Ethos by Randy Elrod - How To Create Culture

48 Hours Of Solitude & One On One with Randy Elrod at 2,000 Acre Kalein@Round Cove

One-On-Ones - featuring -

• 48 hours of solitude at the fabulous lodge on the 2,000 acres of Kalein @ Round Cove
• A full mentoring day with Randy Elrod featuring a safe non-judgmental environment and "anything goes" conversation while hiking the stunning Tennessee bluffs and trails OR just sitting and talking on the porch looking over the bluffs and scenic vistas while sipping iced tea.
• Meals prepared from scratch by Randy and helpers (Italian Feast & Crepes and much more)
• The most unique wine tasting of your life (optional)
• You also have the option to explore the many caves on property, shoot skeet or simply lay on the hammock overlooking the bluffs
• For more Info: E-mail HERE

Upcoming cre:ate Opportunities

cre:ate 2010 - featuring -

• A gathering of early adopters
• Arts Leaders Thinktank & Conference
• 10th Anniversary Celebration
• Special guest cameos from past cre:ate's all week
• Very special new guests
• Connect with influencers from around the world
• The usual great musical experiences - including 2 very special surprises
• Many More Surprises
• Feb. 8-12, 2010
• Pre-Register Here and save!

cre:ate Blog Con & Expo

• A place to connect with other bloggers and tech-lovers like yourself
• First annual Blog/Web 2.0 Blowout
• One Day Only - Aug. 7, 2009
• Network with 100's of other bloggers, twitterers and social networkers
• Specialized breakout sessions
• Two Inspiring Keynote Speakers
• Huge Expo
• Franklin, TN
• Only $99.
• Register HERE

LifeWork 2.0

• Engaging Your Fans/Clients In A Digital World
• One Day Seminar
• In-depth look at How to connect the dots of Social Networking, Marketing
• Here are a few of the topics
• Below are just a few of the topics we cover…
  Blogging
  Blogging 101 Where do you start?
  Why Blog?
  Why Should CEO’s, companies, churches, and artists blog?
  Maximizing your brand through blogging
  Blogging Content Advanced Blogging The technical side and how to manage it.
  Creating Traffic
  Driving readers to your blog How to keep readers coming back to your blog Using You Tube and other video outlets
  SEO - How to maximize Search Engine Optimization without paying monthly for it.
  Why Search Engine Optimization is a must and how it drives traffic.
  How To Utilize Google Not Just As A Search Engine-But As A Reputation Management System
  Social Networking and Micro Blogging
  Using Twitter and FaceBook to build an online community
  Social Networking as a marketing tool
  Customized social networks
  Creating an easy path for your readers to keep up with your daily life.
• April 9 & May 15, Franklin TN
• Register HERE

One-On-Ones - featuring -

• 48 hours of solitude at the fabulous lodge on the 2,000 acres of Kalein @ Round Cove
• A full mentoring day with Randy Elrod featuring a safe non-judgmental environment and "anything goes" conversation while hiking the stunning Tennessee bluffs and trails OR just sitting and talking on the porch looking over the bluffs and scenic vistas while sipping iced tea.
• Meals prepared from scratch by Randy and helpers (Italian Feast & Crepes and much more)
• The most unique wine tasting of your life (optional)
• You also have the option to explore the many caves on property, shoot skeet or simply lay on the hammock overlooking the bluffs
• For more Info: E-mail HERE

Speaking & Consulting

• Only 8 dates left this year
• Specializing in Web 2.0-Engaging your Clients/Fans In A Digital World, and All Things SEO (Why SEO is almost as good as SEX) Search Engine Optimization, How To Rule Your Digital World Thru Five Great Free Resources, and also addressing a variety of other topics, including How To Energize Your Business Thru These Creative Tips, Enjoying and Flourishing with the Spirit of an Entrepreneur, the Artist and the Church, The Curse Of The Blessings Of God, and more. Also, talks customized to your environment.
• My Latest Speaking/Consulting has been with: Thomas Nelson Publishing, Westone Corporation, Centricity Music, Professional Communicators Summit, O'More College of Design, cre:ate Arts Conference to name only a few.
• For more Info: E-mail HERE

