C.C. Chapman
100 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 6 years ago - ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsNew England Writer, Photographer, Teacher and Consultant
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Episodes
I Hate
November 10, 2016 14:04 image/jpegHuman nature fascinates me. I made a decision months ago to take the day after the election off. No matter who won, I knew that emotions would be raw and I didn’t want to be part of any of it. I chose yesterday morning to post two simple words on my social profiles and then turned away from all live media for the day. Instead I watched movies, spent quiet time in contemplation and played outdoors with my dogs. It was the best decision I made and this morning as I scrolled through my feeds...
Relief Bed – Improving the World With Better Sleep
November 07, 2016 14:08 image/pngProducts that are well made, serve a need in my life and make a social impact on the world are my favorite to own. So when Relief Bed offered to send me one of their sleeping pads for review in exchange for a review, I instantly said yes. The concept of a Relief Bed is simple. It is a bright orange sleeping pad made by Therm-a-Rest who make some of the best camping and backpacking gear out there and I’ve plenty of their products over the years as a happy customer. But, here is where the c...
Lots of Little Things Rambling On
November 03, 2016 13:55 image/jpegI’ve never been much of a baseball fan. Going to games is a lot of fun and when the air gets colder and the playoffs begin, I’ll tune in if it gets interesting. Last night watching the Cubs win was something special. Craziest game of playoff baseball I’ve ever seen. What a great few hours to escape from everything else going on in the world! This morning as I empty the coffee pot and ponder the hours ahead, Episode 2 of the Why I Write Podcast hit the feeds. I love this one because I got...
The Woods Call
October 25, 2016 15:01 image/jpegEvery spring and autumn the woods call for attention. The bugs are gone, the tourists home. The woods are emptier, more inviting and eager for those like me who wander. The crack of gunfire echoes around me and I know that I have to choose wisely where I travel, but there are more than enough options. Granted, the thought of fresh venison over an open campfire, under the cover of stars sounds damn near perfect to me right now. The camera is charged. The boots are caked in dry mud. The ...
Violence
October 24, 2016 12:02 image/pngLast night, The Walking Dead answered the question of who would be brutally murdered with a barbed wire wrapped baseball bat in the hands of a twisted man. I watch the show and was ready to be emotionally torn to shreds. It was as painful to watch as I expected. Violence is a weird thing. People react to it in so many ways. This morning I’ve seen multiple posts from people complaining about the level of violence. Yet, this is the seventh season of the show and it is nothing but blood an...
Why I Write
October 20, 2016 15:54Today is the National Day on Writing. This day was founded by the National Council of Teachers of English on the premise that writing is critical to literacy but needs greater attention and celebration. To me writing is a core part of who I am. The voices, ideas and worlds in my head have to be let out or else they just keep banging on my skull. As I began to share more of my writing with the masses, I realized the power of words to inspire others. The fact that I still get notes from ...
We Have To Show Up
October 19, 2016 11:18 image/jpegI was having a conversation with Seth Godin recently about writing and among all the nuggets he said, “The cost of what we do is we have to show up.” We were discussing his daily blog writing and my wonderment at how he does it. It stuck with me like a thorn. Nagging at me to face the truth that I haven’t been showing up. Sure, I published a piece called When Your Dream Job Doesn’t Want You on LinkedIn and I’ve been noodling along on other things, but if I’m going to be honest with mysel...
MassMutual Foundation #FutureSmart
October 14, 2016 20:14 image/pngLast week, I had the pleasure of attending a MassMutual Foundation #FutureSmart launch event at the Mildred Avenue Middle School in Mattapan, MA As a father of two, I wish that my children had been taught about personal finances, money and planning for their futures in school. Outside of the stale stock market games that we’ve all played, I don’t think they were taught a single thing about money and how to deal with it. MassMutual Foundation is committed to making sure the next generation...
Stop Shouting. Start Doing.
