Sunday, February 01, 2009
Votre Vray Blog -- MOVING!
drum roll please....
is Votre Vray blog now has its own domain, a WordPress template and is hosted by GoDaddy!
Come to our new home at MelEdwards.com!
(Oh! If you're such a loyal reader that you see this post before you get an e-mail announcement, thank you, and please realize my links to Friends of Votre Vray are still in the process of being added/updated.)
Friday, January 23, 2009
Creatives, like President, in Right Mind!

Researchers have said for years that the right hemisphere of the brain controls the left side of the body, and if you look at the image above, you'll see the workings of a famous "lefty," aka Mr. President Barack Obama. If you're a creative person, you too are in your right mind. Don't let anyone tell you any different (and if you're feeling feisty, you might want to Shout: Kiss My Art).
Oh, and you're creative and left-handed, you might want to visit the official society here. The solution to marginalization is community. Thank you for being part of the Votre Vray community and supporting each other in your creative endeavors.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Votre Vray's Attitude and Gratitude Wins Award!

2009 has been the best year of my blogging life already!
1. I won BlogHer registration
2. Votre Vray won the MLK Win a Dream Award
3. Now, I've been tagged in another blog with an award -- The Lemonade Award!
The bottom line still is, I am all that I am thanks to the wonderful people I'm fortunate enough to know, meet and greet daily.
Thank you to everyone for supporting Votre Vray!
-Mel.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Making New Friends...and Introductions for YOU!
Every day I am blessed to meet more people. Today I went as a guest to a local networking group and met a handful of people who never heard of me, what I do or the people I have interviewed. Last Friday, when being interviewed as a finalist for the MLK Dream Weekend's Win a Dream contest, I met a half a dozen people who also didn't know me, my dream or the goals of Votre Vray.What I've Learned Meeting People
It never fails, when I tell people I'm a storyteller who interviews people and shares those interviews, listeners get confused. The first problem is we only hear what we can understand and are interested in. Our minds filter the words and we instantly begin compartmentalizing the information people tell us: who they are, what they do, and if we have any interest in what they're telling us. The second problem is I am not a person who easily fits into a set definition or "box" and people cannot compartmentalize me.
No Box for Me!
I do not want to be in a box. That's why I'm not a public school teacher anymore. I am far more than what that job left me time and energy to be. I think "creative truth teller" sums up what I do well-enough so that those who are intrigued will ask. When they ask, I get to introduce YOU, or other Friends of Votre Vray who have met me. Those who don't ask, because they think I'm too touchy-feely, woo-woo, or crazy to deal with will move past the titls, miss out on meeting some of the most amazing people in the world. They're just not our soul mates. I'm okay with that.
Collapse the Box
Live your life and know, those who don't get you, aren't meant to. Let them be and seek like-minded friends everywhere. Don't forget, you've always got a friend here at Votre Vray!
Monday, January 12, 2009
MLK Dream Finalist Notified: Congratulations, You Win $500!
The call just came from Sheldon, one of the judges from the MLK Dream Weekend committee. Votre Vray (and the work behind "Shout: Kiss My Art!) wins $500! I will be honored at the Diversity Banquet this Friday night!Earlier this week I posted this. Tonight, when I hadn't heard, I admit, my faith wavered. I thought, "What did I do wrong?" The answer was, nothing. Thank you to all the Votre Vray fans, creative women who participated in the interviews and to those who believe, as I do, that anyone can live their creative dreams.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
2009 Update: This Blog, She is a Changin'
I've had a brilliant flash of the obvious. The blogs I love and read the most are less business-formal and more blogger-personal. I just don't think most of my readers really know who I am and what I do on a daily basis and I think that is an enormous mistake.My Mission To empower people to live the life of their creative dreams (and make a living while doing it) while I do the same.
My Dream Votre Vray means your truth. I strive to learn all that I can about living the creative life running from a day job. (Day jobs: Boo! Hiss!) Then pass on the information.
