You’ve aptly landed in my Writing Samples room where a great deal of my content lives. I’m so glad you’re here. This is where you can experience my writing with the deepest of emotions, with total passion, or both. This is where you’ll find my best and longest riding words, as well as some of the sites and journals on which they’ve been found. Some are new, some are still alive and kicking, some have quieted themselves. In other words, they have dissolved as their founders moved on to crush it elsewhere. And that’s okay, because those syllables and the subsequent content live long and prosper here.
Kick back with your favorite cuppa and peruse.
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"Everything happens for a reason," or so we tell ourselves when we want to make sense of a WTF/WOE (Why on Earth?) occurrence. I choose to believe this, particularly when something that I did not see coming happens. The immediate result: I feel I'm in a struggle (and not a humble). So when I fractured the wrist on my dominant hand on December 23, 2016 (fell hard on ice, landing on the arm I had extended Wonder Woman-style to catch myself), I initially thought, "This will be a minor setback and once the pain is under control, all will be fine." It…
Kate HarvieJanuary 20, 2017
Expectations. Set 'em. When we are itsy bitsy (and adolescent) kids, our parents, teachers, coaches, etc. set expectations for us. The etymology of the word sets us up to fail with the word "expect" as the root of expectations. And damned if we don't adopt most, if not all, of those expectations as we get older. After all, what is expected of us is impressive, attainable, and achievable. Right? Note that for our purpose here, I see expectations as the same as ambitions, hopes, and goals. While that's not the literal definition, this is how the word tends to be used. It…
Kate HarvieSeptember 20, 2016
Social media. The phrase. The concept. Salutes to whoever generated the blanket name - social media - for Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, YouTube, flickr, Vimeo, LinkedIn, Google+, and on and on and on. My resistance to calling these "social" co-exists with an understanding of how they are considered to be social. First, my understanding: the broad definition of the word "social" includes relating to and noting others in society, activities, theories. Liking and loving a statement, link, image, or video that someone shared on any of these channels can today be considered being social. I get…
Kate HarvieJuly 7, 2016
What do you do with time? The other day, I tried to remember the first thing I did when I realized that I was "okay." By this, I mean once I was out of the hospital for a minute and had put myself "back together," and was as well ensconced as possible while living in my parents' house at age 35. This was my time. (In case you're curious, I probably planned to buy lip gloss or go to the movies. I love the trailers.) Truth is, I wanted to do as much as I could handle. And I wanted to do those things immediately, in…
Kate HarvieJune 21, 2016
I shared a month and half ago why I was writing a book. I wrote my truth, albeit in an extra concise, marketing-friendly way. And I stand by that piece. It just wasn't complete. You could be curious why I'd write a book about something as scary-creepy-intense as coming back from a brain injury. Here are the motivating factors and my truest, deepest reasons. The following is not intended to make you feel sorry for me or to send you running for the hills of escapist material. I hope you'll read this, share it with your circles, and know that you have my…
Kate HarvieJune 1, 2016
Ghosts. That's a word whose immediate (and most frequently applied) definition has certainly changed within the last year or so. When I was growing up, ghosts were mysterious and spooky apparitions that could both bring good (Marley, Ghosts of Past and Present in A Christmas Carol) and wreak havoc (title characters in Beloved, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Woman in Black). What I knew for sure was that they were not real. And figments of my imagination could only wreck my sleep, not my life. Fast forward to today. While wraiths and poltergeists are still (for the most part) fictitious, what is very real is the person…
Kate HarvieMay 23, 2016
Taking things personally is a tricky thing. While it may seem as though there are scads of things we should perceive to be criticisms and rejections, that list is actually very short. While I don't have the stats on this, I'm confident to say that at least 93% of the time, when people are talking around us they're not talking about us. It may feel like they are (and we all know what that is, right?). Trust me. They couldn't give a shit about you and me. When my life was on pause - post-hospital release, living at my parents' house, figuring out what on…
Kate HarvieMay 18, 2016
When I was - maybe, when we were - growing up, parents, teachers, coaches would say, "If you could go back and do it again, what would you do differently so the result is better?" Or they'd say something like that, and the articulation, added to the idea of going back in time, was powerful enough to move me (I can speak only for myself here) to regret what I had done and wish I could do it again. Because I would do it better...not that I always knew what better meant or was. Now this was surely not the hope of any…
Kate HarvieMay 7, 2016
Sideways. Besides being the title of a disappointing Alexander Payne movie in 2004 (whose review of mine you can read here), it's a word in our current vernacular that defines several things. For our purposes here, it means undesirable, wrong, or straight messed up. Do you remember the first time something went sideways in your life? Share it in the replies, if you want. The first for me was when I failed the Ohio Bar Exam. That news came down on Halloween in 1999. Having spent three years of my life preparing (or so I thought) to become an attorney,…
Kate HarvieApril 25, 2016
I intend for my book to be a source of actionable things that, when applied, lead to a life lived more in what I call your "happy." I hope - no, I believe - that I can assist there by providing the literal, specific, and personal details and thoughts on what's occurred in my life since 2/12/09. I'm not proud of everything I did and I'm embarrassed by plenty. Here's the truth: first I felt, and then I did. Now I believe in a series of truths that I'll share first by planting the seeds here. "Self-help" is a term that, if…