September 27, 2016 18:31In case you missed it, last night there as a Presidential Debate. Of course, this morning everyone is shouting about their candidate of choice. Hard to scroll through any site without someone shouting about how much they hate one person and love the other. I tried balancing it out by sharing a photo of Jaz because puppies make everything better. Today I think everyone needs some cute puppy in their lives to chill out, calm down and move forward. A photo posted by C.C. Chapman (@cc_chapma...
Jaz Joins Our Family
September 24, 2016 14:32 image/jpeg“What if we swing by Baypath and see what they have for puppies?” Laura asking me this while out running errands is how the story of Jaz began. I grew up with a black lab named Popeye. You know the story of Roxie. Dogs will always be a part of my life and Labrador Retrievers will always be my favorite breed of dogs. Nadia is a lab mix, but looks nothing like a lab. Her size has always thrown me and while I love her, she isn’t a lab. Part of the fun of rescuing dogs is that you never qui...
The Long and Short Walk of Life
September 12, 2016 12:49 image/jpegLife is extremely short. While days will drag on and never seem to end. Others fly by and you barely got a chance to enjoy them. We’ve all heard the jokes about getting older, getting crabbier and yelling, “Get Off My Lawn!” more than once. Age is a relative thing of course, but over the last few years I’ve come to realize that for me it isn’t about becoming crankier, but rather about knowing exactly where the line is for what I will put up with and what I don’t have time for. This elec...
Gronk Knows Football and Finance
September 09, 2016 15:31 image/jpegMy inbox is no stranger to vague requests for my services. When an email arrived asking if I was available to socially cover a video shoot with a well known New England professional football player to be named later, I didn’t think twice about it. Attending events to create and share content is something I get hired to do. Freelance writing and photography is also in my wheelhouse. While I knew more details were coming, I checked my calendar and replied with a simple “lets make it happen.”...
Think Before You Scream
August 29, 2016 15:18 image/jpegFor all the good that social media has brought to our tables, there is no question that it has also served us seven days in the sun bowls of potato salad as well. Scroll through your network of choice on any day and you’ll find a stew of anger, hate and outrage. This morning I tweeted: As we start a new week, try to remember that you don’t need to be outraged by everything that you don’t agree with. You can be annoyed with, upset at and disgusted by things without having to throw your o...
THE Shot
August 26, 2016 13:02 image/pngEvery photographer knows the feeling. The slice of a moment when the light is perfect. Shadows dance on your subject as if you painted them on yourself. You point, press the button and hear the familiar sound of your shutter. You don’t even need to look. You know you got it. THE shot is not always the best one. It isn’t always the one people will rave over. Many times there are things about it that make it less than great. In your heart and mind something clicks. It feels good. You feel...
Shooting My Son’s Senior Portraits
August 16, 2016 15:27 image/jpegAs a photographer, I love to be out shooting with my cameras. When on assignment, the stress factor always goes up a bit. Will I get the shot I need? Will the talent work with me? What if something goes wrong? All of those are natural and part of the photography business. It is one thing to be taking casual snapshots on your phone and something completely different when a client is writing you a check for the work you create. Yesterday, I had all of the stress with none of the money. T...
A Simple Weekend
August 15, 2016 11:53 image/jpegThe majority of the weekend was spent feet up in the sun room reading The Accidental Life: An Editor’s Notes on Writing and Writers on my kindle. The stories and style hit home and fuel my desire to write more and fear less. There were pork chops on the grill and fresh corn beside them. Cold beers giving a moment of salvation from the soupy sludge of the humid August nights. Sunday morning breakfast at our usual spot. Iced coffee bought from Dylan at work. Preparing for my most daunting ...
Remaining Positive in a Less Than Happy World
August 10, 2016 11:55 image/jpegTurn on your television or look at a news site and you are guaranteed to see something that upsets you. It doesn’t matter which side of the aisle you lean, team you root for or flag you salute. There is a never ending stream of bad news that will bother you. I’ve talked before about how throwing more hate, anger and frustration out into the world helps no one. There has been an endless stream of tweets and status updates I’ve thought about creating. But, whenever I’m slamming the keys i...
