skills

My weeks have been busy and chaotic. Most people have that so nothing new there! Now and again I come back to a Dutch book about writing. It's excellent and extremely funny. Why is it? Because the writer writes in a way that draws me in; it's extremely compelling. I love to write.

Who qualifies us to be good writers? Does it even matter whether we are "good"? Perhaps not. I have found that writing for so many years on emails and my blog that certain skills have "upgraded". Practice makes perfect so they say. Developing any skill this way would.

So start doing what you want to learn today. Is it singing? Is it making art? Is it car racing? Is it perfecting your game efforts online? Is it taking up crochet? Is it gluing garden gnomes together and building kinky sculptures? Is it grooming poodles? You never know unless you try.

Me, I'm just a potato head :)

source potato info: via Bitrebels

bridging the gap

Back from hols! Holy days. Hip hip!
Anyway...

The last few weeks have brought up much joy, some grief and the usual bust your balls or else. Nothing out of the ordinary in that sense. But! Some things were -again- very useful to come across and to discuss with others too. (I had immense fun as well finishing an art project with fellow collaborator Joi.)


In two areas I spotted the "bridging of the gaps":

1. between where we are now and that goal we envision in our brain
2. the communication gap that exists between what we can now understand and that place where we will grasp more eureka and ahas further down the track

These 2 have something in common and I'm not just talking the obvious gap here. The illuminated thought has crossed my curly brain that perhaps these things could either be:

• one and the same thing?
• 2 birds of a feather flock together or 
• door number 3: quantum mechanics

Take your pick.

What I find snazzy in this wee theory is that indeed we are unable to explain something for example that we have experienced in great exciting detail if the listener is not in the "frame of mind" where we currently exist to comprehend our endeavor. It's like explaining how to make Chinese to an Italian in Russian. Precisely. (Banging head against wall.)

So here is a recipe:

Don't tell someone more then what they can chew (or what they can follow). It's unlikely a stock broker has any understanding of the world of sewing and needles, and no skydiver has been expected to be thrilled to attend a seminar of manicurists. 

So! What makes great sense is if you wish to "upgrade" someone in the sharing of a story is to do this in steps. Every time you add to the story in a slightly more out of the box frame then before and see where you can get to. I have done this experiment and discovered I could take it to a certain point and then discovered the train station, which I knew was the boundary of where that person wished to go at that particular time. They were unable to follow me further afield. This is fine. We are all equipped to understand more in particular very "niche" areas. All of us have our own train stations with various platforms.

Or has some people have said:

"You can't hear what you are not ready to understand." Or in simple words: understanding goes as far as what knowledge and comprehension has been downloaded in your being. So, to return to the "bridging of the gap":

• if you wish to understand better, open your mind more (go multi dimensional).
• if you wish to judge less... accept grey as a primary intricate colour
• if you wish to grow greatly apply the 2 points above.

So here's to Live long and prosper!

Point of difference

Communication, whether online or off, can be altered to suit the writer. We all make our own truths, create our own private vision of the world. Now why would our view -generally speaking- be so different from someone else's? Because it will be like reading the same book, but told by a different person. Other highlights here, deleted paragraphs there. That, I find interesting. The whole concept of uniqueness and yet of sameness. Things may look similar, but are not.

I was going to write about my fabric today. That I'm working on morphing the Cows & Couches cushion design into a full blown upholstery pattern, how exciting this is, as it's to be printed for a cow rancher in the US. I was going to tell you about my Highland girls Kate and Elsie who inspired me. A lovely story about personality and fuzzy vavoom with horns. So what happened? Something else did of course: I got another idea to write about. (Apologies to the lovely Kate & Elsie.)

You see, (financial) planning is not my strong suit, organizing things I can do. I wouldn't say that I always 'wing it' in what I do, but I go with my inner compass which has worked brilliantly thus far. Thinking and planning of course has its merits. We don't jump into something we should think more about, like marriage, buying a house or whether to get used to eating pizza every Friday night. Then I realized something while reading 'Industrial Design Portfolio Advice: Back to Basics', an article by Designdroplets. Instead of following their excellent advice straight away I thought: sometimes it can be just fine to run with an idea and continue to work on it while you're running instead of waiting till it's all ready. Why?

You miss out on the fun of learning, meeting new people and finding new clients while not experimenting but wanting to do it 'right'. Even if they find you on your imperfect website, they at least find you. Naturally this could give you the image of being premature or unpolished as it's clearly in transition. To be honest: does it matter? Whether someone likes what we do or not, it's about carrying out our own ideas and seeing if they come to fruition. I'd rather not wait till I'm all properly prepared but just go for it. Maybe that is silly. Heck it could be. I know it takes time to perfect a website and get an online store up and running. The trial and error phase is definitely an essential part of the process IMHO.

And the truth is: we are never ready. Even if you finally stand up to get started: whatever it was that spun your wheels before, it may have ceased to matter. It's like saying: ok we will have a child now only to find out you can't have them anymore (because you waited too long to decide and your ovaries went on a permanent vacation or your partner's sperm has stopped swimming uphill and the whole IVF is not what you want to get into).

We can think too much, get too worried, always planning to conquer life. (Whatever that is.) For what? They don't say for nothing: We plan our lives and God laughs. It's great to learn, lets' not start by limiting ourselves or dictating an essay about how it all should be. Life is now, just have that coffee and smile to your neighbour or the strange lady passing in the street.

Start on your project. Write your own story as it comes to you. Do what feels right. You know best. And yes if that means you do want to plan it all then go for it, research does have its benefits, just don't wait too long to reach "Stage Perfect". It may not happen. You may regret the wait later.