My Work
- My primary business and personal focus is information sharing -- teaching people how they can live their creative dreams while using experts in their field as exemplars. I do not pretend to be an expert at anything other than teaching, but everything I learn, I teach.
- I have TWO blogs that teach - this one & www.schoolroomtoboardroom.com
- I'm striving to learn all I can about how to have a successful creative person's business and I read dozens of books, interview even more people and watch listen and learn all over the place in social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
- I am a storyteller and public speaker who has taken the information I've learned and my experiences and turned them into a one-woman show called "Shout: Kiss My Art."
- I promote equality, kindness, honoring your spirit and from time to time I'll post things that really tug at my heart. For example, you may have heard of the Richmond Jane Doe who was brutally gang-raped. You can reach out to her here.
- I'm a Reiki master teacher and a certified Ashtanga yoga teacher, specializing in beginners and primary series practice.
- My greatest skill in life is generating new ideas and enthusiasm. Biggest problem? Finishing what I started because I have more ideas than time or expertise.
- Oh, and to be honest, I'm a potty mouth and have an Irish temper that cannot be equaled. One step from a berserker, I have to learn calm and patience in this lifetime. I expect if I live as long as the lesson takes, I'll be around another sixty years or so (I'm 40 now).
I'm happily married and have three bunnies. I cannot have kids. (Why must people ask, "Do you have children?") This is sometimes not an issue for me at all but some days, it spurs me to tears. I had a hysterectomy and it saved my life. That said, my mission to help others is made even more serious because I cannot teach my offspring my knowledge. I only have you. Everything I share is all that I know and I give it with love and hope for us all.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
MLK Dream -- A Winner!
Several weeks ago I posted my dream to a local MLK Dream contest. This morning, I received a call that I am one of the winners of a finalist spot. On Friday, I'll be interviewed by the judges and Friday night I'll be at the Diversity Banquet at the Hyatt Hotel. This is one more win for Votre Vray and one more step toward getting the word about about all the creative women I've been so blessed to interview this year. Thank you, everyone, for your unending support! Together, we'll make living your creative dream a viable alternative for ALL people.My dream is to empower women of all shapes, sizes, ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, physical ability to be able to live an artistic or creative life that is not only personally and spiritually fulfilling, but also financially rewarding enough to pay her bills and foster her growth in her work. I have created a one-woman presentation called “Shout: Kiss My Art” that showcases parts of 75 different female artists/creatives dreams, but now I want to put those dreams (along with my own) and the dreams of artistic Greenville women into a book. (Next year I plan to expand to do all of the same for male artists.) I have received some support and my blog also showcases some of the women I’ve had the pleasure to meet in the past few months. (www.votrevray.blogspot.com) It is my final goal to use at least 20% of the money raised from sales of tickets to my show, sales of the book, or sales of T-shirts to fund grassroots scholarships to women who want to try to begin their creative dreams. I would hand over scholarship money directly to artists and arts organizations who will teach women how to do their art and begin their creative path. (However, right now this dream has cost me several thousand dollars, and before I can give scholarships, I need to have my materials ready to go to market.) I would deeply appreciate any assistance or partners I can find in this journey. (The Metropolitan Arts Council has already given me a small grant, and the yW has partnered with me to hand out Women’s Empowerment (entrepreneurial) info. Both organizations have been essential to moving this dream forward. Thank you.)
Point of claification: My win at this point is like a finalist in a beauty pageant. I haven't won the whole shebang yet...but I feel it. I really do.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
BlogHer '09 - Wanna Go?
Erin Kotecki Vest, aka Queen of Spain, is starting off the year with a most generous offer -- to give away 1 full registration to BlogHer! Queen of Spain will make this decision on January 5th and is paying for it out of her own pocket because she a. is a great person, b. believes in BlogHer, c. (in her own words) "I want this registration to be given to someone who would love to go, but really could use the extra help getting there."I don't know about you, but I think that $198 (early bird pricing) is a HUGE help to most women in business - especially bloggers.
