Ananda Leeke

Happy Creativity Thursday – 2/21

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 21, 2013February 21, 2013in Creativity ThursdayLeave a comment

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Today, I am celebrating the power of creative community. Being around like-minded creative people inspires me to open my heart more to all forms of creativity. It also helps me to express my creativity in unique ways.

On February 8, I attended Live Unchained’s Anniversary Celebration and launch of its “Terrifying, Strange and Beautiful” fundraising campaign at Local 16 in my U Street neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Live Unchained is an international arts organization for women across the African diaspora that was established by Kathryn Buford. Click here to read Digital Sisterhood Leadership Project’s profile of Kathryn.

Live Unchained’s “Terrifying, Strange and Beautiful” fundraising campaign is preparing to bring London-based Somali poet, Warsan Shire to Washington, DC for a “Terrifying, Strange and Beautiful” series and awards ceremony in 2014. The campaign’s name “Terrifying, Strange and Beautiful” is taken from a line from one of Shire’s popular poems, “For Women Who Are Difficult to Love.”

During the February 8th celebration, I had a chance to hug and chat with Kathryn about her amazing work. I hung out with one of my favorite digital sisters and creativity accountability partners, Jessica Solomon, Live Unchained’s Connectivity Director. We chatted about the powerful images Live Unchained has been able to share with its online community for the past several years. In addition, I had some great conversations with my digital sisters Nae Carter, founder of I Choose the Sun blog, and Adrienne Burke, a media curator, as we posed for photos.

My creative heart was thrilled to pieces when I viewed the video introducing the “Terrifying, Strange and Beautiful” fundraising campaign on indiegogo.com. Click here to watch the video. And if you are like me, you will make a donation to support Live Unchained. For more information about the fundraising campaign, click here to read the press release.

#InternetGeekTuesday Update – Ananda’s Social Media Week DC Schedule

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 19, 2013February 19, 2013in Internet Geek Tuesday, Social Media, Social Media WeekLeave a comment

Happy Social Media Week DC!

My Social Media Week DC adventures started yesterday with a visit to Judy’s Bar and Restaurant on 14th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Although Judy’s is located in my neighborhood and I have walked past it many times, it took the DC Comedy Writers vs. Social Media event to bring me inside.

Photo Credit: Judy's Bar and Restaurant — Photo Credit: Judy’s Bar and Restaurant

Once I was inside, I realized I had been missing out on some great Latin American cuisine. Judy’s is just the kinda neighborhood spot I’ve been searching for. It’s not too big or too crowded. The scene is cozy with delicious drinks and food. The margaritas will rock your world!

I attended the DC Comedy Writers vs. Social Media event for one reason only: TO LAUGH!!!! And guess what? I achieved my goal and learned how to write Instagram jokes with a creative team led by one of my digital brothers, Leon Scott, founder of ListenToLeon.net. I also witnessed the courage of several comedy writers try out their new work which focused on social media themes. If you missed the event, don’t fret. You can drop by Judy’s every Monday night at 8:30 p.m. to witness the creative storytelling efforts of the DC Comedy Writers. Click here to read a recent City Paper article about the group.

Starting tomorrow (which is #DigitalSisterhood Wednesday on Twitter — appropriate don’t you think?), I’ll be live tweeting from several Social Media Week DC events. See my schedule below. My live tweets will include key takeaways from sessions and photos of DC’s Tech Style. Be sure to follow me on @digitalsisterhd. Also, follow @smwwdc and the hashtag #smwwdc to stay updated on all Social Media Week DC events.

Ananda’s Social Media Week DC Schedule:

February 20: Social Media Trends in Communications for 2013
February 20: Digital Africa : The Diaspora strikes back
February 21: Hispanic Outreach 2013: How to Reach the Highly Mobile and Social Hispanic
February 21: Book Launch Party for Allyson Kapin and Amy Sample Ward’s new book, Social Change Anytime
February 22: Crowdstorm – Brainstorm At Social Web Scale

Are you celebrating Social Media Week? What events are you attending or following on Twitter?

Enjoy #InternetGeekTuesday and Social Media Week!

Photo Credit: Allyson Kapin and Amy Sample Ward

PS: I am really excited about attending Allyson Kapin and Amy Sample Ward’s book launch party. Why? They are two of my digital diva sheroes!

FYI – Allyson was named 2012 Digital Sister of the Year – Empowerista.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday! 2/19

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 19, 2013February 5, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

I love attending conferences, meet ups, panel discussions, and workshops. These events offer amazing learning opportunities. In January, I attended the 2013 Broadband and Social Justice Summit sponsored by the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC). MMTC’s session on How To Become a Next Generation Digital Media Entrepreneur was very informative.

