2008: What This Blog Is Was Will Be?

Picture of: luminarias made from ice, outside our home on New Year's Eve. Yes, it does get cold enough in Arizona to do this.

So, what are you looking at in this blog? I will let me friend and deep-thinker Tim Ereneta tell you about this project:

"Storyteller Sean Buvala recently ended a year-long experiment in blogging not the artistic process but the business process of storytelling --in photos. Aspiring storytellers with the ambition to perform often choose to underestimate or flat out ignore the hard realities of running and promoting a small business. Sean's photoblog is a necessary reminder of not only the unglamorous minutiae required to support a storytelling career, but also of how intertwined personal and professional life can be, especially if you are self-employed."

That is a direct, lifted quote from Tim's Blog at http://storytelling.blogspot.com/.

I am not sure how to continue in 2009, so I will be on hiatus for a bit.

Please check my main blog at http://www.seanblogs.com/ for the next project.

Thank you for following me in this project this year.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

10.31.2008 Carving Turnips for Halloween

Picture of: real jack-o-lanterns, made from turnips and not pumpkins.

Today I: took daughter #1 to her volunteer work at the dog agility show, through rush hour morning traffic, way across town; went to the bank and the post office; worked on Halloween video that I posted at this link; made a grocery store run for candy and turnips; carved Halloween turnips with daughter #4, you can read about it here along with the Irish folktale; read postings about microphones and storytelling: folks, listen, it is about what your audience needs not what YOU need; drove back across town through evening rush hour to get volunteering-daughter; handed out candy; went to see my sister while she hosted a kids Halloween party; prepped for my storyteller's weekend "out of the office."

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

10.25.2008 Saturday: Brava, Bravo For MSF

Picture of: last night's tellers in the "From the Edge" adult storytelling concert at the Mesa Storytelling Festival. From left, there is Kindra Gayle, Antonio Sacre, Harriet Cole and me.

Today I: whew, I am really worn out. Great day MC'ing events for other tellers; doing a telling segment for a 20 minute gig at the outdoor "come and see" tent; dinner meal with good friend Elly; closing concert where Elly, I and Mrs. Davis sat giggling on and off as the evening progressed; large crowd for closing concert and I am surprised at the number of adolescent families that are in attendance; long drive home- gotta call it quits for tonight. Mesa Storytelling Festival is a winner, kidz; posted thoughts from day 1 and 2 at this link; goodnight- more for you tomorrow including audio interviews and video clips. (Pic credit again to my friend Mark Goldstein.)

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

09.02.2008 Tuesday: Coaching Sounds.

Picture of: the table where a coaching client and I were working today.

Today I: met with a coaching client/my friend to talk about some of her upcoming storytelling work; took my family to inexpensive lunch; got taken by a gaffle- rare for me; worked on new storyteller audio files, dry run and recording only to discover that not one sound was recorded on my system..arrrgh; started to rewire the sound system to fix the bug
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

08.28.2008 Thursday: New Videos, Step One

Picture of: a frame grab from a video I was working on today.

Today I: took daughter #1 to and from her volunteer job; spent most of the day recording new storytelling and promo videos; spoke on the phone with a new local client; edited videos; cleaned up after a storm that did some serious damage around here tonight; posted new video at my main blog.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

08.22.2008 Friday: Driving to Events.

Picture of: the long road as I drove through Arizona today.

Today I: took daughter #1 to work; did some banking; drove to my hotel today in Payson Arizona, on the Mogollon Rim, about 2.5 hours and a lot of gas from my home; got settled in hotel; drove to the event tonight and performed a small storytelling program; back to hotel and dinner; calling it a night and I will be back out to the event in the morning. Extra Credit: Can you pronounce Mogollon?

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

07.25.2008 Friday: The Enemy is Us.

Picture of: a storm. Got it at this website.

Today I: remembered that my role is to be the lightning rod anytime somebody doesn't want to look at the future of storytelling or take it past where it is; also watched "Joan of Arcadia" running again on the sci-fi network- great quote from there: "The first rule of the game of chess is to not play the other guy's game, just play your own."; was reminded that my style of teaching is not good for those who prefer unicorns and butterflies- when you come to the "Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp" in just a few weeks (space available), I and my people will treat you like gold but I will tell you what you need to hear not what you want to hear about the realities of being a working artist; it rained like crazy tonight. Oops, I used italics and quotes at the same time.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

06.30.2008 Monday: Posted New Things!

Picture of: the first draft of the new Etips list I am putting together. GTD folks will recognize the ubiquitous capture mechanism, don'cha?