Where: Chicago @ The Sheriton and Towers When: July 24-25
Then, I started looking at the location's rooms rates. Rooms: $199/night (yikes!) -- Three nights with taxes $688.94!
..and I thought, geeze, Mel., how do you think you'd get to Chicago...since you sold your only vehicle...that means a plane or train, right?
Transporation: Up to you - $395 for me to fly round trip from GSP to Chi-town via US Airways.
But AmTrak, with my AAA discount, $272...and 27 hrs each way...leaves plenty of time for blogging and meeting new creative people. (I'd still have to figure out how to get from the train to the hotel and back...but I'm a pretty smart woman, and I have faith I could figure it out.)
I admit, I have nothing to wear, no idea at this moment how I can afford it with all my other start-up expenses, but that free registration is the open door to my dream: to be the equivalent of the creative love child of Studs Terkel and Eve Ensler reaching out to creative people everywhere via this blog.
I've spent years telling the world I honestly believe you can live your dream if you're willing to do the work necessary to get there. Talent is nice, but hard work and determination can take you to realms you always dreamed of. I'm willing to figure out my end of the budget if Erin picks me.
Note for Erin (any any other new visitors to Votre Vray blog)
Since you don't know me or what I do, here's the quick summary. I'm a storyteller by education, and a teacher by training and practice, who has interviewed 75 creative women this past summer and wrote a one-woman show about women living a creative life called "Shout: Kiss My Art." The show is one step on the way to the big picture. The next step is March 13th and 14 I'll hold "A Weekend to Grab Your Truth" where women (and men) can come see "Shout: Kiss My Art" and then have a full day workshop on finding their best choices for living their truth -- or a fulfilled life based upon who they are and what they value. The third step is that the interviews will appear in part along with credits to all interviewees, even if they're not directly quoted, in the book (working title) Votre Vray Creative Women. I also list here (sidebar) all the "Friends of Votre Vray" to create traffic for the women I've interviewed and have two groups on Facebook to allow women to claim their art and crow about it (Shout: Kiss My Art group) and post what they're working on to create traffic to their sites (Votre Vray group). I do all this to empower people to live the life of their dreams and create avenues for creative people to find support networks as well as business to pay the bills, and I consider it my mission in life.
So, Dear Readers...are YOU in?
Visit the Queen of Spain's blog and let her know.
Just don't be surprise if you see my hat in the ring too...and may the winner have a wonderful 2009!
Until next time,
keep creating!
-Mel.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Mel's 2009 Horoscope?
I'm always looking for inspiration, so I admit, I do look at horoscopes from time to time. If I like what they say, I pass them along. So, according a link on Yahoo! 2009 looks like a good year for Virgos. Not a Virgo? Don't worry. Check your career (or romantic) horoscope here. Just know, if it is bad news, you can reject it. I LOVE that concept more than any -- carry what serves you, drop what fails you. - Mel. Edwards, founder Votre Vray
Virgo 8/23 – 9/22
Year 2009: Career
You are greatly empowered in your creative endeavors this year, and you emerge like a butterfly from a long sleep in a cocoon! This personal transformation has you sharing wisdom and knowledge your might have never known you possessed. Great potential awaits you as you find new sources of personal strength.
You are feeling very playful, and being creative is the only type of career that will satisfy you. You will be recognized as someone who can totally transform nothing into something ... an alchemist of sorts. The beauty and magnificence that arises from your self-expression feels like a celebration in and of itself. During the summer months, a new contract opportunity may appear; go for it, but make sure you don't take on more than you can handle. You will be paid handsomely for what you do, and you welcome the challenges.
By the fall, career advancement is very possible for you, and with that, greater responsibility. Your far-reaching ideas will be well compensated. Your optimism helps you stay on the bright path, and you can overcome any hurdle. You are learning lessons of faith in your own process, and it's helping you create a positive attitude and harmonious work environment. The world welcomes your positive energy of love and service to others. You see a higher purpose in your work, and this helps you focus on attaining your dreams.