Family Fun at Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival
August 08, 2016 10:15 image/jpegThe beach is the last place I personally go for family fun during the summer. Sure, the ocean is beautiful and there is always endless people watching at the beach, but sitting on a blanket, melting in the sun is not my idea of a fun day. So, when I partnered up again this summer with Fidelity and MEFA to cover one of their UFund Dream Tour stops I’m not sure why I chose the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival. I mentioned to our neighbors that we’d be going to this and the...
Being Prepared To Fear Less
August 04, 2016 12:13 image/jpegThe other day I placed a new order from Serepick because I wanted a set of lock picks in my car. Upon arrival, I added them to my ITS Trauma Kit that I keep in my center console. I was discussing this with some in my family and received a familiar smile and head shake. I ignored it and moved on. Yesterday morning I saw a friend tweeting about coming across a jogger who was having medical problems. They mentioned that no one around them was comfortable enough with CPR to do anything and th...
Giving the Cobbler’s Kids Some Shoes
August 03, 2016 13:32 image/jpegWe all know the old story about the cobbler being so busy making shoes for customers, that his own children had none. When it comes to online strategies and marketing programs this is how it has always been around here for me. Always helping clients set up and execute things, while neglecting my own. Today that changes. Yesterday, my friend Jason from GORUCK let me know that the tool I was using to send out new blog posts via email was a pain to read on the phone. This is something I’v...
Death Inspires Living
August 02, 2016 11:51 image/jpegJuly was a rough month all around me. It began with the tragic death of a nineteen year old and ended with the peaceful passing of a seventy eight year old. Two ends of the spectrum of life. Leaving behind heart broken friends and family. Reflection is part of my daily life. I think about things. Looking behind and forward. Pondering what comes next. These deaths have had my mind in overdrive. I’ve planned my funeral, wondering what people will say and knowing that I don’t want it to com...
Rough Streets of Neverland
August 01, 2016 15:12 image/jpegI arrived home and walking up to the front door I saw this on our stairs. A pipe cleaner Tinker Bell. She laid there on the cement. Shadows being cast around her. My assumption was that she was the latest artistic creation of my daughter. Probably done at Science Camp that day to entertain the kids. As I took the photo, all I could think was, “Must have been a rough day on the streets of Neverland.”
Eulogy vs. Resume
July 27, 2016 12:38 image/jpegEarlier this week, I attended Bentley University’s Center for Business Ethics 40th Anniversary Conference. One of the speakers was discussing the concept of virtue in the workplace and during his talk he raised the question, “are you more concerned by your resume or your eulogy?” That stuck with me. It hit home. Last night as we sat watching television, a text from my Dad arrived letting me know about the passing of a long time family friend. I was overcome with grief and began to cry. D...
When The Muse Screams
July 20, 2016 16:11 image/jpegIf you are a creative, you’ve heard the scream of the Muse. Not the simple whisper in your ear or tickle on your heart, but the full blown cry out to be recognized and used. This morning she yelled in all of her fury. Reminding me that while I’ve been spinning, strategizing and sipping, I haven’t been creating. There are blank pages that need to be filled. Images yet to be captured. Spaces on the bookshelves of people around the world where a combination of my thoughts and dead trees w...
Star Wars Celebration London 2016
July 19, 2016 18:02 image/jpegGrowing up, I always stopped in the toy isle to look at the latest Star Wars toys. I’d lust after them and check them out in detail since I rarely was able to bring one home with me. Hours were spent playing with the toys I did have. Grand battles were fought on my bedroom floor and throughout my house. So when Verizon asked me “Would you like to go to London with us to attend the Star Wars Celebration?” the little kid in me bounced with giddy excitement as the adult in me typed out “Yes, ...
