Tag: projects

Vision

Vision is the dreaming part. Seeing an ideal future. Looking up ahead at where you want to go.

I don’t struggle with vision as I have an active imagination. I can picture myself in various situations quite easily. What’s harder is to fit this dream into your everyday life.

Thinking about the vision long and hard leads to a refined version. Why this vision and not another? What is the core drive behind this dream?

I would place one boundary on the vision you have. Make the vision about something other than yourself. I think Ego will only get you so far. To complete bigger projects might need a bigger cause, such as community, utility, risk management, etc.

Priority 

The different phases of my life have been strongly linked with different priorities. This is not always a conscious choice. Over the years I have been focussed on school, girls, sport, music, partying, and starting a family. Not one of these were conscious choices, but choices nonetheless and the knock on effects are huge.

Having realized this, I now find that many of my larger choices are more conscious. I realize I have never prioritized my career. I realize I want to change things. I want to write things down to make them stick. 

Creativity through simplification 

Some recent steps I have taken to improve my focus and save time for what matters:

  • No more Facebook. Account deleted completely 
  • No more gaming – selling console
  • Re-finding my Kindle – purpose built for reading, this is the gadget that keeps giving. You can’t be a good writer without being a good reader
  • Whittling down my internet accounts. As well as Facebook, I had Twitter, Instagram, three different email addresses, other blogs, and the list goes on. I realized that the reason I wasn’t creating as much as I wanted was not a lack of accounts, connections with friends or lack of tools…rather it is a lack of focus. Fewer accounts and gadgets – focus on those you actually need.
  • Fixing up my house and my office – I’m not good at this but when I try to fix stuff, it helps my sense of satisfaction and consequent focus no end.

The next step is to partake more in communities of like minded people in the flesh. I’m thinking writers groups, and arty types who I don’t seem to have in my life at the moment. 

Life is a journey not a destination, right?

Accounting and Expectations

It must be satisfying to have a completed project proudly on display. I am picturing a private art collection worth millions. The various pieces hanging perfectly on walls throughout the house for visitors to “ooh” and “aah” at. Each piece has a fabled story, and a price tag to match.

Seems to me that when we think up a project, it is in our human nature to be attracted to the end result rather than the steps along the way. When I think of how long it takes to actually create an art gallery of any substance, I am put off by the idea immediately and that is why I pay to look at someone else’s.

Accounting is a loaded word. It brings to mind tough exams, nerdy calculators, stiff people in white collared shirts and boring number crunching. However the concept of accounting for what I have now and what may come through the life cycle of a project is essential to any art. It forces us to be realistic. It manages our expectations.

With some accounting for what is in store, you could conceivably take a very long term view on creating your gallery of priceless art from scratch, and you would be more likely to succeed. With no accounting and managing of expectations, you’re likely to get frustrated and not even try.

On Seth’s words – Chimpwithcans as an audio project

Seth Godin is a huge inspiration for this blog. One of his most enduring messages is the project vs. job idea.

I love the idea of accountable projects vs. jobs that encourage deniability. Seth just riffed on this in his latest post: Your job vs. your project — Seth Godin’s Blog on marketing, tribes and respect

For Chimpswithcans, I have chosen to write my own blog and to deal with material that I love (audiophilia, music….and occasionally chimps perhaps). It means that there are no rules other than the ones I create for myself. No boss. A whole new world.

This blog is about audiophile culture, music, and technology surrounding this. It is my project and it will get better and better, day by day. There is a growing audiophile community in my hometown (Cape Town) that I hope to serve.

I will give reviews, opinions, thoughts, desires, facts, beliefs on audio and I look forward to it every day.