YourPassion, Inc.: Is It Time to Go “Pro”?

Are you a writer, filmmaker, or blogger? Maybe it’s time to go “pro.” I went professional (so to speak) when my blog and writing activity became a company last year. It was a good move for me financially and for my productivity. If you’re doing similar things, it might be good for you as well.

One day last year, I spent hours and a couple hundred dollars to support the media projects I was developing: new audio equipment for film production, a couple domain names, and a new host for my website.

Suddenly, it hit me: “I was practically running a small company.”

I had recently signed a book contract for Go and Do, my photography was being published several places, and a film of mine had circled the global in a film festival. I was pulling it into one coherent purpose. I hadn’t realized it before, but this was, indeed, a business.

I promptly created a business entity (I choose an LLC, or Limited Liability Company). The next day it was approved—“Milbrandt Media, LLC” was born.

May 16, 2012 in Creativity with 4 Comments

Book Release Events in Minnesota Next Week

Lisa and I are heading back to Minnesota and South Dakota this week for events related to the release of Go and Do: Daring to Change the World One Story at a Time.

On Monday morning, I will be speaking in chapel at Bethel University in St. Paul (my alma mater). In the afternoon, I am speaking at a program at Bethel geared toward philosophy majors on the top of “Justice, Law, and Philosophy.”

On Tuesday, we are hosting a book release event at the Historic Dayton House in Worthington, MN, from 7-9 p.m. Anyone is welcome.

If you are in Minnesota, it would be great to see you!

May 4, 2012 in Creativity with 0 Comments

The Rise of Private Diplomacy: Pierre Prosper and the Extrication of Iranian Prisoners

In Go and Do: Daring to Change the World, I wrote about the rise of private diplomacy. I argue that governments and multinationals are becoming less effective–too ensnared in politics and trading favors. What I see happening is the rise of “citizen ambassadors”–private individuals who feel empowered to work in complex global disputes, even at the highest levels.

Pepperdine alumnus Ambassador Pierre Prosper is on the front line of this movement. In a recent article in California Lawyer, Ambassador Prosper says “As a private citizen, I have latitude diplomats do not.”

May 2, 2012 in Global Justice with 0 Comments

Why I Blog

About a year ago, I began blogging more consistently. I had a blog for several years prior, but used it sparingly–primarily for family and friends when I traveled. Maintaining a blog any more than this felt narcissistic–and I had very little to say. Then, I reconstructed the blog from the ground up last spring and started writing 2-3 times a week.

So, why the abrupt change? Three reasons. And, I recommend that you blog too.

1) Figure out what you’re about – There are a lot of terms being thrown out there right now, such as “brand,” “platform,” and so on. And many will tell you that all you have to start blogging or tweeting to “build that platform.” I’m really not a fan of all of this school of thought as I feel like it invites more people to a room where everyone is shouting. But, I do believe we all have a message, or should have a message: What do we want to be about?

If you’re a lawyer, you need to find a message–What is your law practice about? Is it narrow, maybe religious asylum cases? If it’s broad–general litigation–then why would someone want to hire you? The same goes for if you’re a plumber, or a filmmaker, or a writer.

Starting a blog helped me narrow down what I wanted to be about. I felt everything I was doing fell into three buckets: Global Justice (my work), Adventure (my travels), Creativity (my hobbies). It may narrow even further.

I think we all need to narrow down what we’re about. It helps us decide whether opportunities are core to our purpose or distractions that pull us away from what’s important. Blogging helps. It’s a public forum where you are forced to think about the way you want to be perceived.

2) Hone the craft of writing – Unfortunately, I don’t have many hard skills. I can’t change the oil in a car or program a computer or build a house. But, the one thing I’ve been doing for the past 25 years is writing. I used to not enjoy writing, but then I started to write a lot. And, like anything, it’s something that needs practice.

Lisa’s work and area of study–nursing–is more hands-on then my work. She doesn’t spend 75+% of her day writing email, letters, articles, and proposals. Last week, she asked me to help her rewrite a letter. I sat down, spent 10 minutes with it, and gave it to her to proofread. “You’re done already?” she asked. She read it. “This would have taken me an hour to write.”