One Week. All The Emotions.
July 11, 2016 12:33 image/jpegLast week was one of those series of days that won’t soon be forgotten. A roller coaster of emotions brought on events close to home and around the country. There was death, life milestones, anger and happiness. I was shocked as I watched two black Americans be shot and killed by those who are suppose to serve and protect. I cheered on my son as he started his first job and worked every day and quickly realized how different the world is with a job. I gathered and cried with my communit...
Making Sense of the Madness
July 06, 2016 13:33 image/jpegIt only takes a quick scan of the news to be buried in the madness of our world. This week, I’ve been hugging my kids a bit longer than usual as neighborhood friends lost their daughter in a horrible accident. Jackie was a GOOD kid determined to do GOOD things in the world. I remember her and I talking before she graduated about how she hoped to find a way to take her love of dance and turn it into a career. She mentioned perhaps doing dance therapy or traveling to underdeveloped count...
Phases of Financial Freedom
July 01, 2016 16:28 image/jpegMassMutual asked me to write a post on “financial freedom.” My first thought was that I couldn’t write a post on that topic because Laura and I still think about the bills and how to pay them all the time. The more I pondered it, I realized over the years there have been a couple of moments when I felt financially free-er. The first was when our kids were young. Shortly after our son was born, we realized that something had to be done about our credit card debt. After a conversation wit...
The Road to Yuma
June 30, 2016 21:51 image/jpegGeocaching is an activity that our family enjoys doing. When out rucking, driving or any time we are someplace new my wife will pull out her phone and see if there are any geocaches around us. We knew we’d be visiting her parents in Arizona this summer, so when she received a notice that one of her trackables had been dropped off at a Travel Bug Hotel we were intrigued. A three hour drive to drop off a piece of plastic and metal seemed a bit crazy without a few other stops. But, we knew w...
A Savings Memory From My Youth Has Me Thinking About Saving Today
June 28, 2016 21:30 image/jpegSaving is something I’ve never been that great at. When you don’t have much more than what will pay the bills, the idea of saving is great, but it isn’t a reality. The older you grow, the more you realize that putting away even a little bit does help. I think we get lost in thinking we have to have a massive nut of money squirreled away in order to be considered a savings. Growing up in small town New Hampshire, I remember the local bank did something they called “The Christmas Club” eve...
Raise The Alarm for Minute Man National Historical Park
June 20, 2016 12:18 image/jpegGrowing up in The United States, every child learns about the start of our country and the Revolutionary War. Growing up in New England, we learn about it on a whole new level since it happened in our backyard. Minute Man National Historical Park is home to where some of the first shots of the American Revolution were fired. Today it is a beautiful place to walk your dog, go for a jog or learn more about our history. They are the only New England park in the running to receive funding as...
The First Rays of Morning
June 13, 2016 12:38 image/jpegYesterday morning, Emily and I woke early to go to the flea market. The news was reporting on a shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, but there were no details yet so we went on our way. We hit the ATM, grabbed donuts from a local bakery and arrived to discover that the vendors were still setting up. I decided to take a little adventure and drive up the road a ways to the Old Stone Church that I had taken some photos recently with my drone and Emily wanted to explore. My phone buzzed, but I...
A Visual Postcard From Echo Valley
May 31, 2016 19:53 image/pngEver since the team at Horizon Hobby gave me a Chroma 4k Drone to try out and review I’ve been eager to take it to one place in the world. That place is Echo Valley in the hills of Vermont. I’ve written about this magical spot before for one night escapes and Chapman family celebrations. So when Clarence I began planning a little time off the grid together, I knew where we were headed and I knew what I’d be doing. You’ve got to understand that my Grandfather was a pilot and loved photogr...
