Winter 2013 has been a series of new beginnings for me. The theme of new beginnings inspired me to return to my regular practice of blogging for FUN! Yep I said for FUN! So I developed an editorial calendar for my blog and social media posts that corresponds to my personal brand, “Yoga + Creativity + Internet Geek = Ananda Leeke.
Yesterday, I launched Creativity Thursdays to share creativity reflections and resources and my creative work. Next week, I am launching Yoga Mondays and Internet Geek Tuesdays. Each day allows me to share reflections and resources about my passions. I hope they inspire you to pursue and celebrate your passions!
Enjoy your weekend!
PS: Remember to stop by on Yoga Mondays, Internet Geek Tuesdays, and Creativity Thursdays! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @anandaleeke, LIKE me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, pin with me on Pinterest, and hang out with me on Google+!
Happy New Year! Happy January 2013! Happy Creativity Friday!
How has your new year been so far? What’s been bubbling up in your world this month?
My month has been so much fun! I gave myself the gift of regular yoga classes at Tranquil Space and have been taking time to slow myself down and breathe in the beauty of each day!
I also found a groovy new coffee and crepes cafe to hang out in. It’s called Coffy Shop. My creative digital sister Jessica Solomon introduced me to the place. I love it because it’s based on Pam Grier’s 1970s movies. She’s one my favorite actresses! See photos below. Click here for more photos.
Coffy Cafe in Columbia Heights in DCAnanda at Coffy Cafe
Last week, I had a ball at the Inauguration events. Check out one of my photos from the “To Sir With Love” Inauguration Ball for Creatives below. Click here to see more photos.
Ananda at “To Sir with Love” Inauguration Ball for Creatives in DC
Right here and right now I am taking a few moments to pause and look outside of my window. Why? It’s snowing. It’s the wet kind of snow. I wish this D.C. snow was the Michigan stick to the ground, make a snowman kind of snow I was born into so many years ago. I wanna walk in it … Be zen-like with my Starbucks apple cider as I walk down U Street or up 16th Street to Malcolm X-Meridian Hill Park, breathing in the fresh morning air. But that’s not happening. So I decided to write this blog post to share some of my creativity thoughts I’ve been spreading around the digital world via Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.
A fabulous creative manifesto of sorts
This morning, I woke up feeling very creative. So I named today Creativity Friday. Have you ever had a day like that?
After proclaiming it Creativity Friday, I launched my creative inspiration and content sharing efforts with the help of HootSuite (my dear scheduling tool that allows me to post content and messages minutes, hours, days, and months in advance).
So here’s what I shared.
1) Inspirational Quotes
“There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. Tori Amos, Pop Rock Singer (WISDOM and TRUTH)
“Creativity takes courage.” Henri Matisse (been needing courage these days to make the changes my publisher iUniverse recommended for my book, Digital Sisterhood — been dragging my feet in a silent protest…. Note to self: Time to get back on track and finish the book).
“Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.” Dee Hock (SO TRUE – cleaning your home helps too — I just finished my two year decluttering project thanks to my amazing life coach Yael!)
“Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative place where no one else has ever been.” Alan Alda, actor (Taking this with me into February!)
“Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.” Tina Turner, Singer (let the creative church say AMEN!)
PS: Next week, I will share news about my 2012 favorite moments, more updates on my January yoga/creativity/Internet geek adventures, and lifestyle blog on Tumblr — Ananda@16thandU: Lifestylista in Love with DC!
