tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90425549847709724402024-03-18T15:31:56.739+00:00Joanna MontgomeryThe personal blog of interaction designer Joanna MontgomeryAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-60284567450957990162015-01-17T20:53:00.000+00:002015-01-25T17:29:01.819+00:00Newcastle Marriott Hotel Gosforth Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">At the end of last year I was kindly invited to the <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nclgf-newcastle-marriott-hotel-gosforth-park/" target="_blank">Newcastle Marriott Hotel Gosforth Park</a> hotel to try out their fitness centre. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">The hotel wanted to show me how much their </span><span style="font-size: 12px;">leisure</span><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> club had to offer and encouraged me to be their guest for the morning so they could put me through their paces. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">I was warmly welcomed into both the hotel and the leisure club itself by Paul, the manager. From the moment I stepped into the leisure centre, the warm and friendly atmosphere couldn't have been more inviting. The swimming pool is the </span><span style="font-size: 12px;">centrepiece</span><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> of the centre and I arrived to a bubbly and enthusiastic group of ladies and gentlemen partaking in an </span><span style="font-size: 12px;">aqua</span><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> class.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Paul showed me round and introduced me to Helen for my warm-up. I was feeling some mild </span><span style="font-size: 12px;">trepidation about what the Gosforth Park staff would have in store for me; it had been less than two weeks since I competed in England's Strongest Woman and my training had been predominantly strength/weight-based for the previous six months. I could barely remember the last time I'd broken a sweat. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">To kick things off, I warmed up with some boxing work. It started pretty easily, with Helen brandishing pads for me to lightly punch. Just when I was starting to think I maybe wasn't completely unfit after all, the intensity quickly picked up and a few minutes later I was racing up and down the room in between bursts of punches. Working with Helen was fast-paced and had me constantly improving my reaction times, speed and agility. It was great fun and I'd definitely be keen to attend one of her Boxercise classes - beats running on the treadmill any day! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Next up I was introduced to Mark who was going to take me through my "main workout". Based on the sweat I'd worked up in the 'warm up', I was starting to doubt if I'd make it through this main workout of which they spoke! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Mark explained he was going to use a combination of strength exercises and bodyweight movements to create a short but killer workout. He produced a barbell and loaded it up to 30kg. I was to do a 'clean and press'; effectively lifting the bar from the floor to overhead. I felt reasonably confident; in my strength training, I do these exercises at anything up to 65-70kg… but I work to a maximum of 3-5 reps. This time, I had to do 21 reps, quickly followed by 21 burpees. The number of reps then dropped down to 15 and then 9. The aim of the workout was to do the entire thing as quickly as possible. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">The stopwatch started and so did my clean and presses. By about rep 10, I realised that even with my 'measly' weight of 30kg, it definitely wasn't going to be the walk in the park I thought it would be. My lack of cardio fitness quickly made itself known and within the first minute of the workout I was huffing and puffing like a dog on a sunny day. Mark championed me through the whole thing, keeping me motivated right down to my last burpee. By the end of the session I couldn't believe I'd only been working out for only 15 minutes or so, I felt like I'd just completed an hour of cardio. It's definitely an effective way of training and the benefits are clear. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">With my workouts done, I was let loose on the rest of the leisure club. Unfortunately I didn't have swimwear with me so couldn't check out the jacuzzi/steam room/sauna, but the rest of the facilities were amazing. The changing rooms have wonderful touches like not needing a coin for the lockers, free shower gel/shampoo in the showers, and clean towels available for all. I chatted to a delightful bunch of ladies in the changing room - all seemed to love the club and the social aspect of the facilities and classes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">All in all, it was a delightful visit which far surpassed my expectations. Thank you to Newcastle Marriott Hotel Gosforth Park for having me and to all the staff for being so wonderful and welcoming. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><i>To find out more about Marriott Leisure Clubs or to find one in your area <a href="http://www.marriottleisure.co.uk/" target="_blank">visit their website</a> or call 0800 0195 888.</i></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com86tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-31618618356555784112014-06-23T22:52:00.003+01:002014-06-23T22:52:59.040+01:00The Valley of Despair: In Between Success and Failure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>“Do you ever hate Pillow Talk?”</i> my mum asked me tonight as I wearily stumbled into my family home at 8pm. I was hungry and irritable after emerging from a long stint in a hot, stuffy electronics lab and I didn’t know the answer. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For the past 4 days I have been in Scotland, staying with my parents. I’m doing this for a couple of reasons. 1) Free meals. 2) My dad is an electronic engineer and I don’t have to pay him. 3) My dad’s office has a fully-equipped electronics lab I can workout of, rent-free. Can you spot a pattern here? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Due to an unexpected financial situation, my company is currently in a slightly-less-than-ideal place. As a result, I’m trying to do as much as I can on my own to keep costs low. It’s really hard. It is a ridiculously steep learning curve (ever tried to get your head around 3 different programming languages at once?) which results in a near-constant state of mental exhaustion. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Today I spent the entire day in a small electronics lab. The plan was to build four working prototypes. As another cost-cutting measure, I was also attempting to hand-solder a collection of surface-mount LEDs. For those of you to whom that means nothing... imagine wielding a chainsaw and trying to neatly cut a stamp-sized photograph out of newspaper. Needless to say, it didn’t go very well. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In a brief break from my soldering in an attempt to prevent my head from imploding, I read a <a href="https://medium.com/@nikkidurkin99/my-startup-failed-and-this-is-what-it-feels-like-c5d64b3ae96b" target="_blank">blog by Nikki Durkin</a>, founder of <a href="http://99dresses.com/" target="_blank">99dresses</a>. A refreshingly honest and emotional article, Nikki talks about the experience of having your startup fail and how isolating it is. As she points out, there is very little in the public domain about how failure <i>feels</i>. There is a lot of media about failure and learning lessons, but very little about the emotional rollercoaster it shamelessly drags the founder(s) on. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Reading Nikki’s post was mildy unsettling as I can already relate to a lot of her story. And the fact of the matter is, there is absolutely no way to tell if my startup succeed or fail. I want it to succeed with every fibre of my being, but the reality is that a lot of things haven’t gone to plan lately. I’m tethering on a tightrope and I could fall either way. