During WWII, a large group of soldiers from the Argyle and Sutherland Fusiliers were captured by the Germans. Whilst in their POW camp, and having some time to kill, they devised a new Highland dance reel. The dance setting was sent home but intercepted by the Germans. Then for the rest of the war, the Germans tried to crack the code, which they couldn’t, obviously.
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Think even better! (80/20 + Eisenhower Matrix = ?)
Wednesday Recap #17 07.08.24 I’ve a lot of creative stuff knocking about that I have made and that I know is good. I’m not being pompous or delusional, I don’t think everything I do is good, most of my work has ended up filed in the trash, literally or electronically! The next biggest heap is … Continue reading Think even better! (80/20 + Eisenhower Matrix = ?)
Creative Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower / Priority Matrix is a very helpful mental model for creatives. Sometimes the most urgent and important task is letting our minds wander and dipping into every last thing that catches our attention. But once we’ve found something worth doing we need to focus on it. That is get it done!
Surviving the summer as a creative and parent.
Wednesday Recap #15 31.07.24 How do you Survive the Summer as a Creative (and a Parent) Let’s start with a definition. Flow state is when you completely focus on one activity, it completely captivates your attention so that your focus is solely on that one thing. This does not describe the summer holidays! Rather Go … Continue reading Surviving the summer as a creative and parent.
Keep Showing Up
Last Sunday morning I saw three deer on the top of the hill near where I live. If you live somewhere that deer live, that’s no big deal. If you live somewhere that deer aren’t supposed to live, then that’s pretty cool!
100 days of……
Wednesday Recap #14 17.07.24 I’ve started a #100DayChallenge on speaking and acting! My greatest creative joy comes from telling my stories. When you tell your stories yourself they are more than just the words you wrote. Normally words you wrote on your own, with no audience of listening ears, or seeing eyes! During this part … Continue reading 100 days of……
Old Ways on the New Web – people who believe in you.
I’m an old guy and can remember old style blogs, blogs with blog lists of other people’s blogs on the side bar. This was amazing for finding cool or interesting new stuff. No algorithm, no advertising, just personal unpaid endorsements, can you imagine a world like that!
When the process works – keep doing it!
…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!
Agent – Secret, Estate, Literary???
Wednesday Recap #12 26.06.24 When I think of an agent, I think of a secret agent: James Bond, George Smiley, Johnny English, you get the idea. Or less excitingly an estate agent. But the arts also have agents. So what is an agent? Or what does it mean? In Latin, where we get the word … Continue reading Agent – Secret, Estate, Literary???
No hacks, No gimmicks, No 10 point plans
Wednesday Recap #11 19.06.24 Every time I think I’ve found something new, I realise I’ve just rediscovered something old! And that’s what has happened, I’ve rediscovered the things that make me better. The elements of this rediscovery are simple, boring, uncomfortable and highly rewarding. So what are these mystical things? Hard cardio, weights (resistance training), … Continue reading No hacks, No gimmicks, No 10 point plans
The Metric Mentality
Wednesday Recap #9 12.06.24 Thought: the metric mentality I’d actually written a recap for last week but didn’t post it. Though I’m not sure why! Well I actually do, there were two reasons, the first was the big reason, while the second was the real reason. The big reason was an accidentally defrosted freezer. We … Continue reading The Metric Mentality
Ulster Scots Design Work (Part1)
I’ve started to create a flyer / livery for my #UlsterScots materials (books, poetry, spokenword, EDM, art). I wanted to record my progress and the evolution of the various ideas. The background is a skull (death), Bible (wisdom) and an hour glass (shortness of time / life) This kind of iconology is very common on … Continue reading Ulster Scots Design Work (Part1)
Nothing steals your time – you give it away
Wednesday Recap #7 29.05.24 Thought Hiking is tremendous fun. Well if you like walking up hills, crossing streams and rivers, trying to work out where you are, carrying everything you need, ringing the water out of your socks, and being on the go for nearly five hours. One of my happiest formative memories was going … Continue reading Nothing steals your time – you give it away
Foundations – unthought of but vital
Wednesday Recap #6 22.05.24 Thought Foundations are unseen, aesthetically ugly, and controlling of shape. But they are also vital, formative and give structural integrity! Foundations are vital for everything we do or hope to do. Foundations are easy to dig when we are building something. However foundations are amazingly difficult to rectify once built on. … Continue reading Foundations – unthought of but vital
Doing is more than doing
There is doing in the moment, preparation in the run up, and working towards your goal in the long term. Doing isn’t just the moment, doing is everything that makes the doing possible.
