How viscous is your brain soup? That might seem an odd question indeed. But brain soup has been a term that has resonated in this house as a means of encapsulating that feeling of being simply overwhelmed by the amount of information contained within your head. [Google brain soup and you get a very different…
The gift that keeps on giving….
What are some of the side benefits of decluttering? That might seem like an odd question, or certainly an obvious one. We clear away clutter, sort, order and tidy. The results of that are obvious: clearer surfaces more space less stuff to sort through when we are looking for something greater efficiency when putting things…
The Marie Kondo bandwagon
Not heard of Marie Kondo? Firstly, I salute you! Secondly, she has become more of a phenomenon than a person it seems. Like a large rock being thrown into a still pond, the outward ripples from her method are fast moving and far reaching indeed. What on earth am I talking about? Decluttering. How do…
An interview on confidence, creativity and character.
This week, something a wee bit different. Via the wonders of LinkedIn, a couple of months back I connected with Yvonne Divita in New York. She runs a website and company called Nurturing Big Ideas, which does pretty much what it says on the tin. She enables women to turn their ideas for a business…
When you believe in yourself….anything can happen
Via the wonder of the internet, I came across literally hundreds of quotes about creativity. Common themes? Not being afraid to fail Being curious Having head space and freedom to dream/daydream/think Choosing to see things differently How common self doubt and lack of self belief are. Comparison with the wrong mirror – and the importance…
Creativity is about what you see, not what you look at
Have you ever seen a child make a space rocket out of a washing up liquid bottle? Or the cereal in their bowl becomes a morass of swimming monsters, all trying to gobble each other up? Children have a magical ability to see things differently. To not be constrained by any limitations or expectations that…
What is the link between being vulnerable and creative?
Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change. To create is to make something that has never existed before – there is nothing more vulnerable than that.” Brené Brown I love this quote. She says it during one of her now very famous and much watched TED talks on vulnerability and shame. If you…
Vision – what’s the connection with joining up the dots?
Did you ever do dot-to-dot pictures as a child? The boring ones were the ones where you could easily see the picture before you even started. Where was the challenge in that? What was more fun was when the picture emerged in a totally unexpected way, but once it was complete, there was that –…
The risks of the mundane versus the creative.
What risks have you taken this week? Perhaps applied for a job. Put your CV together, and put yourself out there to be judged and assessed for your potential suitability. Perhaps given someone in need some money that you really couldn’t afford, but knew was the right thing to do. Perhaps challenged someone you love…
Exam season, the season of black clouds
Exam season is upon us. And this house too has finally been visited by the exam Black Cloud. Perhaps, as in the days of the plague, we should put some kind of mark on our door post. “We too understand,” it would say. “We are united with you, the hundreds of other young people who…