Today I: was in need a sit and hold still day; worked on the new and next nine free Telecourses from Storyteller.net; designed and posted the autoresponders for several of the Telecourses- you can register now!; posted and created the new and also free Storytelling Tips Email newsletter- you can also register for that now; worked on the menus for the August Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp; registered another person for the same boot camp- this camp is going to be nearly one on one, come now 'cuz it wont be like this again; posted the "Storytelling 101" training kit; done for the day;
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

06.11.2008 Wednesday: Goals

Picture of: my bags at the Philadelphia airport as I wait for the hotel shuttle to whisk me away.

Today I: ate breakfast in my hotel room, it's cheaper (surprise) and easier than the breakfast lounge; wandered back down to the business center to print the joint-venture proposal that I had written the night before; took a cab over to the meeting space as I had to drag all these bags to the meeting- I think the cab driver was mad that the trip was so short- poor guy; attending the marketing meeting where we worked all day with a former producer for the world's largest afternoon talk show (you know which one I mean) to work on pitch(proposal) letters for various media groups; the speaker focused on the same thing that we focus on in our storytellers' marketing camp: NICHE. You really need to come to our camp in August; great lunch and conversation with other folks at this last day of the first phase of this program; shared a shuttle back to the airport with 10 or so other participants; took the hotel shuttle to this hotel I am in now- they have a well trained, customer service oriented front desk staff; ate dinner at the restaurant on the grounds; caught up on Email and site updates; realized my guild has different goals than what I thought it did; rewrote some "immediate goals" for all three areas of my own "Outside In" strategy in the areas of business, artistry and technical skill; that I need to kick off this week; online check in for my flight tomorrow- no upgrades available- cry cry; calling it an early night
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

06.09.2008 Monday: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Picture of: the main meeting room for the "summit" meeting I am at (attending) this week for marketing/coaching/networking in Philadelphia.

Today I: found a 20 minute wait for the breakfast buffet at the hotel so I went back to my room, ordered room service and got the meal in 30 minutes and cheaper than had I paid for the buffet; used that 30 minutes to review notes and the map for the event; walked over to the meeting space a few blocks away- directly across from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall; used storytelling to introduce myself as as storyteller (what we teach in the OISBC!); had many productive, networking conversations within a roomful of motivated, productive, energized people (because of the technique mentioned in the previous line); noted that the main speaker understands how to use storytelling but needs work on technique- at least he is consistently using storytelling to cement in his points; dinner in the hotel (great hotel- not enough meal service space or staff); caught up on email; deleted website spam; talked to my wife on the phone; reviewed notes from the day; heat wave in Philly today. In Arizona, we call this weather "July." And, no, it's not a dry heat; wishing I could sit down with every storyteller I have contact with and personally tell you how much I want you at the next "Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp" and just how powerful an experience it would be for you. Truly. Honestly. With Great Passion.; goodnight.




::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

04.14.2008 Monday: Guest Storyteller Speaker

Picture of: the campus at Glendale Community College, AZ where I was filling in as a guest speaker for a Storytelling 101 class.

Today I: made copies of workshop materials; had a staff meeting; picked up the rental car (I am at the highest super-duper First preferred service with Avis); ran said copies to Kinko's for more copying; worked with wife #1 to make handout packages; travelled to and did a guest speaker/sub teacher visit for a community college storytelling (read that "humanities credit") class; read with great interest the postings on the wall of elementary school teachers-to-be- I hope you aren't burned out of your enthusiasm in less than a year, my friends; dealt with a temperamental Internet connection at home; did the post office run; decided to take an extension on my 1040; researched for reminding some Greek myths; worked with my wife to pick up 8 brooms for the storytelling classes this week; missed the Arizona Storytelling Guild meeting; printed out maps and GPS for the school(s) I am working with this week; Twittered; picked up meds from the drugstore. Glad they are open at 10PM.

:C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

04.01.2008 Tuesday: Moving On

Picture of: my friend Gina who is very excited about the cookie she is going to eat.

Today I: returned the rental car I had to use this weekend; worked on a new mailing to western states; met for lunch with Gina- a young woman who was in one of my youth groups many many years ago and is now moving on to exciting new out of state adventures with her husband (best of luck Gina- this is exciting); reviewed Emails from a corporate storytelling sponsor and ran them through my "interpret, express, integrate" process to create a basic proposal idea for them; went to the bank and the post office; took daughter #1 to work and back again; found my GTD notebook and began a fresh new mind sweep; created new voiceover scripts for David Ian Davies to record for the upcoming podcast beds- David does BRILLIANT audiobooks of Sherlock Holmes stories; spoke on the phone with the sponsor for Wednesday's school shows; didn't send out expiration notices to Storyteller.net members as I was afraid they'd take it as an April Fools jokes; reviewed all of my 2008pics.com postings and realized I have so far met my goal of # of postings- yay me.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

03.10.2008 Monday: New Coaching Method

Picture of: the signage outside the door to the Arizona Storytelling Guild meeting, meeting held tonight.

