About Sheryl Checkman

Sheryl Checkman is an award-winning designer with more than 25 years' experience in applying innovative yet pragmatic solutions to the full range of communications and design challenges. Before opening Checkman Design, Sheryl was Vice President & Manager, Design Services, for the public relations agency Burson-Marsteller from 1981-1992. Prior to that she was an Art Director at the The Barton Gillet Company, a marketing communications firm. Sheryl graduated from Cornell University and attended a Masters program in Communications Design at Pratt Institute as well as a three-month design program at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She graduated from the High School of Music & Art in New York City. Sheryl is an avid skier and scuba diver. She swims, plays tennis, practices yoga and enjoys taking pictures, both above and below the water. She adds her creative signature to her photographs by creating Digital Fine Art which she currently exhibits in her online gallery. She recently launched a line of inspirational sports-themed T-shirts under the name Life is Balance®. In addition to her design work, Sheryl also creates custom photomontages for a variety of corporate and consumer clients.

The Ocean’s Final Performance…

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©2012 Photo by Sheryl Checkman

Being the beach lover that I am, I find it hard to say goodbye to summer. Living as I do in the Northeast, my days of beach-going usually last  just past Labor Day or the middle of September. I paid the ocean one last visit a couple of weekends ago when I went to visit a friend in Sag Harbor on the eastern end of Long Island. After kayaking in the bay in the morning, we drove to our favorite beach in Amagansett – Atlantic Ave Beach. The sky was bright blue and crystal clear  and even though it was late in the day and there had been a chill in the air by the bay earlier, the sun on the beach felt warm against my skin. The colors of the water, the sky and the beach were vivid and vibrant – much more so than in the middle of summer when the humidity often casts a gauzy haze over the seascape. But on that day, everything was super focused, sharp and clear, making sure that picture would remain with me throughout the rest of the year.

It must have known that this was my final visit for the year because the ocean put on the most spectacular show! Huge waves, curling perfectly and then crashing down in perfectly timed sets performed a magnificent dance. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I must have taken over 200 photos in the hour and a half that I was there! And way too soon it was time to leave the beach and that glorious ocean and head back to the city and towards a new season. But the ocean remains. It will continue to dance throughout the year, and while I may not be there for each performance, I will remember this last one until I return next summer.

©2012 Photo by Sheryl Checkman

©2012 Photo by Sheryl Checkman

©2012 Photo by Sheryl Checkman

Go with the Flow Ocean and beach lover t-shirt

Go with the Flow Ocean and beach lover t-shirt for those who love the ocean be reminded of it all year long!

Summer – A Time for Balance!

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A Perfect Balance

Summer has always been one of my favorite seasons. When I was a child, my family spent the summer at an upstate bungalow colony to escape the city’s heat – my mom and brother and I would move up for the whole sumer and dad would come every weekend after the work week. Then there was sleep away camp – with days filled with general swim, archery, softball games, visits to the county fair, reading True Confession  magazines during “bunk activity” and where life-long friends were made and life lessons learned. Those innocent  summer days of my childhood may have passed, but my love for summer still holds strong.

Summer is a time to kick back, relax and take things a little slower. It’s a time to reflect upon the months that have passed and to gear up and energize for the balance of the year to come. It’s a time to take time out for yourself – learn something new, read a good book or two (or three or four!), stop and smell the flowers (or plant them!) and just slow down.

There are so many things to do in the summer that help rejuvenate and add balance to our lives. Here are some of the things that I love to do. Please leave a comment below with your favorite summer activities.

  1. Go to the beach and read a good book
  2. Go for a bike ride
  3. Yoga outdoors
  4. Swim in a lake or the ocean
  5. Hang out in my garden
  6. BBQ’s!
  7. Play tennis
  8. Wear a pretty sundress and have an outdoor meal or cocktail
  9. Go scuba diving!
  10. Go sailing
  11. Explore and see or do something new! (below is a description of my something new for July!)

On a recent bike ride along the Hudson River,  my friends and I rode up to the little red lighthouse that sits under the George Washington Bridge. In all the years I have lived in NYC and crossed the GW Bridge, I never knew this charming little lighthouse existed!  According to the plaque on the site, it was originally known as Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse and was built in 1921 and decommissioned in 1932. According to The Historic House Trust, a not-for-profit organization that works in tandem with the NYC Department of Parks, it was actually built in 1880 and moved to the site under the bridge in 1921. It was immortalized in the children’s book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge by Hildegard H. Swift. It is the last surviving lighthouse on Manhattan Island.

The Little Red Light House under the George Washington Bridge

Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge, NYC. The last surviving lighthouse on Manhattan Island.

If you like to bike, check this historic landmark out. Want a cool t-shirt or tank top to bike in? Check out the Life is Balance Cycle the Distance biking shirts here.

 

A $250K Grant for Life is Balance – wishful thinking? Maybe not!

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Life is Balance wants to win the $250K Mission Small Business Grant

Vote for Life is Balance for the Mission Small Business $250K Grant

Sometimes you just got to go for it. What would you do if you had the chance to get a $250,000 Small Business Grant? I asked myself that very question the other day and my answer was simple… go for it. Never mind that every small business in the United States is after that very same prize. You have to believe that your business is worth it and just put it out there. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.

So, I have until June 30th to get 250 votes in order to be considered for this life and business-changing Grant sponsored by Chase and LivingSocial. As many of you know, I recently launched Life is Balance®, an inspirational line of apparel that celebrates the various sports and activities that balance our lives. Getting this Grant will enable me to grow this business in ways that  I’m not able to do on my own. And, if that happens, it will enable me to really make a difference and give back to society.

But I need at least 250 votes at missionsmallbusiness.com to be considered for this $250,000 Grant! Here’s where you can come in. Please support Life is Balance and help me reach 250 votes before the June 30 cut-off.

1. Go to missionsmallbusiness.com

2. On the Right-hand side of the home page, click on Log-in & Support

3. On the next page type in “Life is Balance” where it asks for business name. The city and state is New York, NY and click Search

4. When you see Life is Balance in New York, NY come up, click Vote!

That’s it. You’ve now helped me get that much closer to qualifying for this incredible $250,00 Grant!

Below are some screen shots showing you what to do:

Vote for Life is Balance for a Mission:Small Business $250K Grant

Step 1

Vote for Life is Balance for a Mission:Small Business $250K Grant

Step 2

Vote for Life is Balance for a Mission:Small Business $250K Grant

Step 3

If you want to read more about the Mission: Small Business℠ Grant, check out this Press Release.

Thank you so much for supporting Life is Balance by voting now and please share this with your friends!