I enjoyed learning from the panelists Shawna Renee Odour, Host & Special Projects Producer, SiriusXM; Lateef A. Sarnor, Head of Multicultural Marketing, AOL; and Navarrow Wright, Chief Technology Officer, Interactive One. The moderator Joycelyn James, Esq., Senior Attorney and Cathy Hughes Fellow at MMTC, did a great moderating the panel. I used Twitter to capture several takeaways. See below.

Shawna Odour: the next entrepreneurs and content creators have to be brave and creative.
Odour suggests researching and keeping up w/ targeted audience’s usage, adoption trends and behaviors are essential to success.
Odour believes that sensible content should be created for minorities and women of color.
Odour says entrepreneurs can engage in “Information Affluence” by listening first.
Find your niche then engage with your targeted audiences using user-friendly social media and other online media says Odour.
Navarro Wright: It is easer to create Internet content today than it was five years ago.

Click here to watch the session’s video. Check out the official event photos.

Before I left the Summit, I had a chance to chat with my digital sisters Maurita Coley, MMTC COO and Joycelyn James, MMTC Staff Counsel and Cathy Hughes Fellow.

Me with Maurita Coley (middle) and Joycelyn James (R) of MMTC

Happy Yoga Monday 2/18

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 18, 2013March 4, 2013in Yoga MondaysLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Fish Pose from Yoga Journal

Happy Yoga Monday!

Today I am focused on my heart chakra and opening my heart with yoga poses. The heart chakra is the fourth chakra. Chakras are energy centers in the body.

The heart chakra governs the heart, upper chest, and upper back. It ensures that harmony and balance exist in the body. When it is in balance, you feel open and give love and are able to connect with others in a peaceful, harmonious way.

The Fish pose is a great heart-opener. I can do it on my bed which makes it even sweeter. Click here to learn more about it.

I am huge fan of yoga poses that I can do in my bed. A few years ago I purchased Yoga in Bed by Edward Vilga. What a great book! It has helped me incorporate several poses into my home yoga practice and classes with clients.

Have you ever tried yoga in your bed?

Which poses work best for you when you practice in your bed?

Enjoy your day!

OM #YogaMonday OM!

PS: If you would like to read about my yoga journey, check out my memoir That Which Awakens Me on Amazon.com. It is available on Kindle

My debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One features a main character who works as a yoga teacher in Washington, D.C. Click here to visit the Love’s Troubadours’ Pinterest board which contains some great information about the novel. You can purchase it on Amazon.com.

Happy Creativity Thursday! – Celebrating the 100th Birthday Anniversary of Photographer Gordan Parks

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 14, 2013February 14, 2013in Creativity ThursdayLeave a comment

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Today, I am honoring Black History Month by celebrating the creativity and 100th birthday anniversary of Gordan Roger Alexander Buchannan Parks (November 30, 1912 — March 7, 2006), an African-American activist, composer, film director, journalist, musician, novelist, poet, and photographer. What a Renaissance man!

Parks made history in 1948 when LIFE magazine hired him as their first African-American staff photographer. Another history making moment occurred in 1969 when he became the first African-American artist to produce and direct a major Hollywood film, “The Learning Tree.”

Photo Credit: Gordan Parks for LIFE Magazine

I discovered him through his LIFE photo essays and work as the director of the 1971 film “Shaft.”

Gordan Parks' Shaft film — Gordan Parks’ Shaft film

I fell in love with his photographs of D.C. street scenes in the 1940s, the Black Muslim women from the Nation of Islam (1963), and Malcolm X.

Photo Credit: Gordan Parks - Street Corner, 7th Street and Florida Avenue, Washington, D.C., 1942. (Courtesy Library of Congress/ICP) — Photo Credit: Gordan Parks – Street Corner, 7th Street and Florida Avenue, Washington, D.C., 1942. (Courtesy Library of Congress/ICP)

Photo Credit: Gordon Parks - Ethel Sharrieff, daughter of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam. Chicago, 1963 — Photo Credit: Gordon Parks – Ethel Sharrieff, daughter of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam. Chicago, 1963

Photo Credit: Gordan Parks - Malcolm X in Chicago, IL in 1963 — Photo Credit: Gordan Parks – Malcolm X in Chicago, IL in 1963

In 1997, I had a chance to see Parks’ work when the Corcoran Gallery of Art mounted a career retrospective, Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks. Click here to watch a video of the Half Past Autumn (1 hour 29 minutes).

To learn more about Parks, read his memoirs, A Hungry Heart: A Memoir and To Smile in Autumn.

Gordan Parks' memoir — Gordan Parks’ memoir

For additional information check out the Gordon Parks Foundation and Gordon Parks Center.