Ladies, Been to NYC Solo? Call for Stories!
CALL FOR STORIES!Ladies, have you ever traveled to NYCity solo? You can submit your story to Gina Greenlee for consideration and you might just end up in her next book!
Gina Greenlee gave attendees of Votre Vray's Shout: Kiss My Art! November 11th performance a free copy of her book Postcards and Pearls, so you know she's a sweet woman who supports creative and artistic folks. Why not return the favor by sharing your expriences with her?
To submit your story for consideration, visit Gina's website and follow the links.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Good-bye 2008, and Thanks for all the Hits!
I most sincerely thank you for a great 2008!
Together, we can continue to follow our dreams, teach the world about what positive work we do in the universe, and be friends. (How cool is that?)
My first note of thanks goes to Peter Shankman, of HARO, because without HARO I wouldn't have had such wondrous ladies to interview for Votre Vray Creative Women.
Second thank you, but no less significant, I thank each of the ladies who went through the interview process. (See Friends of Votre Vray on the sidebar for a listing of those with websites and blogs.)
Third, and possibly most important of all, I need to thank the readers and followers of Votre Vray blog. Without an audience our work isn't worth much for than tension release of the creative mind.
I fully believe 2009 will be exponentially more fulfilling for the Votre Vray community because we're learning and growing together. Make friends. Play Nice. Spread the word that there's a community focused upon the positive work of amazing creative people...and invite them to Votre Vray. It is all free and will continue as long as I'm alive and kicking.
-Mel., founder of Votre Vray
Mel Edwards on Facebook
Mel Edwards is LinkedIn
Votre Vray group on Facebook - Where you can post your work for free!
Shout: Kiss My Art group on Facebook - Shout here at anyone who didn't belive you'd make it
Monthly Votre Vray Newsletter Sign-up Link
P.S. Don't forget to send me press releases so I can blog about all the great things you're up to in 2009!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Get into the Meat of Marketing Yourself!

Savannah Spirit, CEO of Veaux.com, is a photographer and art director in NYCity. She earned her BFA in photography at Parsons School of Design. She started Veaux, Fresh Talent Market, to help artists with social and business networking that can potentially add explosive growth to an artist's career. Additionally, Savannah knows there are discerning buyers and collectors who want a single place to visit and select art worth their time and money.
If you're an artist or a buyer who wants to be connected, it may be wise to get in on the ground floor at Veaux.Oh, and when you go, tell Savannah that Mel Edwards' Votre Vray sent you!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Votre Vray on Twitter...
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tis the Season
For those of us who are creative, we rightfully want to earn a living wage from our work, but these gifts also should not be hidden from those who do not have the means to pay us directly. Here are a few nice things you can do to share your art with strangers who cannot afford to pay for original pieces, but may be delighted by your skills nevertheless.
- Create a blog, website or online video (such as a YouTube film) that showcases your work.
- Take an image of your work and send it to people via e-mail along with a friendly note.
- Find a piece that is just collecting dust and gift it to someone.
- Print pictures of your work and use them as greeting cards throughout the year for any occasion you might want to send a hand-written greeting.
Happy, safe and joyous holidays to everyone. Be kind to strangers, but also generous with your own soul and spirit. Through our truth we can make the world a brighter place.
Until next time,
keep creating.
-Mel.
Friday, December 19, 2008
PR and Publicity Books for Creative People
Just this month I signed a one-time contract with a direct mail company to see how that impacts my local market. The price was right (only $405 for a half-page ad to go to 10,000 homes, and $630 for brochures to go to 10,000 more) and their artwork department had deals I loved, including the option of having 1,000 brochures printed for me for $60 more than my other services. One of the local free papers charges $300 for a one-time quarter page ad and the only people who see it are those who go out, pick up the paper and bring it home. They had no way of making sure it arrived in 20,000 homes. My direct mail company at least can get it into each residential mailbox.