Dust yourself down and go again!
This has been an entertaining week. I started trying to make contact with people who might be interested in my work. Most of it was cold calling, okay cold emailing, with a few vague exceptions. I am not good at this kind of self-promotional stuff, or perhaps it’s more that I am very uncomfortable doing … Continue reading Dust yourself down and go again!
Play on easy mode
You should aim to play on easy mode. This doesn’t mean you only do easy things…(things that aren’t hard)…it means you purposely do things that make everything you do easier! You will have to do lots of hard, or difficult, or intense things but it means doing the right thing, at the right time, in … Continue reading Play on easy mode
Dyslexic Pics
This one has bothered me for a while, okay, niggled me, bothered is a bit strong! Are pictures of dyslexic people helpful? You know the kind: moody, black & white, thoughtful, another dollop of moody. They’re the human equivalent of mountain pictures with inspirational quotes, the kind of thing you see in a waiting room, … Continue reading Dyslexic Pics
Story Telling: Learning By Doing.
“My objective is very simple - I want the kids to enjoy themselves. And my story is a means to that end, theoretically I could tell the whole story in 4 or 5 paragraphs, or in a book that could take a couple of hours to read, or in a performance with visuals, and props, and sound effects, and participation, and acting. I love writing stories but I get the most enjoyment telling them, and the only way to improve is to do!”
Time and Creativity
How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life? Here’s three lessons that only come with time for authors or creatives. • Growth takes time. • Learning takes time. • Connection takes time. Growth takes time. Fails that lead to growth aren’t failure. But failure needs wisdom. Sometimes failure … Continue reading Time and Creativity
‘To Another Mouse’ Burns Night 25th January 2024
Don’t let ideas feaster…Have a plan!
What is the worst thing you can do to an idea? Do nothing with it! Now, I don’t mean a passing thought or a daydream, I mean an actual idea. I’ve done that, I’ve an idea, a plan, a structure, an objective, and I did nothing with it! The idea would be better dying in the light than festering in the dark! #writer #author #authorhelps #hardtruthsforwriters #wordsmith #dyslexicwordsmith #dyslexia #dyslexic #dyslexicwriter #dyslexicauthor
Six Qualities of a Good Leader.
What makes a good leader? I quickly brainstormed the question, and came up with six qualities a leader should possess. The first four happened to start with ‘C’ so I stuck with it. If I spent more time thinking about this then there would probably be additional qualities, and my thoughts would be more nuanced. … Continue reading Six Qualities of a Good Leader.
Magic, Mystery, CS Lewis and to Much Christmas
“I am not a trained author, I do not possess GCSE English Lit never mind the thingy majiggy you get from a university. Therefore my writing has been a process. Normally a very simple process: write good sentences. At the start that was good sentences that were understandable and not full of repetition…” #Writing #Author #WritingTips #CSLewis #Narnia #GeorgeandtheElephant #Creativity #Imagination
What is my mission? Not worrying about it and doing!
Years ago I used to wrestle with ‘what is my mission’, now I just do! I am a writer and creative therefore I must write and create. My mission is to do what I am. I’m other things too - so I do them. Please don’t read this as passivity through life - it is actually the opposite. It is intentional and mindful activity. You find yourself in your doing. You discover in doing. You discover that you weren’t that, or you weren’t that in the way you thought you were. You discover that you need to grind, or develop, or study. So no matter what doing is your teacher. So if you don’t know your life’s mission…then mindfully and purposefully do. But my final thought is to repeat myself, when you do something and serendipity tells you, this is not the thing, you’d be very wise to listen, as there is only so much you can do, and that your time upon this spinning orb is limited!
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