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“there is no substitute for guts”

— Paul Bear Bryant

Engage. Inspire. Motivate.

Let us engage you on a journey through a world of creative, inspirational storytelling that motivates us to expand our minds, build on our experiences and humanize the branding process.

<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The trees are laughing once more, all dressed up in their carnival clothing, the gold, and scarlet of the autumn days. I watch as the leaves tumble from branch to ground on their final dance. I remember distinctly a mature gnarled golden yellow maple tree growing close to where I was standing, and it showed off spectacularly. Although diminished in power, the sun shone brightly and felt warm on my face despite the north wind's bite and the smell of frost in the air as I stood on the sidewalk in Bangor, Maine.</h3> <p class="has-drop-cap">I couldn't imagine the look on my face at this moment, but I was happy no one was trying to capture it with a photograph because I could barely conceal my delight, and I thought I would die of joy. I was no more than three feet away from where the glorious and gothic wrought iron gates, adorned with winged bats, spiders, and a three-headed reptile, opened to a red brick path to a rather distinctive old and towering Victorian mansion red with white trim.</p> <p>I was standing in front of the home of Stephen King all alone, just me, even though this was one of the most photographed celebrity homes from the street, slightly trailing behind Graceland. It was just me on the sidewalk that crisp cold October morning, and I felt special at that moment. Whether he was residing there at the time was irrelevant because I could imagine and think that he knew I was there and was watching me and the world go by from his upstairs window.</p> <p>As a young girl I enjoyed reading very much, you could find me most of the time in a quiet place in nature. Growing up in rural Virginia in the decades of the '70s and '80s, there were not many options for escape or travel except through an author's eyes and their incredible stories. I became very fond of many genres and authors like George Orwell, Charles Dickens, F Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby" William Shakespeare, Judy Blume's novel Blubber, and an all-time favorite Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." Enthralled by the romantic love story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Still, I also learned about the repercussions of hasty judgments only with the differences between superficial goodness and actual goodness.</p> <p>Bram Stoker, an Irish artist, caught my attention to fictional horror with Count Dracula's portrait. I would be ten years old when I read this novel, and it took me quite a while to finish, but I know that on Halloween in 1979, I was dressed in a costume along with a velvet cape and was the scariest vampire out there.</p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote is-style-default"><blockquote><p>"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make." </p><cite>— Bram Stoker</cite></blockquote></figure> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The author who has inspired me the most throughout my life and inspired me to want to be a creative writer one day is Stephen King, an American novelist, and short-story writer.</h3> <p>It would also be the summer of 1979, after watching a mini-series adapted for television from a novel by Stephen King called Salem's Lot, I would first become inspired. Salem's lot was about a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot in Maine, where he lived until the age of nine, only to discover soon the townspeople were all becoming vampires. My cup of tea with sugar.  I remember my first Stephen King book was given to me by my Grandmother for my birthday in 1980; she had found a stack of books at a yard sale and brought them to me as a gift. The books were "Little Women," Louisa May Alcott, Adventures of "Tom Sawyer," Mark Twain and "The Shining "by Stephen King, surely you know which one I read first. </p> <p>Early in his career, I would discover Mr. King, and the book that put him on the map was his 1974 novel about a shy, friendless girl that her domineering, religious mother shelters. She unleashes her telekinetic powers called "Carrie." After Carrie's success, King just kept putting out imaginative and creative horror, fantasy, and psychological thriller masterpieces, and for me, it was hard to keep up. By the early 1980's several of his works had been adapted for the big screen by directors such as John Carpenter and Rob Reiner and became movies that changed my life. It was portable magic, and I am not surprised that we share the same candy movie favorites of Twizzlers and Junior Mints.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">A favorite unique combination of mine would be King and George A. Romero in the 1982 American horror-comedy anthology "Creepshow," which was around five short stories in comic book form.