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This, amongst other thoughts, has rolled around in my head for the rest of the day. And the more I think about it, the more unhappy I feel with the startup stories that are shared in the public eye. The extremes are generally the areas we hear about. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The hardship side of startup life is heroized, cheering on every startup founder as he or she struggles defiantly onwards, toiling to change the world for the better. The late nights, the empty bank accounts, the garage offices; they verge on status symbols in the ever-cool startup world.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Of course, at the other end of the spectrum is the sudden and often unexpected success. The acquisitions, the million-dollar investment rounds, the press that results in server crashes or sold out product runs. These people talk about their ‘struggling startup’ days wearing the kind of rose-tinted glasses you can probably afford when you’ve been acquired. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But what no one talks about is the bit in the middle. As some cool-startup-infographic once labelled it, The Valley of Despair. The bit in between coming up with the idea and shipping it. Sometimes this period is weeks or months - and for some unlucky buggars (including myself) it’s been years. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I mean, I guess no one is talking about The Valley of Despair because it’s full of people who are just getting on with it. That’s all you can do. There is no glory here. There are no status symbols. The late nights are real and never-ending, and no one cares when you’re still working at 4am. Being broke isn’t something you can laugh about when your debit card is being declined in the supermarket; no matter how much of a hero you are, that ominous feeling rising from the pit of your stomach is enough to make anyone feel nauseous. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am tired of being a startup. I want to be a real business that makes money. I want to ship my product. I want people to use it and hopefully find some value in it. I don’t want to slump on a beanbag or play ping pong or drink independent beer. I want my problem to be fulfilling the demand my product is experiencing... not crawling around on the floor, wondering where that 2mm square resister went. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My name is Joanna Montgomery and I am in the Valley of Despair. I’ve been here a really long time and I don’t know when I’ll get to leave. And I have to stop writing this blogpost now, because I’ve got more soldering to do and you can be damn sure no one else is going to stay up all night doing it. Except maybe my dad. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com91tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-4845442352823974102014-01-03T00:05:00.001+00:002014-01-03T00:05:18.991+00:00Leaving 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am typically not a sentimental person, but I cannot deny the array of emotions that accompany the closure of one year and the beginning of a new one. If you are lucky enough to know me in “real life”, you will know that I am a massive goal setter. I set daily, weekly and monthly goals - so it probably won’t come as a surprise that I also make resolutions every year. I usually uphold most of them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Last year was a mixed year. It was frustrating in that Pillow Talk still didn’t complete its voyage to the shelves but rich in other ways. I won awards, travelled to new countries, attended outrageous parties and met people who opened my eyes and changed my life. I loved, lost, found, questioned, challenged and gambled. I watched two of my best friends get married, rekindled old friendships and made new. I joined a new gym which brought me far more than I ever thought it would; new perspectives, amazing friends and higher aspirations. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Two thousand and thirteen gave me more challenges than I ever saw coming and pushed my mental, professional and emotional capacity to its limits. Like any good year, it gave me moments of giddy elation, heart-breaking lows and everything in between. It is the year I finally realised I don’t know everything and that everything is not always going to be okay. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I started the year resolving to be a happier person, to try and achieve a better work/life balance, and to just... be better. These resolutions were all successful because of the people I met. To everyone who helped shape me in 2013, I thank you.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In 2014, I am making a promise to myself to do the following:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Experience somewhere new</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Do something I couldn’t do before</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Meet someone who alters my perspective on the world altogether</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Ask ‘why?’ more</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Ask ‘why?’ less</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Love something</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Let go of something</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Fight for something</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Ask difficult questions</b></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>- Remember to look back down the mountain at how far I've come</b></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Finally, I am going to hold onto the people who have changed me thus far and let them continue to support me as they have during 2013. I want to return the favour. I promise I will support someone the way I have been supported by so many people who entered my life last year. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">These are my personal promises, feel free to adopt some or all of them - and share with me every time you fulfill one. I want to know if I impact anybody’s life, even in a microscopic way. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My favourite moment of 2013 was one day in March; I was in Washington DC and I woke up early with jet lag. In a moment of restlessness, I pulled on my gym gear and headed out for a run. A few miles in, having barely seen another soul, I ran up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I turned around just as the sun was rising and I can honestly say nothing has ever taken my breath away quite like it. It was one of those truly sobering moments that make you grateful to be alive and I will remember it forever.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So long, 2013, you were hard work. Thank you for all the lessons. 2014, I am ready for you. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-78610600659763150602013-11-05T14:58:00.001+00:002013-11-05T14:59:39.016+00:00The Myths Surrounding Creativity Within Business<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Creativity. It comes in many forms; an ability to write well, paint a portrait, execute a photograph or compose a melody. Generally considered to be a talent, most people believe that creativity is something you either inherently posses by character, or do not. It is often seen as divinely-inspired, unpredictable and bestowed upon only a lucky few, whilst everyone else is, well.. out of luck, really. </div>
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There are a lot of myths surrounding creativity and how ideas come into fruition, yet none of them are backed by any scientific evidence. New research has prompted David Burkus to write a book - '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Myths-Creativity-Innovative-Companies/dp/1118611144" target="_blank">The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas</a>' - in which he aims to demystify what is truly behind the forces and processes responsible for driving innovation.</div>
