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How to put your writing in front of a new market in the eBook format “Lovers of print are simply confusing the plate for the food.” ― Douglas Adams Leaving Money on the Table In years of creative and business experience I have found myself sometimes leaving money on the table. Usually by failing to see possibilities or take new action. This reality has me looking at the library of my authorship with new eyes. Up until now it has been exclusive to Medium, but changes do come, humans tweak things and income invariably slides south. However, we are not powerless and the first step in taking new actions may be to assign the proper value to our creative product. “The secret to success is no secret. Be honest in your words, be trustworthy and share value. Most people won’t tell the difference, but those that do are your readers.” ― Robin Sacredfire Being meticulous when creating our file system can make it fairly easy to multi-propose content to other media platforms. My practice is to name folders just like each article and also save copies on a separate hard drive. All the text is saved in a Word Document and the pictures are placed in the folder as well. This habit makes it very easy to copy and paste creative content already produced to a new platform, blog, website, eBook or audio-book. The folder names can also help me keep track of other details as well, like if narrationContinue Reading

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Study and measure before you take the dive a follow up how to on creating wealth and growing your money “In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable.” — Robert Arnott Taking Action Several readers kindly commented and asked for follow up information after reading my article A Practical Entry Point to Stock Market Investing. Thank you Linda Levitt and Meg Stewart. It’s no wonder it took me so long to become an investor, my Dad had a palpable hate for the stock market. The apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree, he passed it on to me. Well, he tried. Somewhere along the line, I realized he had taught me all he could, I sought other mentors. That’s when I found many ready to help, including Robert Kiyosaki the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad. “You get recessions, you have stock market declines. If you don’t understand that’s going to happen, then you’re not ready, you won’t do well in the markets.” — Peter Lynch 4 Ways to Earn Robert made most of his money in the early days investing in Real Estate. He went on to write books, create a board game, begin podcasting and educating around the subject of creating wealth. He even wrote several books with Donald Trump. It was Robert who introduced clarification for me on the four ways to earn money. E — Employee Most individuals only earn in this way. You work for a company trading your time for money. To earnContinue Reading

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Liver disease kills approximately 90,000 people each year in the USA don’t be one of them.   “You will find, Brumm,” said Earl Lavender, “that one of two things must be sacrificed by every man who lives to be over sixty — the mind, or the liver.” ― John Davidson The Trauma of Life Just a few years ago life educated me on Liver function through a painful experience, the loss of my only sibling. A beautiful bright whimsical girl, who had helped me through 53 years of life, gave me an opportunity to watch her die. The call came from my Mother informing me that Carrie had been admitted to the hospital. Sadly, none of us seemed to get it at that time, how sick she was. Even though everyone now seemed to notice that they had thought she seemed discolored, her skin losing it’s rose glow even 6 months earlier. It was serious, they were keeping her. Weeks went by with me calling from 2300 miles away asking for reports and talking to her on the phone. Soon, she was available to be on the phone less and less. My Mom finally said, if you want to see her again, you better come now. They had flown her to a hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, rumored to be skilled at helping with livers. And made the doctors there made it a practice to help even those that could be alcohol related. Or so they told my Mother. So, IContinue Reading

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Finding one good quality in all things and people transforms outcomes, how we feel & attract. “There is an innocence in admiration: it occurs in one who has not yet realized that they might one day be admired.” ― Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche It’s me who needs this, not you I’ll have to admit, I’m in a bit of a funk with now way to create attract ion from anything good. Maybe it’s more like a funky rut of no gratitude available, the law of no attraction.. Yesterday, I received a bill from Amex for a card with my name on it that I have never had. During the several hours of phone calls trying to uncover the reality of the situation, I was not grateful. As a matter of fact, I was downright rude. The event left me with a physical and mental hangover, my own actions creating complete de-motivation. No wonder I did not get the help needed in the end. I was asked to email a copy of the bill to the the fraud department and have not heard anything back. My mistaken choice was to name the whole encounter bad or unacceptable. That cemented my mindset and it hit every person I spoke with like a brick. Part of their listening had to be taken up by processing my stuff. I made them less effective in this encounter by taking that stance. A little voice whispers to me right now, “Let go of what you can notContinue Reading

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Do you have everything? Is it protected with backups? The answer should be yes. The digital camera is a great invention because it allows us to reminisce. Instantly. — Demetri Martin Loss as inspiration- Everything you create has value In 2005, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks in Los Angeles. It was my first time. Taking copious amounts of pictures, I even took an entire day photographing many of their very unique subway platforms. Artists were hired to do each platform separately making them very charming and novel. Upon returning home my computer broke down. The images were stored on the same drive as the software. The hard drive failed, I had lost those and many other pictures forever. I literally had a wave of anxiety, anger and sadness wash over me. A new commitment was made then and there to protect my data, pictures, writing, diplomas, birth certificates, audiobooks, music, whatever. The data needed its own dedicated drive, and a backup copy. A separate dedicated drive is not effected if the C:/ drive fails. And they all will, it’s not if but when. The digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of writing or even of printing. — Douglas Engelbart I’d like to share the system I have built to protect my data I did know something about archiving negatives, which I have done meticulously for four decades. This was a new problem, and anyone who says taking pictures is now free, with the advent of digital technology isContinue Reading