Cinchcast is an amazing audio blog tool that helps me communicate, connect, and craft my niche as a lawyer-turned author, artist, coach, yoga teacher, and innerpreneur. I started using Cinchcast after hearing Bill Cosby’s Cinch blogs. I figured if Mr. Cosby could use Cinchcast to share his thoughts, wisdom, humor, and good works, I could too. After using Cinchcast for a week, I realized how natural, fun, and easy it was to pick up my smart phone and share my thoughts. I became really excited about the tool when I saw how quickly my Cinchs posted to my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. That’s when I became an unofficial Cinchcast ambassador and evangelist. In the past year, I have used Cinchcast to:
Provide updates about my creative adventures as an author, artist, coach, yoga teacher, and innerpreneur;
Share my weekly lessons learned and insights from running and practicing yoga, meditation, and Reiki;
Promote my books That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery and Love’s Troubadours – Book One: Karma by reading excerpts that celebrate Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March, National Poetry/Jazz Appreciation Month in April, National Black Music Month in June, National Yoga Month in September, and National Arts and Humanities Month in October;
Share information and yoga tips that support health awareness campaigns including Heart Healthy Month in February, National Women’s Health Week in May, National Yoga Month in September, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October;
Live blog with the Blogalicious B-Link DC area bloggers at President Obama’s education reform speech during the National Urban League’s Centennial Conference;
Document my BlogHer 2010 conference experiences and conversations with fellow women bloggers;
Conduct interviews with women in social media at conferences such as Nonprofit 2.0, Blogging While Brown, BlogHer, and local meet ups in the Washington, DC area as research for my book project Sisterhood the Blog: Soundbytes from the 21st Century Women’s Online Revolution (December 2011);
Teach my coaching clients how to use the tool to blog on the go, connect with and thank their audience and customers regularly, seek feedback, share information, and highlight peers and industry leaders at meetings and conferences.
I am headed to the Blogalicious 2010 conference in Miami next weekend and plan to live blog with Cinchcast. So look for more Cinchs from me in the coming days!
In March, I will be spending a lot of time blogging about digital diva sheroes on Sisterhood, the Blog – http://sisterhoodtheblog.wordpress.com. Check out my first two posts below. Let me know what you think.
I am also gearing up to return to my Examiner.com social media column. I took the month of February off for to have more balance in my life. Guess what? It worked. I will post blog notices when my new articles about the Latinos in Social Media conference (December 2009), Social Justice Camp (January 2010), Blogalicious DC Meet-up (February 2010), Social Commerce Camp (February 2010), DC Media Makers (February 2010), Crisis Camp DC for Chile Earthquake (February 2010), Black women in social media series (featuring Naomi Trower, Spelman College, and others), and other topics get published. There will be lots of videos too! So stay tuned.
Thanks for stopping by!
Peace, Creativity, Compassion, and Gratitude for balance and healthy living,
Ananda
PS: I am also working on the relaunch of AnandaLeeke.com. Look for more news later this month.
Sisterhood, the Blog Radio’s Lessons Learned from BlogHer 2009 series continues this week with four more interviews. I will serve as the “blog hostess with the mostess!” See the schedule below. Click here to listen to the shows: www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015. If you miss them, don’t panic. You can download and listen to recordings from the web site.
1) August 12 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Denene Millner, the founder of MyBrownBaby blog (www.mybrownbaby.blogspot.com) and co-author of What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know: The Real Deal on Love and Relationships, What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know About Sex, and Money, Power, Respect: What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know;
2) August 13 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Holly Buchanan, a women’s marketing consultant (www.thesoccermommyth.com) and co- author of The Soccer Mom Myth;
3) August 14 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Lucrecer Braxton, the founder of Art-Slam blog (www.art-slam.com); and
4) August 15 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Deb Rox, the founder of Deb on the Rocks blog (www.debontherocks.com) and author of 5 Ways to {Blank} Your Blog.
I am still on my Blogher 2009 Conference (www.blogher.com) high. My energy is going strong! I decided to share several webisodes of Ananda Leeke TV (www.youtube.com/anandaleeke) that feature my Blogher experience. Let me know what you think.
I will post webisodes from my Black Women in Social Media @ Blogher Series later this week. They feature a diverse group of dynamic women including Donna Byrd, publisher of TheRoot.com (www.theroot.com) and Gina McCauley, founder of Blogging While Brown (www.bloggingwhilebrown.com), What About Our Daughters blog (www.whataboutourdaughters.com), and Michelle Obama Watch web site (http://michelleobamawatch.com). I posted the interviews of Donna and Gina below to give you a taste of what’s to come.
August 6th marks the launch of my interview series with Blogher 2009 conference participants on Sisterhood, the Blog Radio (http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015). The program schedule will be posted shortly.
