With all the whining we do about distraction and TMI Facebook updates, it can be easy to overlook how fundamentally our lives are mostly improved by the web. For example, none of the following would be possible with out it.

Exhibit A

Ted talk about by Salman Kahn: “Let’s use video to reinvent education”

(As I watched this video I thought “OMG, what if I had had a math class like they described, I might actually have LIKED math.” Imagine all of the kids who are steam-rolled by the current educational paradigm of lecture->homework->test->repeat. What if it were different, like Salman Kahn says it could be?)

Exhibit B

Online, video based, education platforms like linda.com, teamtreehouse.com, codecademy.com (and surely there are more niche examples) that circumvent the slow-to-change world of traditional universities and community colleges all together. We already know it doesn’t really matter where your bachelor degree is from, so long as you have one. Is this state just a stepping stone to a world where subject mastery, not traditional formal education, is the real, recognized advantage in the job market?

Exhibit C

Portfolio Working: an alternative concept to traditional employer working. Imagine the innovation that would be unleashed if fewer creative people were tied to employers. They would have the freedom to apply their energy to areas where they truly excel, working in loosely connected teams that evolve as needed. They are able to take risks far greater than organizations can. Such risks enhance the rate and degree of creative innovation.

What do these things have in common? I see them all as opportunities for people to come closer to realizing their full potential. How amazing is that?

This blog is evolving. Morphing into something that is less professionally-focused—less about talking to the world and more about talking to myself. Professional, polished articles will now be published on my new business website, pearlstreetstudio.com. This blog will become the home of brief, sometimes rough, hopefully more frequent musings on my life as an entrepreneur, artist, perfectionist, etc. Sounds much more fun, eh?

I wrote this post, not because I think you particularly care, but to serve as a reminder and reinforcer to me of this new direction.

Happy trails!

It has been a long time since I had anything to say here. I took on too much and spent the last four months treading water, my head just above the flood. This happens sometimes. It’s ok.

Some highlights, in bullet point fashion:

• Hired a part-time assistant/intern to help out, discovered the joy of sharing my knowledge with others and made an excellent friend in the process
• Taught a web design class that met twice a week for two hours with 18 students. Confronted and pondered the many challenges of higher education in today’s economy and culture. Confronted also my fears of public speaking and doing something less than perfect. Expect I will continue to uncover hidden gifts from this challenge.
• Managed and launched my first Drupal project.
• Fell out of the routine of daily yoga and journaling, regrettably.
• Struggled with and eventually accepted my horse’s career-ending injury. Realized that horses will play a much smaller part in my life moving forward, and that is ok.

… and more floating just below my consciousness.