Becky Blanton

Artist, Blogger, Christian, Entrepreneur, Idea generator, Journalist, Marketer, Photographer, Social entrepreneur, Writer/Editor

Journalist, editor, photojournalist for 22 years. I'm currently a freelance writer, consultant and working on my first book, "Staying Hungry." In the past I have also been an Assistant Advertising Director (briefly) for a Fortune 500 company. I graduated from the Colorado State Police Academy, and the Virginia School of Massage. Have held more than 125 different kinds of jobs, beginning in college - including forest fire fighter (Oregon), newspaper owner/publisher, raft guide and business manager on the Chattooga River (Deliverance Fame), construction worker, Steam locomotive engineer for the train at Elitch Garden in Denver (Train is one of four surviving from the 1930 something World's Fair), Football Recruiter at The University of Virginia, stocker and shipper at Monticello (Yes, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello), Contractor for a role playing game company (I.C.E.), administrative assistant for the VP of International Marketing for Kesmai Corp before Rupert Murdock bought and gutted it, painter (houses and art), silk screen artist, portrait photographer (Wal-Mart, but not the one I lived at), Dairy worker - milked cows at Colorado State University's research farm back when they had a farm, short-order cook, catering, waitress, camp counselor, Mascot (Sonic the Hedgehog), press operator (printing), stripper (not my clothes silly - press negatives for pre-press work), voice over talent, ad agency artist, graphic communications specialist for TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority - temp), pizza delivery, work camper, fork-lift operator, CD packer, box-maker, roofer, bottler (one week for Pepsi-Cola - very hard work!!), graphic artist, copywriter, sports photographer, freelancer....... I'm currently a freelance writer, consultant and photographer.

People's stories. We all have dozens of stories that we tell in public, to friends, to co-workers or that we tell ourselves to get through life. I'm passionate about the stories we actually live.

"Staying Hungry - The Definitive Guide for Never Settling for What LIfe Puts on Your Plate," by Becky Blanton (c) 2009 Book due out this fall. Steak or gruel. We all have different lives - some rich, some poor, some in between. But no matter what we've been given, or what life has dished out to us, what matters is that we never settle for it. The book is an expansion of my TED talk with tips, insights and stories about how to change, eliminate or rework what life has put on your plate to improve your life.

camping, Photography and video, Southern Culture, writing - business, technical, and creative

In 2006 at the age of 50 I learned to become invisible. I became homeless. For more than a year I lived in my van with my cat and my Rottweiler while working full-time and "van-dwelling." I'm not giving away the details of my talk....but near the end of my time in the van... I won a SPJ (Society for Professional Journalists) first place award for a series of stories I wrote about the death of a small town soldier, plus awards for other feature stories. The series on the soldier included a narrative about the logistics of the return of his body ("Bringing Billy home,") on New Year's Eve. I wrote the series while I was living in my van. And now, three years later, after winning a contest held by Daniel Pink, author of "Johnny Bunko," and "A Whole New Mind," I'm attending TED (all-expense paid trip). So - from homeless to TED....that's my TED talk...

Vandwelling. That's living stealthily in a van, in the city. It's fun. You should try it sometime. The view is great - because you pick it yourself - every day. Lake one day. Mountains the next.