This morning, I joined my fellow State of the Union Social attendees for a White House tour. Each of us applied to participate in the State of the Union Social (#SOTUSocial) a few weeks ago. The White House selected us to serve as digital citizens and to use our online presence to develop and curate content, utilize the content to engage online communities, and live tweet at the #SOTUSocial (including the #SOTUChat panel discussion with White House officials and U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez after President Obama’s address).

Guess what? Over 6,000 applicants applied to participate in the #SOTUSocial. Only 60 social media leaders were chosen to visit the White House and attend the #SOTUSocial. What an honor to demonstrate our digital citizenship through serving our country and communities with our digital presence!

During the tour, we had a chance to get to know each other. I discovered we are a diverse group of fun, friendly, passionate, and smart social media influencers and professionals, college students, public policy professionals, and teachers. We represented cities like Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Denver, Colorado; Greensboro, North Carolina; Madison, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Seattle, Washington; and Washington, D.C. Together, we looked and sounded like the America I love.

After the tour and many photos, we walked to Starbucks for an impromptu meet up. I am so glad we spent more time connecting, sharing our experiences, and discussing what we hoped President Obama would highlight in his address.

PS: I developed three digital resources (one Pinterest board and two Twitter lists) to prepare for President Obama’s State of the Union address. Click here to read more about them.

Since it was cold in DC today, I decided to wear what I call a “femme chic” winter warm outfit that came straight from my closet by way of Macy’s Petites (Alfani knit jacket, blouse, and pants).

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday: My Digital Resources for President Obama’s State of the Union Address

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 28, 2014January 28, 2014in Internet Geek Tuesday, State of the Union SocialLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday and 2014 State of the Union Address (in the United States)!

Today, I am headed to the White House to participate in the State of the Union Social (#SOTUSocial) with a talented group of social media influencers, leaders, and professionals. We will watch President Obama’s State of the Union (#SOTU) address together and live tweet our comments. After the President’s address, we’ll attend a panel discussion featuring White House officials. During the panel, we will be able to ask questions. So please send me your questions via Twitter @anandaleeke.

To prepare for the State of the Union, I created three digital resources.

Pinterest State of the Union Social Board featuring articles, blogs, photos, videos, and other information related to President Obama’s 2014 #SOTU address
State of the Union Social Twitter List featuring my fellow #SOTUSocial attendees
White House State of the Union Twitter List featuring newspapers, political news sources, journalists, organizations that serve women and people of color, and Congressional representatives that I admire and respect

Are you preparing for the #SOTU?

How?

What digital resources are you using?

PS: Be sure to follow my #SOTUSocial adventures on Instagram!

Happy Yoga Monday: My Final Visit to the Smithsonian’s Yoga: Art of Transformation Exhibition

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 27, 2014January 28, 2014in Yoga, Yoga MondaysLeave a comment

Happy Yoga Monday!

During the weekend, I made one last visit to the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery’s “Yoga: The Art of Transformation” exhibition. My first visit was in October. “Yoga: The Art of Transformation” represents the world’s first exhibition of yogic art. It includes more than 120 works, from the 3rd century to the early 20th century, that celebrate the essence of yoga and its diverse history through temple sculptures, devotional icons, illustrated manuscripts, court paintings, photographs, books, and films borrowed from twenty-five museums and private collections in India, Europe, and the United States.

When I walked through the Sackler Gallery’s doors, I was greeted by two yoga practitioners who were practicing yoga on their mats and sharing their yoga wisdom and insights with visitors.

I love this pose. It reminds me of the Balasana squat pose, one of my favorites.

I was in total awe of this yogi’s ability to focus in the midst of a large crowd.

Right before I left the exhibition, I posed for a photo and signed up for a free raffle of a bag of yoga goodies from Whole Foods. Today, I received an email indicating that I won the bag of goodies. Hooray! I will pick it up this week and share a photo of it on next week’s blog.

I spent a lot of time checking out sculptures of yoginis. See photos above and below.

