The Woodshed

Over coffee this morning, the conversation led me to recall a particular moment in my past where I was challenged to present (to my peers) what I believed was creative and inspirational. I think it was during '92 or 3. At the time I was a Mac evangelist at TBWA / Hunt Lascaris. My colleagues all had great references to Bob Dylan , Calvin and Hobbes and Nicolas Cage's intro sequence to Red Rock West . It was all very impressive and overall a great exercise. The folks called it a Creative Jumboree. I had very recently acquired a set of Photoshop filters called Kai's Power Tools. At the time there were a few Mac's in the studio but many of them lay idle whilst traditional art directors and copywriters locked themselves away in room's full of beanbags squirting water pistons at each other. Not many were converted at the time. I stood up, and behind me, on a large projector screen was the interface for KPT Texture Explorer. This, for me, completely threw the interface

My Amazon order arrived yesterday. This, on it's own, is a reason to celebrate. Does everybody share the same sense of excitment? Anticipation? Sheer childlike joy when the box finally arrives? It's almost like when you used to empty the entire box of cornflakes to find those amazing spoons that glow in the dark ... But I digress. The contents? Guy's latest book "The Art of the Start" , 3 DvD's (one being 'How to get ahead in advertising' - oh the joy!), and the classic hardcover "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?" by the infamous Dr. Seuss. The reason this is so special is because i have one already. You see, my folks gave me this in 1975 (and i can prove it - I scribbled my name on the inside cover in ballpoint, and put the year next to it). For the past year or so, storytime with the kids has been dominated by the Dr's wise and wonderful words. Even my 2 yr old yells "Daddy read Dyuif evyttr khhuy YOU ARE!" ... and we a

Because everybody deserves one. Let me explain. The notion of The Woodshed was first introduced to me in John Kao's 1997 book Jamming where he discusses the art and discipline of business creativity. Something that's very close to my heart. In Chapter 5 he discusses the need for clearing a space for creativity and introduces the reader to Charlie Parker's woodshed. Or, more specifically, whenever the great sax player needed to work out new musical concepts, he would withdraw from the usual people, places and things and "go to the woodshed". This may seem an odd phrase, but if considered for a short while you will find that you've probably been to your woodshed without even knowing it. When I was 7 yrs old there was a river a block away from our house in East London. I would run to it every other afternoon and spend the day either trying to catch crabs, doing homework, building bridges or playing in the mud with my Star Wars collection. The spot at the river

How many times have you heard the phrase "No pain, no gain?" The implication is that if you want to make something of yourself you must work hard. Nothing wrong with that. I agree. But the message of that small mantra is also very clear: if you are not hurting or struggling, you're not moving forward. Gaining. Growing. Expanding. This is what I have a problem with. Get this. Anytime you are struggling, you are miscreating. Think about it. Anytime you feel pain, discomfort, frustration or struggle your magnetic point of attraction is (usually) directed to that which you do not want, rather than to that which you desire. How you feel determines what you attract. Actions are also very necessary, but they are the last component of the creation process. Actions cannot be used effectively to initiate results, because initiation is first a function of being , then thought, and only then, action. In the short ebook, "The Shocking Truth About Action," Dr. Robert Anthon

(Before you're old and boring) Granted. It took 15 days after receiving the incredibly beautifully designed and inspiring book by Richard Horne and Helen Szirtes to mark off my very first Thing To Do: Start Your Own Blog. :-) And you're looking at it right now. Perhaps you could argue that I've missed an opportunity in that we never Sent a Message in a Bottle whilst at the coast ... you could even suggest that in the distant past I have done a number of the Things To Do. But the fact of the matter remains that apart from being foggy on the details, the notion is to start from a blank canvas. So this is where it's at. I have officially completed Thing To Do No. 36: Start Your Own Blog. And that, my friends, means the race is on. For more about 101 Things To Do (Before you're old and boring) check out the official website: K101

Wisdom often comes in the most surprising places. Of course I always look for it in books, newspapers, Google and The History Channel. But instead of sipping on your gin 'n tonic whilst reading the latest finance publication, you should tune into the sandpit talk when you're watching your kids at the local park for some knee-high insights. Top 10 things I've learnt since being a dad: 1. Everything is more fun when waters involved 2. If you wake up in the night, hold hands with the person next to you 3. Father Christmas, The Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny will only visit if you believe 4. Pizza tastes better when it looks like a face (and dipped into creme soda) 5. Always keep it 'loosey goosey babe' 6. It's only the daddy monkeys that are c-r-a-z-y 7. Running around naked after a bath / shower / sauna is mandatory 8. The moon also goes to sleep 9. Anything that moves in the sky is absolutely incredible 10. It's O.K. to jump on the bed as long as you pull

Step 1: Take a crazy road trip around the country with your family. Step 2: Do it caravan style and follow your mate's red Peugeot 307 convertable. Step 3: Stop frequently. Pee. Drink. Snap. Here are some of the results: Right. On the count of three. The Wanderers. January ... February .. March ... mmmmmWha!

... is that you find things that remind you of who you are. Not were. But are. If you ever need reminding of why you got into this business in the first place, simply purge all those papers and files around your woodshed, hard drives and iPod and re-arrange them taking care to open the ones with interesting titles. Preamble: This 10 minute message was actually delivered to the Concept Interactive Cape Town SA graduates in December 2001. I found this while cleaning up: ++ Hello. Thank you very much. This message is for students … such as yourselves whom have recently graduated and will be knocking on doors soon … now. How would that make you feel? … The assignments, lectures, projects, exams … all over! Wow. How do you feel? Relieved? Anxious? Excited? Nervous? Thrilled? Did you do your best? Maybe you believe you’d like to go back and pay more attention? Hopefully it wasn’t a waste of time and your parent’s money? Or worse. Your money! Maybe you’re energized and roaring to go … But now

I want to be healthy and happy. I want to be financially free. Rightly rich. I want to invest wisely. I want to enjoy my wealth selflessly. I want money to flow into my life in an abundant way. I want to retire financially independent. I want a house on the coast and I want a sports car. I want an alternative book store and a coffee shop. I want my children to have the best education I can offer. I want to travel and I want to see the world. I want to leave my children financially secure. I want to ensure they have nothing to worry about. I want them to enjoy life and I want them to find their calling. I want to be proud of them. I want them to feel loved and secure at all times. I want to provide. I want to support. But i want to have time to myself. I want my family to be healthy, happy and loved. I want my family to be proud. I want my children to love me. Respect me. And live until old age. I want to live in a happy home. I want to spend time with my family. I want Mandy to be happ