Ask For What You Want

The results cited here teach a useful lesson for life in the writing business and other art commerce, and for men as well as women.

"According to one university study, male assertiveness may be the real reason why men are paid higher salaries. That same study shows that when women are assertive, especially when negotiating starting salaries, her wages earned fall more in line with her male counterparts – definitely a positive characteristic. Linda Babcock, economics professor and former acting dean at Carnegie Mellon University's H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, found that of the nearly 900 CMU master’s degree graduates they surveyed, the average salary difference between males and females was about $4,000. Of those questioned, 57 percent of the men had negotiated for a higher starting salary when interviewing for their first job, compared to only 7 percent of the women. When the women negotiated for higher pay, ironically their average salaries came to about $4,000 a year more then their initial offer."

The article quoted is at emeraldcoast.com from Fort Walton Beach, Florida. See Babcock and Sara Laschever's Women Don't Ask for more encouragement and info. The same day I saw this piece online I raced to my nearest independent bookstore and bought a copy of this book. I'm halfway through it. It's terrifically useful and eye-opening. (And I'd thought my eyes were already open.) More on this to come.

Artist Types

A paper on measuring creativity by researchers at Arizona State cites Understanding Those Who Create by Jane Piirto in describing different personality traits predominating in different kinds of art. I'd never before seen a distinction made by field.

"Artists tend to be more impulsive and spontaneous than other creative people; writers tend to be more nonconforming than other types; architects tend to be less flexible than others; musicians are more introverted than others; and inventors and creative engineers tend to be more well adjusted on the whole than other types."

Agree? Disagree? Resist the whole notion of predominant types? What do you think?

Kelley's Trash Angels

Kelley Harrell is the source of the stories I've linked to recently on encounters in other realms. Here's a bit of her wisdom on better dealing with our interior realms. (Perhaps this might help me with the reflexive feistiness I was afflicted with in the Kneejerk Argument thread.)

"I've recently had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of Trash Angels. I'm not sure what else to call them exactly, but they are indeed angelic beings who are adept at taking out our trash. One of the more amazing kernels of truth available to us now is that we don't have to do everything by ourselves, even the grunt work of releasing outdated patterns, thoughts, beliefs, relationships. I've found of late that there are beings who are just waiting for the opportunity to do work in this realm, and they can only do it by invitation. So the next time you feel a self-limiting pattern in your life, give the Trash Angels permission to take it, telling them that it's no longer functional, and take it they will. If you feel the pattern creeping into your consciousness again, no bother. Give them permission to take that bit, as well! We do so often forget the support the Universe provides us, but memorable as working with Trash Angels is, the profound shifts they bring are lasting."

Isn't that a lovely strategy for getting clear? For more, visit Kelley's newsletter regularly.