</h3> <p>My favorite novel from King would have to be "Needful Things," about a creepy old man that moves to a rural small town in picturesque Maine and sets up an antique shop, and of course Salem's Lot, my very first experience is a favorite.  Many think King as "The Master of Horror," which he is the holder of that title, and many more with his never-ending creativity of monsters. However, King is also known for writing a couple of classic crime novels you may not even think were in his portfolio. "The Green Mile" a classic novel written in 1996 and adapted for the big screen in 1999 and winning a critics choice award. The Shawshank Redemption was written in 1982 and adapted for the big screen in 1994.</p> <p>Jumping ahead to late in the 20<sup>th</sup> century and King would be credited to reviving the Horror fiction genre and his books to date selling over 100 million copies. He has published 62 novels, including seven under the pen name Robert Bachman, five non-fiction books, and over 200 short stories. King has had 30 novels on the New York Times bestseller list, and along with many distinguished titles, he holds the record for the most books on the New York Times Best Seller list at one time with four.  </p> <p>A favorite quote from Mr. King "Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference". I have always been inspired by this quote, maybe because I have always wanted to be much like King. I just wasn't sure where to start, but having a love of reading books, a vivid and creative imagination was helpful. However, there was not a lot of support. When you hear numerous times throughout your life, I don't believe writing is for you, and I don't think you could do much writing. You then stop jotting down ideas, words, or short stories. You may even slow down on your reads, and you realize the critics may be actual. You know that your desk is still in the corner and not in the middle of the room, and at that moment, there is a loss of confidence, enthusiasm, and inspiration.</p> <p>Many decades have come and gone since my first glimpse into Salem's Lot and The Shining. I was 47 years old when I stood on that sidewalk in front of the home of one of my biggest influencers in life, and it inspired me once again, and I reminisced about my childhood dream, and I imagined him saying to me, how do you write? And I answered him with one of my favorite quotes from the master himself "Invariably one word at a time." And he just grinned, and I could see my desk slowly moving from the corner.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Darkness</h3> <p>I looked up at the blackness of the sky, the sun had quickly set, and there was no starlight to be seen; I hadn't intended to stay out this late. The road ahead looked silent and unappealing; there were no streetlights, and I knew I was in for a dark journey home. I decided to take a shortcut to make my trip faster and cut through the forest, a place I had been to many times before. The forest trees were century-old, with sprawling limbs guarding the darkness and only allowing a peak of light from the half-moon above. The air was stuffy and pungent and a little difficult to breathe. The decaying mood and stifling atmosphere made plentiful the perfect abode for those who worshipped the dark instead of the light. I bit my tongue from nervousness, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I made my way over a musty forest floor filled with decaying pieces of wood and prominent tree roots. I tried to creep around the forest's poisons, and the mass amounts of spider webs without much luck as the trees started at me like silent watchmen. The darkness was enormous and a bit frightening because your eyes will play tricks on you in the dense shadows as my eyes were frantically scanning the forest surroundings. I increased the speed of my pace, which made me feel a little nauseous and dizzy, and just at that moment, I became panic-stricken, and the hair stood up on the back of my neck like the hackles of a big dog. Somewhere between a despairing screech and a tortured whine sounded off to all my senses. Where was it coming from? Just then, no more than 100 feet to my left, I could see a faint glow that seemingly was coming from an old wooden structure, that was the "Ole Smokehouse "that's what everyone around town called it, they knew because apparently, it was a remnant of Civil War times. Slowing my pace and trying to tune out the despairing cries that seemed to grow louder with each step, I horrifyingly approached the structure, thinking to myself, why the shortcut? This smokehouse was an antebellum building with a tiny window, and it was withered white, with a red clay roof and a chimney.  It was at the window where the faint light showed, and as I approached the tiny window, my heart raced, my palms sweated profusely, and my whole body shook. At that moment, I was utterly terrified. </p> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win."</p><cite>Stephen King</cite></blockquote></figure>

