Wednesday Recap #13 03.07.24

My one day, one man, at home, sort of retreat seems to have gone really well – but all the conclusions were not new. In fact there was nothing original. Not even the conclusion! In one word I am to RESET!

But first a story, imagine a piece of ground that is really fertile, but it is really fertile because you have a structure for looking after it: feeding it, weeding it, draining it, watering it and a whole heap of other things you need to do to it. But then you assume the ground IS fertile rather than having been made fertile. You stop doing. You assume. You get on with other things. The residual fertility keeps it going for a while but then fertility of the ground quickly fades and you’ve no idea why!

I workout structures, methods, habits and processes that work! Then, I start to succeed, accomplish my goals, make progress, but then I forget! I forget that I’m succeeding because of the structures, methods, habits and processes. And because I forget I stop doing what works. I start doing things differently. This works for a while because of the residual fertility.

For example, I used to write poetry in Ulster Scots, but have real trouble spelling it, so I made videos. No need to write anything! But then there was a bit of success, so I decided to write it down, now I was like everyone else, but I wasn’t, I was dyslexic with no spell checker, so the poetry became very hard work and a lot less enjoyable! At first the ground of production was fertile because of the process, but then I simply became wearied and stopped. However I’ve reset and returned to how I used to work, and I’ve really enjoyed myself, and produced new work!

Processes need to be tweaked, but tweaking (or refining) a process is not abandoning it. This summer is all about resetting and returning to the paths that really work for my style of creativity.

Lesson

Remember to reset and do what works!

Diary

1. Tasks for the week ahead from last week – I carried out the one day retreat, I have started drawing, I have been editing my children’s books format.

2. After last Thursday I returned to one of my great loves – poetry in the Hamely Tongue of Ulster Scots! But it was videoed and not just written down. The whole process was like stepping back in time to happier days!

3. I’ve written a script for the ‘dyslexic wordsmith’ – but more importantly I’ve now got a strategy of how to use it!

4. I also feel like I’ve been managing, manning, organising and the support staff for a summer scheme! Yip the summer holidays are upon us (me) and that mean I’ve got to exhibit a lot of acceptance and flexibility. Truthfully, if I leave the summer with the kids books re-typeset and drawn the illustrations this summer will have been a huge success.

Tasks for the week ahead

1. Be your own literary agent

2. Continue re-formatting children’s books

3. Continue sketching.

4. Make a list of possible illustrations for Sled Down

5. Ulster Scots letter B Poyam

6. Set up new video studio (sounds grander than it is!)