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A life altering choice that has brought many benefits and changes “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” — Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing Being a photographer having started at a newspaper, I have always been interested in writing. Text and pictures really go hand in hand, in literature, in news stories and now in web based work. Other than a published print piece back in 2002, I’ve been in a sort of planning mode for 25 years, dreaming of writing, I wonder why I waited so long. I’ve started 6 books in the past ten years, and the key word there is started. Finally, I got serious and began scouring the web for writing opportunities. Most seemed dubious at best and the first 10 messages I sent or links I followed were dead or received no reply. It was very discouraging but, I had a few things going for me. I had just returned to school for the first time in 37 years earning an AA degree in Graphic Design. One of the requirements was some writing, literature, art history and communication courses. Somehow, I scored A’s in all those classes, imagine humility inserted here. The published piece in Nature Photographer Magazine had been well received and was accepted on its first submission. Other writers had told me that was an impossibility. In addition to that, I had started making photos in much the same way and that endeavor turned out pretty well.Continue Reading

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While testing the big bag of white power he had just found in my carry-on. “Without tenderness, a man is uninteresting.” — Marlene Dietrich Luckily, I get to do my fair share of traveling, always carrying various gear and electronics in my carry on bags. Checking expensive gear is not my idea of fun, so I don’t, unless it is unavoidable. I’ve learned much over the years about what to carry and what not to, but this last trip I was carrying something new. Most times, they don’t check me so when they pulled my bag I wondered what was in question. I was in TSA Pre and did not have to take off my shoes or follow some of the other normal criteria, it was unexpected. He said, “I hope you don’t mind, I just have to test a little bit” as he pulled the plastic bag full of white powder out of my case pouring it onto the counter. Christopher Boswell Image When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people. —- Abraham Joshua Heschel “Ahh” I blurted “I stuffed that in last minute without really thinking” I decided to be quiet but could hardly stand it, my mouth started moving again, “How’s the money holding out?” He replies “Oh, you mean the pay and the government shutdown” “Yes” I said. “I get it, my employer is changing our payroll system, worrying everyone” Him, “Oh, I’m holding up, some of the others are notContinue Reading

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“It is life, I think, to watch the water. A man can learn so many things.” ― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook Water is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth’s streams, lakes, and oceans, and the fluids of most living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients. From Wikipedia. While you try and wrap your ahead around that paragraph, think of this, It’s all the same water! It all drops from the sky making it’s way off the highest peaks through the mightiest rivers back to the sea, where the cycle starts again. During all this movement it turns salty filling with sodium chloride appropriate for sustaining a large fish population in the ocean. By the time it makes way back to us for use it’s safe to drink, purified once again. Am I the only one that thinks this is an amazing miracle? Christopher Boswell Image “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans; in one aspect of You are found all the aspects of existence.” ― Kahlil Gibran Jr. Ilike some of the work Masaru Emoto has compiled before his death. In 2011 he released another volume in his water series called The Miracle of Water. In it, he makes some strong claims that have been much disputed. Image from the Neurologica Blog Yet, I made an immediate strong connection to his work, he photographed thousands of waterContinue Reading

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Take a few simple steps for better rest and rejuvenation Tired minds don’t plan well. Sleep first, plan later. — Walter Reisch My mode of operation has almost always been to burn the candle at both ends. It’s become even more challenging since the advent of the computer and the World Wide Web. I often have to force myself to get up from the chair and whatever I’m doing online to head for the bedroom. Over time, I have learned a few simple techniques to keep me in the bed and sleeping soundly through the night. #1: Buy the most comfortable bed you can afford. For me this turned out to be a foam mattress with hypo allergenic fabric and fill. I use a very light high count sheet set and comforter. Pillows are a must, two for the head and one long pillow for body hugging and to keep my legs separated. #2: Add a pillow top Goose down filled feather bed to the top of your mattress. Image from the Country Store Adding this product or one like it will change everything in terms of comfort. My body is over 5 decades old and has endured broken bones and more. I used to wake up in the night with numbness in various areas, not anymore. You will have to pay attention when buying sheets, they must be deep enough to accommodate this item underneath. “Sleep is my lover now, my forgetting, my opiate, my oblivion.” ― Audrey Niffenegger #3: Leave your phoneContinue Reading

