The Oxford English Dictionary defines polymath as a person of wide knowledge or learning. Creative Polymathy thrives in people who over time, develop, and successfully apply a breadth of knowledge from a variety of domains to produce renowned creative work. They don’t appear to follow familiar routes, paths made by others. Rather, they follow their […]
What Is Randomness?
What is randomness? Would you say luck or chance are the same thing? Do you believe that the universe in which you live, or as some philosophers suggest, that you are, is random? I don’t buy into the concept. Randomness is an cheap explanation for that which we do not yet understand. Before I offer […]
A Word On Performance
Performance on stage, in sport, at work, in the home, in art and music, in our hobbies and pastimes. The nature and function of work as it relates to happiness has been a source of interest for some time now, especially so since I began studying psychology.
Be A Light Unto Oneself
A couple of years ago I wrote, kill your fucking heroes. It was an invitation to sever ties with the fictional characters to whom we have assigned reverence. These fictions come in all forms; religions, governments, corporations, business leaders, sports people, cultural celebrities, gurus, and so on. They are not the people and authorities we […]
Work For Yourself
After you work for yourself for a while, you won’t go back. If you are of a certain ilk, that is. You’re not born that way, working for yourself makes you that. You might go back in body for a brief period, but it’s impossible to go back in mind.
The 7 Properties of Play
What is play and why is it so important to wellbeing? What are the properties of play and how can we bring these aspects into our lives more? In today’s Sunday Letters article, I’m taking a look at these questions within the context of daily work and offering a framework of understanding of the importance […]
It’s Not Such A Big Deal
Werner Heisenberg writes of the nature of reality and of the fundamental basis of matter in Physics and Philosophy, as he recounts the ancient philosophy of the Greeks; The process of Becoming is considered a sort of debasement of the infinite Being – a disintegration into the struggle ultimately expiated by a return into that […]
When Sitting With A Problem…
When sitting with a problem, avoid settling for “this is hard”, and instead, add a “but”. The “but” leaves the door open to a solution. So then, “this is hard” turns into, for example, “this is hard, but I can find an answer”. “This is hard” is a verbalisation of a state of mind. It’s a definitive state of mind–a close loop from which there is no way out.
The Sword Upon Which You’ll Fall
Running a business with multiple moving parts is different to being a craftsperson, artist, sole trader responsible for only yourself. Although your craft is the reason the business exists, it often can become a victim to the demands of the business. Abstract elements such as staff management, marketing, sales, accounts and so on, become more important that the work itself.
There Is No Point In Work, Unless…
I’ve got an office/workspace at the bottom of our small garden. It’s a converted shed. Last summer, twelve months, I cleared it out, and in a couple of weeks had my own private space for work. It’s a Godsend. Here I can work uninterrupted, blinkered for hours on end. The only sound is the hum […]