valentine's day

Valentine’s Day: What’s with all the hype?

Each year, just prior to February 14, sweethearts the world over strip every retail location of chocolates, roses, and those greeting cards with the lacey frills. It’s Valentine’s Day – but really, what’s all the hype about?   It all began long ago as a Christian feast honoring a martyr named Valentine. As folk traditions evolved, the day began to focus on romance and love. According to one legend – believe it or not – Saint Valentine had defied an emperor’s orders by secretly marrying coup ...

The Best Playlists for Working Productively (and having fun)

As a musician, it’s natural for me to listen to some type of music playlist while I’m in the office working. I certainly don’t restrict myself to any one genre. Lately, the biggest musical trend has been the rise of Lo-Fi. Lo-fi music is characterized as a type of downtempo hip-hop music known for being relaxing and hypnotic. Due to these qualities, students and professionals alike are listening to Lo-Fi playlists while working.   According to HBR.org, listening to music can boost workplac ...

National Day of Unplugging 3/3

The average daily volume of media content consumed by an American during 2022 (per Oberlo) was 494 minutes, or about 8.5 hours. So, given the time we spend sleeping, that means roughly half of our waking hours involve media consumption. It's even harder when screen time is a large part of your typical workday. Each year, National Day of Unplugging is celebrated on the first Friday in March, and encourages people to step away from their digital devices and unplug for a 24 hour period. Let's talk about ...

How to Work Comfortably at Home While Sick

After falling ill about a week into January, I learned a thing or two about working remotely in the midst of an awful cold. I don’t know precisely what I had, but it featured body aches, sweats, chills, coughing, a stuffy nose, and pretty much everything in between. Yet, I still managed to get a good bit of work done from the comfort of my bed and couch.   The following are a few tips. Maybe they’ll help you the next time germs get the better of you.   Don’t beat yourself up if you ...

What if you decide to abandon Twitter?

Tada Images - stock.adobe.com One of the best-known of all social media platforms, Twitter, is in the process of dramatically altering itself. Some changes that have already been implemented – or are thought to be coming soon – are concerning both to individuals and organizations that have utilized Twitter for years. So, in the event you find yourself making a decision about shifting away from Twitter, here are several alternatives to consider. Tumblr – It began as a microblogging platform in 2007, a ...

World Mental Health Day (My Story)

World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma. This is my story. Since I was 15, I’ve been in and out of counseling. My anxiety disorder was diagnosed when I was a high school freshman, and that was when I realized something was wrong. Or, at least, that I needed help reshaping the way I think about the world so I could begin to feel better. Anxiety can be extremely debilitating, with constant worrying about things ...

International Podcast Day

A lot has changed, and quickly, in terms of the media that we create and consume. We went from radio and TV, CDs, vinyl records and so on, to being able to stream every medium possible in the palm of our hands. One new media that’s continues to grow in popularity is podcasting. So we’re all clear, a podcast – per thepodcasthost.com – is “an audio program, just like Talk Radio, but you subscribe to it on your smartphone and listen to it whenever you like.” Many of my friends have podcasts. Two of these ...

Lupe Dragon

The Public Relations Side of Music

A lot of musicians think that blogs and online publications are an “outdated” way of finding music, but I tend to disagree with that. As a PR professional and a musician myself, I use public relations to help boost engagement with potential fans. When you google my name, you see tons of interviews and reviews of my music from the past four years. These are in the form of podcasts, news coverage, blog posts, and social media content. It’s what we call being “social proof.” Social proof is “the idea that c ...