About
Our mission is to help you build confidence in business and in life by understanding the importance of creativity.
Join us as we create an ongoing campaign to encourage, empower and enlighten people to tap into the artist inside of themselves and live the life they always knew they could.
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We want teachers, secretaries, truck drivers, athletes, musicians, mechanics, businessmen, writers, accountants, students, realtors and the list goes on to lay claim to the description, ARTIST.
ARTISTS are not confined to painting and sculpting. ARTISTS are free to use their exceptional creative thought, skill or talent in any endeavor that calls them. Some of the greatest artists in the world may be called farmers, athletes, moms, and teachers. Their canvases may be wheat fields, ball fields, families or students, but their work is as moving and as beautiful as any masterpiece.
This definition of ARTIST could be considered the greatest validation of who we are as individuals. It reminds us that when we elevate our creative ability and skill and we pour our uniqueness into our work and our relationships, we create a life filled with passion, joy, and meaning.
Beginning now, let's shift the way that we see ourselves, let’s expand our reach toward our potential, and in doing so, release the most powerful gift we have been given; the gift to create an exceptional life.
The Team
ANNIE K. LAVEN
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Annie is known for ability to create unique characters that are relatable. She insists her special ability as a writer stems from her upbringing in the extremely small town of Maurice, Louisiana (a whopping 300 people). Annie started writing in college and quickly became fascinated with dialogue and soon after discovered the world of screenwriting and never looked back!
It was when she was working on the development of a character for one of her screenplays that she stumbled upon the second definition of ARTIST and her whole life changed. She suddenly understood that artistry could be a choice. It wasn't something that only a few were blessed with. It was a path anyone could choose in order to create an exceptional life.
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Having lost her husband only a few years prior, this revelation hit a deep chord for Annie. It gave her an new insight with which to view the future! As she applied this new perspective to life and she found that she was able to replace the overwhelming sadness that had overtaken her with great hope for her future. She knew she needed to share her understanding of how this word could be used to transform the way we create our lives.
Annie now balances her time between her screenwriting and creating content, including a top 75 Happiness Blog on Earth, that inspires readers to create their own artistic lifestyles using the power of the second definition of ARTIST.
Annie has also created a non-profit organization with her husband, Tab - The Perfect Day Box Foundation with the mission to uplift, inspire and give hope to children-in-need through the arts and imagination. They have delivered thousands of little boxes of hope to children in need in hospitals and Title 1 schools.
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DECKER VELIE - Contributing Writer
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Decker grew up as 4th generation Minneapolitan just west of the Twin Cities. He has always had the bug for writing (he wrote his first song when he was 12 years old) where he pulls from his love of the outdoors, humor and music.
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Decker went to college in Georgia where he majored in English, wrote music and became a published poet. After Georgia, he moved back to the Twin Cities where he started a music production company, The Music Staff. It grew to be one of the largest production companies in the mid-west and during that time he honed his skill to become a published songwriter.
Decker has always believed that real artistic power comes from being able to use the fewest words, brush strokes or edits to say the most. This ability can come from anywhere or any person. Sometimes the most moving moments in life are held in the smallest hands.
AUDRA THOMAS
Audra was born in Northern California. She grew up loving the idea of just being able to be. Her passion for creating life is what drew her to Activated! and us to her. Her organizational skills and ability to confront problems is where Audra finds her niche. Her work experience is vast but she admits that her joy is found when she returns home and wears the hat of being a mom. The opportunity to empower others to find what makes them shine, as she has done so beautifully with her girls is what makes her shine.
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TAB LAVEN
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Tab Laven is a professional musician. For the past 25 years, he has traveled the world, playing guitar for the legendary Art Garfunkel. Tab is also a singer/songwriter and released an award-winning children’s album, “Cranberry Red Balloon”, which features Art singing with Tab on the title track.
Tab started playing guitar at the age of 12, listening to his Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel records patiently picking up the record player needle and going over and over each little section slowly learning the guitar parts. Tab landed his first professional gig at the age of 21, playing for Mary Macgregor who had the worldwide hit song, “Torn Between Two Lovers”. For more go to tablaven.com
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JILL KIRSH
Jill’s parents worked in New York - in the heart of the fashion district, offering Jill first hand the essential elements of style, the value of first impressions and how important that combination is in relation to personal and professional confidence and success. While acting in film, television and theater in both New York and Los Angeles, Jill discovered the key that became the heartbeat of her business…color…and how to use it to enhance, not detract. Jill loves to empower others with what she knows about color and fashion, so they can have confidence in their appearance and can put their attention on creating great effects in the world!
Jill's unique color system for fashion and beauty has been the talk of the fashion world for the past ten years. She’s been featured several times in InStyle magazine, Life & Style Weekly, Inc. magazine, E!News Online, First for Women, Redbook, the Los Angeles Times and on every major network and numerous local news affiliates including HGTV and Hallmark, plus myriad websites such as AOL, BeautyNewsNYC and more.