Kate HarvieApril 18, 2016
On February 12, 2009, I suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). To say that my life - and I - changed is an understatement along the lines of "Auto-Tune is lame." What's going to happen in this space, in this place will be my sharing portions of what was and what is in my mind and heart post-being hurt, during recovery, and "post-recovery." I'm working on a book whose working title is No Filter: How to Re-frame and Restart Life. You see that "post-recovery" is in quotation marks because I know that I am a soldier and a survivor. And this renaissance…
Kate HarvieApril 18, 2016
A few years ago, my close friend (and once my boss) Tim told me about The Art of Non-Conformity, Chris Guillebeau's first book. And what a gift that telling me was. As I read this empathetic, active manual I learned about Chris, his process, projects and community. I knew that he was one of the people I refer to as an angel in people's clothing. And he displays this perfectly just by being who he is at World Domination Summit. World Domination Summit (aka WDS) is, in brief, an experience rooted in Community, Adventure and Service (capitals intended) for those…
Kate HarvieJuly 22, 2014
I remember how I felt when I heard Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane's album for the first time. At a bar with friends, I had to sit back and let the tracks wash over me. I went to the jukebox and programmed it to play the entire album. Twice. To this day, that album is one of my favorites and my foundation of what I call experiential music. I recently spoke with Christopher Preston Thompson, co-founder of Concordian Dawn, an ensemble of three musicians who present Medieval and early Renaissance music. These men perform acoustically and each is a singer…
Kate HarvieOctober 21, 2012
Top of the fourth quarter, 2012. Lots of intense things going on around the globe. Some we can change and some we cannot. That's challenging for everyone be they problem solvers, solution providers, caring witnesses, those caught in the experience, and anyone observing. And to make your life - and the lives of those around you (which will have a ripple effect on communities, villages, and populations) - happier and more livable, apply what's below here. While I do not stand as an expert on anything related to this, I know what I know. Being who you are with ease…
Kate HarvieOctober 7, 2012
W e're officially in October and autumn is my favorite season. I mean, I love spring and the lush joy of spring doesn't last that long. Autumn, however, goes for weeks. From the crisp chill to the change of leaves to the apple picking to the ways the sunset looks different to the amazing concerts that happen once we're in a new school year. And I saw two such spectacular shows within the last week and a half. If you aren't familiar with these artists, please become familiar. Van Hunt. José James. Remember these names. Van Hunt Van Hunt, The…
Kate HarvieOctober 1, 2011
T hose of us tapped by the entrepreneurial spirit have a series of challenges facing us. Not the least of these is how to finance the dream project, the company, the idea. Kickstarter does everyone a service providing not only initial investment opportunities (thanks to the contributions of people around the world) as well as access to a series of entrepreneurs' creativity and invention. Ben Bisbee is such an innovator. His book, The Underground Flower, is smartly written by Ben and beautifully illustrated by artist Carolyn Hayes. And while it appears to be a book for children, and is titled that way,…
Kate HarvieMay 26, 2011
Update, 1/2/16 - while Jason and Jim dissolved Faith & Fortune a few years ago, what they did is next level for fashion and retail. They stand with Blake Mycoskie (TOMS), Tom Hardy, Sarah Edwards, and Sally Edwards (BLAG) as founders with purpose and style who made and make impact. T his just in: Faith & Fortune will be at the exceptional Governors Ball Music Festival on June 18, 2011. Besides Girl Talk, Big Boi, Passion Pit, and a series of other artists, Jim and Jason (with the help of some other people, including me) will be there selling the t-shirts and game changing…
Kate HarvieApril 22, 2011
I started singing for real when I was eight. Someone has the digital evidence of my first lead performance where I must have forgotten that there was an audience as I constantly (there is no tactful or nice version of this) picked a wedgie. No idea if I sang well. My classmates Elizabeth Lacey and Cindy Langmack were off the chain that day. Since then, I've sung a great deal and music is in every way part of my various celebrations and coping mechanism. And the last couple of years have connected me to a series of musicians who have…
Kate HarvieApril 8, 2011
Is there a director alive today with a more eclectic oeuvre than Mike Nichols?
Kate HarvieDecember 17, 2004
There are very few directors today who are interested in showing a true glimpse of life in the American midwest.
Kate HarvieNovember 21, 2004
W hen I was living in St. Louis, I started seeing a lot of articles on "The Office," a pseudo-documentary program that ran for two seasons on the BBC. It goes without saying that I have maybe too much fondness for all things British. I bought the first season as a lark, thinking that it would be something akin to the very funny movie "Office Space:" "Somebody's got a case of the Mondays!" I write this today, the release date of "The Office Christmas Special," which ties up all loose ends for the characters at paper company Wernham Hogg in…
Kate HarvieNovember 16, 2004
S ince I no longer have a movie review gig, I figured why not review the movies I see anyway and I don't have to let anyone read them if I don't want to. So... "Alfie" remade, while not "Alfie" reborn, is worth a gander. It's safe to say that Jude Law is probably the only actor alive today who is so sexy while being such a dandy. He is imminently watchable in all things, the movie's success is dependent upon him. That being said, he's got a lot to do. The movie is something of a roller coaster and…
Kate HarvieNovember 14, 2004