One of the highlights of my museum visit was meeting the exhibition’s chief curator, Debra Diamond. I told her how much I enjoyed seeing the yogini sculptures and paintings.

FYI: The exhibition closed on Sunday, January 26.

Happy Creativity Thursday: Intentionally Living A Creative Life

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 23, 2014January 24, 2014in Creativity Coaching, Creativity coaching clients, Creativity Thursday3 Comments

Happy Creativity Thursday!

The topic of intentionally living a creative life came up during a recent creativity coaching session with a client. I shared how I have developed an intention to have creative moments in my life on a weekly basis and their impact on my artwork, writing, books, creativity coaching services, and work as an artist-in-residence for Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. These moments energize me and allow me to explore new ideas. They excite and leave me in a state of awe. They teach me. They often push my edge. Sometimes they console my sadness and help me face fears and doubts. They are medicine for my creative spirit.

Listening to music in the morning is one of my favorite creative moments. It awakens my spirit and opens my heart. This morning, I began my day with London-based Omar’s new CD, “The Man.”
See photo above. To learn more about him, visit http://www.omarmusic.co.uk.

Guess what? Omar’s music is featured in my debut novel, Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One. It will also be included in my upcoming novel, Love’s Troubadours – Symon: Book Two.

How does music inspire or impact you?

What music are you currently listening to?

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday: Live Tweeting at White House on 1/28 & Using Uber for Transportation

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 21, 2014January 22, 2014in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Guess where I will be next week on Internet Geek Tuesday, January 28? Live tweeting at the State of the Union White House Social. Yes I said the White House. And I’ll be using my smartphone to access the Uber app to arrange my transportation home from the event.

Photo Credit: Uber.com

Have you heard of Uber?

Uber is a digital lifesaver for urban dwellers that was launched in 2009. Uber connects riders to drivers through its smartphone apps in over 50 cities in the United States and around the world.

Click here to sign up for Uber and download the app to your smartphone by 12 noon on Wednesday, January 22. Use my code when you sign up: BAL975455.

Happy Yoga Monday: Grace, Yoga & Service

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 20, 2014January 21, 2014in Yoga MondaysLeave a comment

Happy Yoga Monday and Dr. King Day of Service!

I started my day with gentle yoga and Snatam Kaur’s “Grace” CD. My yoga practice and Kaur’s music opened my heart and reminded me of Dr. King’s wisdom on service. He taught us that we are all great because we can serve.

Today, I am spending the day in service with friends. We are cleaning up a local park. I am grateful for the opportunity to join with others in community and service.

How are you honoring Dr. King’s legacy?

Happy Creativity Thursday: Defining Creativity

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 16, 2014January 18, 2014in Creativity ThursdayLeave a comment

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Today, I had a chance to chat with a good friend about my definition of creativity. For me, creativity is a gift I give to myself and the universe when I surrender and allow the divine flow of energy that dwells in my spirit to express itself. Painting is one medium I use to share my gift of creativity. See my painting entitled “Karma: Aham Prema” above.

What is your definition of creativity?

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday: Celebrating Get Real On the Internet Week

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 14, 2014January 15, 2014in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Photo Credit: www.realsimple.com — Photo Credit: http://www.realsimple.com

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

This week, I am celebrating “Get Real On the Internet Week” created by Real Simple magazine. I am using this week and several articles from Real Simple‘s January issue to explore how I am going to express my Flowista spirit by incorporating more digital wellness moments into my life this year. The first article I read, “Finding Balance in A Wired World,” asked me if I was addicted to my digital devices. I was close to saying YES because the month of December was super busy due to Digital Sisterhood Month and then I reminded myself that I did slow down at the end of the month. I used two yoga workshops to slow down and recharge. They helped me settle into reflection mode where I was able to enter a period of stillness that opened the door to some juicy journaling sessions. Looking back, I can honestly say I was close to being addicted to my digital devices. Now that’s not something I want to get close to in 2014.