Putting My House on the NEST Platform
May 28, 2016 15:21 image/pngI’m excited about the wave of new products being released to convert our residences into “smart homes.” Watching the space for the last few years has been exciting. While I enjoy bleeding edge technology, when it comes to my home I usually prefer to wait and let others be the first movers in the space. When a gadget is only being used by me it is fine, but when it effects my whole family I proceed with more caution. There has been enough trailblazing in this space that when Verizon offere...
Tomorrow Is NOT Promised
April 26, 2016 09:07Prince died and I’m positive he had more to create and do in his life. Death is coming for all of us and none of us know when we’ll take our final breaths and that is why I hit record today so that you could listen to Managing the Gray #147. Links from the show. 30 Days to Genius Digaboom Beyonce’s Lemonade Listen, share and create. Hope this nudge helps.
Rest In Peace Prince
April 25, 2016 14:55 image/jpegPhoto by Valerie Jardin. There will be two songs played at my funeral. ‘Amazing Grace’ on the bagpipes and ‘Sometimes It Snows In April’ by Prince. Thursday as I closed my lecture at the end of class, my inbox was in the background and the top email’s subject line read “Prince Dead at 57” and my first thought was “which Prince died?” Opening the email, I blurted out “Oh shit, Prince is dead.” The students all gave me a look and Dylan who happened to be in class with me after a college ...
Snapchatting While Driving Makes You a Dangerous Asshole
April 08, 2016 12:46 image/jpegEvery day I see people with one hand on the wheel of their car and the other on their phone. They try to pay attention to the road, but every so often they’ll drift, swerve or slow down. It is obvious they can’t pay attention. Every study has shown that it is not possible for a human to pay full attention to the road if they are using their phone. Common sense should tell you that looking up and down away from the road is a distraction and not a good idea. As the over twenty crowd starts...
Rockagator RG-25 40 Liter COVERT Series Bag Review
April 05, 2016 12:05 image/jpegThe outdoors are where I’m happiest and over the years I’ve had adventures of all sorts and in every sort of weather. One of my favorite activities is canoe camping, where rule 1 is that you want everything to stay dry. This photo is my view on a week long paddle in the Boundary Waters with my dad. Because I don’t only hike, camp and canoe when the sun is shining I was excited to be offered a Rockagator RG-25 2nd Generation 40 liter COVERT Series bag to test and review. If you’ve never o...
Our First Year With Nadia
April 04, 2016 10:50 image/jpegDogs have a way of becoming an integrated part of yours where it is hard to remember life without them. Today marks a year since Nadia’s ‘rescue day’ and in some ways it feels much longer and at the same time like yesterday. Roxie passing occurred in the middle of dark days for me. On top of that, it was the worst winter we have ever had in New England so getting a new dog would have to wait until the spring. The moment I saw Nadia on Petfinder something drew me to her. Looking back at t...
SocialGood.Club
March 30, 2016 14:44 image/jpegSocialGood.Club is a new venture that I’m the Co-Founder of with my dear friend Brad Powell. The conversations began last year as we both found ourselves walking a career path motivated by doing more good in the world. We both have years of experience conceiving, developing and executing marketing initiatives. The amount of content we’ve created over the years is staggering when we stopped to think about it. This sort of work is exactly what I love doing. Consulting with companies and or...
Technology Shouldn’t Replace Your Humanity
March 29, 2016 11:41 image/pngTechnology empowers us to do amazing things. We can connect with people around the world. We can form businesses together. We can create together. But, with all the technology around us, many of you are losing your way and giving in to the automated tools to run your lives. Yesterday, I added SocialGood.Club to my LinkedIn profile and instantly the automated messages of congratulations began coming in. If you didn’t know, the LinkedIn app has a handy setting where with two clicks it’ll ...
Connected Worry
March 22, 2016 12:58 image/jpegAnother morning starts with the news of another attack. They’ve become too common and with the global climate as it is, I don’t see them slowing down. My heart aches. My brain goes into overdrive. Of course at the same time I think about my kids and my family. We’ve talked about how to react and what to do if ever faced with something like this. I’m a firm believer in being prepared. But, this morning as I thought about it I realized that Emily doesn’t currently have her phone. Today,...