Next week, Macy’s, the Gordon Parks Foundation, and American Black Film Festival are honoring Parks’ 100th birthday anniversary with an in-store celebration, art installation, and discussion about his work on February 21 at 5:30 p.m. at Macy’s Metro Center (lower level in Furniture Gallery) in Washington, D.C.

DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post about the Macy’s Black History Month event. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday! 2/12

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 12, 2013February 5, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Pinterest Logo

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Pinterest is probably my all-time favorite social media tool. I love looking at the beautiful images! My heart is filled with Pinterest joy when I share images and information on my 62 boards. Yes, I have 62 boards! My Internet Geek brain is tickled silly when I visit the Pinchat Facebook group and read stimulating posts written by various group members.

Last year, LaShanda Henry, SistaSense.com founder, invited me to speak about “Understanding Pinterest” for the SistaSense Power Circle Telesummit for Web Entrepreneurs. What an honor! In preparation for the Telesummit, I created an Understanding Pinterest board as a resource for participants. Creating the board helped me stay updated on the latest Pinterest articles, best practices, infographics, and trends. It helped me market the event and engage my audience on various social media platforms. I received a lot of positive feedback from my social media audience. Their feedback convinced me to create Pinterest resource boards for my future events, talks, and workshops.

Do you like Pinterest? Why?

What are your favorite Pinterest boards?

How do you stay updated on Pinterest trends and pinning wisdom?

Happy Yoga Monday 2/11

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 11, 2013March 4, 2013in Yoga, Yoga Mondays2 Comments

Practicing and teaching yoga by candelight is yoga yummy!

Happy Yoga Monday!

Today, I am celebrating the beauty of my Yin Yoga practice. Yin Yoga consists of poses that stretch the connective tissues of the body including the hips, thighs and lower spinal area. These types of tissues stretch and exercise the bone and joints areas of the body. Yin Yoga poses are slow and steady. You hold each pose for several minutes which allows your muscles to relax so you can focus on lengthening and strengthening the connective tissues.

I’ve been a lover and practitioner of Yin Yoga for many years. My Yin Yoga love affair started during my yoga teacher training at Flow Yoga Center in 2005. That’s when I learned about it and purchased yoga teacher Paul Grilley’s DVD.

Through her studies with Grilley and Sarah Powers, my yoga teacher Yael Flusberg (a fabulous yoga therapist, coach, Reiki Master, poet, and writer) has given me a deeper appreciation for the various poses (including Swan, one of my favorites) and how they connect to the energetic flow of my chakras and meridian points in my body. Her teaching style has influenced the way I share Yin Yoga with my clients.

My yoga teacher/life coach/copy editor Yael Flusberg, a poet/writer/coach

This year, I gave myself the gift of regular yoga classes at Tranquil Space. One of my favorite classes is Candelight Yin taught by Danielle Polen. The class helps me release the concerns of my day, settles my mind chatter, and opens my heart.

Yin Yoga has been a true blessing. It works magic in my creative life. Whenever I have writer’s block, I love to do a series of poses because they CHILL me out. They get me out of my mind and into the present moment. The NOW! That’s where all of the juicy creativity lives which makes it possible for me to write and publish books. Click here to read a Yoga Journal about Yin Yoga. Enjoy!

What type of yoga do you practice?

What does yoga do for you?

PS: If you would like to read about my yoga journey, check out my memoir That Which Awakens Me on Amazon.com. It is available on Kindle

My debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One features a main character who works as a yoga teacher in Washington, D.C. Click here to visit the Love’s Troubadours’ Pinterest board which contains some great information about the novel. You can purchase it on Amazon.com.

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 7, 2013February 4, 2013in Creativity ThursdayLeave a comment

Ananda celebrating creativity at the Mickalene Thomas exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Museums are great places to go for creative inspiration. The Brooklyn Museum is one of my favorites!

In December, I visited the Museum to see the Mickalene Thomas’ exhibition. She is one of my favorite artists. Her mixed media paintings and installations set my creative heart on fire. Click here to read about my visit.

Where do you go for creative inspiration?

Do you enjoy museums?

What are your favorite museums to visit?

Any plans to visit one soon?

For more Creativity Thursday inspiration, follow me on Twitter @anandaleeke and look for the #CreativityThursday hashtag. Also, visit my Pinterest board dedicated to creative inspiration. Enjoy!

Have a creatively inspired day!

PS: Click here to read all about the launch of Creativity Thursday.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 5, 2013February 5, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Ananda the Internet Geek enjoying Fast Company while sipping Zen green tea at Starbucks

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

February is truly my month of new beginnings. Today, I am launching Internet Geek Tuesday to celebrate all things Internet and Geeky! This weekly celebration is a part of my latest effort to marry my blog and social media content to my “Yoga + Creativity + Internet Geek” personal brand statement (Yoga Mondays and Creativity Thursdays).