The Kings House

The trees are laughing once more, all dressed up in their carnival clothing, the gold, and scarlet of the autumn days. I watch as the leaves tumble from branch to ground on their final dance. I remember distinctly a mature gnarled golden yel…
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Comparing a healthy, maintained, and organically built website with a healthy, organic diet produces so many similarities that they may arrive at the same results. Building and maintaining a sustainable, organic website draws many parallels to an individual who opts for a healthier lifestyle by switching to an organic diet. How your food is grown or raised may have a significant impact on your mental and emotional health as well as the environment. The same is true for the overall health of your website regarding the visitors you attract. </h2> <p class="has-drop-cap">Organic foods often have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, than their conventionally grown counterparts. Likewise, organic traffic is generated in a more "natural" way as well. Sure, paid advertising campaigns may put eyes on your site. However, much as you would eat organic to steer clear of impurities in the food, the traffic generated through a paid campaign can often be artificial and, like its food counterparts, very harmful to your website. </p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What is Organic Traffic?</h2> <p>Organic traffic refers to the visitors landing on your website due to using a search engine (like Google). These quality visits show that the user was not referred from another site, nor was it generated by paid ads or campaigns just as an organic farmer produces fresher and much cleaner produce and products by not using harmful chemicals and synthetic pesticides, the increase of your organic traffic results from your consistently creating fresh new original, quality, and relevant content. </p> <p>Consequently, by focusing on quality, relevant, original content to build your organic customer sphere, you eliminate the need to pay for subpar and, most of the time, irrelevant visitors to your website. Thus, growing a relevant and robust base of visitors who are searching and interested in your type of business or services. Besides, as you continue to "yield" quality, relevant content consistently, you increase your search engine optimization (SEO). This helps you rank higher in search engines and helps the maximum number see your website of relevant, potential clients. </p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p>While competitors could pay for a certain ad which will be seen and get their share of clicks, your competitors cannot buy or pay their way to the credibility and trust that is built with a well-planned and effectively executed strategy that has driven your brand to the "top of the page."</p></blockquote> <p>By "harvesting" these quality, organic leads rather than running paid campaigns, you eliminate the possibility of these "irrelevant visitors" that can prove detrimental to both your daily traffic and server. Not to mention, without a need for "sifting" through that subpar traffic, you avoid wasting what may be the most valuable asset to any company, time.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Proof is in the "Product" </h2> <p>As with anything, seeing is believing. In building a solid marketing strategy aimed at driving organic traffic, "seeing" comes in the form of your client being able to look and see as they climb the rankings in search engines and, as a result accumulating more customers and return on their initial investment. Just as the healthy eating customer becomes a loyal buyer of the fresher and juicier organic product from the particular brand which they have grown to trust, when the consistent content you build for your target audience turns into consistent results, the "seed is planted" for a strong and solid long-term customer relationship.</p> <p>Just as utilizing an organic diet will lead to an increased energetic and healthier lifestyle, a steady and consistent method of delivering organic content will see a steady increase and constant climb on Google and other search engines. The organic traffic increase, keyword and phrase searches will allow your brand or services to become more visible while laying the foundation for visitors to return, which helps convert them into long-term clients.  </p> <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex"> <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:100%"> <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex"> <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:100%"> <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex"> <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:80%"> <p>As noted, pursuing organic leads does not lead to overnight success, but once your business is established and is sustained with original organic content, continuing with this consistent strategy will keep you climbing in search engines and, most importantly keep you visible to the customer. </p> </div> <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:50%"> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p>Our organic efforts in real-world test outperformed the PPC by over 360 percent in a six month period.</p></blockquote> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>While competitors could pay for a particular ad which will be seen and get their share of clicks, your competitors cannot buy or pay their way to the credibility and trust that is built with a well-planned and effectively executed strategy that has driven your brand to the "top of the page." </p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://www.blevinscreativegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/How-Organic-SEO-Works-1024x365.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3790"/></figure> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">ROI is the Bottom Line</h2> <p>It's easy to fall victim to pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns if you're outsourcing the efforts or if you don't understand the analytics. An example is a long-time client who ran a major PPC campaign and also ran an organic strategy method with us. We tracked the efforts and both campaigns of each team. Our organic efforts in a real-world test outperformed the PPC by over 360 percent in a six-month period. The organic strategy continues to be the leading role resulting in over $18 million in home sales.</p> <p>Whether we are comparing personal well-being and eating habits or building and sustaining a strong and prosperous brand, the bottom line is seeing a return on your investment (ROI). In our experience whether you chose to run a PPC campaign or not, building your organic presence when implemented correctly and consistently will build an overall healthy lead source and is a way to deliver strong, sustainable results and most importantly trust to maximize your bottom line.  </p>

