Rave Reviews (Thanks Everyone!)

I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE ABILITY TO SHARE AND CREATE INTERESTING AND MOTIVATING STORIES USING CONTENT AND MEDIA FOR A VARIETY OF PURPOSES, plus to review the past and move into NEW creative storytelling experiences and relationships.

These reviews cover film & television professionals with whom I have worked as an originator, creator, developer and producer of stories; live, streaming and podcast interviews conducted on my Blog Talk Radio channel; interviews printed in the arts section of a newspaper serving Orange County, NY, and by website design clients. 

Here we go...

"I have worked with Val on two projects now, and each time I have been blown away by Val's connection with and dedication to the material. She was an integral part of the development of each project and brings her heart and soul into the creation of any project she works on. This has made her an absolute joy to work with, and a person whose friendship, vision and creativity I cherish. I highly recommend Val as a solo contractor, team member and content creator, and would work with her again in a heartbeat!"
-- Sameera Steward, Producer, Constellations Entertainment

"Valerie Michele is an innovative, professional and strongly driven individual with a sound grounding in business strategy, and the flexibility to consider new ideas. Valerie trusts concepts born from genuine talent and works well with her business partners to create the best possible solution for the project."
-- Jacob Larch, Writer/Editor/Script Doctor

"Our team was lucky to find Val a few months ago and she has been a wonderful asset ever since. She is driven and optimistic, and her personality has helped to fuel the rest of our crew. She has also been instrumental in finding us some key players who have been essential in moving our projects forward. I would recommend Val to anyone in need of a dedicated team player or a truly amazing friend. Thanks again, Val, for all your hard work!"
-- Sarah L. Taylor, Creator/Writer/Producer, "Blood Lines"

"...the interview with Luciana Souza was incredible. I loved the dialogue on parenting, grief, spiritual practices, music..."
-- Claire Milam, Spiritual Coach

"Fantastic job."
-- Barbara Sobel, Sobel Promotions

"Beautiful music, wonderful conversation, all around inspiring and energizing program. Thank you!"
-- JD Flaten, Publicist, Media Owls

"Thank you!!! I had a great time being on your show!!! -- Georgie Porgie, A Billboard Magazine Top 10 Dance/Club Artist of the Decade

"You have been doing an amazing job with your interviews/shows. I'm so impressed with what you've done."
-- Paddy Noonan, Founding Partner & Musician, IMRadio

"Wow!" Val. The radio show was so amazing! Thanks so much!
-- Tonya Marie Faris, Songwriter, song featured as a healing dedication

- "Excellent and informative interviews. I enjoyed the show very much. Joel Juan Qui is a beautiful expression of healing through his education and music. Val and Barry, great show!
-- Daniel Zazueta

 

"Val, thank you for posting the great [audio] interview with Linda and Jacqui at our show opening . . . I'm glad your interview got into some of the more contemplative and spiritual aspects of why we do what we do."

-- Karl Leitzel, "Far & Near Horizons" Group Exhibition World Tour from the International Plein Air Painters (IPAP) and Landscape Artists International (LAI), Founder of LAI

"I was glad to meet you at Musikfest, and later, thrilled with the wonderful job you did. You are an excellent writer, photographer, and interviewer all rolled into one: quite a combination."

-- Ann Whipple, Publicist, Musikfest

 

"Thank you for your great interview. You did a great job." @ The 110th Anniversary of Downing Park

-- Jean McGrane, City Manager of the City of Newburgh, NY

"Thank you so much for all the space and time you took with the article. The interview is great and Mystique did a great job with the photos. Can't thank you enough. You should also know that several people have already phoned me to say they read and enjoyed the article."

-- Mary Ann G. Neuman, Photographer, "Somebody's Sister" Series

“Your organization of materials, attention to detail and intelligent approach is unique, refreshing and MUCH appreciated. It makes all the difference!”
-- Don Devine, President, Devine Design

"Wow, the interview went really well. I enjoyed hearing the artist's responses, and found out a little bit more about each artist I had not known before. Thank you for all your support!"

-- Virginia Walsh, Director, Ann Street Gallery

"I'm finally home and have been meaning to call and THANK YOU for the wonderful feature you did on me."