Today I: did a bunch of 10 minute cleanings; sent invoices for previous storyteller events; wrote new flyers for upcoming events; secured room space for said events; planned out two CD playlists; "yes, I do know that it was an attempt to get me to be quiet"; debated with myself about visibility; talked with a Subway owner about why wi-fi makes me choose one restaurant over another, led and participated in the AzSG meeting where we introduced the new "Outside In Coaching Method"; ate dinner with my wife late night.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

03.05.2008 Wednesday: Flooded

Picture of: kids leaving at the end of the school show I did today. Yes, that is my finger in the top right corner. Thank you. Please stop applauding and laughing at the storyteller.

Today I: whew! Did a tough storyteller school show and then so many other planning and producing things that I am fried. Going to bed, my FMS is winning today and some days that is just the way it is. I will try to write more accurately on Thursday.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.11.08 Monday: Arizona Storytelling Guild

Picture of: the view from the back of the room during the Arizona Storytelling Guild's "One Story, Many Voices" event.

Today I: fought through the FMS fog; worked on storytelling flyers; prepared my story for the AzSG event tonight; talked at length with the sales staff at the hotel where the meeting was held; participated in the presentation and follow up discussion at the guild meeting-- the follow-up was a brilliant 40 minutes of discussion of which only the last 17 minutes got recorded...mmm, technology. We will make a podcast of the stories and the discussion we did catch on audio. Great night for storytelling in Arizona.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.02.08 Saturday: Retreats and Concert

Picture of: some of the boys from the retreat I led today who are working on a small group project. Interesting day. Tough crowd. Good moments. Crazy moments.

Today I: pulled a 15 hours shift doing this retreat and the evening storytelling concert for the church in Balitmore that hired me. I am Now crashing. Totally worn out.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

01.27.08 Sunday: Putting Away ESS Stuff.

Picture of: storytellers Tim Ereneta and Liz Warren pre-show at the Emergent Storytelling Series last night in Arizona, debating the finer points of water bottles vs crystal glasses vs martini glasses vs margarita glasses for the proper container to hold the water a storyteller needs on stage.

Today I: am in low gear, putting away things from the ESS; took Tim back to the airport; made "notes to self" about the things I learned producing this event; started to pull together the final notes for my Baltimore storytelling trip next weekend.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

01.26.2008: The Emergent Storytelling Series

Picture of: participants in Tim Ereneta's "Improv Skills" workshop at the ESS today.

Today I: oversaw the Emergent Storytelling Series #1 presented in Surprise (Phoenix Area) Arizona by the Arizona Storytelling Guild. Tim was our invited guest teller from the Berkley, California. The event featured both Tim and several members of the guild. The afternoon workshop was great as well. Good time. Good times. I am very happy with the ESS and the whole overall concept of "Come Listen to the Best Voices in Storytelling that You Haven't Yet Heard." This is a keeper.
::C2008. This is the picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

01.25.2008 Friday: I Produce Storytelling Events

Picture of: the table at the dinner where some of our members of the Arizona Storytelling Guild had a pre-event dinner with Tim Ereneta for our Emergent Storytelling Series.

Today I: ran around like a crazed storytelling producer getting ready for the event. The dinner, however, was great fun and the first time in my life when the "pass the bill around the table" thing actually produced more money than was needed. Good people. Good food. Good conversation.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

01.19.2008 Saturday: I Teach. I Tell. I Produce.

Oh, double pics day!

Picture of: the first pic is from the sign in table from the Storytelling Amigos meeting held today at the South Mountain Community College-Storytelling Institute program in the Phoenix area.

The second picture is the water-bottle's-eye-view of Liz Warren telling at our Storyteller.net @ Borders night, which we do every third Saturday of the month at the Borders Books store in Avondale, AZ.

Today I: taught a marketing segment at SMCC on marketing with postcards (part of the OISBC experience); told stories (with Liz) to a small crowd at the Storyteller.net at Borders event; produced said event; spoke with a Arizona Storytelling Guild member about the finances of the soon gonna be here Emergent Storytelling Series event; ate the traditional after-Borders meal with my wife and children.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::