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Burkus' research suggests that - with the proper training - anyone with some common sense and a good grounding in reality can deliver creative and innovative ideas. This subject is of particular interest to me as I wrote an essay about the topic back when I was at university - and it's even more relevant to me now, as a young business owner. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image used under Creative Commons, from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34547642@N08/4516441695/in/photolist-7T6WLp-ghe757-ghetwW-8YMzii-8kSZqJ-aTJeEe-f3T2ZG-edvxZZ-dSFV82-9NYibx-9Mb2D5-9NreQT-9Pjn4s-9LxdhF-9MtD1U-bhi8ft-hbhGMe-boqgSt-dM1gyf-8MVgG1-hbiemb-ghQbjD-dzdgk5-7M3tYe-diFNnt-dmbHPM-9E25Yz-9E2ayD-9E1TDK-9E4Vb5-9E2998-9E4QTE-9E27KH-8Mtcwc-9E4z2s-9E4KmA-9E1NBM-9E1Q66-9E1KYi-91WYyL-91WSP7-91TNk8-91TNa6-91WZKG-7Efwnw-a9FM5g-91WT6m-91WUtG-91WTkY-91TLfV-84Z7E5" target="_blank">Flickr</a>)</span></div>
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Apparently, the first step in "becoming creative" is to refrain from limiting your thinking. And this, first and foremost, means that several long-standing myths about creative thinking need to be brought into question. There are many, and I've seen a lot of blog topics and features on this topic lately, so thought I'd add to the noise and chime in with my thoughts.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">1. The Eureka Myth -</strong> Do new ideas just appear as a flash of insight? Research shows that such insights are actually the culmination of prior hard work on a problem. This thinking, having been given time to incubate in the subconscious mind as we connect threads, then pops out in the form of new, eureka-like innovations. I can see the logic in this theory, but I'm not fully convinced everyone's brain will join up the dots in the same way - or indeed create an outcome.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">2. The 'Born This Way' Myth.</strong> Many people believe creative ability is a trait held in one’s heritage or genes - but science cannot actually determine whether there is such thing as a creative 'breed'. I reckon people who have confidence in themselves and work the hardest on a problem are the ones most likely to come up with a creative solution.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">3. The Originality Myth.</strong> There is a long-standing myth about ownership - ie. that a creative idea belongs solely to the person who thought of it. History and empirical research show more evidence that new ideas are actually combinations of older ideas - and that sharing those helps generate new ones. So you don't have to be original to be creative - but it sure helps.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">4. The Expert Myth.</strong> Many companies rely on a technical expert or team of experts to generate ideas in their relevant areas. Harder problems call for even more knowledgeable (and expensive!) experts. But particularly tough problems often require the perspective of an outsider or someone not limited by the knowledge of why something can’t be done. Ever found an answer to a problem, from the unlikeliest person? I know I have. </div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">5. The Lone Creator Myth.</strong> History often attributes breakthrough inventions and striking creative works to a sole person, ignoring supportive work and collaborative preliminary efforts. Is an idea always the creation of one individual? Creativity can be a team effort, and creative teams can help leaders build the ultimate product.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">6. The Happy Home Myth.</strong> Believers in this myth think that the key to fostering creativity is for everyone to get along and live happily ever after. That's why we see so many cliched start-up environments where employees play ping pong and sit around in the cafeteria in their bare feet, eating complimentary food. I'm on the fence with this one - a friendly habitat is good, but I feel this approach can be too laid back and is in danger of promoting a certain level of placidity. </div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">7. The Constraints Myth.</strong> On the flip side, another popular notion is that constraints hinder our creativity and that only people with unlimited resources at their disposal will come up with the best ideas. This is a completely idiotic myth, to me - how quickly can you find focus when working to a completely open brief? I know I definitely operate better within some constraints. Besides - if you consider yourself creative but you can't work within certain limitations - how creative are you <i>really</i>?</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">8. The Brainstorming Myth.</strong> We've all been made to create a mind map somewhere along our voyage through the education system. Apparently there is no evident that 'throwing ideas around' can lead to breakthroughs, but as someone who loves to map out problems, I disagree wholeheartedly. In my opinion, it takes a very uncreative person to fail to find <i>any</i> way forward using this process.<br />
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If you believe your company's success depends on your company being more creative, then perhaps it is worth taking the opportunity to spend some time thinking about these myths. Try and understand and nurture the key components in your environment, team and product. Can any of them be better, and if so, how can you improve upon then in a creative way? Are you being subconsciously held back by the belief that you lack the skillset?</div>
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Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Loosely inspired by content over on <a href="http://entrepreneur.com/">Entrepreneur.com</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com92tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-91694507681125079872013-09-11T22:20:00.000+01:002013-09-11T22:20:41.672+01:0010 Things Every Designer Should Know About People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lately I've been thinking about, well, people. We're all so wonderfully complicated but, inherently, most of us act and respond to things in the same way. As a designer of any kind - web, product, interface, etc - our user should always be the centre of everything we do. I don't know about you, but sometimes I lose sight of that, so this week I've been trying to really hone in on my key users and what matters to them. It made me realise that there are a lot of things you need to remember about the human race in general when designing anything, for anyone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2pGKamMF7YywzMnEnlGiFAqwxzV1widRfIjUukIonD9x3L09GMI-4I4ykCiS9qtkOzC1pmhTiSBJrrLTaU2kPoYOKLZCFekfKlgygbY6mzZQ0K78NJ1IUBD8FlF3A6Us2_VBsc1QWU0/s1600/people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2pGKamMF7YywzMnEnlGiFAqwxzV1widRfIjUukIonD9x3L09GMI-4I4ykCiS9qtkOzC1pmhTiSBJrrLTaU2kPoYOKLZCFekfKlgygbY6mzZQ0K78NJ1IUBD8FlF3A6Us2_VBsc1QWU0/s1600/people.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image used under Creative Commons from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36085842@N06/8527181257/in/photolist-dZw2Uv-bwc2KB-8H8fZh-diSxME-diSxLq-ataEaV-dRgyWX-4mPGLb-8DoGcq-b4x4ak-9gLLmi-7XAtTy-7XxeRt-8LYdZL-8LYehj-8LYeau-8LYe67-8LVdcv-8LVd6v-8LYfch-8LYf23-8LVcit-8LVcXX-8LVeTk-8LVei6-8LVdik-8LYgo7-8LVeL2-8LYh5W-8LVdvK-8LVex2-8LYfQ3-dMDKkf-8NAoyY-cvAYvE-5aYRMu-ayfyTd-4UnKma-7y56W4-7XxZtx-64QMwK-8Kjhyg-8Kjg84-8Knin7-8KjeYM-8KjfRn-72mt69-7W6Rto-4QAyvk-6JQc3i-bYeYY1" target="_blank">Flickr</a>)</span><br />
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<b>1. People use aesthetics as their first indicator of trust</b><br />
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We all know that things that look better are more appealing. But did you know just how deep that runs? In a recent study, when participants rejected a website for appearing untrustworthy, a whopping 83% of their comments were related to design factors. We all trust our gut instincts - so make sure whatever you're doing generates a good one.<br />
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<b>2. People can only remember about 4 things at once</b><br />