Going Organic, Cold Turkey!

Comparing a healthy, maintained, and organically built website with a healthy, organic diet produces so many similarities that they may arrive at the same results. Building and maintaining a sustainable, organic website draws many parallels…
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Artists draw inspiration from all types of different sources. Everyone whose career involves them creating original, creative work has been influenced in some way. Whether you work in visual arts, music, writing, or whatever your creative outlet may be. Chances are, there is someone that has helped to define the artistic approach to your work. </h2> <p></p> <p class="has-drop-cap">It could be a catchy song lyric or guitar playing style. A public speaker or an elected official and their strong tone of speaking and delivery might inspire some. Still, it’s the crafty delivery or a specific role played by a favorite actor, comedian, or commentator for others. It’s even possible it came from a teacher, co-worker, or acquaintance you know and have come to respect. </p> <p>Regardless of the original work that one creates, their influences tell a lot about them. Whether your craft is photography, music, or writing, usually the stylings of your influence shine through in your finished work.</p> <p>For me personally, I think of two specific minds that worked together as one. They created not just words set to music but sounds that defined a movement and way of life. Firsthand, I can attest to “feeling” their collective creative genius. I am among the millions whose melodies played as the soundtrack for a good portion of our lives. Sure, both are incredibly talented musicians. But the mastery of their written and spoken words as storytellers and musicians was second to none. The lessons once learned as an impressionable 16-year old kid through this music was an education in life. With huge stadiums, arenas, and amphitheaters across America serving as the schoolhouse, I absorbed as much as I could. In writing, and even in thought, I find myself reverting to these “teachings” to this very day.</p> <p>The influence I speak of is a twosome who unknowingly would narrate a 30-plus year ride through Americana. Their progressive and improvisational brand of rock-n-roll would steer the wagon for millions along for this ride. Over thirty years after discovering their work, it still elicits a full spectrum of feelings from me, with chills up my spine and an erasable, ear-to-ear smile. They are even stifling a memory, literally bringing me to tears. Only one of these two musical pioneers would take the stage night after night among the group of six. However, this inspirational force was unquestionably a team of two and not just an individual. The team is Grateful Dead founder/guitarist/and vocalist Jerry Garcia and his lifelong friend and lyricist, Robert Hunter.</p> <p>The storytelling skills the Garcia/Hunter tandem put into music tells colorful tales of the America they grew up in. Amazingly, those tales inspired visions within fans in every random arena of the America they grew up in, too. From the bouncy and fun “Franklin’s Tower” or “U.S Blues.” To the thought-provoking, beautiful, and almost melancholy “Stella Blue” or “Attics of My Life.” Garcia and Hunter left no emotion untouched with their magical combination of word and sound. </p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://www.blevinscreativegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC2071-1024x660.