-- Judi Silvano, Jazz Vocalist/Composer/Producer/Educator

"You are (as they say): "No joke". I thank you for lending your genius to the mass of positive good going on in the city of Newburgh right now. The article helped to give wonderful insight into who I am as a candidate for city council."

-- Marge Bell, Owner, Newburgh Artisans and 2007 & City Council in Newburgh, NY

"What a treat to have you with us and conduct such a powerful interview. Thank you for posting the live interview! I've added it to my blog so others can listen and find your site . . . What a wonderful job you do."

-- Linda Richichi, Tour Director, "Far & Near Horizons" Group Exhibition World Tour and Plein Air Painter

"I just wanted to say thank you ever so much for the fabulous job on the article! It was an absolute pleasure to see such a great spread and the company so well represented. I appreciate your efforts and hard work!"

-- Stacey Hawkins, President and CEO, Time Savor Gourmet, LLC

"Val, thanks so much--what a wonderful job."

-- Brian Burke, Owner, Downing Film Center

"You need to clone yourself -- doing a great job covering so many events and really focusing on the personalities behind them!"

-- C. Kippy Boyle, Divisional Manager, San Francisco International Gift Fair

 

"Your new Web site looks and FEELS great--open, inviting and very informative."

-- Eleanora Amendolara, Sacred Center

 

"The pleasure has been ours . . . I was singing your praises last night while showing off the website and clicked on your site to show people who you are . . . I am very happy!"

-- Sharron Miller, Executive and Artistic Director, Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts

 

“You have an extraordinary company! The level of work you do is very, very high---"over my head" for design work, innovation & concepts, etc.-- a very different area of our industry than I'm in! But you truly have a great and exciting company!”

-- Marc Frankel, President, Hudson Valley Mac

Creator's Corner: The Joy Is in the Story Journey (or Mission Impossible)

NOTE: Creator's Corner is now being published on Wordpress, so you can access and read all of the columns (past and future) easily at one location. Click Here.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE TELEVISION SERIES OF ALL TIME IS Mission Impossible that is also a successful film franchise starring Tom Cruise. If you're unfamiliar with it, basically, it revolves around a team of special covert agents who are given an extremely dangerous mission to accomplish within a tight time frame.

WHAT REALLY KEPT ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT WASN'T the mission getting accomplished or the end (though I was happy to get the payoff): it was everything that occurred prior to actually accomplishing it.  In effect, the joy for me was in the journey--that was the story! Or as David Byrne of Talking Heads sings in the song, Once In A Lifetime: Well, how did I get here?

David Byrnes of Talking Heads

 

WELL, HOW DID I GET HERE?

 
THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE TEAM WERE MASTERS OF CREATIVITY serving a practical purpose; who were constantly aware, alert, mindful, paying intensive attention, and had to be extremely close to perfect timing, synchronicity in order to make the impossible possible. How about you and I? Aren't we all in the same or similar story in one way or another?

Things are only impossible until they are not. --Jean Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation

ARE WE OPEN-MINDED ENOUGH TO EXPERIMENT WITH NEW ways to create art, content, ideas, marketing strategy, content strategy through mindfulness, intuitive knowing, spiritual synchronicity, or some channel we can't fully comprehend or explain as part of our story?

I WAS HIRED TO DESIGN THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION, and was researching legal images, symbols, colors, sounds, words; and had two rough compositions based upon them to share at my first meeting. In the course of that week, I had been noticing windows over and over again. They kept drawing my attention. Why?  

 

John Steinbeck & His Children

Column Inspiration:
"John Steinbeck on Writing, The Crucible of Creativity, and The Mobilizing Power of the Impossible"

THE NEXT TIME I SAT DOWN TO WORK, I DREW WINDOWS AND EXPLORED HOW WE USE THEM and what they represent. They allow those of us on the outside to look at what is occurring on the inside. Eyes have been described as windows to the soul. There's an intimacy associated with looking in on the activity of others. Windows are related to opportunities.

SO, I CREATED ONE MORE COMPOSITION WITH WINDOWS FLOATING AROUND a central window in which a man is having an intimate conversation with a young boy. The floating windows were colorful (like Microsoft Windows), and the central window was framed with legal columns. I decided to trust what was being visually communicated to me.