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Which is bad news for the other 6 points in this blog post, right? Never mind. Our brains only hold tiny snippets of information at a time. It's why we break phone numbers down the way we do. It's why a bulletpointed list of 3-4 things is more likely to stick. Don't overload people with information.<br />
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<b>3. People are happy when they're busy</b><br />
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Having something to do/read/play with occupies our minds, and in that occupation, we find contentment. To keep someone 'busy' with your product or service, you simply need to hold their focus. Bear that in mind when designing your user experience - is it engaging enough?<br />
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<b>4. People inherently enjoy surprises</b><br />
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We are simple beings, and anything novel, new or unexpected can cause delight. Give your user something they were not expecting, and they will more than likely continue on, in the hope of more excitement.<br />
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<b>5. People think that choice equals control</b><br />
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It's all about mind games. People like to be in control, and to help us feel in control, we are given choices. Make sure you always give people these choices. It's a common designer belief that people want the quickest and most efficient way to get from A to B, but offering alternatives - or at least an element of discovery - can also work well.<br />
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<b>6. People become more motivated the closer they get to a goal.</b><br />
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Many psychology studies have shown that, the closer a human being gets to achieving something, the more focussed and determined they become. Help your user down this path and before you know it, they'll be pushing themselves towards your call to action.<br />
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<b>7. Sustained attention lasts about 10 minutes</b><br />
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Still reading? Good. Just as well I'm keeping an eye on my word count.<br />
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<b>8. People are easily influenced</b><br />
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If you've ever had a really bad day and chatted to a friend about it, and then watched them slump in their chair, you'll know that people almost subconsciously absorb feelings and emotions from other people. We mimic fashion, style, and decision-making based on other people too. One trend-setter can easily coax other users on board - and don't forget that your own enthusiasm for your work can also rub off on others.<br />
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<b>9. People enjoy things the most before and after they've happened</b><br />
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Think about the last holiday you went on - was it amazing? And just how excited were you before you left for the airport? Ah ha, but did it feel THAT amazing when you were on it? People gain the most pleasure from anticipation and reflection. As designers, this means we need to extend the anticipation of the action, e.g. making a purchase, for as long as possible before the event - and then leave enough time afterwards before asking for feedback. Don't hit someone with your product/website/service and ask for feedback instantly; it won't work, they'll still be processing it.<br />
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<b>10. People don't really know what they want</b><br />
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This is one thing I have learned the hard way. If you ask someone what they want, their imagination will run riot, designing an elaborate, all-singing, all-dancing solution they believe to be perfect. However, if you create that and give it to them... the reality is that they won't like it. What's the solution here? Well, if you find one, let me know. The best I've managed so far is to use a combination of mass opinion and my own common sense. At the end of the day, we're apparently still the experts - and, after all, you wouldn't tell a doctor how you wanted him to perform your surgery.<br />
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Loosely but not inherently inspired by the book <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Every-Designer-Needs-People/dp/0321767535" target="_blank">100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People</a>. I haven't actually read the book - just the title made me think. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-72584614228734723162013-01-19T15:12:00.000+00:002013-01-19T15:12:41.336+00:00My Experience of The Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards and Why You Should Enter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It was nearly midnight one evening, in January 2012, when I sent off a last-minute application to The Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards. I tapped out my entry in between mouthfuls of coffee and as I hit the big green 'submit' button, I had no idea what I'd just started. </div>
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When an e-mail landed in my inbox a few days later informing me I had been shortlisted, I was struck by the feeling that every start-up founder knows well - one of simultaneous excitement and pressure. As I scanned the list of my fellow finalists, I spotted BrewDog on the list and felt a bit nauseous. <i>BrewDog</i>. Surely Scotland only had room for one trashy blonde? </div>
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On the first day of March I headed to Edinburgh University to pitch in the eighth and final regional heat. Where I had two minutes to pitch to a judging panel comprising of local business leaders, Lloyds TSB professionals and advisors from business support organisations. Two minutes is not a very long time, so being concise and articulate was key. I had to get across where my idea had come from, what I'd done so far, and what my plans were for the future. </div>
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When everybody had pitched, we were joined by more local businesses and other influential professionals in the region for a champagne networking reception and a three course lunch. I wasn't sure what I was more excited about; drinking bubbly in the middle of the day or having my very own Little Riot table. I mean, how cool is that?</div>
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After lunch we heard a brief speech from Fiona Godsman from the <a href="http://www.sie.ac.uk/home.aspx" target="_blank">Scottish Institute for Enterprise</a> about what define an "entrepreneur". When it was finally time for the announcement of winners, everyone around my table wished me good luck. </div>
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Incredibly, Scotland did have room for two trashy blondes after all, and Little Riot scooped "Best Start Up" and BrewDog taking "Best Enterprise", the award for more established businesses. What followed next was flurry of congratulations, press interviews and photographs.</div>
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As the Scottish heat was the last one, I didn't have long to wait until the grand final. Taking place in Liverpool to coincide with the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, I now had to pitch against the 'Best Start Up' winners from the other seven regions. The panel of judges this time was verging on intimating, with individuals including Kamal Ahmed, the Business Editor of The Telegraph and Jamie Murray-Wells, founder of opticians giant <a href="http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/" target="_blank">Glasses Direct</a>. </div>
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Having thought the regional heat lunch was impressive, I was blown away by the set up for the black tie awards dinner that evening. Sporting my first ever full-length frock, Lloyds treated myself and the other finalists (and guests!) like VIP celebrities all evening. Although, it must be said, having to eat whilst facing an Andy-Warhol'd picture of my own face was a little disconcerting!</div>