If you write a lot, you develop a natural rhythm. You can hear in your head how you want to say things. This takes writing every single day. You must force yourself to write. A blog is a great way to do that. It forces you to feel that you must write because someone could be watching. Writing nearly every day has also created an interesting phenomenon for me: I can write, stop, and return as if I never stopped writing. I have several large ongoing writing projects, so this is necessary to be productive. Start a blog if only to hone your writing skills.

3) Look at life through the lens of story – Keeping a blog has also trained me to look at life through the lens of story. I sometimes think about, “How would this make a good blog post?” Or “What am I doing today that is interesting enough to write about?” For example, my recent story of escaping llamas was a situation that could have been frustrating, but I kept thinking about how I couldn’t wait to blog about it.

Final thoughts – It’s not easy to keep up a blog. You can’t let it go more than a few days without a post (which has been hard for me lately with the book release) and it can be discouraging if you’re after a readership count. Often, we expect hundreds of followers within days or weeks. That doesn’t happen. If you’re after a following it could take years.

And just now, a year later, I’m starting to see some of my blog posts get picked up. One blog entry just debuted on Catalyst this week, the llama story was covered by the Daily Globe newspaper, and a post on my international art collection was picked up by Lonely Planet. All this work is beginning to see some returns if views are the yardstick.

I don’t think we should view blogging as narcissistic. To me, it doesn’t matter if anyone reads it. (Sometimes I post things and don’t tweet them so that people won’t read it). Nonetheless, I recommend that you blog, if only for yourself.

April 30, 2012 in Creativity with 0 Comments

Tomorrow: Go and Do Book Release Event at Pepperdine

Go and Do was released last week and, on day 1, we sold out Amazon! Thank you to all who purchased it! It should also be on the shelves at Barnes & Noble this week.

As with all books, you have a launch party–and tomorrow is the launch event at Pepperdine. If you’re in the area, you are more than welcome to join us on Tuesday, April 24, at 12:30 p.m. in the School of Law Appellate Courtroom. (If you’re in Minnesota, stay tuned for some events we are planning in May.)

This is not just to launch a book, it’s also a celebration of 5 years of the Global Justice Program at Pepperdine Law! We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time, so we will recognize those who piloted original programs in Uganda, Thailand, and beyond, as well as commission those leaving in the next few weeks.

Oh, and did I mention we will be serving Howdy’s — good finals break!!

Hope to see you there!

Here’s the official invitation:

Go and Do: Celebrating Five years of Global Justice at Pepperdine

Please join us to celebrate the global efforts of Pepperdine’s students and the release of Jay Milbrandt’s new book, Go and Do: Daring to Change the World One Story at a Time. 12:30pm in the Appellate Courtroom- Howdy’s for the first 50 people!

Several former and current students will share their experiences seeking justice around the world. We’ll also recognize those who have participated in past years and who will serve this summer. Jay will share some reflections from Go and Do, which features the work of Pepperdine’s Global Justice Program. Learn more about the book at http://JayMilbrandt.com/GoAndDo. The book is currently back ordered on Amazon, but copies will be available for purchase at the event. Jay will sign copies at 1:30pm.

April 23, 2012 in Creativity with 0 Comments

Kony 2012 and the Fallacy of Slacktivism – My Guestpost on Opinio Juris

I was asked to contribute to a roundtable discussion on Opinio Juris, a premier international law blog, about the future of international law given the effect of social media.

If you followed Kony 2012, you know that the implications of the social media craze run deep. As Opinio Juris put it: “Kony 2012 was a YouTube sensation, spreading faster than any video in history. Although the details are airbrushed, the central theme of the video is about international law. The key idea of the video is that the indicted fugitive Joseph Kony should be brought to justice before the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

In “The Fallacy of Slacktivism: Konly 2012 and Disruptive Activism,” I argue that “slacktivism” is merely a termed coined by those afraid of how the Internet has disrupted traditional activism. We need to eliminate the word from our vocabulary.

If you’re interested or have a view on the matter, I encourage you to join the roundtable discussion on Opinio Juris over the next few days and respond to the Article.

April 18, 2012 in Global Justice with 0 Comments

Go and Do on sale THIS WEEK!