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I wonder if a farmer feels motivated each morning on the 120 days of work before harvest? The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer. ~ Will Rogers MY grandfather was a farmer, my Mother’s Father, I always admired him. They, he and my Grandmother, stopped farming when he turned fifty and moved into the city. The work just began to take it’s toll on his body, all the physical labor. Motivation had finally run out, but he did not stop working, instead went down to the Farm City Supply store and shared his decades of knowledge with those still toiling. Farming is really unique as a way of earning a living, think about it. In Agriculture one must do much work before there is any payoff. Plowing, fertilizing, seeding, watering, insect fighting, harvesting and finally transporting to market. This adds up to a bunch of days where one may not feel like getting out there.                                                  Image by Christopher Boswell And then there is the money. Money earned by those crops has to last until the next planting, maybe with some milk and egg money trickling in daily along the way. As a young man, most often working and living hand to mouth, this intrigued me. A creative life can be the same in many ways. It’s understood more today, as I have spent a decade creating 10,000 images and traveled to every state in the USA. A feat not completed without some motivationContinue Reading

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Can you make 10 good sound decisions over time leaving it all in? How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case. — Robert G. Allen I bet most of you would answer YES! Good, so read on and I’ll tell you a 10 step, 5 day or 5 year plan to make a million. For the longest time, I wanted to dabble in the stock market. In my 20’s, not one person in my circle knew how to play. So, my focus remained on other things, like partying, and, well…. let’s get back to the plan. A decade later, I got more serious, creating a “play” portfolio and tracking it. Many choices I made showed big increases, soon I wanted to know more. It had become clear that my capacity for seeing trends existed. After all, I had managed businesses, multiple times actually, now all I needed was a stake, some savings, a little cash, the plot thickened…. For the purposes of this story, I’d like you to begin with $2,000 bucks. Don’t get excited, we’re just pretending, but, I’m very serious. It’s the amount my first mentor suggested. Start saving now, no kidding, whoever said “it takes money to make money” was right, at least for this example. The next step is to call a brokerage and open a trading account. This is very easy and there are many benefits you will learn later. I will tell you the secretContinue Reading

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So many streaming choices now and digital Over the Air signals are beyond HD Nowadays, you can be a fan of someone that’s not an actor or artist. You can be a fan of someone that makes YouTube videos. — Cameron Dallas Are you ready to wave goodbye to high repeating monthly cable bills? Say YES! Good, there used to be an old rusty antenna living on my garage for years. I first upgraded to a new small digital antenna broadcast grabber, and now have updated to a larger antenna capable of pulling in channels from 125 miles away. After a long period of growth for cable television providers, the game has changed again. Content is now available on a multitude of platforms online, broadcast TV has updated, improved, and gone digital, creating more channels of higher quality. Products have been invented and evolved that allow us to watch shows via wireless using our internet provider.   I said goodbye to cable 10 years ago after first subscribing in the early 80’s. After visiting my home and seeing the options friends often ask me to come hook them up. So, settle back, hang out for a while, let’s explore some choices here. How much have you spent on cable? The answer for me is $15,000, often I dream about what else could have been done with that cash. What if I would have instead placed it into some interest bearing investment vehicle? To top this off, there are more costs chipping awayContinue Reading

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How do we know what looks good in a picture or design and why? No one is an artist unless he carries his picture in his head before painting it, and is sure of his method and composition. — Claude Monet The Rule of Thirds. It is interesting and curious, how did we evolve into deciding what we like to look at? Color, form, lines, contrast, shape and intensity are some of the variables involved. Can you talk about what it is you like about the way a view of something appears to you? It can be on the internet, with text and images arranged just so. Or, on the TV program you have going in the background right now. It’s defined on the art you chose to hang on your walls and maybe most importantly on the faces of those you love most. Today, there only two established rules I desire to talk about. The Rule of Thirds and the Golden Mean or Ratio. Read more on Medium https://medium.com/publishous/composition-the-rule-of-thirds-and-the-golden-ratio-d587da486d26

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People are the fruit of the Earth, so much like an Apple is to a Tree. “A tree Apples and the Earth Peoples: — Alan Watts People are the fruit of the Earth, so much like an apple is to a tree. The tree takes it’s time growing up and finally bears fruit. The apple grows and matures but has little say in the matter and only two possibilities for it’s future exist. Maybe, they are even the same in a way, It could be a crab apple, a bit sour, left on the branch until over ripened then falling to the ground. It is returned to the Earth nurturing her, providing nutrients to the soil. Or, maybe it’s a red delicious apple, sweet and juicy. Birds pick at it, insects live in it, or it is harvested and sent to the grocery store. It is being given to you, the apple, or to life to be enjoyed. It’s purpose is simply to help sustain other forms of life. It is life at the height of beauty and working perfection. In effect, either scenario is the same. It nurtures either way and even looks beautiful in the process, yet the apple has no choice. The best outcome is for life to benefit from it, other life. People are really the same, yet I believe unlike the apple, we have a choice. You can sit alone being sour like a crab apple, eventually getting returned to the earth in a box nurturing worms.Continue Reading