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Best Start-Up went to <a href="http://www.kwickscreen.com/" target="_blank">KwickScreen</a> and Best Enterprise went to <a href="http://www.yasamotors.com/" target="_blank">Yasa Motors</a>. I was also still a winner that night, as I was lucky enough to win tickets to the Olympics in a prize draw! I met a lot of great contacts, loved every minute of socialising with other young entrepreneurs, and had a whale of a time with my Andy Warhol face.<br />
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The Lloyds TSB Awards are open to anyone who has founded or co-founded their own business, who is a university student or a graduate from within the last five years. You can check out the website and submit an application <a href="http://www.lloydstsbenterpriseawards.com/">here.</a> You've got just under two weeks!<br />
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<b>So why should you enter?</b> There are loads of business competitions out there, right? What's so different about this one? This one is different because it's not just a competition, it's a gateway into an amazing networking and ongoing support. Lloyds TSB don't just give you a trophy and some cash and leave you to it, they actually care what happens to you and want to support the people they've gone to the effort of crowning winners.<br />
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<b>What did I get from it?</b> Of course, I got £1,000 cash, a weighty trophy and the accolade of being a winner. That is what you get from most competitions, but it was all the other things that really helped my business move forward. I received two incredible mentions in the Sunday Telegraph and the words written about me by the Telegraph's Business Editor still both humble and motivate me every day.<br />
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A few months after the awards, Lloyds TSB took all the winners to London and laid on an incredible day of workshops and training for us. We learned about recruiting people, intellectual property and how to conduct ourselves in media interviews. We had the opportunity to catch up with our fellow winners, swap stories and advice, and the day culminated with a drinks reception in the Houses of Parliament. What other competition has ever given you that?<br />
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Other benefits have included mentorship from a Lloyds TSB manager and being chosen as a 'poster girl' for this year's awards. I had an exciting photoshoot day, the results of which are now on the business banking website and on posters and leaflets at universities across the country.<br />
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There are lots of reasons why you should enter, and if you get even a small piece of what I have from the experience, then you are a winner by any means.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(NB. This post wasn't sponsored by Lloyds - they didn't even ask me to do it - it was written off my own back and I mean every word :)</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com118tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-46727744765485598402013-01-15T19:21:00.001+00:002013-01-15T19:21:43.145+00:002012 In Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Due to ongoing problems I've been having with Google Apps for Business, I have been unable to log into Blogger for ages. Even though it is now mid-January, I'm going to reflect on 2012, as I like to look back over a year and work out what it meant to me and recognise the defining moments throughout it.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">JANUARY</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">January actually changed a lot of things for me. I was in a minor car accident and although this didn't directly have an impact on my life (just my poor car!), the events that panned out in the following hours/days - and the circumstances that evolved from the whole situation - altered the way I look at a lot of things. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the positive things to come from the turbulence was that I moved Little Riot into its first office - the collaborative </span><a href="http://www.ignite100.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ignite100</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> loft in Newcastle. I couldn't have asked for a cooler place, or a better bunch of people to work with. And the good news is, if you fancy it, </span><a href="http://ignite100.com/join-us-desks-for-rent-in-the-ignite100-loft/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">you can come too</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was also video-interviewed for a feature on ABC News New York :) </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FEBRUARY</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well into my burst of Business-related productivity by February, I was lucky enough to be asked to go along to Entrepreneur Week in Athens, Greece. I was part of a delegation along with five other young entrepreneurs, several of whom have become good friends. </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MARCH</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In March I won "Best Start Up" in the Scottish category of the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards. I had a very exciting day in Edinburgh where I pitched to a panel of judges, followed by a swanky lunch at my very own Little Riot table.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few weeks later, I attended the grand final in Liverpool, during the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. I pitched to a pretty cool bunch of people and wore a really epic dress to the black tie dinner, thanks to </span><a href="http://www.coast-stores.com/?lng=en&ctry=GB&" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coast</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> :) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In April I continued to work really hard and also visited John in Dubai. Working hard was a lot easier with a cracking view of Dubai Marina! I had brunch in the Burj Al Arab, which was incredible. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May was a cracking month for press. It started with a double page spread in Scottish newspaper The Courier... and ended up with a mention in Marie Claire magazine, in between a dildo and a sex chair. Sorry, mum. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking back now, all I did in June and July was work flat out. It was a critical time for the company and I gave 110% and then some to make sure everything worked out. The highlight of these months was one rare afternoon when I managed to get out in the sunshine and ride my horse :-)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the start of August I went to the Olympics, after being lucky enough to win tickets at the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards earlier in the year. It was really cool to be part of something so huge and Lloyds spoiled me as a guest.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMhqO7mcnNa5rFPOgsd_U1K6ceDmN0xr3kk_c18bKRUXs20krV7iiBtAntxReWLn2nS1_2_s4U-wXeKfSZBi174NGClU-ClZHrRO8ECC2S9CU2rv4gQJrF0S-2bw8HdJomjEcCK3DIKE/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMhqO7mcnNa5rFPOgsd_U1K6ceDmN0xr3kk_c18bKRUXs20krV7iiBtAntxReWLn2nS1_2_s4U-wXeKfSZBi174NGClU-ClZHrRO8ECC2S9CU2rv4gQJrF0S-2bw8HdJomjEcCK3DIKE/s400/IMG_3250.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMhqO7mcnNa5rFPOgsd_U1K6ceDmN0xr3kk_c18bKRUXs20krV7iiBtAntxReWLn2nS1_2_s4U-wXeKfSZBi174NGClU-ClZHrRO8ECC2S9CU2rv4gQJrF0S-2bw8HdJomjEcCK3DIKE/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also closed a pretty big business deal which has changed my life, business and personal, in both good ways and bad.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SEPTEMBER</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the start of September I visited three cities in Germany as part of a creative business exchange. Myself and Olivia from </span><a href="http://www.blueirisfilms.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blue Iris Films </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">were shown round various agencies, businesses and organisations. The highlight for me was visiting the </span><a href="http://en.red-dot.