My new book Go and Do: Daring to Change the World One Story at a Time goes on sale this week!

As many of you know from my previous posts, I have been writing a book for two-and-a-half years and it is finally available this week! Go and Do will hit shelves this Thursday–ahead of original projections.

Go and Do is a message that I needed several years ago. I remember a series of moments during law school where I wondered what the purpose of it all was–what did I want? I couldn’t find the answer until dared myself to join a more important adventure: Discovering what it means to respond to a hurting world.

I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling the same way. As a student at Pepperdine, I knew dozens of my peers searching for the same answers. They felt alienated from the heroic–the heroic ideals that drew them to a profession like law in the first place. But, it wasn’t just law–I saw it in our undergraduate students and a growing groundswell beyond, especially in my generation.

When I started direct the Global Justice Program, I saw students light up when they imagined themselves breaking down the doors of brothels or rescuing children from prison in Africa or serving in refugee camps. What did was all share about this experience? I wanted to find out–I wanted to express the “why” behind this.

But, there was much more once I started to dig. It was one thing to answer: “Why I am drawn alleviate suffering in the world?” But it was whole other thing to actually get there. Go and Do is in part, the “why,” but more important, the “how” and “what.” How do I get out of my routine? How do I pull the trigger to go somewhere or do something that scares me? How do I tell my friends and family? And then: What do I do once I’m there? What if I don’t accomplish anything? What if I have nothing to offer?

These were the questions I asked. And I wish I had this book to answer them. I wrote Go and Do because I know I’m not the only one who had these questions. I wrote the book I needed to read.

If you’re asking these questions too–even sense the hint of them–I hope this might be the book for you. Or maybe you know someone else who needs this message. I’d be honored if you ordered it–especially now as the book rolls out to market–but, more importantly, I hope it resonates with you. I hope it dares you to do something.

Pre-Order the Book Now

Go and Do will be available on April 19—pre-order the book now from these online stores or a bookstore near you.

April 17, 2012 in Adventure, Creativity, Global Justice with 0 Comments

Llama escape! A Day Like No Other.

“Whoa!” I duck under a clothes line running flat out. Left or right, I think with a dog kennel right in front of me. The llama goes right, I flank left. With top speeds of 45 miles per hour, I cannot keep up with this beast. But, now, I’ve got it cornered in a backyard fence. It knows it trapped. The beast turns toward me and lunges, sprinting just to my right, around the fence and between a house and garage. People on the street are watching this spectacle. The police are now patrolling the neighborhood to look for the beast too. I watch the llama cross into a nearby field. Within seconds, its halfway across the field. I’m exhausted.

How did I end up in a high speed llama chase through a residential neighborhood? Good question. Let me back up.

Llamas plotting their escape.

In yesterday’s post, I told you about how Lisa’s parents spontaneously bought a llama herd with our earnest encouragement. These lovable, docile animals seemed to take nicely to their new home and pasture. That is, until these escape artists uncover a weakness in security.

The day after the llamas arrived, Lisa received a call from her mom in the evening: Two llamas had escaped! The dog had chased them into the pasture fence and the impact knocked open a back gate. It was after dark, so the llamas could not be spotted. The llama farmer was called, who assured Barb that the llamas would not go far from the herd. In all likelihood, they would return soon.

The next morning we returned to Worthington. Lisa went out with her mom to round up the llamas. Around 10:30 a.m., I decided to head out after some work at the office. I figured they would be done with the roundup and the llamas would be back in the pens–or at least close to that.

As I drive out of town and turn onto the highway about a mile from Lisa’s, I see the most bizarre thing: A giant llama is running full-speed up the ditch on the other side of the road. Uh… That’s not good, I think to myself. I turn the car around to watch the llama cross a busy highway and back. Lisa’s cousin is chasing it in another truck. I follow the llama and help corner it into a residential neighborhood and away from the highway. I jump out of my car and the foot chase begins.

Over, the next 30 minutes, the run through the neighborhood ensues with the llama running off into a field. Everyone has now lost sight of it. On my long walk back to the car, Lisa pulls up then joins me in the truck. We start driving the direction the llama was last spotted.

