I became aware of the Impostor Syndrome eight or nine years ago, when I was working for a failing start-up. Watching our staff whittle to half its size every few weeks was starting to take a toll on the remaining employees. I was grateful to still be working, but I wondered whether I should start looking into another job -- something more secure.

Patti Smith wrote People Have the Power, Peaceable Kingdom and, with Bruce Springsteen, Because the Night and that’s just the tip of the artistic iceberg.  Poet, painter, actor, composer, singer, muse – she’s all of it. She's my age - and I've met her.

Last week, I mentioned that I was flying to Salt Lake City to attend the Altitude Design Summit. I left for the Altitude Design Summit and Salt Lake City really not knowing what to expect; and admittedly, I was a bit intimidated attending a conference filled with people who spent their time studying good design (really, what does one wear to a conference like this?). 

With Steve Jobs' introduction today of the Apple Tablet computer they're calling the iPad, everyone's oohing, aahing, and/or cracking feminine hygiene jokes on Twitter. Jezebel's rounded up the best of the maxi-humor. What do you think? Are you thinking about buying Apple's iPad?(survey) PS: And all of a sudden this MADTV skit from 2006 is a lot more funny:

A few months ago, I watched with interest as friends began tweeting about the Altitude Design Summit, the inaugural conference geared toward design bloggers, to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 21 - 23. As someone who follows design bloggers -- both digital design and interior design -- with a considerable amount of fanaticism, I really, really wanted to go. But as someone who isn't a design blogger at all -- I just like to take lots of pictures -- I thought perhaps this conference wouldn't be for me.Boy, was I wrong.

One of the scarier facts about online life is that privacy requires constant vigilance. There are ways to look at your purchases, your remarks, your friends list, and your other public data and learn a truly astonishing array of things about you.

Multiple news sources, including The Root, report that R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass died yesterday of colon cancer at age 59. The Philadelphia, Penn., native passed away in a Philadelphia hospital. Dan DeLuca, the Philadelphia Inquirer's music critic opens his piece on Pendergrass, saying:

News of the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday is barely 24 hours old, and already I have to turn away from reports -- they're too difficult to read, and hear, and watch.  As a native of another Caribbean island, Trinidad, this news feels very close to home. In the same way that someone from Texas might deeply feel the misfortune befalling citizens of the neighbouring state of Louisiana (Katrina, anyone?), those of us from the Caribbean are deeply moved by any catastrophe that a neighbouring island suffers.  I feel helpless. As an artist, I wonder how I can help.

Carmen Herrera is a hot up-and-coming abstract painter. The art world is abuzz over her art. Consider this description from a review of a recent showing of Herrera's work: Upstairs, a vibrating gallery was so loaded with energy that, as you walked around, the room seemed to stand up and hum. Who is this bright young thing who has made such an electric impression?

A few months ago, I wrote about my methods for art journaling here on BlogHer.  I started journaling summer of 2009, and have remained an avid journaler; during this time, I've been really pleased at how productive I've become, both in my day-to-day life and in therefore making strides toward achieving my long term goals.   And so this week, I thought I'd share some of my tips, particularly for those of you who might not yet journal (or are just starting out), that may help you stay focused on your New Year's resolutions for 2010.

Quick--what's the common denominator among the following items? A workshop on how to perform a breast self-exam; a graffiti wall; a microgrant program to support imaginative projects that benefit a neighborhood; a special mental health program for adults with life-threatening illnesses and their caregivers; and studios designed to encourage middle- and high-school students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The answer: These programs and projects all take place at museums.

Why pay a tailor to sew a loose button back on, when it's cheaper to just buy a new top at Forever 21? That's the sort of decision would-be fashionistas make these days, ignoring the fact that cheap fashion looks, well, cheap. So how does a frugal girl afford to look good? By sewing her own buttons, of course. And how does she eat well on the cheap? By making her own fluffy pancakes.