Simply Enough

I have such a talented family. Earlier this week, I wrote about my sister Priscilla, who is an artist. Today, it’s time to talk about my awesome brothers.

My brother David Åhlén, is third in the sibling line and only two years younger than me (yes, my mom had babies three years in a row…). He has always been interested in music. While I got presents such as calculators and dictionaries (I was the “brainy” one), and my sister received gifts of sketchbooks and water colors, my brother (actually both my brothers) unwrapped toy saxophones and guitars.

Eventually we all ended up in music, playing piano, guitar, and all varieties of string instruments (except for viola, so we never had a perfect quartet). David started a band at age 14, which I was privileged to join as the keyboard player. We played original music and held a fair amount of concerts. Every year we entered a music competition for young musicians, and when I was a senior in high school, we actually made it to the top ten in the country (Sweden).

This was mostly due to David’s extreme talent in creating catchy tunes and his charisma on stage. He continued to play in various bands, but eventually decided that bands where not for him and pursued a solo career. He’s recorded multiple albums and has received raving reviews for his later work, where he has returned to his roots in the church.

David Ahlen manages to convey the emotional sense of a spiritual world in a stripped down simplicity displaying a raw and unafraid voice. ~Cyclic Defrost, Australia

David is able to pull off the artist life by living simply. For the past several years, his growing family has lived in a 3-room apartment in Stockholm, Sweden. They recently moved into a slightly larger place in order to give their three kids a little bit more space. He does what he loves and can’t really imagine doing anything else.

Enjoy this rendition of Lo How A Rose Er Blooming, which he recently recorded for a collection album:

David Ahlen – Det ar en Ros Utsprungen (Lo How A Rose Er Blooming) / A Light Goes On – 2011 from Danny Joe Gibson – Artist on Vimeo.

My brother Tobias, who is six years my junior, started playing the double bass at age six. It was the cutest thing you ever saw. His teacher, who was also my violin teacher, took him on earlier than normal due to his amazing musical talent. By the time Tobias was 16, he was one of the best double bass players in the country. He was accepted into the Royal College of Music in Stockholm after just one year of high school.

During his college years, he participated in top notch youth orchestras and played with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra on occasion. Tobias is also an amazing piano player and can mesmerize your heart with jazz tunes and you have no choice but to sing along.

Over the last several years, Tobias has spent much of his time on making string and orchestra arrangements for various recordings and events and enjoys composing original music on his keyboard and iMac.

Now my dear brothers have a joint venture, thehourislate, where they offer:

• A record label
• Music production / studio work
• Music for film / TV
• Arrangements

I’m just so proud of these “boys” and what they’ve accomplished. What I really enjoy is how all of us siblings (there’s five of us – I have one more post to write!) have independently come to the conclusion that doing what you love is more important that living a cushy life. It took me the longest, and I’m thankful to have the support of my family.

It’s almost a new year. A good time for reflection. Make a list of the things you love to do and create a plan to maximize the amount of time you spend on those things.

We have only one life.

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When we moved into our not-so-big house earlier this year, my then 13-year-old decided that she absolutely wanted a mural of Paris in her bedroom. In the past, we’d always been in houses and apartments that we knew were not going to be ours for a very long time. Hence, the thought of an unusual wall color, let alone a mural, had been out of the question.

So, because I love my daughter, and because I love art, I said yes.

Then the question became: Where do we find an artist, and how much is this going to cost?

My Brilliant Bartering Idea

Then I had a brilliant (yet somewhat crazy) idea. My sister, Priscilla, is an artist! The problem is, she lives in Stockholm, Sweden with her husband and 23-month-old daughter, Isa.

I pondered.

An artist would surely charge at least $1,000 for a mural. I could buy a plane ticket from Sweden for less than that during the off-peak season. Isa’s ticket would be (almost) free since she’s under two. I knew my sis would love a trip to the US, and I knew my daughter would love having her super-cool aunt paint the mural.

Bingo!

I planted the idea in Priscilla’s head when we visited Sweden this summer, and then we started dreaming. To my great delight, we made it work, and Priscilla and Isa came to visit over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Mural

Here is how it went…

All good things start with an outline…

Pretty, vibrant colors!

Here is Priscilla working on the portrait of my daughter.

I think this is what we call fantastic work in progress.

The cafe is named for…

…our dog, Sophie!

It’s not Paris without the Eiffel Tower (and purple trees).

And here’s the finished product!

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We’re so thankful to Priscilla for flying all the way from Sweden to paint this wonderful Paris mural. This was indeed the best barter ever.

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Three months ago, I left my job as the VP of Product Management and UX at a mid-sized software company. With it, I left a nice salary and lots of perks.

Why?

Well, for one thing, I lived four hours from my office and didn’t get to spend enough time with my family. Also, I wanted to have time to settle into our community, build some strong friendships, and get involved. (That’s hard to do when you’re gone most of the week and exhausted on the weekend.) Finally, I knew I needed to slow down. For me and for my family.

I left without having a job lined up. I figured I would start a small business where I could work from home and make just enough money to supplement my husband’s income (having family abroad does involve some additional cost!).

And that is exactly what I’ve done.

Introducing Web Gnomes

I am so thrilled to share with you that I have started a microbusiness with my dear friend, Steve Webb (one of the smartest people I know!). Steve and I met over a decade ago at Baylor University, where we were in the computer science program together. After graduation, we took different paths: Steve got a Ph.D. and worked at various startups, and I worked my way up the ladder in the enterprise software industry.

Through lots of hard work and burnouts, we both (independently) came to the realization that working all the time doesn’t make sense when one has only one life. With Web Gnomes, we are creating a business that values simple productivity, mindfulness, and giving back.

Web Gnomes offers Internet marketing services including a comprehensive SEO audit, user experience (UX) reviews, PPC management, SEO writing, and plain old expert SEO consulting. I’m not telling you this to sell you anything. Just so you know what I’m up to. It’s an exciting and growing field with lots of opportunity to make a difference.

Web Gnomes Gives Back

One of the things I love about having my own company is that I can do work that makes the world a better place.

Internet marketing? Better place?

Yes! We love working with companies and organizations who are doing great things in this world. For example, we recently conducted a free SEO audit for an educational non-profit. The recommendations we provided will enable them to reach further and provide their educational services to kids who might not know about them if it wasn’t for the Internet.

Pretty cool!

I Couldn’t Do It Without Simple Living

I am so thankful that I opened my heart to the concept of simple living four years ago. Doing so enabled our family to save the money required for me to do my own thing.

Without simple living, we may have spent our money on expensive clothes, too many purses and shoes, cool cars (I drive a 200o Toyota Echo), unnecessary electronic toys, and exotic vacations.

Without simple living, I would still be driving back and forth to my four-hours-away office, forsaking my family, and worrying about what I’m doing with my life.

I can’t emphasize enough the freedom that comes with letting go of stuff and embracing life.

Starting a microbusiness is exciting and a total leap of faith, but not as scary as it could be. I hope to hear from some of you about how simple living has helped you achieve your dreams!

I’d love it if you’d keep Web Gnomes in mind if you hear of a need for Internet marketing services. If you’re feeling especially benevolent, please check out our SEO Audit page and share the link with your social networks. Thanks! 

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