Below is a list of some PR and Publicity books I have seen mentioned and some I've read. Please note a few of these are print-on-demand and must be ordered before a copy will be printed. I'm not endorsing any book but simply letting you know what is out there. Good luck and keep creating!
-Mel.
- Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement (Adams Streetwise Series) (Paperback)
- The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly (Paperback) by David Meerman Scott (Author)
- Guerrilla Publicity: Hundreds of Sure-Fire Tactics to Get Maximum Sales for Minimum Dollars (Paperback) by Jay Conrad Levinson (Author), Rick Frishman (Author), Jill Lublin (Author)
- The Publicity Handbook, New Edition : The Inside Scoop from More than 100 Journalists and PR Pros on How to Get Great Publicity Coverage (Paperback) by David R. Yale (Author), Andrew J. Carothers (Author)
- On Deadline: Managing Media Relations (Paperback) by Carole M. Howard (Author), Wilma K. Mathews (Author)
- Making News: A Straight-Shooting Guide to Media Relations (Paperback) by David Henderson (Author)
- Press Releases Are Not a PR Strategy (Paperback) by Linda (Author), B. VandeVrede (Author)
- PR Idea Book: 50 Proven Tools That Really Work (Paperback)by Jeff Winke
- PR on a Budget: Free, Cheap, and Worth the Money Strategies for Getting Noticed (Paperback) by Leonard Saffir (Author)
- Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press (Hardcover) by Sally Stewart (Author)
- The New PR Toolkit: Strategies for Successful Media Relations (Financial Times Prentice Hall Books) (Paperback)by Deirdre Breakenridge (Author), Thomas J. DeLoughry (Author)
- Full Frontal PR: Building Buzz About Your Business, Your Product, or You (Paperback)by Richard Laermer (Author)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Manifest Your Vision!

What is your vision of your success? Have you put it in writing? Posted in on a board and focus upon it each day? Told it to everyone you know? That's right. If people know you and don't know your vision for success you might need to rethink a few things.
1. Surround yourself with people who believe in your success, are successful and can help you achieve results you never imagined.
2. Share your dreams with other dreamers who are also on a quest to live their truth.
3. If those around you do not believe in you or your vision, perhaps you need to let some of these people fall into the background for right now and put your energy where it does the most good for all involved.
Today, I'm meeting with someone who will help me get the message I have about Votre Vray and living your truth to 20,000 people for minimal cost and effort on my part. I'm not a PR or marketing expert, but I do listen to and learn from anyone I can in the field. They have helped others achieve their vision in ways I've been unable to up to this point.
[Image above created by Cynthia Tierra. Like many of us, a woman of many interests, skills and talents.]
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Please, Join Votre Vray Group on Facebook!
This is not a letter I ever intended to write but I’m not sure where to turn to make my vision work the way I know that it can. I’m not dying, homeless, or anything else that might spur someone to action and get them to help me. I’m just a woman who is creative and has spent a majority of my life trying to fit in where I “should” and create a life that others respect instead of living my truth. I have more education than anyone in my family’s history and still owe $19,000 worth of student loans that someday might just get paid off. I have worked in more career paths than I care to count and hated most of them because all along I wasn’t following my dream or using the skills that I know that I have, even if these jobs helped others. The bottom line is now I’m 40 years old and I can’t bare getting up in the morning without acknowledging my truth: I am creative, I like people, I cannot ever have children, and although I have parents who love me and a husband who does too, they’re all I’ve really got in this world and I don’t want to die with my soul still aching to make a real difference in lives of others. I am not powerful or wealthy enough to end world hunger or disease or make the impact that Bill and Melinda Gates can. However, I am a storyteller (even have a master’s degree in it from East TN State University) and I believe sharing my story and the stories of other creative people is what I can do in my lifetime. I aspire to be someone like Studs Terkel and Eve Ensler's brain child wrapped up in my own quirky little mind and body.My dream is to connect creative people with each other through a network so that we’re never alone -- because many of us have been treated like second or third-class citizens because we’re not the MBAs of the Regan-era. In my quest to learn the stories of creative women, I’ve used all my savings and cashed in my small 401k to have a website built and launch my business. I’ve interviewed over 75 creative women around the US and Canada via the phone to ask them about their creative path in hopes they will become support for each other and anyone else who wants to live a similar life. I’ve posted many of their stories and advice via a blog that speaks of them and their work and also gives tips for trying to pay the bills when you’re a creative person. I’ve even created a one-woman show I call “Shout: Kiss My Art” based upon their tales and my own struggles to live my dream. The show received a small grant from the Metropolitan Arts Council of Greenville, SC, to help pay back a fraction of what I’ve put into it and I feel more optimistic that others can see the benefit of my vision and learning each others’ stories. In Summer 2009 I plan to interview 75 (or more) creative men and do the same work to reach out to the rest of the world with them.
