Kintsugi, Videography, Photo Journalism, Writing a Book, and more

Kintsugi, Videography, Photo Journalism, Writing a Book, and more

by Yvonne DiVita

It’s been a while since I composed an actual blog post here. I do my weekly video interviews on Smart Conversations (subscribe to the YouTube channel – these women will change your life, if you let them) – but haven’t found time to compose an actual post.

Time to update you on all things Nurturing Big Ideas and Old Dog Learning. 

First, I’m working with some talented women and one man (so far)  to bring forth new books in the new year. One may, and should, be done this year, but we’ll see how that goes. It’s going to be phenomenal, no matter when it’s released. As will all the others. You are in for a treat down the road.

Second, I’m working on a brand new mini-workshop with a marketing expert who brings so much talent to the concept of book writing and publishing, I am in awe of her every single day. Our mini-workshop is planned for early Fall, so stay tuned for that (visit her on LinkedIn for a sneak peek at why I love her so much!). Sign up for Smart News to be informed well ahead of time, about that mini-workshop and other offers we’ll be coming up with as summer turns to Fall and… thoughts of… yes, that holiday with the fat guy in the red suit. 

Third, I’m working on The HOW TO WRITE A BOOK Book, Part II. To be completed, probably in the Fall, also. This is the second in a series of books planned for our How To Write A Book series of educational books on writing. Our focus is on non-fiction as those are the authors we work with. If you’re in business and ready to share your story – inspirational, educational, illuminating, revealing, how-to – we’re here to work with you on that endeavor. Our books are written to help you achieve the writing success you want, as well as to help promote you and to build a platform for a speaking. (I am working on a book on leadership, also, but more on that another time.)

Book II in the Nurturing Big Ideas with Old Dog Learning series deals with story, voice, narrative, conflict, resolution, conclusion, and CTA or call to action. All important parts of the story you tell, in fiction and non-fiction. Because all of what we do, say, and experience, is storytelling.

Enough about me. Let’s talk about kintsugi.

If you’re familiar with the word, good for you. If not, let me refer you to Wikipedia:

the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, a method similar to the maki-e technique.^[2][3][4] As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.^[5]

I bring this up because too often we feel as if we have to repair items, including ourselves, and leave no mark, no scar. We want to hide imperfections from the world, when those imperfections are still there, no matter how invisible we make them.

My husband, Tom, from Old Dog Learning, took this to the next level in his blog post, “Kintsugi Mind: (re)Writing the Stories of You”:

“We all feel broken, sometimes,” he writes, “or in some parts of our being. Or as if we’re showing cracks on the outside, hiding stress fractures within. Perhaps more so, in this time of emergence after more than a year of survival mode through a global pandemic.

“What if you found a simple, reliable tool for mending those breaks, sealing up those cracks, and facing the world more vibrant and confident than ever?

What if such results came from adapting a basic activity you’ve been doing since you learned to talk?”

And so he goes on to share the insights he’s learned from kintsugi and how it has influenced his thinking. Learn what he means when he shares this:

“…for decades psychologists have been studying how our personal narratives affect our overall sense of well-being and mental health. When we tell “redemption stories” about how the bad things that happen eventually lead to good outcomes, we gain a sense of resilience and overall better mental health. Similarly, various categories of “growth stories” around how we learn and grow, both individually and in our various groups, correlate to well-being and mental health.”

I started my update with this mindset shift to help you understand both how to move yourself out of the “everything has to be perfect” mode, and to remind myself that my flaws, the new lines I see on my face almost every day, and mostly those nagging little thoughts that remind me what I should of, or could of, or would of… done in any given instance, are not worth bothering about. Let them go. Let the shouldas, and couldas, and wouldas, disappear along with your worry that you won’t measure up. You will. It’s everyone else who too often doesn’t measure up.

Let’s move on to the next thing I wanted to share, today. The power of video. The power of videography. The power of photo journalism. 

My Smart Conversation’s guest last week really impressed me. She’s there, in her entirety, on last week’s blog post, and on YouTube, but I had to say a few more things about video. I create simple, short, informative videos for writers. About writing a book, mostly. Sometimes about being in business. Because writing a book is a business and as a serial entrepreneur, I know how to do both. 

But my simple videos are just that – simple, little moments of Yvonne talking about things people have asked. They’re not designed to promote or support all the work I do. Not the way professional video does. Not the way a single photo shoot, over a period of a few hours, can help a brand enhance and promote who they are and what they do – to all the right people, or course.

That’s why I want to encourage you to hire a videographer and do more video. Oh, and if you’re an author, hire a videographer to do your book trailer. Watch the Smart Conversation to learn more about book trailers and how impressed I was with one that Kayla did. 

Now, about the writing a book mention in the title. I want to be open and honest today and say I have met with probably half a dozen talented, smart women in the last six or eight months. All were writing or planning to write a book. And then, they didn’t. Or, the book they were writing/had written, was put in a drawer. All because they lacked both the confidence and the know-how to complete their project.

Perhaps one or two of these wonderful women will go on and complete her book, and publish it, with someone else. I sincerely hope so. I never want to see a book go unwritten and unpublished, whatever the reasoning. 

But, perhaps they won’t, also. Perhaps those books will languish somewhere, and the writers will look up one day and say, “I wish I’d finished that book.” Or, “I wish I’d published my book.”

Don’t be one of those women. Don’t let your talent and expertise languish in a drawer. Or, even worse, don’t put in the time and expertise and effort to write your book, then publish it to an audience of two – you and your mother. Or, you and your husband/wife.

Please be aware of your options. Be aware of the idea of a book coach, like me, and others, who will help you both complete the writing, get it published, and help you create a platform to sell it on. Your platform is so important! Having readers – building a fan club – that’s how books are turned into successes. And no, you don’t have to be a best seller to win! What if, instead of putting all that effort and time (and possibly cash) into trying to get on some best seller list, you sent your book to some key places that offer awards for indie writers?

How marvelous would it be to see “award-winning author of” on your book jacket or cover? Sometimes MORE VALUABLE than being on a best seller list because an award is judged by people you don’t know. Winning one makes you one of a kind. Unlike so many best selling authors of late, who … are anything but one of a kind. 

And that’s what I wanted to say about writing and publishing a book. Explore your options on working with a book coach, like me, and on how you want to build your platform and publish your book. Be aware of the help there is out there. If you aren’t sure, let’s talk. I can give you one free consultation to discuss your book – fiction or non-fiction, though I specialize in non-fiction.

I know there is a book in each and every one of us. Because each and everyone of us has a story to tell. If I can help you tell it, well, that makes my heart happy.

Visit Tom’s blog post on Kintsugi mindset and take a little time to watch the Smart Conversation video with Kayla O’Brien, on video journalism. You’ll be glad you did.