Posts tagged chefkeem

Learning from the Greats – AJ2008

ajlm843127329632d148582a5e2d601061ae_1215725967Laney_SimpsonI recently asked New Giant AJ2008 who most inspired her to go for the Giant Squid Gold.  Here’s what she told me:

“Asking me to nominate just one Lensmaster who has encouraged, empowered or inspired me to become a Giant Squid, is like asking me to choose which of my children I love best. There’s so many – and I mean Lensmasters, NOT children, although I do have four!

However, choose I must and in the end I have selected the Lensmaster who was one of the first to join my Fanclub and who left a Blessing on my Purple Star lens,  Bullying at Primary School, with words that I still treasure, nine months later:

“A hearty SquidAngel Blessing for this incredibly important lens. This is Squidoo at its best!”

This was only my second lens and is probably the most emotional I have ever published. It is a very personal lens and to have a well respected Lensmaster and Angel leave that message in my Guestbook, means the world to me. Many people who have been Blessed by this Angel, will know that it was Chef Keem who always leaves blessings with the words: “A hearty SquidAngel Blessing” and since that time I am proud to be able to call him my friend and mentor.

The Chef has written so many brilliant and inspiring lenses, but what made me stop and think: “Hey, I think I would like to be a Giant” was actually a video on his Lensography: http://www.squidoo.com/chef-keem. The Chef is a composer and he had put a video up on YouTube, with his own music, that is a tribute to some of the great Lensmasters on Squidoo. And I could not help but wonder if I would ever get good enough to join that esteemed company.

Listening to music, while reading a lens was an idea that was inspired by Chef Keem’s Lensography and I do this in several of my lenses, where I choose a favourite piece of music and put it under the intro module.

But it is not just because he leaves thoughtful messages in my Guestbook, that I am so encouraged by Chef Keem. His whole approach to Squidoo and people is inspirational. He has had serious challenges in his life and by working through those problems he has learned so much. He is a giver and gives without expecting anything in return. He always sees the very best in people and he seems to bring out the best in people too. Is it any wonder that I am so fond of him as well as inspired by him?”

Here’s a small sample of what made AJ2008 a Giant:

Bullying at Primary School

Wannabe a writer?

AJ”s Squidoo Story

A Special Birthday Tribute

lme7a69be835c6170665c568b03c4b24b4_1208931723agasweetlogo4Not-yet-a-Giant-Squid lensmaster aj2008 created a special birthday tribute lens to a very special Giant Squid Lensmaster. 

Be sure to stop by there today to share your best wishes!

Happy Birthday Chef Keem

Our Favorite Lenses

lme7a69be835c6170665c568b03c4b24b4_1208931723agasweetlogo4Chefkeem’s 3 Most Favorite Lenses

Reprinted from the Our Favorite Squidoo Lenses Group.

 

Chefkeem chose these three as his personal favorite Squidoo lenses.

1. “How to Squidoo with a lotta help from my friends”
This lens is an ode to the generosity of all featured lensmasters, all of them instrumental during my Squidoo apprenticeship over the last 10 weeks. This is my personal Squidoo tutorial archive – a great place for any newbies to start out on their exciting Squidoo journey and an evolving all-in-one reference for any of us during our quest to become better lensmasters.

2. “Yodelers”
Here I find pure fun and joy, and I hope for my visitors to experience some of the same. Yodeling makes your heart smile, and some of the featured young talents manage to squeeze a little tear drop into my eyes.

3. “Organic Flavored Agave Nectar”

This healthy sweetener is my creation, my “baby”. I’ve worked hard for 3 years to develop my product and with this lens I can introduce it to the world.

 

Visit ChefKeem’s Favorite Lenses

 

 

 

featured lens Are You Yodeling?
Female country singers, male country singers, Swiss yodeling, a Korean yodeler star; Germany, Bavaria, Austria, America – international vocalists with stellar talent can be found on this Squidoo.com lens. I’m not a yodeler. I can’t even sing without…

 

featured lens Squidoo Tips And Tutorials
This lens presents my archive of Squidoo resources: tips for beginners, how-to lenses, articles about Squidoo.com, Squidoo books, Squidoo tricks, insights, trials and errors to learn from, Squidoo tools, Squidoo help, outstanding lenses by top Squido…

Spotlight on ChefKeem

Today the Giant Squid Community Showcase  focuses the spotlight on Giant Squid Lensmaster and 100 Club member, ChefKeem.
Chefkeem has generously offered to share his best Squidoo lensmaking tip with us along with the background about one of his newest and one of his most beloved lenses. 
ChefKeem’s Best Squidoo Lens Making Tip
Be as personable, authentic, honest and outgoing as possible!
Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I really need to hide behind a generic avatar and screen name?
2. What have I got to lose if I reveal my gender, first name, general location, and a few candid details about my personal life?
3. What’s the worst thing to happen if I write about my lesser character traits, mistakes (from the past, maybe), or general goofiness? 
4. Do I understand the principle of “giving so I shall receive”? Giving first. Fore-giving.
5. Am I aware of the many ways of “giving”? 
  - Sharing myself with the world, 
  - supporting the work of others, 
  - complimenting someone’s achievements, 
  - active listening, 
  - reading “between the lines”, 
  - tuning-in on a friend’s difficulties, 
  - helping with solutions to other people’s problems, 
  - pro-actively seeking out opportunities to help, 
  - and donating money, if I can…
6. Do I have a “funny bone”? Not all of us can be professional stand-up comedians, but we can try to not take ourselves too seriously. It’s a very attractive quality!  
It’s all about showing a generous attitude – which reflects in our lenses and wins the trust of our visitors. Pair this with expert content, and people might even want to buy something from us. I talk more about this topic here: How to be You – On Squidoo , and on my Squid Angel portrait lens:  Squid Angel Blessings by ChefKeem
The Story Behind One of ChefKeem’s Newest Lenses
Squidoo HQ announced the exciting new Squidoo tool: TWTTRSTRM. This fabulous concept, combining the power of Twitter with the possibilities on Squidoo, took me by storm, literally. I published my first TWTTRSTRM lens on the same day, and started a second topic immediately thereafter.
I wanted to know what would happen, if we’d forget about making money online for one week, and focused only on writing passionate content. No pressure to make anything fit with affiliate links and matching products to sell – pure “pouring out our hearts”, so to speak.
 
The Story Behind One of ChefKeem’s Favorite Lenses
I enjoy entertaining my fishermen guests during my annual cooking gig at the Driftwood Lodge, in SE Alaska. For a number of years, I performed “lap dances” and similar nonsense in my role as a “local stripper – Miss Keemie”. One day, I had the idea to take this “Miss Keemie” concept and turn it into a somewhat trashy but funny love advice column, using the duel module for questions and answers. Meanwhile, we’ve collected some hilarious stuff on that page:

Don’t be shy – ask Miss Keemie and live happily ever after!

Do You Want To Know How You Can Help?

I found a lens by Chef Keem that truly touched me. He is donating his time and resources to further the cause of Operation Helmet. This lens is an educational eye opener.

Chef Keem tell us that US troops “were sent into the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with helmets designed to protect against bullets but not against blast forces from IED’s and other new types of combat dangers.” “All branches of Service (except for the Army) still use the old, inferior helmet pads that are poorly designed and cause great pain to the soldiers. They offer very little protection against unexpected ambushes with IED’s.”

He gives detailed information on the new pad replacement kits, how you can help, and includes letters from grateful soldiers that have received the kits.

So, take a minute while you’re surfing around the internet today and check out what Chef Keem is telling us, it’s worth your time and so much more.