Although Votre Vray, meaning ‘your truth’ is my business name, I am not writing this because I want you do buy anything, send money or ask others to throw money my way. I really am writing because I would love to have you as part of my network of people who believe we can all live our dreams if we all work together and support each other. If you go to Facebook and look up Votre Vray you’ll see my name and some of the casual friends I’ve made in life and in my new work. I thought if you joined us, maybe other creative people you respect might join us as well, and perhaps the ball will get rolling. Once you join, you can post links to your creative work for free, as long as you are kind, courteous, professional and do not discriminate or harass others in any form.
If you want all people (regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, body type, religion, political affiliation, etc.) to be able to live their dreams without feeling less-than or alone because they're creative and unique individuals, please join Votre Vray group. Tell everyone you know and respect about my vision and ask them to join us too. Help me leave a positive legacy and help each other by learning each others’ stories and holding on to each others' dreams.
-Melissa “Mel.” (Bentley) Edwards
www.votrevray.com
Friday, December 05, 2008
FACT Blog Launched
Until next time,
keep creating.
-Mel.
Was your Art Sale a "Sold Out" Event?
So many artists and indie thinkers get so used to autonomy that they forget the world is bigger than their ideas (which seem to swirl like tornadoes in their heads). Sometimes, the best choice is to be still and ask, "How would a business solve this problem?" to come up with a new solution. Below is a solution that a calculus teacher came up with that can teach us all a lesson:
an excerpt from USA TODAY
By Greg Toppo and Janet Kornblum
"Tough times call for tough actions," he says. So he started selling ads on his test papers: $10 for a quiz, $20 for a chapter test, $30 for a semester final.
San Diego magazine and The San Diego Union-Tribune featured his plan just before Thanksgiving, and Farber came home from a few days out of town to 75 e-mail requests for ads. So far, he has collected $350. His semester final is sold out.
Sold out. Now those are two words every artist and creative would love to hear. If you've never had the chance to write "SOLD OUT" on a sign and hang it in your booth, maybe it is time to look for new marketing avenues. No excuses and no whining, I've told students time after time. If you have an excuse you're just saying, "I can't" or "I'm not worth it" and if that's the mind-set you're in, as Henry Ford said, "If you think you can or think you can't, you're right."
Jay Lipe, founder of Emerge Marketing, stated in his latest newsletter that most small companies cannot say what benefits they/their products offer customers. When was the last time you said, "My work will....for you/your home/your business." For example, the focus of Votre Vray is all about helping people discover and follow their truth. In doing so, you can be on a path of least resistance in life, reducing stress, depression, increase happiness and productivity, and maybe even lose weight! Seriously.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Nancy Lee, Votre Vray Creative Woman, Open House - Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, December 13 from 10 a.m.-5p.m.
Sunday, December 14, Noon-4p.m.
Featuring work by Nancy Lee and Wug Laku at Nancy Lee's home
7530 Mohawk Lane
Indianapolis, IN 46260
For more information e-mail:
n_designs@hotmail.com