SXSW Was Exactly What I Hoped It Would Be
March 17, 2016 13:22 image/pngSXSW is a festival of culture and creativity. My words, not theirs. Up front, know that I’m an Advisor to SXSW. This means that every year I set aside several hours and go through and judge panels. In return, I’m given a free badge to attend. All other costs are on my dime. I know that this week there will be posts about the good and the bad. How next year some people won’t be attending. How the glory days are over. The funny thing is that most of these will be written from the perspecti...
Lamb or Lion? I Do Not Know
March 07, 2016 14:00 image/jpegSome days start with a bunch of little things that get in the way of getting off on the right foot. Today was certainly one of those. Nothing earth shattering. Nothing to worry about. But, still as I try to find focus, be productive and get ready for the day ahead these little things pile up and get in the way of the brain doing what it is suppose to be doing. I teach today and tomorrow and then Thursday I’m off to Austin for SXSW. The time there will be a mix of all that makes SXSW wha...
Savor or Binge?
March 04, 2016 13:39 image/jpegTo savor or to binge? That is a question I face this weekend as the new season of House of Cards is now live on Netflix. Last season I tried to savor it a bit. To let it breath and take my time with it. I made Season 3 last a full week and then it was done. I try to keep my consumption to no more than three episodes at a time and with everything else going on in my life that is usually very easy. The kids tell me I’m crazy for even raising the question. They are the binge culture and h...
Snapchat Stress
March 03, 2016 15:00 image/jpegWatching people stress over how to use any new social network or tool gives me the giggles. Snapchat of course is the latest one that is confusing so many. “I just don’t know how I’m going to use it?” “It is too confusing for me to figure out so I don’t see the point.” “I can’t figure out how to use this for marketing.” All real statements I’ve read, seen or watched over the past few weeks. Remember when something new would come on the scene and people would simply play with it? Instal...
What Was So Super About Yesterday?
March 02, 2016 13:50 image/pngGloomy and gray is how we find ourselves this morning in the woods outside of Boston. Nothing was “super” about yesterday. It was more of standard issue Tuesday according to my sources. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are pumping out of my speakers. The new album isn’t as ‘up’ as the last one, but tons of artistic commentary which I’m glad to hear. We need more artists in all mediums to step up and address the topics of the day. A post in my head is brewing about how we might see more of this in...
The Power of Three Words
March 01, 2016 13:48 image/jpegYour Work Matters. Those were the three words that hit me right in the heart and soul. It was a short email. It was a response to an equally quick email that I sent to someone never expecting a response. I consume more than I create and that is problem. It is a problem I’ve been trying to deal with and have been losing at. Consuming a recent video, the person being interviewed talked about how too many people get fulfillment from clicking, sharing and commenting that it gets in the way...
Onegin
February 26, 2016 15:48 image/jpegLast night Emily and I enjoyed opening night for The Boston Ballet’s season with a performance of Onegin. We were invited as press and given two free tickets to attend the show. Ballet is an art form that I never fully appreciated until we began to attend performances on a semi-regular basis. With every performance I see, my appreciation of it grows. Onegin is based on Alexander Pushkin’s narrative poem telling the story of unrequited love in the high society of Russia. First performed ...
Eartheasy LifeStraw Go – Filtered Water On The Go
February 25, 2016 13:01 image/jpegI’m much happier outdoors than I’ll ever be behind a desk. When I was asked if I’d be interested in reviewing the LifeStraw Go from Eartheasy, I instantly said yes. From the moment I first heard of the original LifeStraw I was intrigued. I’ve been backpacking and camping for years and know how important it is to filter your water. After my trip to Ghana in 2012, I had a new appreciation for the importance of clean drinking water when I traveled. My family bought me a LifeStraw for Christ...