Find out what happened to me on the first day of Blogher. Many thanks to Megan Smith for filming the webisode.
While I was at Blogher, I had time to make a fun webisode with Tropicana Juice. I shared my healthy tip on eating breakfast. My Blogher sistalove Shaz Mistery filmed my “bootleg” webisode as the Tropicana folks filmed their “Juice” webisode! The Tropicana folks said my webisode turned out great! I can’t wait to see the official copy. I wanna give a shout out to my brother Matt for teaching me how to do on camera interviews!
On the last day of the conference, I hung out with Sam Smith, one of the nicest Blogher men I met. Sam served as ae Pepsico guy and promoted Tropicana Juice products. He always made my day with wonderful compliments! Many thanks to Shaz Mistry for filming the webisode!
Join me for the sixth episode of BAP Living Radio’s series about Black women in social media on Sunday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m EST. The show will feature a discussion with attorney mom bloggers Justices Fergie, Jonesie, and Ny about their amazing MamaLaw blog (www.mamalaw.com) and MamaLaw Media Group. We will also discuss their Blogher (www.blogher.com) event that will be held next week in Chicago and Blogalicious (http://www.blogaliciousweekend.com), their first annual conference for women of color bloggers that will be held on October 9 to October 11 in Atlanta, Georgia. Click here to listen to the show: www.talkshoe.com/tc/18598.
About BAP Living Radio
BAP Living Radio affirms the lives of women of African descent who self-identify as Black American Princesses (BAPs) and educated Black women (EBW). BAP Living Radio features programs about self-love, self-care, spirituality, health, finances, social media, politics, technology, beauty, fashion, art, music, culture, community service, creativity, fitness, travel, and more.
BAP Living Radio supports the following BAP Living social media projects:
I created BAP Living social media projects in response to positive feedback from readers of my debut novel, Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One (www.lovestroubadours.com). Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One tells the story of Karma Francois, a thirtysomething California-born BoHo BAP (Bohemian Black American Princess) with Louisiana roots and urban debutante flair. The book shows how a woman uses therapy, yoga, meditation, art, music, poetry, and support from family and friends to confront the effects of her poor life choices and embrace a spiritual journey of healing and love. It was published by iUniverse, Inc. in August 2007 and is available on Amazon.com.
I am still marinating on my 2009 Blogging While Brown Conference (BWB) experience. It’s hard to believe that it was just held on June 19 and 20 in Chicago.
Last weekend I hosted the fifth episode of BAP Living Radio’s series on Black women in social media which discussed lessons learned from BWB. It featured a dynamic panel of Black women bloggers who attended BWB. Here’s the list of my incredible BWB sistaloves:
I promise to post my thoughts about BWB in the coming weeks … definitely before I head back to Chicago to attend the Blogher conference (www.blogher.com).
PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 03, 2009 – Washington, DC – Author/Artist/Blogger Ananda Leeke will host the fifth episode of BAP Living Radio’s series about Black women in social media on July 5 at 7:00 p.m. The theme is “Lessons Learned from the 2009 Blogging While Brown Conference.” The guest panelists attended the 2009 Blogging While Brown Conference (www.bloggingwhilebrown.com) on June 19 and 20 in Chicago, Illinois. They include :
Leeke will also host the sixth episode of BAP Living Radio’s series about Black women in social media on July 19 at 7:00 p.m. The episode will feature a discussion with attorney mom bloggers Justices Fergie, Jonesie, and Ny about their MamaLaw blog (www.mamalaw.com), MamaLaw Media Group, and Blogalicious(http://www.blogaliciousweekend.com), the first annual conference for women of color bloggers held on October 9 to October 11 in Atlanta, Georgia. Click here to listen to the show: www.talkshoe.com/tc/18598.
BAP Living Radio affirms the lives of women of African descent who self-identify as Black American Princesses (BAPs) and educated Black women (EBW). BAP Living Radio features programs about self-love, self-care, spirituality, health, finances, social media, politics, technology, beauty, fashion, art, music, culture, community service, creativity, fitness, travel, and more.
BAP Living Radio supports the following BAP Living social media projects:
Ananda Leeke 