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Red Dot Design Museum</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2X0ot6ftc2Kvf0aZjU35UIMPQIW3wrslQI64gNY2aqwQ9PH3Ukgff8VyI-zbCiB3x81noHVa4BqZIJnZZdDSXwN34GFgDxfh-X6fsq6q_ZWi2R3SJWxryJ2HD0iKr7gPhD0u_KDs8fU/s1600/IMG_3447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also spent some time in Scotland and celebrated my birthday early, with my best buddies :)</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OCTOBER</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I turned 25 on day three. Half way to fifty, gulp. Spent the day judging the </span><a href="http://www.shelllivewire.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shell LiveWIRE Awards</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and then had a nice, albeit bizarre, night out with people from the office. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Visited Liverpool again as a shortlister in </span><a href="http://www.thepitchuk.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Pitch</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and met some cool people. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ran my first 10k adventure run!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Had a great day in London thanks to Lloyds TSB and their ongoing support of the winners from their Enterprise Awards. It culminated with drinks in the Houses of Parliament. Lovely wine, I can see where my tax is going ;-)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was a finalist the the Woman of the Future Awards and got to met Dame Kelly Holmes and James Caan. Little Riot was also listed in the Real Business/Wonga</span><a href="http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/15771-wonga-future-50---the-class-of-2012" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 'Future 50'</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-qcchm8yHakPe2HrNns7kjz3TcmPChscKv9PrIn0J4ptX_vB74NErYJYbh7eCmMBRYu81b0fTc5Nceh6BO64mxPnaLz40rvdjZZkq8xLWtcaa_x56TgMp-DALWxlPtlY2YkttCbWlN8/s1600/IMG_3834.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-qcchm8yHakPe2HrNns7kjz3TcmPChscKv9PrIn0J4ptX_vB74NErYJYbh7eCmMBRYu81b0fTc5Nceh6BO64mxPnaLz40rvdjZZkq8xLWtcaa_x56TgMp-DALWxlPtlY2YkttCbWlN8/s400/IMG_3834.PNG" width="266" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-qcchm8yHakPe2HrNns7kjz3TcmPChscKv9PrIn0J4ptX_vB74NErYJYbh7eCmMBRYu81b0fTc5Nceh6BO64mxPnaLz40rvdjZZkq8xLWtcaa_x56TgMp-DALWxlPtlY2YkttCbWlN8/s1600/IMG_3834.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also wrote </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/joanna-montgomery/female-entrepreneurs-pretty-face-and-thick-ski_b_2121482.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">my first blog for The Huffington Post</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> which seemed to be well-received. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DECEMBER</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This month was busybusy and then I was wiped out by the flu in the run up to Christmas which was fairly inconvenient! December was the month I finally got to know this year's cohort of </span><a href="http://www.jamesparton.info/ignite100-demo-day-round-up/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ignite100 teams</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which I wish I'd done sooner.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, 2012 was a fairly positive year. A few ups and downs - as with everything - but I'll definitely always look back on it as a good one, overall. Here's hoping 2013 will continue in a similar way! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com187tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-36093119780068796292012-02-28T16:12:00.000+00:002012-02-28T16:12:07.939+00:00Entrepreneur Week Greece 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsw8UaY2X-MnxHUFkmrp1-P73Zr6l9FQRGVfNDTDY_prCe6cCeVcQRuDrK6bQBbVRkIsIhmGWxIjs-Px-NeTJtqZYS-IuE-DJPEOnMXZJ6kxdLEvyBMqpL6wBbO3mcVm3HEO6HaFbroqU/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-02-26+at+20.50.20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsw8UaY2X-MnxHUFkmrp1-P73Zr6l9FQRGVfNDTDY_prCe6cCeVcQRuDrK6bQBbVRkIsIhmGWxIjs-Px-NeTJtqZYS-IuE-DJPEOnMXZJ6kxdLEvyBMqpL6wBbO3mcVm3HEO6HaFbroqU/s320/Screen+shot+2012-02-26+at+20.50.20.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An important part of being an entrepreneur is making sure you walk the walk, as well as talk the talk. Starting a business is always going to be hard - but the current state of the economy almost worldwide means that now is an especially treacherous time to be embarking upon such a venture. Sure, there are challenges - but none are unsurmountable. I am a walking, talking, high-fiving example of how other people's negative attitudes cannot and </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">will not</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> stand in your way if you want something enough. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst I defiantly went out and damn well made it happen, I recognise that such actions do not come easily to everyone. Sometimes people need a spot of encouragement, some inspiration, a little nudge to help them take those first steps. And - even once you've thrown yourself into it - running a start-up is an endless rollercoaster of mind-blowing highs and sleep-destroying lows. It never ends - even when you're a high-flying, successful business person, (I assume!) it's still not always easy. I guess what I'm trying to say is; sometimes everyone needs a little inspiration, support and motivation. And events like Entrepreneur Week are places for entrepreneurs new and established, old and young, to come together.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When </span><a href="http://www.shell-livewire.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shell LiveWIRE</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> asked me if, as a 2011 Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, I would like to attend the event as part of the UK delegation organised by Young Brits, I was really excited. I feel really passionately about both encouraging entrepreneurship amongst others and in widening my horizons. So a few days later, I was on a plane to Athens! A few of my friends and family raised concerns about the recent rioting and protesting in the city, but I figured if there was an Entrepreneur Week event running, there was obviously hope. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The </span><a href="http://www.entrepreneurweek.net/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entrepreneur Week website</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> states; </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We believe there is a mounting global shift toward placing entrepreneurship as the core focus of economic policy and programming in countries around the world. </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At more than any other previous time in history, entrepreneurship has eclipsed the world stage as central to most nation’s efforts to rebuild their economic stability. Leaders are eager to unleash entrepreneurial potential as an economic growth engine and source of job creation."</span></i></span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Parliament Buildings from the entrance to our hotel</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">This is especially striking and relevant for Athens at the moment due to the recent aforementioned troubles, so the event was impeccably timed in that respect. It was strange to arrive at our hotel, located a mere hundred yards from the Parliament building, and see the city square I'd watched fill with angry rioters on TV only a few days before. But I witnessed nothing violent - I observed a few peaceful protests, frustrated citizens raising their concerns to their Government. At no point did I feel unsafe or in any danger. My experience as a visitor Athens as a city was a positive one. