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Welcome to 'The Free Voice Gazette.' This online newspaper has been an ambition for quite some time. As a recording artist, songwriter, author and fervent blogger, I figured that I had covered all bases writing-wise. Early in March I was talking to my children about this (because they asked) and they almost simultaneously mentioned the prospect of an online newspaper. On the home front things weren't running particularly well at that time but not so badly as to distract me from having this newspaper in the forefront of my thoughts. I do hope you enjoy the news that I bring to you. Feel free to subscribe via email as I anticipate fresh news articles will never be too far away.
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts

Facebook And Google Plus

Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun...Image via CrunchBaseDon't worry, readers, I'm not going to launch into a mind-numbing rundown of Facebook and Google Plus or, indeed, Facebook versus Google Plus. I can't because I simply don't know about them at that sort of level. I shall simply be commenting on my experiences over the last week or so.

Just over a week or so, I gently stepped into the world that IS Google Plus. Before I knew it, I had over 200 people in my various 'circles' and had been added to just over this number in other peoples circles. This initial influx seemed, on the surface, to be great for a self-confessed computer idiot.

After a few days, I decided to delve further but was disappointed to discover that 'this is it.' You have your profile and can share whatever content that you wish. The trouble is, that you soon vanish into the realm of 'me and everybody else.' There is nothing that you can share that hasn't been shared before or can be shared elsewhere. I did, however, find that Twitter was the most successful way of drawing attention to Google Plus.

After spending some time flitting between Facebook and Google Plus, it struck me.

The only major differences between Google Plus and Facebook, the only difference is that Google Plus seems to have a lot more articles of 'substance' as opposed to Facebook where people can share anything from a flying ant to a fuzzy, framed quote from someone that they probably haven't heard of.

I then discovered that you can have a Google Plus Business Page. I should have done it the other way around but I didn't so I'll be onto promoting my business page in the upcoming week.

So....I have no beef with Facebook or Google Plus. I would, however, take this opportunity to weigh up
what Facebook and Google Plus offer and don't offer. The biggest advantage that I've found is that if you have a purpose outside of socialising, Google Plus is not for you. If you're looking at sharing and receiving more purposeful and long-lasting media, then Google Plus IS for you.

At the end of the day, it is not a time-consuming task to operate both Facebook and Google Plus together....and I would most definitely recommend this.


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Commit To Your Creativity

Monday, April 16, 2012


Yes Live in 1974Yes Live in 1974 (Photo credit: Hunter-DesportesAs creative people, many of us struggle with commitment. Sure, sometimes the well runs dry and we struggle to generate creative ideas, but more often, we have so many creative ideas that we have difficulty committing to one and getting started. We can get really creative about how we avoid creating-surfing the internet for "research," checking Facebook to see what our creative friends and colleagues are doing, baking cookies, watching TV, talking on the phone-the list is likely endless.We trick ourselves into believing that in order to commit to something, we need to feel sure-sure that it will be a "success" (however we define that), sure that we have the skill to carry through on our vision, sure that we'll complete it, sure that we'll be pleased with the outcome, sure that others will like it, sure that it will sell, sure that when it's done we'll look back on it as worthwhile investment of our time. We want a clear "Yes" or a guarantee. Even though as creative people we have chosen a path that often offers little security, we continue to crave security and certainty, when often these are simply illusions to which we cling.


Creative expression typically offers no guarantees, and sometimes it doesn't come with a clear yes. We may think we have a clear vision when we finally begin, but as we give it voice or form, we learn that it begins to take its own shape, and often it is somewhat different than how we first envisioned it. That's one of the beautiful things about creative expression, if we can simply learn to enter this flow and allow our idea to show us the shape that it wants to take. We may judge it as "better" or "worse" than our original vision, depending on a variety of factors that day, including our sense of self-worth, our mood, and how well we have eaten, slept or managed stress that week. Days later, we may feel differently about our creation, depending on the above-mentioned variables or something else that arises.
What would it be like to commit to the exploration of our creative ideas? The truth is that most commitments are followed by imperfect actions, and our thoughts and feelings and therefore our subjective judgment of our work varies from day to day and sometimes from hour to hour. What does it take to commit to our creative expression in light of the fact that life is always changing, our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are always changing, and there are no guarantees about anything?


Imagine beginning your week with making a list of creative ideas that have haunted you for days, weeks, or months that you've refused to give voice to and utilizing the process of discernment to rule out some of them and to commit to the one that calls to you the loudest. Imagine doing this with ease, because you've learned the skill of managing your own self-doubt and anxiety. Now imagine making a commitment to the one vision that you have chosen and beginning the process of giving it voice or form. Imagine accepting that you will have days that you're cranking out work that you love, and you'll have days that you won't like anything that you're doing, because that's the nature of life. Emotions come and go, our feelings of subjective wellness, happiness, and satisfaction come and go, and so too does the flow of our creative energy. We can learn things that we can do to increase our feelings of subjective wellness, attempt to stabilize our moods through mindfulness practice, cognitive behavior therapy, or medication and increase our sense of satisfaction, and we may achieve a greater sense of equilibrium, and still the nature of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors is that they change.
What would it be like to commit to a creative vision about which you felt sure enough-to move toward an idea and begin it, because it calls loudly enough to you, even if there's no resounding "Yes!" because it allows for deeper exploration of yourself or an area of interest, because you're tired of how it feels to continually not commit, or because you're ready to open yourself up to see where your creative expression can take you even if the outcome isn't perfect? What would it be like to simply go with the flow of change in life, take risks, and remain curious about the outcome?
Make a list of your creative ideas. Begin with ruling out several to shorten the list. See which one you feel most drawn to. What can you do today to commit to giving expression to your idea? If you're perpetually hung up by a degree of fear, anxiety, or self-doubt that keeps you from moving forward, what can you do today to begin to attempt to get past it?


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