Scotch Tasting

• Led by Jackson, Michigan's own Scotch Connoisseur, John Voelz, aka JVo, aka @shameonyoko.
• Featuring a tasting of some very extravagant scotch
• Each participant will receive a gift book about scotch
• Full explanation about origins, scotch making, nuances and much more
• All proceeds benefit the non-profit: Kalein, A Center for Creative Studies
• At my home, La Maison du Reves, in Franklin, TN
• Limited to first 23 Scotch Lovers
• May 9, 2009 at 7pm
• Register HERE

Wine Tastings

• Led by wine lover Randy Elrod
  
• Featuring blind tastings and of exquisite wines
• Each participant will receive a complimentary wine glass
• Full explanation about winemakers, varietals, how to fully enjoy wine, etiquette and much more
• Learn how to rate and identify wines created for YOU.
• All proceeds benefit the non-profit: Kalein, A Center for Creative Studies
  
• At my home, La Maison du Reves, in Franklin, TN
• Limited to first 23 Wine Lovers
• April 17, October 16 & December 31
• For Cost and to Register: E-mail HERE

Personal Guided Tours with Randy Elrod

• Very Limited And Exclusive
• Wine/Gourmet Trips to Napa Valley (2009) & Tuscany, Italy (2010)
• Dinners with famous winemakers
• Meals from scratch prepared by Randy & others
• Exclusive Accommodations - We will have an entire estate at our disposal
• Private VIP Wine Tastings
• Only 9 rooms (single or double occupancy)
• Exclusive "Behind The Scenes" Opportunities
• Leadership Training
• For more Info: E-mail HERE

 

Greening Ourselves To Death

Somehow I can't help but worry that the billions (some say trillions -one estimate is that it will take 2 trillion just to upgrade residences to a "green" standard) of dollars we have spent in "greening America" the past 17 or so years has cost us a competitive business edge.

Instead of innovative productivity, we have chosen to react defensively against a foe that most of us do not even know is real. Is it Global Warming?, no, uh, it's Climate Change, uh, I'm not sure. Should we spend money to save the cute fuzzy polar bears, uh, are they really dying? While we spend more money to kill the cute fuzzy sheep because their belching produces dangerous emissions? Hmmmm.

It strike's me as extremely arrogant on man's part to think that the last 100 years or so (as long as we have kept weather records) is meaningful when considering the thousands (if not millions) of years this earth has been in existence. It would be like taking one second of tomorrow's weather and saying it is the new weather pattern for the future of the earth.

Could GM and Wall Street have benefited from the "R&D" that billions of dollars spent "protecting" our planet against an unknown and quite possibly non-existent foe could buy?

Innovative productivity such as widgets and ideas that really do something and do it better are what drive American consumerism and our free enterprise system.

Richard Florida in his very important book The Flight of the Creative Class (The New Global Competition for Talent) documents the thousands of creatives and innovators that are fleeing our country.

For the first time ever, I shudder as I write this, this 50 year old American (and I might add successful) artist entrepreneur is considering the possibility of moving to a "New World". A world of free speech and the right to bear arms and one that believes in the principles found in Adam Smith's "The Wealth Of Nations".

And before you judge me harshly, this is the same guy who has stubbornly watched his retirement savings in the stock market disappear with each passing day of the new Presidential reign. The Dow has fallen over 3,000 points since Inauguration Day. (Because suddenly investors realize there are no rules) Even so, I have stubbornly refused to do as many of my friends and buy gold with my investment money, believing I should do my part as an American.

I have the right to choose not to live in a country of big, socialistic and wasteful government that favors the lazy and inept over the hard-working and creative. A sure sign of the demise of a company or a country is the steady flight of her creatives and entrepreneurs.

Only one question comes to mind. Would John Galt go green?

And if you are asking who the hell is John Galt?

That's the first problem.

Naked or Nude? - My Latest Watercolor Is Called "Naked And Not Ashamed"

"A desirable element of art is beauty and when the artist combines beauty with the provocative sensuality of the nude body confusion occurs in some viewers regarding the issue of vulgarity. Nudity has the power to incite various emotions such as surprise, uneasiness and intimacy. So the artist realizes in the nude an opportunity to cause the viewer to experience a paradoxical and mysterious confrontation with beauty...

...There lies a distinct difference between nudity and nakedness. John Berger says “Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display. The nude is condemned to never being naked. Nudity is a form of dress.”

- by Randy Elrod (excerpted from a chapter called "The Naked Truth" in my newest book which I am currently writing and represented by Eames Literary Services.)

A trusted counselor friend of mine urged me to paint this chapter while writing it.