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The event kicked off on Thursday. A really poignant quote I heard from during the opening speeches was; </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The crisis in Greece is not a financial one, it is a political one"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I really liked this as it felt optimistic and hopeful and, in my opinion, kicked the summit off to a really good start. We weren't there to talk about the Euro bail-out or the staggering GDP, we were there to discuss opinion and drive change. It lines up perfectly with my opinion of how entrepreneurship should be - get the passion, the people and the objectives right, and worry about the numbers as a secondary concern. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What really stood out for me was the message delivered by </span><a href="http://www.garywhitehill.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gary Whitehill</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the Founder of Entrepeneur Week. He spoke about how </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">passion is scalable</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - again, related slightly back to the point I made above. Get the drive and the determination there, and you are unstoppable. My favourite quote of his was </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"save the entrepreneur, save the world"</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - I felt it really drove home the message we were in Greece to share; that entrepreneurship can save a floundering economy and turn it into something incredible. He made the point that, if you take people who are passionate (but don't necessarily know what they are doing) and put a framework around them, amazing things can happen. More on this later! Gary also participated in panels on the second day; I found him very inspiring, he was definitely my favourite speaker from the event. </span></span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gary Whitehall, Founder of Entrepreneur Week. (Photo shamelessly borrowed from </span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150696349616341.452769.742836340&type=3&l=749dbe4fd9" target="_blank"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Osama Natto's Facebook album</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - lots more great photos there too)</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After networking drinks in a somewhat eccentric Greek bar that evening, day two kicked off. The highlight of this day for me was one of the later sessions in which our UK delegate leader, </span><a href="http://www.mynameisalex.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, was participating. It was titled "The Battle for Athens Centre: Turning a crime zone into a field of creativity". The panel sparked off a really interesting debate in which the audience engaged enthusiastically. How can something destructive be harnessed and then channeled into something more productive? And what steps do we need to take to begin implementing that shift in attitude?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This panel also featured </span><a href="http://www.emprendercuesta.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alvaro Cuesta</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, a Spanish delegate from Madrid who runs a business incubator. I'd been chatting to him earlier in the day and was really shocked to learn that, in Spain, business owners are charged €200 a month of corporation tax from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the day their company is formed</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Horrified, I tweeted about it and kicked off quite an interesting discussion on Twitter. A Greek business owner told me it was a similar story in Greece; entrepreneurs are charged €250 bimonthly per founder, which increases as the company grows in maturity and profit. One entrepreneur who responded is 7 years into his business and now pays €700 every other month in tax.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mynameisalex.co.uk/" target="_blank"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex Mitchell</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, leader of the UK delegation, delivering his session</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Realistically I am not knowledgeable enough to comment on Greek politics, but I can't help but feel that if entrepreneurism is to truly flourish in Greece, this sort of legal structure needs to be revisited. In the 'crime to creativity' session I felt huge empathy for the people I'd seen on the street earlier that day who are troubled by the economic situation in Greece. If you are angered by financial cuts and similar, is entrepreneurship truly going to feel like a desirable and achievable avenue if you are instantly hit with a monthly fee of hundreds of euros? I can say with absolute certainty that there is absolutely no way I would still have my company had I been subject to a similar system. Can anyone truly drive change and hope for an entrepreneurial revolution whilst still allowing archaic and intimidating clauses to inhibit growth? </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This revelation has made me feel incredibly lucky for everything the UK affords me. I have been supported and encouraged on so many levels since I started out, and organisations such as Shell LiveWIRE and others add an extra framework around young entrepreneurs like myself. I believe Greece could really flourish if similar support was made available to young entrepreneurs. </span></span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Turns out I look even tinier than normal when standing next to ancient Greek ruins.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">After a morning of power sight-seeing of Athens by some of the UK delegation Saturday afternoon held a few hours of B2B networking for the delegations from the UK, USA, Belgium, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Hungry, Australia, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and of course, Athens. This was one of the best parts of the event for me - having the opportunity to network with such an eclectic and international collection of people is an opportunity which doesn't present itself every day. I met some incredible people whom I definitely hope to work with in the future. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The things I am taking away from Entrepreneur Week Greece are feelings of hope, gratitude and the re-confirmed belief that passion is the key to driving entrepreneurial growth. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my main observations from the experience was that there was an evident shortage of young people. The UK delegation was by far the youngest - to the extent people were commenting on how amazing it was that we were there. I would really have liked to have seen a greater youth presence because I think we could have really inspired them and encouraged them to think outside the box. Regardless, I am confident that the foundations are being laid for great things. I particularly enjoyed chatting to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/stavmessinis" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stavros Messinis</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, founder of </span><a href="http://colabworkspace.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CoLab</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, a business incubator in Athens. He is an inspiration to his country and I believe he will be a driving force in enhancing enterprise in Athens. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, Entrepreneur Week Greece was an incredible experience and I feel really privileged to have been asked to be a part of it. I have returned home feeling completely exhausted, but my brain is buzzing and I have been inspired by both the people I met and the presentations I watched. My fellow delegates - </span><a href="http://www.weown.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marty</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.learnthrumusic.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nathan</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.culturegroup.