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3760"/></figure> <p>They authored songs that seemed to each become a storybook all unto themself. They took us on adventures through an America existing in the eyes of these musical pioneers with Jack Straw, providing us songs of hope and discovery like Eyes of the World and Wharf Rat. They touched every emotion in their incredible tale of love lost and triumphant journey to reclaim it in the epic Terrapin Station. With their psychedelic roots deeply planted, Hunter effortlessly wrote the perfect verbiage to accompany their “crown jewel,” Dark Star. This otherworldly and iconic tune was a jazz-like, improvisational launchpad for Garcia’s classic “noodling” style iconic jams. It became a crowd favorite from around the time of the band’s original incarnation in 1965. Whenever it made a rare live appearance, it turned that particular show into one of those “special nights.” That connection continued right until Jerry’s passing in July of 1995.</p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p>“Magic is what we do. Music is how we do it,” he once explained. “It’s not enough to be the best at what you do. You must be perceived as the only one who does what you do.”</p><cite>— Jerry Garcia</cite></blockquote> <p>The music of the Grateful Dead had and still has effects on many that are difficult to describe. Many liked to link the band and their loyal following to drugs. The truth is, for those who felt it and hopped on board the “traveling circus,” it was always about the music. People can argue all day on “who the greatest guitar player in history” is. Very rarely will you see the name Garcia near the top of these type rankings? However, it is undeniable that the sheer joy the songs he and Hunter wrote engulfed the fan base is unparalleled. </p> <p>Imagine a man stepping on stage and just tuning his guitar could elicit a full spectrum of emotion. Not once, but twenty-five nights in a row, three to five tours a year. By just stepping on stage in front of fifteen to eighty thousand people (depending on the venue.) within seconds, you would hear a surprised gasp. Gleeful screams. Tears of joy, high fives, hugs, and even a “pin drop” silence. Recognize, this is only as the opening song becomes identifiable while tuning his guitar strings. That’s powerful in a way that is unmatched in the history of live music.</p> <p>The stories told in each Garcia/Hunter tune live in my heart, my mind, and my soul. Since Garcia’s passing, I’ve felt somewhat of a different “bond” between myself and the music. Today, seeing each song performed by the band’s remaining collaborations feels much like visiting with an old friend. One that I’ve missed dearly and has stopped by unannounced for a few minutes to say hi. Despite their influence, I don’t feel I’ve ever come close to achieving that type of creative power. In my defense, I believe any other “Deadhead” would attest. I’ don’t think anyone else has in that magnitude either. </p> <p>Garcia himself would lend credence to his unique connection between audience and performer. Yes, he was a brilliant guitarist and writer, but he was equally as engaging and witty with his spoken words. He has been famously quoted on countless topics surrounding the band and their loyal fan base. Jerry seemed to have an intelligent yet whimsical sound bite on any topic he was quizzed upon. The band’s non-traditional approach and sound. The creativity and fearless improvisational nature of their live performances. The bizarre, over-the-top loyalty and dedication developed between the audience and band. </p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://www.blevinscreativegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC2078-1024x442.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3761"/></figure> <p>“Magic is what we do. Music is how we do it,” he once explained. On another occasion, he seemed to add to that comment, describing the “stew” of sound that was the Grateful Dead. He quipped, “It’s not enough to be the best at what you do. You must be perceived as the only one who does what you do.”</p> <p>In my personal favorite correlation made in describing the connection between the Grateful Dead and their fan base, Jerry likened the music to having an acquired taste in candy. “We’re like licorice,” Garcia once famously began. “Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice, really like licorice.”</p> <p>Hand me another one of those “Twizzlers,” please...</p>