One of my favorite issues of Fast Company

I wanna tell you about one of my favorite magazines, Fast Company (FC). I have been reading FC since its launch in 1996. Yep, it’s been that long. I was required to read it when I worked as a knowledge manager and intellectual property protection manager for Hamilton Securities Group, Inc. I fell in love with it on the first day I read it. It was the perfect combination of creativity, business, entrepreneurs, and technology.

Lynne d Johnson is one of the first FC writers I felt connected to. Lynne’s work with FC’s Most Influential Women In Tech cover stories exposed me to a diverse group of of digital diva sheroes. Her career and Twitter wisdom continue to inspire and inform me. To learn more about her, click here to listen to our 2010 chat on Digital Sisterhood Radio.

Right now I am reading the February issue. It’s all about creative conversations. Click here to read more about them.

FC has an amazing group of writers. Ellen McGirt, a FC senior writer, rocks my world with her words, interviews, and feature stories. Ellen’s creative energy helped give birth to FC’ June 2012 issue on The League of Extraordinatory Women. Click here to watch her 2011 IFT talk on the power of invention and innovation. Enjoy!

Before I close this post, I just had to share that Ellen responded to my tweet with a kind message. It made my #InternetGeekTuesday! Here’s our Twitter exchange.

@anandaleeke: #InternetGeekTuesday Love: When I read @ellmcgirt‘s articles on @FastCompany, my mind is filled with ideas! She rocks! ow.ly/hlxqf

@ellmcgirt: @anandaleeke @FastCompany Made my day! #gratitude

PS: Be sure to follow me on Twitter @anandaleeke and the #InternetGeekTuesday hashtag for more Internet Geek treats. Check me out on Flickr and Pinterest too!

Happy February & Happy #YogaMonday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 4, 2013March 4, 2013in Yoga, Yoga Mondays1 Comment

Photo Credit: Leigh Mosley, leighmosley.com

Happy February! Happy Black History Month! Happy Heart Health Month! Happy Love Day/Month! Happy #YogaMonday!

It’s a lot of happy going on today! Why? I am very excited about sharing reflections and resources that celebrate my yoga passion, practice, and services as a yoga teacher on Mondays. This month, I’m sharing yoga reflections and resources that promote an open and healthy heart on my blog and social media platforms (search #YogaMonday on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter for my yoga goodies).

Do you practice yoga?

What are your favorite poses?

How does yoga make you feel?

What kind of music do you like to listen to while practicing yoga?

One of the things I love to doin my personal yoga practice and in my sessions with clients is chant mantras. Mantras are words or phrases that create energy-based sounds when they are repeated over and over again during meditation and yoga. Devi Premal has a beautiful collection of mantras I use to open my heart. Her Love Is Space DVD is one of my favorites.

I fell in love with her rendition of Om Mani Padme Hum which means “Hail, the jewel in the lotus.” Click here to listen to it. I use the mantra to open my heart to the practice of compassion. I love to chant it before I do several rounds of cat and cow yoga poses (great heart openers). Yoga Journal has some great instructions on how to do the poses: cat pose and cow pose. Many of my clients enjoy using the online resources too.

Photo Credit: Martin LaBar http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinlabar/3271089468/in/photostream/

Here are some of heart-related quotes I am using this month as reminders to keep an open heart and practice compassion as I move through my life.

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” Oprah Winfrey
“A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love.” Mother Teresa
“Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.” Braveheart
“Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.” Author Unknown

Click here to read Renita Weems’ post with 21 quotes to open your heart on BeliefNet.

Did you know you could practice yoga with your hands? This kind of yoga is called mudras. They are hand gestures and seals that can help improve flexibility and coordination in your fingers and hands. When you use them with breathing exercises, they can stimulate an opening to your lungs and heart and open your joints and relieve tension in your head, neck, and shoulders. They can also help cultivate a specific state of mind during your yoga and meditation practice. I use them in my yoga practice and sessions with clients. The lotus mudra is one I use to open my heart.

Click here to watch my video on the lotus mudra. For more information, check out Yoga Journal’s article on mudras. Enjoy!

OM #YogaMonday OM!

PS: If you would like to read about my yoga journey, check out my memoir That Which Awakens Me on Amazon.com. It is available on Kindle

My debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One features a main character who works as a yoga teacher in Washington, D.C. Click here to visit the Love’s Troubadours’ Pinterest board which contains some great information about the novel. You can purchase it on Amazon.com.