Awen Creative

I like using Google Analytics to analyze and view the traffic I’m getting to my websites, specifically The Social Robot and Divine Gift Ideas.

While looking at my traffic on The Social Robot, I noticed that I was getting a large amount of traffic from Wikipedia. After going to the ‘Traffic Sources’ tab and examining it a little closer, I realized that an article I had written about Formspring.me was now quoted as a reference! Pretty cool deal, if you ask me.

Check it out here: Formspring via Wikipedia.org

Here’s my referenced article: Formspring.me: Overshare without the Embarrassment

Here’s my Formspring.me profile.

I am a firm believer in the Law of Attraction. I know for a fact that what you think about and how you think about it will affect what happens to you. Ever since reading The Secret, I have ran little ‘experiments’ to see if what I’m thinking really makes a difference on what happens to me in life. I try it on the little things- like setting my CD player in my car on random, and thinking of the song I want to hear. 85% of the time, it works! The CD player plays the song I was thinking of.

So when it came to my goal of getting more quality freelance clients, I tried to bring the Law of Attraction in. I spent a few hours prospecting and sending emails, then I consistently thought of my inbox filling up with requests for my services. And what do you know! A few days later, I’ve started getting emails asking me to come on board with companies to help them do their social media, article writing, and SEO. Looks for my ‘Client’ page to start getting longer, because I’m currently in talks to 4 other potential clients.

Now, if only I can get my fiancee to start believing in the LOA so he can get a better job! H is such a pessimist and would rather wait for the negative than expect the positive. I know it’s hard to think positive and in the future when the present seems so difficult, but if you envision your success and things happening the way you want them to, I promise you that they will. All it takes is some initiative and the ability to expect success.

Ever since I got a taste of what it is like to freelance full-time, I have never been able to shake off that feeling that there is more to life than being stuck in a cubicle , not being exposed to natural light and unaware that there’s a thunderstorm outside until you have to travel down the hall to use the bathroom. When I was forced into FT freelancing, it was terrifying. I had bills to pay and no rich parents to help me pay them, so I had to make it on my own. But as I got on my feet and learned the beauty of tax deductible office supplies, I learned just how amazing freelancing can be. I was able to sleep in until 10 each morning, shower, walk my dog, and then start work. I’d have a daily amount I’d have to hit and then I’d be done for the day. No staring at the clock, waiting for it to be 5. If I was done at 3, I was done at 3. I could go take a nap, run outside, or even watch Maury with little to no guilt.

And now, while I am now working full-time for a marketing agency that is horrified by the idea of cubicles and has floor to ceiling windows, I still miss those days of bittersweet freedom. This is why I continue to freelance (well that, and the fact that my fiancee and I are paying for our own wedding). I love learning about business owners and marketing gurus, teaching me about their business, and the joy they feel when we’ve accomplished something great together, whether it be 3 times as many clients for them or increasing the number of visitors to their site. This joy and dedication to making a business work is why I’ll never want to work in a cubicle farm again.

I recently got approved to write for Break Media– a content publishing company behind huge sites like MadeMan, Holy Taco, and Screen Junkies. While the majority of Break’s websites are geared towards the male demographic, I definitely think it helps to have female writers on staff so they can write articles from a different perspective.

Look for links to my new articles on my writing samples page and on my Twitter account as soon as they are published!

Hey all, just wanted to share a great post I read over at TinyBuddha. I subscribe to their email RSS newsletter, and I always receive great quotes, insight and motivation from their writers. Today’s post is entitled 8 Ways to Stay Present & Focused in a Tech-Driven World.

Some days I find it hard not to repeatedly check my Palm Pre for emails, texts, and facebook messages– I even have a mini-freakout everytime I reach out to grab it and it’s not there. I think more than ever, it’s important for us to realize that technology is there to help us connect with people, not to help us avoid ever physically talking to them on the phone or (god-forbid), in person. Every time I make plans via text with my best friend and I don’t actually speak to her until I’m at her apartment, I think about how technology is truly changing our lives.

I love technology- I wouldn’t have the job that I do without it. But it seems to me that there are definitely moments when I should be putting down my Palm and focusing on my friend (who’s actually in the same room as me).

It seems like I’m finally back on schedule and back to the grind with all my projects. We are no longer on half-day Fridays anymore at work, so now dealing with the 5 pm rush hour has been a total bummer. Once we get new office keys I’m definitely going to start coming in earlier so I can leave early. It usually takes me about 45 minutes to drive 25 miles, and that’s taking the long way! If I wasn’t wrapped into a lease, I’d consider trying to convince H to move down to river market or at least Prairie Village. But I have a feeling it would be no dice– we both do really like Overland Park. But it’s most nights I wonder whether or not the drive is worth it.

In other news, I was voted 86th most influential marketer of 2009 by Invesp, a semi-significant honor that I’m hell-bent on improving for next year. I was also featured as a social media expert on the ‘Collective Wisdom’ annual report on the website Who’s Blogging What. Jeff Ente, Director of the site, asked experts questions like How do we separate hype from reality in social media as we enter 2010? To see my answers, visit my individual social media expert profile. Additionally, here is the complete Collective Wisdom report with all the experts’ answers.

In more other news, I am trying to plan H and I’s wedding for September, which we will be paying for a significant portion of ourselves. As a result, I’ve taken on a lot more freelancing clients in order to meet my freelance income goals. I’m lucky enough to have found a great group of clients (especially Stefan at Brosix), but I’m always looking for more! It’s a long-term dream of mine to freelance full-time again, but next time hopefully from a private office overlooking either a) the desert in New Mexico, b) the ocean in San Francisco, or c) the mountains in Colorado. I’ll be working hard to make that happen!

Hey all. Hope you had great holidays. I did! I will write more when I’m not as swamped but for now, I simply leave you with this, which so far I can tell is a legitimate product, courtesy of Karen!

As Seen on TV Hat

Since I’m still obsessing over the season finale ending to Glee, I thought I would look up some of my favorite Glee performances and post them here on the blog. Two gems that I had forgotten about definitely are the performances of the Acafellas- Schue’s acapella group with Finn, Puck, and a few other teachers. I’ve embedded them for your enjoyment. Happy Friday!

Glee 1.03: “Acafellas” Clip – “I Wanna Sex You Up” from Amber Ying on Vimeo.

Glee 1.03: “Acafellas” Clip – “Poison” from Amber Ying on Vimeo.

Hey guys,

I’m doing ‘Cans for Comments’ (www.cansforcomments.com) this year, where bloggers post an entry on their blog promising a can of food for every comment on their blog they get during a certain time period (Dec. 8-22 for me). However, instead of cans, I’m going to be donating food and money to Wayside Waifs, Kansas City’s largest no-kill animal shelter (commenters can also specify they want to do cans of food instead). Please view my blog post below for more information (and to comment!) and feel free to forward this post on!

http://thesocialrobot.com/2009/12/doing-good-cans-for-comments/

Thanks!
Kelsey