Inspiration is Dead

Artists draw inspiration from all types of different sources. Everyone whose career involves them creating original, creative work has been influenced in some way. Whether you work in visual arts, music, writing, or whatever your creative ou…
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">We all remember the old saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Using one small thing with the suggested tendency of sourness or difficulty and with just a few ingredients makes it into something positive, sweet, and desirable. A lemon represents your brand, and an expert marketing firm will take your lemon and fresh squeeze it with skillful hands, humanize it and tell your story through creative well-designed ingredients, resulting in sweet success, because let's face it, no one wants to just suck on a lemon.</h2> <p class="has-drop-cap">People will work on their corporate identity or their "lemon" but usually do not plan a budget to implement it.  Having the best product, best location, best ideas all are great. Still, when you decide to skimp on that marketing budget that introduces your product, brand, or service to reach a larger audience and formulate strategies for growth, you fail your brand and impact your prosperity and success. Many companies tend to underspend on their marketing strategies, and if you are not spending, you're saving in the long run, right?  Many small businesses think hiring a marketing expert is an unnecessary luxury expense that they can not afford. The bottom line is, are you willing to invest in yourself? If you must skimp or cut your budget, don't make it your marketing budget.  Put your money where your brand is.</p> <pre class="wp-block-verse has-medium-font-size">U.S. small business says successful companies should be spending 7-8% of their gross revenue for marketing up to 5 million dollars in yearly sales, more if your income is more significant. Over-all, someone should spend 5-12% on marketing and brand identity.</pre> <p> As we look at lemons to brands, we all remember the Americana summertime iconic "Lemonade Stand." Most of us probably persistently pestered our parents to have one as a child. We most likely remember setting up a table of some sort, we may have had in a garage or basement, placing a bright-colored happy little cloth over it, stealing cups, lemons, water & sugar from the kitchen, and then trying to think of the best design for our lemonade stand sign.</p> <p>Even a kid from Omaha, Nebraska, was a lemonade stand entrepreneur. I read an article where this individual discussed his childhood and how he started a lemonade stand. He touched base about the competition and how everyone had a lemonade stand that summer, but the two things that most were forgetting, number 1 is location, location, location, and secondly marketing and advertising. This boy from Omaha is currently worth 84.6 billion dollars and even in 2009 had a kid's cartoon on the Hub Network called "The Secret Millionaire's Club," a business show for children. </p> <p>Many of the brands, products, and businesses can take a few lessons from these kid entrepreneurs.  Some of these start-ups are not kids play anymore.  While still being fun and exciting and teaching children the value of hard work and dollar, it has become a pretty big market these days, and these kids know who to market.  Did you see a start-up lemonade stand will start at $20.00 to over $400.00 depending on how elaborate you go and budgets?  These kids are becoming more aware of how branding works, and it's not only just about location.  These kids are attending workshops in person and virtually; they use digital advertising, social media advertising, organic content; they even have kidpreneur events throughout the United States.  So no more cardboard boxes, construction paper, glue, and crayon signs; these kids mean business, and so should you!</p> <p>The top four reasons that you should hire a marketing firm. Business cards, sure there are many places you can get free templates or pay a minimal fee to design your own, but do you want the same business cards as 100's other companies have? Or do you want a business card that stands out and is memorable, unique to only you?  Website design, professional websites increase traffic, positive customer experiences, and establish your brand.  It says you are serious and professional about your business.  Photography, a picture is worth a thousand words, well it's worth more. Professional photography is vital because anyone can take a photo, but only a professional can make a photo.  Content companies undervalue good content that wants a professional storyteller to help them connect to their consumers, but they don't want to pay what it's worth.  On top of all these things, let's not forget the -going budget to keep your lemonade fresh and sweet. On-going content, edits, updated photography, website re-designs are all part of a marketing strategy and critical factors to continued brand success.  Marketing is responsible for about ¾ of a consumer's journey through a brand.  Consistency is crucial and should be up to date across all aspects. Marketing is hard, so when life gives you lemons, plant the seeds, grow an orchard, and let your marketing team squeeze the day by telling your epic story while you enjoy the lemonade.</p> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Way to squeeze the day Lisa! </p> <div class="el-meta uk-text-meta uk-text-primary uk-margin-top">Article </div> Girl, 7, sells lemonade to pay for brain surgery</strong><br><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.today.com/parents/girl-7-sells-lemonade-help-pay-brain-surgery-t210529" target="_blank">https://www.today.com/parents/girl-7-sells-lemonade-help-pay-brain-surgery-t210529</a></p>