This watercolor emerged and is filled with layers and symbolism and should NOT be viewed by anyone with easily offended religious sensibilities (unless of course, you subscribe to a premium movie channel or view movies rated "R" or above).

Click on the empty frame below to view the watercolor. Do you consider her naked or nude and why? Click HERE to Comment

Amazon Introduces The Amazon Kindle 2

Amazon introduces the Amazon Kindle 2, the next generation wireless reading device. With a sleek and thin design that makes Kindle 2 as thin as a typical magazine and lighter than a paperpack, the new Kindle has seven times more storage and now holds over 1,500 books. It has a longer battery life and faster page turns. An advanced display provides even crisper images and clearer text for an improved book-like reading experience. And Kindle 2 even reads to you, with “Read to Me”, a new Text to Speech feature.

With Kindle 2 Amazon kept everything readers love about the original Kindle—the convenience of reading what you want, when you want it, the immediacy of getting a book wirelessly delivered in less than 60 seconds, and Kindle’s ability to “disappear” in your hands so you can get lost in the author’s words. The Kindle Store has over 230,000 ebooks available. Pre-Order it HERE. The Kindle 2 is available for pre-order starting today for $359 and will ship later this month

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

Ethos Gives "Slumdog Millionaire" Two Thumbs Way Up

Go see this movie NOW before it leaves the theater. A moving story of truth, destiny and love.

A creative tour-de-force. A must-see.

It has my vote for the academy award for Movie of the Year!

An Incredible New Site For Music Lovers That Benefits Africans With Aids

Why You Should Buy Art In An Economic Downturn

As we all carefully assess every penny we spend, it seems counter-intuitive to spend precious dollars on art -something that at first glance seems so trivial.

Here are just a few reasons why we must continue to purchase art and support artists during this difficult economic downturn.

- Art brings hope in desperate times.

- Art stimulates creativity - exactly what we need to jumpstart our economy.

- Art brings joy in sorrow.

- Art is a form of therapeutic expression that aids the emotional state of those that have suffered trauma.

- The creative process is healing and life affirming.

- Art provides a therapeutic and creative outlet for pent up emotions and hurtful feelings that are too painful to express verbally.

- Often traumatic events that have been buried deep in the subconscious will surface through art. Once the emotions have been released healing can then begin to take place.

- Besides helping to improve mental and emotional health art can increase self-awareness, cognitive abilities, reduce stress and assist in healing the emotional effects of traumatic experiences.

- Art is GREEN - it utilizes brainpower - not toxic waste.

- Artists need more that creativity to survive.

Alison Bernstein says this:

Throughout our history, artists in the U.S. have utilized their skills as a vehicle to illuminate the human condition, contribute to the vitality of their communities and to the broader aesthetic landscape, as well as to promote social change and democratic dialogue. Artists have also helped us interpret our past, define the present, and imagine the future. In spite of these significant contributions, there's been an inadequate set of support structures to help artists, especially younger, more marginal or controversial ones, to realize their best work. Many artists have struggled and continue to struggle to make ends meet. They often lack adequate resources for health care coverage, housing, and for space to make their work. Still, public as well as private funding for artists has been an uneven, often limited source of support even in the best of times economically.

Compounding these material problems is the fact that the public often views the profession of "artist" as not serious. The way artists earn a living may seem frivolous, and artists are often seen as indulging in their own passions and desires which bear no relation to the everyday experiences of most workers. This too contributes to a devaluing of the artist as a citizen with the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else.

"Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it."
-- Berthold Brecht

"When you give money to artists, you are yourself doing an artists work"
-- Vincent Van Gogh

Whan you buy a copy of "Beauty Is Calling" you are helping shape the destiny of young artists' around the world. All the proceeds go to Kalein, "A Center for Creative Studies".

A Book Tasting

Join me at a book signing (I'm calling it a "Book Tasting") for my new book "Beauty Is Calling" Friday evening, Jan.23 from 5-7pm at Landmark Booksellers in historic downtown Franklin, TN

Complimentary wine & cheese, a free wine glass and limited edition signed print if you purchase the book(s).

If you live elsewhere, you may purchase the book by clicking the image of the cover or at Amazon.com , Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and other fine bookstores.

All profits from the sale of this book go to support Kalein, a Center for Creative Studies. For information about upcoming retreat opportunities and more go HERE.

A Toast To 2009 - New Year's Eve At The O'More Mansion In Historic Franklin, TN