Would you describe yourself as addicted to your digital devices?

Today, I pulled out a Flowista collage I made while writing my book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online. Flowista is a Digital Sisterhood Leadership Archetype I identified and have used to remind myself to unplug from my digital devices and online activities.

Photo Credit: Ananda's Flowista collage — Photo Credit: Ananda’s Flowista collage

The words and phrases on my Flowista collage are powerful reminders of my intention to be real on the Internet with self-care practices and regular unplugging moments.

Are you celebrating “Get Real On the Internet Week”? How?

To learn more about Digital Sisterhood, visit Amazon.com. The book is available for Kindle and as a paperback or hardback book.

Happy Yoga Monday: Creating Digital Wellness with Yoga for Computer Users

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 13, 2014January 14, 2014in Yoga, yoga for computer users, Yoga Mondays2 Comments

Photo Credit: http://dam.londonpubliclibrary.ca/book/export/html/152

Happy Yoga Monday!

This month, I am infusing Digital Wellness moments into my yoga practice. Just in case you wanted you know, I define Digital Wellness as “a gift you give yourself to help manage your time online with mindful self-care practices. Mindful self-care practices encourage you to slow down, become aware of how you spend your time online, and identify and take small steps towards having a healthier digital life. Examples include breathing exercises, journaling, massage, meditation, physical movement (walking, running, yoga, and aerobic classes), rest (naps and a good night’s sleep), setting time boundaries, and using time management tools (HootSuite, TweetDeck, and an editorial calendar) to schedule your blog and social media posts” (excerpt from my new book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online). Click here for tips on creating a Digital Wellness plan.

Sandy Blaine’s Yoga for Computer Users is a guiding force in my daily yoga practice. Blaine’s book offers illustrated yoga poses and breathing and relaxation techniques that can help you take better care of your neck, shoulders, wrists, and hands. The beautiful thing about the poses and breathing and relaxation techniques is that they can be done at home or in the office. I love the book because it gives you lifestyle suggestions and mindfulness practices that encourage you to unplug from your digital life, make more time for joy in your daily schedule, learn to alternate your mouse hand, and more!

Are you using any yoga poses to take care of yourself while you are online?

Have you created a Digital Wellness plan? What does it include?

Visit Amazon.com to learn more about Digital Sisterhood. It is available for purchase on Kindle and as a paperback and hardback book.

Happy Creativity Thursday: Breathing Life Into Your Creative Dreams

Posted by Ananda Leekeon January 9, 2014January 10, 2014in Creativity, Creativity Thursday, That Which Awakens Me - A Creative Woman's Poetic Memoir, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: "Kreative Grooviness: That Which Awakens Me " by Ananda Leeke — Photo Credit: “Kreative Grooviness: That Which Awakens Me ” by Ananda Leeke

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Have you ever dreamed of making something with your hands and then allowed your fears or lack of training to stop you?

It happened to me several years ago when I started dreaming of painting. I was afraid to try it because I had never attended art school. My perspective changed after I started working with a master artist during my tenure as an artist-in-residence for Smith Center for Healing and the Arts at Howard University Hospital. The master artist happened to be a patient I was assigned to work with on creative projects that would help him express his feelings. He transformed our sessions into art workshops where he taught me to trust my intuition and natural creative gifts. He pushed me to paint and gave me numerous painting assignments. This experience helped me create a series of paintings that I used to illustrate two book covers (see paintings above and below). The master artist breathed life into my creative dreams.

Photo Credit: "Be Love. Love Light. Live As the Spirit of Life." by Ananda Leeke — Photo Credit: “Be Love. Love Light. Live As the Spirit of Life.” by Ananda Leeke

Has anyone breathed life into your creative dreams?

How did the person breathe life into your creative dreams?

What creative actions were you inspired to take?

Visit Amazon.com to learn more about my creative journey and book, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetical Memoir of Self-Discovery (2009). My book is available as a Kindle download and a paperback book.