“It was headed east,” I explained. “Yes, but they turn and go the other way quite often,” Lisa tells me from her morning chasing llamas.

We take a gravel road in the general direction it was heading. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. They can travel miles in any direction in a matter of minutes. We drive a mile south and a mile or so east. No sign of the llama.

“Well, we might as well turn around,” Lisa said. “Yeah… Let’s just get to the top of this hill and look.” We drove to a rise in the road. And, what do you know, there’s the llama running down the gravel. We laughed at our luck.

For the next hour, we drive behind or alongside the llama, trying to corner it into a fence or find a way to make it stop. The llama won’t give up. It just keeps running. When we stop, it stops, but too far out of our reach.

We took to foot, driving close and trying to chase it down–no luck.

Next, Lisa got in the back of the truck with a rope to try to lasso the llama. I pulled up alongside the llama. Every time we made an attempt at throwing the rope, the llama would turn into the ditch.

My favorite photo from the chase: Lisa attempting to lasso a sprinting llama from a moving truck.

About seven miles from the farm, we could tell the llama was starting to tire. It was stopping frequently and slowing down. It stayed on the roads and avoided the soft fields where it was difficult to run.

Lisa and I switched duties and I took to running after it with the lasso. The llama was slowing. Our rope was short and every throw would get obliterated by the strong wind. I hit the neck several times.

Finally, a mile later, the llama stopped. It knew it no longer had the will or stamina to out run us. But it was angry. Really angry. It wouldn’t go down without a fight. So there, in the middle of nowhere between empty fields in Minnesota, the llama and I had it out.

“we don’t have to do this any longer!!” I screamed. “Brahhhhhh!!!!” the llama roared. “Ahhh!!!” I screamed back. The llama looked out into the field and gave a distress call–as if looking for its herd. I threw the rope. It hit the llama, but didn’t lasso the next. The llama screamed again and took a fighting stance. Throw two: another miss. The llama spit at me several time–it was a very very mad llama. Throw three: Around the neck! The llama fought and screamed, and I pulled. I spit and got me square in the forehead. I yanked the leash. Reluctantly, it gave in.

I tried to pull it to walk–the llama resisted, continuing to spit. Lisa came with the llama halter. “Grab it around its neck and put the halter on it,” Lisa tells me. Umm… okay, so I just simply grab this furious llamas around the next? We wrestle for awhile–the llama hates that I’ve got an arm around. Then I have to force this halter over its angry, spitting mouth. The llama does everything it can to resist–this is now a duel to the death.

After five minutes, I finally succeed. The llama has been wrangled. And, its suddenly quite docile again. It follows me rather easily.

Lisa heads to a nearby farm to see if we can wait there with our llama until the trailer can arrive.

So here I am, walking down a long dirt road, pulling a llama that we tried to lasso from a truck, then had a fight to the death, then wrangled into submission. I never would have ever expected a day like this or a situation quite so bizzare–no doubt I’ll remember it forever. And, all I can think is: That. Was. AWESOME!

And the second llama? Word came in that it was 1/2 a mile away in a swampy marsh at the end of a tractor salvage yard (a place where tractors go to die and be parted out). We searched the yard and these old tractor salvage guys pointed the llama out.

Can you spot the llama?? Hint: Its dark-brown head is under the two tallest trees on this side of the pond.

We walked through the muddy swamp and reeds until the llama spotted us. Another chase ensued as the llama took off and into another field. And, with that, we all gave up. The vet was called and a tranquilizer gun was brought in front a nearby town. As of 30 minutes ago today, it took 4 tranquilizer darts to subdue the beast. The llama is now in captivity.

April 11, 2012 in Adventure with 5 Comments

We Bought a (Llama) Zoo: A Story of Spontaneity and Imagination

A few months ago, Lisa and I went to We Bought a Zoo. We loved the movie. In the film, a family suffers a tragic loss and spontaneously buys a deteriorating zoo. The antics of running a zoo bring the family together. The movie tugged at me because, in addition to my dream of an Apple Orchard, I would have some land filled with a variety of unordinary animals–my own wild kingdom of sorts. Buffalo (American Bison) are my favorite due to my South Dakota roots. I’d also have a few caribou, maybe an emu or two, and some llamas. I’ve always loved Llamas. There was a llama farm near where I grew up and, when I was little, every time we would drive by, I’d yell: “Llamas in pajamas!” (The pajamas are their shaggy, multi-colored coats.) My affection for llamas grew out of several trips to Peru, particularly as we crossed paths often hiking on the Inca Trail.