Squeeze the Day

We all remember the old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Using one small thing with the suggested tendency of sourness or difficulty and with just a few ingredients makes it into something positive, sweet, and desirable…
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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Over the year's technology has revolutionized our world and our lives. We have a world of opportunity at our fingertips, with a plethora of apps and platforms.  However, before technology, an app was something you're ordered at a fancy restaurant, and avenues were something one stood upon. Not to mention Amazon now, which was just the largest river in the world, not the largest online retailer in the world. Many will say life was less busy, less stressful, and more enjoyable before technology, and others will say technology has made things faster, more comfortable, and fun.  Well, it made life easier.</h3> <p class="has-drop-cap">Let's talk about social media; for instance, being social before technology meant you had to leave your house.  You wrote letters to mail because there was no email. There was no Tinder if you wanted to date someone, you called them on a landline telephone that stayed in your house, or you wrote them a love letter, "Do you love me?" check YES or NO. What a Concept?  A Social Media post was a printed hard copy piece of paper that you taped or stapled to a bulletin board.</p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p>"Dance Tonight," "Grandma's chicken soup recipe," or "Tupperware Party after work today!"</p></blockquote> <p>Amazingly there were no 24-hour news sources; the news only came on twice a day.  Trolls were mythical creatures in children's books. Web design was strictly for Arachnids, and before GPS, you had to use a paper Atlas.</p> <p>Way before you could use the largest search engine called Google or simply ask "Siri," you needed to leave your house and go to a library to do any research or reading, unless you were one of the lucky few that had Encyclopedias. You know those books that your parents purchased from a traveling salesman, that no one had ever met before, yet somehow, these individuals were invited into our homes for coffee and cookies.</p> <p>Alas, technology has had a "Big Effect" on entertainment and hobbies.  Today we live in a society of innovation and an ever-changing digital world.  We live in an age of time where it is almost impossible to live without some form of entertainment, Television, music, photography, gaming and the list goes on and on.  Before, there were very few channels to watch on Television and for some only one.  You had to leave your house to see the latest box office hit, but not today.  Today we have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and many other service providers that allow us to watch anything we desire at any time.</p> <p>Long before Apple Music, Spotify, and MP3's was the innovative invention of the cassette tape. They were all the rage. You could record music from your AM-FM radio station. Sometimes if you were lucky. They quote "threw you a bone," you could record or tape the top 10 to top 100 songs in one sitting. The other exciting thing was the Walkman, a portable device that ran on batteries with wired spongy headphones.  Now you can listen to music anytime and anywhere with Bluetooth. Before technology, if you had heard that term, you would have thought you had a stained mouth from too much Kool-aide.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright"><img src="https://www.blevinscreativegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/polaroid-pronto-300x271.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3637"/></figure></div> <p>Let's not even plan to start with gaming technology. Do you have all day? Before, we chased a dot back and forth on a tabletop console with two-dimensional graphics called Pong.  Oh, and by the way, before I Phones and digital cameras, if you took a selfie, you could wait up to a week or more for it to be developed, except for the innovative invention of the Polaroid Instant film camera, which was pricey at the time.</p> <p>Modern Technology made a massive discovery in 1992 with the first smartphone" and to present has paved the way for numerous multi-functional devices that are portable, have advanced software, and are always at your fingertips.</p> <p>Before technology, did we live in the "Dark Ages" or is it an Innocence Lost? In moments of digital anxiety, some will see themselves as digital immigrants, and others will see themselves as digital pioneers.</p>

“Dark Ages” Life before Technology

Over the year’s technology has revolutionized our world and our lives. We have a world of opportunity at our fingertips, with a plethora of apps and platforms.  However, before technology, an app was something you’re ordered at a fancy resta…
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