Spirituality means stepping back and clearing that channel you believe in. --Gabby Bernstein

I PRESENTED THE THREE COMPOSITIONS TO THE DECISION-MAKERS (THREE OF THEM), who immediately chose the one with the windows while exclaiming how well it fit the message content of and intention for that year's report: it focused on all the pro bono work they do (immigrants, domestic violence, child abuse, etc.), and they needed to attract lawyers to participate in their pro bono program (offering them opportunities to be of service). We had not conversed before the meeting about the theme of the annual report. It truly caused me to pause and begin opening up to more of these experiences.

WOW, WHAT STORIES WE HAVE TO TELL WHEN OUR EXPERIMENTS LEAD TO SUCCESS (the happy ending). No success? Sure there is in that we have opened ourselves up to more possibilities that may lead to more opportunities for something extraordinary to occur through that channel in which you may come to believe and experience the impossible as possible.


1) Content Inspiration: 3 Unthinkable Behaviors Behind Content Marketing

2) Content Inspiration: Creativity As Devotion

3) Content Inspiration: John Steinbeck on Writing, The Crucible of Creativity, and The Mobilizing Power of the Impossible

MAY YOU DISCOVER MORE CREATIVE ideas and spiritual support now (and in the future) by exploring the Creativity & Spirituality Magazine, and previous Creator's Corner columns: Creator's Corner: How To Work (And Play) Well With "The Others" To Succeed; Best Visual Content = Storytelling Solutions via A&E Professionals, Lies & Storytelling: Strange Bedfellows in Shades of Gray; Best Storytelling Has Sensory Empathy (or It's Important to Engage the Senses), Get Up To Speed On Quality Do-It-Yourself Storytelling: On a Low Budget, Best Storytelling is Copied, Stolen Content? (or The Lighter Shade of Led Zeppellin), The Joy is in the Story Journey (or Mission Impossible), Best Story Content Grounded In Our Past & Current Life; Conflict Has Creative Value, Learn How To Use It; Card Decks & the Mystic or Visionary Persona, Here Comes Play-Doh, and Sacred Geometry–Visual Storytelling Content: One Of Top Four Creative Trends 2016.

Dare to shine, be generous, and love this life.

Valerie







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CREATOR'S CORNER is dedicated to sharing ideas that come to mind after reading and selecting articles for The Creativity & Spirituality Magazine (as the editor) that may be useful in a professional or personal capacity. Interest in creativity and spirituality as content for usage in arts & entertainment, media communications, marketing and advertising, and as lifestyle choices for businesses, projects and services (groups that have a way of life that may or may not be included in their brand identity), can be relevant to anyone anywhere in the world covering a variety of professions.

“What if we consider the possibility that a primary way we can experience the revelation of God’s mystery is through the process of our own creative expression?” - See more at: http://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2016/05/creativity-as-devotion.html#sthash.EItCwnzQ.dpuf

“What if we consider the possibility that a primary way we can experience the revelation of God’s mystery is through the process of our own creative expression?” - See more at: http://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2016/05/creativity-as-devotion.html#sthash.EItCwnzQ.dpuf

“What if we consider the possibility that a primary way we can experience the revelation of God’s mystery is through the process of our own creative expression?” - See more at: http://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2016/05/creativity-as-devotion.html#sthash.EItCwnzQ.dpuf

What if we consider the possibility that a primary way we can experience the revelation of God’s mystery is through the process of our own creative expression?” - See more at: http://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2016/05/creativity-as-devotion.html#sthash.EItCwnzQ.dpuf

What if we consider the possibility that a primary way we can experience the revelation of God’s mystery is through the process of our own creative expression?” - See more at: http://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2016/05/creativity-as-devotion.html#sthash.EItCwnzQ.dpuf

What if we consider the possibility that a primary way we can experience the revelation of God’s mystery is through the process of our own creative expression?” - See more at: http://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2016/05/creativity-as-devotion.html#sthash.EItCwnzQ.dpuf

What if we consider the possibility that a primary way we can experience the revelation of God’s mystery is through the process of our own creative expression?” - See more at: http://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2016/05/creativity-as-devotion.html#sthash.EItCwnzQ.dpuf

What if we consider the possibility that a primary way we can experience the revelation of God’s mystery is through the process of our own creative expression?” - See more at: http://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2016/05/creativity-as-devotion.html#sthash.EItCwnzQ.dpuf