Profile: Joe Serio

Get The Nerve To Succeed.  That's the mantra of leadership guru Joe Serio, founder of Joe Serio Enterprises.  Apparently, Joe has plenty of nerve because his success speaks for itself.  He's a Ph.D., an accomplished author, a talented musician, and an inspiring motivational speaker. 

Fear keeps many of us from realizing our full potential, but Joe has learned to conquer his and translate that victory into a string of impressive accomplishments.  Now he's focused on helping others to "get the nerve."

Joe's website, joeserio.com, is a terrific place to learn about his achievements and his approach to conquering fear in more detail.

Profile: Catherine Pedersen

Catherine Pedersen is another young, multi-talented creative force destined to leave an indelible mark upon the artistic landscape.  A phenomenally adept writer and editor, she appears to have equally compelling talent as a photographer.  Much like Jennifer O'Connor, she also has demonstrated unique ability to fuse those endeavors together.  Some of her past work has been catalogued on her website www.catepedersen.com and I encourage you to explore her work more fully.

Admittedly, my exposure to Catherine's talents has been limited, but has managed profound effect nonetheless.  Our experiences overlapped a few years ago quite by chance in an online writing forum focused on critique.  Without fail, she was always able to spot "trouble spots," but more importantly, was able to suggest specific "fixes" that were truly extraordinary.  Her ability to edit/revise (and vastly improve) particulars without altering original intent or passion was consistently exceptional.  A rare gift indeed, I'd liken her ability to a premier gifted athlete with corresponding natural and inate aptitude.  In fact, if you revisit Better Self, you'll notice she shares writing credit on that selection.  Her editing suggestions were instrumental to correcting the flow of the tail end, where the meter had severely gone astray.

Though she is currently preoccupied with pursuing goals in other areas, I am thrilled to be able to rely on her as a vital resource and hope she'll eventually be inspired to share some of her own work here as well.

Profile: Glenn Ghiazza

Glenn Ghiazza is my longtime friend, and founder of Saxophotography.  From the philosophy tab on his website,

“Photography is a passion.  My passion.  It’s about creativity and inspiration.  It’s about trying to see the world in a different light.  At a different angle.  With a different point of view.  Looking for the small details that make up the big picture.  Capturing a moment in time.  It’s about creating something you can share – like cooking a good meal or writing a beautiful piece of music – and bringing a little bit of joy and wonder to all who share in the experience.”

Glenn’s a unique, multi-talented guy.  I’ve known him for more than 20 years, and still he’s an enigma.  That “different angle” he refers to is an angle all his own that he created.  Like his own words suggest, he’s passionate.  But he’s also passionate about the details, no matter what he’s doing, which I think is what makes him exceptionally interesting. 

As Twilight Blue becomes better established, I’m hopeful we’ll be able to spotlight more of his creative work.  For now, please check out Saxophotography’s website to appreciate his newest creative endeavor, time-lapse photography.

Profile: Jennifer O'Connor

A young talented writer has recently emerged on the public scene. College of Saint Rose freshman, Jennifer O’Connor has been blogging for The Times Union newspaper in Albany, NY for the past year.  The majority of that blogging occurred on the High School blog but she has since moved on to write for the This Is College!? blog.  Her most recent post is Behemoths Will Fall.

Jen has a natural writing style that’s quite easy to read and enjoy. Her sense of humor is evident in most of her posts and it’s clear she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Some of her past posts among our favorites include Flipping the Bird, Chamelio Estivez, and Sanity Extraction. None of these fail to elicit amusement and all demonstrate Jen’s knack for clever, light-hearted writing.  But Jen is equally capable of getting serious as evidenced in her posts about the damage caused by Hurricane Irene or the important contributions of the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. All of Jen’s blogging is expertly complimented by her photography and video skills.   

I’ve had the distinct pleasure and privileged opportunity to have been exposed to her other creative gifts as well. Jen is a fine sculptor and burgeoning musician.  It is my high hope that we’ll eventually be able to provide a forum for her work in those fields.  For now, I believe she is truly a writer and artist worth keeping an eye on. I encourage you to check out her work.

Author Jennifer O'Connor's This Is College!? blog posts
Author Jennifer O'Connor's High School blog posts