To Being Masters Of Our Own Destinies
I got home last night after a full weekend of driving, and by 2pm this afternoon was in a different apartment, mine having succumbed to Lisbon’s notorious mould problem. After a string of such creative expletives that I surprised even myself, Boyfriend and I had a shot of tequila, threw away all the ruined stuff,…
Stuffing Myself Silly
2020 was probably my worst ever reading year. Books and the time to read them were among the first things to fall with the arrival of HRH Prince Obi and of course la corona. I felt the lack deeply. Without their nourishment, I came up empty of ideas and energy so often I wondered if…
Cliff Jumping With Book
I had a call today that has some pretty exciting potential. It was an invitation to contribute to a publication distributed to the chiefs-of-staff at some of the most powerful organisations in the world — Google, the United Nations, Buckingham Palace, the US Air Force. In other words, a BFD. Very exciting. But this opportunity has been…
Breathe It Out
I’m standing in a rectangular room, a bright light overhead. There’s a window behind me, and a desk in the centre of the room. I’m anxious — I can’t look out the window or even see the table, because the room is filled from floor to ceiling, every last inch of space, with sheets of paper. On…
It Doesn’t Count Until The Money Is In The Bank
About halfway through 2013, I was a few months into my new life as a legit, no-more-training-wheels, doing-it-on-my-own freelancer. I was doing all the important things to get handled when you start out: putting off making sales calls, fiddling with the font colours on my website, and mooning around in coffee shops hoping that someone…
Creative Output Vs Restorative Output
Whether you’re building a business, writing a book, learning an instrument, or developing a new friendship, a major output of creative energy is required. It’s not enough to just show up and spend some time — you have to actively engage, pay close attention, craft something new out of nothing. You have to fold together…
The Right Word At The Right Time
How often is it OK to shriek at someone like a banshee who’s caught fire because said someone persists in using the wrong words for what they’re trying to communicate? This is a serious question. Not even asking for a friend. I need to know, because this is a situation I am finding myself in…
Dispatches From The Realm
Recently His Royal Highness Prince Obi, First of His Name, has been, shall we say, testing the limits of his power. From constant entertainment with the most robust play companions in the realm, to the finest delicacies we his regents can procure, his demands are many and varied. Of course, being only 1, and a…
Rigour, Precision And Critical Thinking
George Orwell first appeared in my life when I was about 18, when a copy of 1984 made it into one of my coffee-book-and-cookie binges at the massive Borders store near my home. Over the course of his final and most famous novel, Georgie boy shattered any remains of my youthful naïveté, and replaced it with a…
The Perfect Is The Enemy Of The Good
About a week ago I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the nirvana fallacy. (I didn’t want to forget, so I opened my journal in the dark to what I thought was a blank page, and proceeded to scribble all over a not-blank page. #writerproblems) This is a crippling, insidious logical…