When we arrived home to Lisa’s farm for Easter, the mood was a bit solemn. Barb, Lisa’s mom, had a horse named Jack who was very old and ill. He had to be put down that night–and he was a favorite horse. After the incident, Barb announced that she was finished with animals. This was a sad announcement because a yard full of animals is an institution at Lisa’s farm in Worthington, Minnesota. Barb is known for taking animals that need a good home–they take in retired horses and have had everything else from donkeys to peacocks. At dinner that night, I immediately suggested Barb should get llamas. Barb, of course, reiterated that she was done with animals.

The next day, I called the same local llama farm that we drove past regularly when I was young. It was a bit of a strange call: “So, my mother-in-law just lost her favorite horse and we think she should get a llama to fill its place.” “Oh, okay…” said the voice on the other hand. “Can we come out and see your llamas?” I replied. “Sure, she said, anytime is good, just call.” “We’ll be there saturday morning at 11 a.m.,” I said.

When we got back to the house that night, I announced to everyone that we had an appointment at the llama farm in the morning. Everyone laughed. Then I said was serious and they looked surprised. Barb said she wasn’t going to get a llama, but she would go and look at them. Glenn was excited to see them. Lisa couldn’t believe I actually called.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early for llama day. As soon as I got upstairs, Chris (Lisa’s sister’s boyfriend) broke the news that Barb said she wouldn’t get a llama and didn’t even want to go see the llamas. By 11 a.m. she had changed her mind–but we were “only going to look.”
We all piled into the truck and drove 2 miles down the road to the llama farm. There were llamas everywhere. Hundreds of them–and alpacas. Little did I know, this seems to be one of the larger llama farms in the U.S. They sell llamas all across the country and have their own multi-page llama catalog and make llama accessories, such as halters.

First, we saw the alpacas–common in Argentina–they stand about 4-feet tall and are rather adorable. The llamas stand 5-6 feet tall and just look funny–long necks, bulging eyes, shaggy coats, and pointy ears. The llama farmer yelled, “Come here!!” and all the llamas got up across the pasture and started running to us at the fence. I think Barb was sold at at the sight of hundreds of llamas running toward her. The llama farmer described how llamas keep the grass mowed and keep away predators–coyotes, foxes, raccoons–and even rabbits. Between grass mowing and coyote defense, Glenn was ready to bring some home. “Maybe we will get one,” she finally admitted. “But I want to think about it.”

When we went back to the house, Barb looked us: “Maybe we should get the horse trailer and go pick up three of them.” Everyone was excited. We all sat around as she called the llama farmers back and to tell them we would be over to pick up three llamas. A minute into the phone call, Barb suddenly said, “Seven?!? …If we buy three, they will throw in four more… Um, I’m going to have to talk to Glenn about this.” Lisa starts yelling: “Mom, just start with three!” Renae is laughing hysterically. Chris appeared to be in disbelief of what was happening. I, of course, began cajoling her to take the seven. Glenn said, “They’re free? Just take them all.”

Two hours later, the llama truck pulled into the Kremer’s farm and seven llamas poured out the back.

My favorite image was Barb with five lead ropes being pulled by her herd from the llama trailer into the pasture. I laughed until I cried. She had, indeed, bought a zoo. The sad loss of the horse was quickly surpassed by joy. It’s amazing how a little spontaneity and imagination can turn things around in an instant. As Lisa said that night: “That was one of the best day’s ever on the farm.” As Chris remarked: “I’ve never had a day like this.” It’s just like We Bought a Zoo.

But, don’t worry, the llama fun doesn’t stop there. More fun was on the way the next day… to be continued..

April 10, 2012 in Adventure with 1 Comment

Guess what arrived: The first copy of Go and Do!

Very excited to touch the first copy of Go and Do! Tyndale did an amazing job with the cover and design of the book. I’ve only got one copy so far, but more are on the way.