ChangeArtist is an informational resource and supportive community for individuals going through change. There is also a book called ChangeArtist: Surviving Change, discussed below.

I (JoNel) have been through many, many changes in life, and I found that they often made me feel isolated or lonely, confused and anxious. This lead me to a desire to help others through changes, hopefully softening what can be a sometimes difficult journey. It also lead me to a deep desire to better understand change, and change processes. By training, I am a marketing academic, so you will see that teaching + research piece of me throughout the site.

This website has many purposes, to include:

Offering resources to help with various changes It helps to read articles and to have links that might provide more information and resources. For your convenience, we have divided Changes into seven categories, with subcategories under each.

Offering roadmaps The Roadmap section provides tips for finding new directions (with the likely title of “New Directions”) and for dealing with the process of change (called “Getting There”).

Giving you a forum for conversing It helps to visit with others who may have similar issues, changes, or feelings. Sometimes we just need to vent; sometimes we have information to share or would like to ask others about, etc. –however you choose to use this is great, but please, no soliciting or selling of any products! We have various forums for discussion, listed below.

• LifeShifts/ChangeEvents In life, we have Inflection Points (points of significant change) and Undertow Problems (creeping problems that, if not addressed, will undermine you). In this section, you can describe those LifeShifts or ChangeEvents, such as death of a spouse, loss of a career, etc. and also share with others your survival techniques or coping activities.

• Telling your Stories Hearing others’ holistic life stories can be interesting, informative, and also help us feel less isolated. This section is based on research I did a decade ago, when I asked people what they expected from life, what they created from life, how they felt about the differences between what they had expected and what they got, and how they cope with those difference.

• Personas and Artifacts Our personalities are made up of various personas, or roles that we play. For example, there is a piece of my personality that I call Gypsy Rose—it is that funky spirited side of me that feels footloose and fancy free. An Artifact is a product or service that we surround ourselves with that helps ‘feed’ and symbolize that persona. Gypsy Rose is personified by my aluminum 1979 travel trailer, among other things. I acquired the trailer (also called Gypsy Rose) when I went through changes in the 90’s. Discussing our personas and artifacts helps understand our Selves, as well as our evolving Selves.

• Transitional Consumption Since I am a marketing academic, I also look at what I call Transitional Consumption—changes in products or services that we consume when going through change. When going through changes, people often join gyms, buy different clothing, let different personas ‘out of the box,’ use personal or professional coaching or therapists, buy self-help books, etc. On the other hand, if your change is winning the lottery, perhaps you go on a buying spree of new cars or houses, or give more to charity. Since I am an academic, maybe it is just me who finds this interesting!! Yet, I find that observing my own consumption sometimes gives me clues as to an upcoming change—something I have not quite consciously noticed, but begin changing my consumption around.

• Making Magic Share with others your success strategies, or your techniques for making life memorable, magical, or just tolerable as you go through your changes!! Sometimes we become myopic (like a horse with blinders) and we forget how we can make life better on a day-by-day, minute-by-minute basis. No idea is too small (or too large). Share to help others!!

Giving me a forum for sharing thoughts JoNel’s Blog (web log) is my place for sharing thoughts and information. As I mentioned, I was a marketing professor, and in that capacity, taught strategic planning. My book ChangeArtist: Surviving Change teaches some strategic planning principles that can be applied to life. In JoNel’s Blog, I can share more. I can also discuss changes people are going through, with recommended strategies (‘strategies’ are general ways of trying to go about things) and tactics (‘tactics’ are activities) that that person could use to leverage that change for success!

Offering my book ChangeArtist: Surviving Change I find that when I am stressed, I have difficulty reading intense and long books—just when I need to be reading those self-help books!! So this book is a 75-page book with 77 very short little sections about change, what it is, how to deal with it in the short- and long-term, and strategic options for dealing with changes. It also includes 24 colorful, fun, whimsical, and pithy illustrations by the late artist Sandy Gullikson. It is a happy uplifting little book, rather than a tedious one. You can pick it up and get content from any page—you don’t necessarily have to start at the beginning.

Currently, there is a link to the self-publisher, from whom you can order. I hope in the future to have the book available in other ways, preferably through another publisher who may be able to bring the cost down. For now, this is it!! It’s a print-on-demand service so it takes a couple of weeks. Sorry!!
Offering more discussion about each of the book’s 77 sections Because the sections in the book are short, I will discuss each of them in more detail on this web site. Right now I have more changes taking place, so I will write these sections as I am able—stay tuned!!!

Relieving the loneliness of change and recognizing that it is normal! Whether changes are positive or negative, they are by nature disruptive to life! Some of us like to talk to others about things on our minds, but find that friends may get tired of listening!! Here is your place to vent or be introspective or to talk. More importantly, after lots of changes and study of change, I realize that change is often the ‘steady state’—it’s normal!! But it is so easy to feel ‘abnormal’ when going through some changes.

Helping us all become ChangeArtists, or Artists of Change It is my hope that eventually we can each proudly say we are “ChangeArtists,” rather than being embarrassed about having to be dealing with change. In this place, and hopefully in the larger world in days to come, change will be accepted and even respected!!!

Category: Welcome