creativity

A Year of Yes: Iceland in 3 weeks

Christa Avampato

I’ll land in Iceland 3 weeks from today! My mom told me my Grampy, Alfonso Francis Lupinacci, dreamed of going there. He read all he could about it in National Geographic magazines. I didn’t know that when I booked this trip. He died on my 6th birthday without ever seeing Iceland so I’m taking these pictures of us with me to show him around. I hope that somewhere along that path I feel his presence and that we get a chance to share a moment, standing in awe of that beautiful landscape together, after all these years. And I hope I can be the tour guide he always wanted to have.

creativity

A Year of Yes: Travel is the best part of writing

Christa Avampato

The very best part of being a writer is that your daily work takes you anywhere you want to go. Today alone, I’ve been to the depths of the ocean with a whale & a squid army, New York City in 1920, New York City in 2300, the Dark Hedges of Ireland, & an Amazonian jungle searching for buried treasure. The imagination is a swift vehicle.

creativity

A Year of Yes: My SXSW proposal, The Dramatic Structure of Change, is now available for voting

Christa Avampato

I submitted a proposal to speak at SXSW in March. The session is called The Dramatic Structure of Change, and is now available for your vote at http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/82875

The dramatic structure of literature is well-laid track that has proven time and time again to be a valuable way to think of about storytelling in a wide variety of mediums. It’s also a priceless and underutilized tool in the workplace, particularly when we think about leadership from every chair and change management from every vantage point and every level of an organization. As an author, business leader, journalist, and storyteller, I’ll walk the audience members through this valuable paradigm so that you finish this session ready to immediately use it in your work life and with your teams.

Questions that will be answered by this session:
  1. What is dramatic structure and why is it so intuitive to our understanding of how a story unfolds in every medium?
  2. How does dramatic structure provide a blueprint for successful change management in an organization?
  3. How does anyone in any organization at any level use dramatic structure in a company to become successful and make their teams successful?

 

creativity

A Year of Yes: NYC’s Secrets and Lies recap

Christa Avampato

Another successful NYC’s Secrets & Lies happened on Wednesday night with a stellar cast! I had the best night hosting another edition of this storytelling show of secret NYC history at Caveat. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Thank you to the phenomenal cast (what a tribe!), the entire packed audience, and Caveat for being the best dang venue in NYC.

Ashley Semrick, Erin Hunkemoeller, Leslie Goshko, John Bucher, and Tom Rowley (our special guest talking about Story Map!) filled up my heart. Thanks to Untapped Cities for your partnership!

We’ll be back again on October 9th w/ Alex Taylor, Michele Carlo, Zak Martellucci, and one more to-be-named storyteller. Andrew Ousley of Unison Media will be our very special guest. Tickets will be on sale soon!

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Tom Rowley of Story Map
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Leslie Goshko
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John Bucher

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The cast!
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Our audience
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Our cast!
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Erin Hunkemoeller
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Ashley Semrick
creativity

A Year of Yes: Application to grad school sent!

Christa Avampato

20180805_140530Last week, I wrote about my interest in going back to grad school to pursue a Master of Science in Biomimicry. I intended to do a *little* work on my personal statement this weekend and then just couldn’t stop myself. I wrote the whole dang thing in one sitting. And I cried because A) it means that much to me and B) I am a big ol’ sap. I had a good night’s sleep, got up early, edited it, and sent it off. So now, we wait. I feel insanely happy that I’ve taken this step. I can’t wait to spend my days learning from nature so that I can literally build a better world for all beings. I still feel like I’m dreaming a bit that this is actually going to happen (provided the application process goes well), and that’s okay with me. I’m fine with having a life that is the stuff of my dreams. Thank you all for sharing in this process!

creativity

A Year of Yes: NYC’s Secrets & Lies is 3 days away

Christa Avampato

What’s on tap for NYC’s Secrets and Lies at Caveat on Wednesday? Hidden New York City history stories of danger and deceit, disease and descent. I made a sneak preview for you. Have a look and then grab your tickets at  http://caveat.nyc/event/new-york-citys-secrets-and-lies-8-8-18. This show features the amazing talents of storytellers John Bucher, Leslie Goshko, Ashley Semrick, and Erin Hunkemoeller, and filmmaker Tom Rowley.

creativity

A Year of Yes: Here’s a 15% discount code for all Untapped Cities Tours of secret New York City places

Christa Avampato

Untapped Cities offers a huge variety of tours about secret New York City history. Alexander Hamilton’s historic home, the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital, Grand Central Station, abandoned subway stations, the Woolworth Building, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Penn Station, the Members Only Players Club, and the list just. keeps. growing.

As a little gift to you, I wanted to share a special discount code that gets you 15% off of ALL of their tours – just type in CHRISTA at checkout. You can share this with friends and use it as many times as you want. And there’s no expiration date. Because I love you, and I want you to have nice things. And by nice things, I mean adventures.

creativity

A Year of Yes: Becoming a licensed New York City Tour Guide

Christa Avampato

Thanks to inspiration from my friends, Ashley and Erin, I started studying for my New York City Sightseeing Guide License. Yes, we license everything in this town!

I’m excited to do this homework and take the exam. If you’d like to join me on a study walk in this glorious city, let me know! I like curious company.

creativity

A Year of Yes: Untapped Cities features NYC’s Secrets & Lies storytelling show

Christa Avampato

Received a lovely writeup in Untapped Cities for the New York City’s Secrets & Lies show on August 8th. Our storytellers are diving into dusty archives and busted up boxes of historical footage to bring you the craziest pieces of NYC history we can find. Looking forward to seeing you at Caveat. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 7:00pm! Tickets available at http://caveat.nyc/event/new-york-citys-secrets-and-lies-8-8-18

 

creativity

A Year of Yes: NYC’s Museum of Trash

Christa Avampato
What is a museum? A collection of items meaningfully curated to tell a story. It can be large or small or any size in-between. It can be about 1 topic or about everything. It can be indoors or outdoors. There’s no right way to build a museum. Just make it matter.
 
That’s what I learned at The Treasures in the Trash Museum housed in the NYC Dept of Sanitation curated by Nelson Molina who worked for our wonderful city for over 30 years. He collected discarded items he found in the trash on his routes with DOS and there is now a mind-boggling treasure trove of items that represent the lives of countless New Yorkers.
 
I went with my adventure-seeking, history-loving pals, Ashley & Erin, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen in New York. Everything from diaries to dishes to photographs and diplomas and art and pez dispensers and view finders and typewriters and a Star of David made from the steal of the World Trade Center to stained glass windows from a church and yes, even taxidermy in the form of an old dog and a crotchety rooster.
 
I’d tell you more but I can’t think of any words adequate enough to describe it. So just go. Meet Nelson and get to know the fellow New Yorkers you’ll never meet by seeing the things they kicked to the curb.
 
Thank you New York Adventure Club for the tour!