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glynn</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://www.mynameisalex.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.safetybox.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nathaniel</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, are an incredible bunch of people and I couldn't have asked for a better gang to network, explore ancient Greek ruins and shake maracas in questionable bars with. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the flight home, I was flicking through the Aegean Airlines in-flight magazine and was really pleased and inspired to see a feature on </span><a href="http://tedxathens.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the recent TEDx event run in Athens</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. I mentioned earlier that Gary had said sometimes all it takes is a framework to bring out the best in people, and it made me smile to see that it's already starting to happen for Athens. Whatever the news channels are playing on your TV - entrepreneurship will prevail in Greece. I know it's there, because for three days, I was a part of it. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many thanks to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/tsigos" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dimitris Tsigos</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, everyone on the </span><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/ewgreece" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EW Greece</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> team, </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/garywhitehill" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gary Whitehall</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://hellenicstartups.gr/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Hellenic Start-Ups Association</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for making it all happen, and of course to </span><a href="http://www.shell-livewire.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shell LiveWIRE</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.mynameisalex.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex Mitchell</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for the opportunity to go. You have inspired me, excited me and compelled me to work even harder. </span></span></div>
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com897tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-17042734363577948732012-02-22T20:02:00.000+00:002012-02-26T20:04:18.950+00:00Enterprise in Athens<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">I graduated from university in Summer 2010. Unlike the previous year's cohort, I didn't quite walk into the darkest months of the recession - but I didn't exactly bound into the working world as a shiny new Bachelor of Science and drown in amazing job offers, either. My exit from education saw me enter a working world that was tentatively trying to keep itself ticking over, bravely trying to hold it's head above the water and prevent another downturn.</span><br />
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When I decided I wanted to start my own business, I was somewhat afraid to say it out loud. My fellow graduates were all frantically job hunting - some gratefully accepting any role they could get - so it seemed almost selfish and whimsical to confess I wanted to do something my own way instead. Truth be told, it received a mixed reaction. My parents, after patiently supporting me through my six years of university (yes, six, you read that correctly) looked like they didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Some of my friends told me it was a "great idea!!" but I could see the looks of "rather you than me, I'll keep job-hunting thankyouverymuch!" flashing across their faces. Sadly, a lot of people were negative about it. My product, Pillow Talk, is obviously very technology-driven and required a lot of initial development funding and I met many people who deemed this a good enough reason to not even try. "We're in a recession" they told me, "you'll never be able to make it happen".</div>
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Well, the joke was on them because within two weeks of officially forming my company, I had Government backing and the funds in place to develop a proof-of-concept prototype. Someone gave me a chance and it was all I needed - and that's how it works. I'm running a start-up now, but it is me - and others like me - who will go on to create jobs and opportunities.</div>
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This week I am visiting Greece as part of the UK delegation attending Entrepreneur Week Greece. I was offered the opportunity by Shell LiveWIRE and I couldn't say yes quick enough. I love enterprise events and meeting other young people who are facing the same challenges as me, so the idea of doing that in another country was naturally very appealing. It may sound silly, but having previously only networked a lot in the UK, having the opportunity to travel abroad feels a lot like I'm stepping up my game! I'm also very proud to have been chosen to represent the UK as an example of a successful young entrepreneur - it's a big honour and a big responsibility.</div>
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I am in Athens with four other young entrepreneurs; <a href="http://www.weown.org/" target="_blank">Marty Bell</a>, <a href="http://www.thesafetybox.org/" target="_blank">Nathaniel Peat</a>, <a href="http://www.culturegroup.co.uk/" target="_blank">Glynn Pegler</a> and <a href="http://www.learnthrumusic.co.uk/" target="_blank">Nathan Dicks</a>, headed up by <a href="http://www.mynameisalex.co.uk/" target="_blank">Alex Mitchell</a>, Co-Founder and Chairman of Young Brits. Starting today, we will participate in three days of panels and discussions about the positive impact entrepreneurship can have on an economy and how young people can be supported and encouraged in such a tough climate and when resources are limited.</div>
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I'm looking forward to learning more about the attitude to entrepreneurship in Greece and exploring any parallels to my experience of starting a business in the UK. It's an amazing experience to network internationally and I suspect the visiting entrepreneurs from around the world will be able to take a lot away from the event. Similarly it will be really interesting to see if, as young British business owners, we can share any of the lessons we have learned along the way with Greek delegates to give them the confidence to pursue entrepreneurship in tough economic times. Looking forward to being a part of it. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-7862845279083661502012-01-23T21:52:00.000+00:002012-01-23T21:55:16.510+00:00Start It Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the end of 2011 I was trying to weigh up the pros and cons of accepting investment for my company, Little Riot. I didn't fully understand the ins and outs of such an undertaking, so my friend at Shell LiveWIRE, <a href="http://plandigital.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Paul Lancaster</a> suggested I checked out Luke Johnson's book, Start It Up.<br />
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Like the keen bean that I am, I ordered it from Amazon. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Start-Up-Running-Business-Easier/dp/0670919411/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327353719&sr=8-1" target="_blank">You can too, if you want,</a> for only £8.60 of your hard earned cash. I know book reviews are generally something most people stopped writing after primary school (literature journalists excluded) so I'll try and keep this brief. In a sentence: if you're running a start up, or thinking about starting a company, read this book.<br />
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If you're still reading, I'll tell you a bit more. If you don't know who Luke Johnson is (I have to admit, I didn't either) I can't really sum his business achievements up in a paragraph, so all you probably need to know is that he took over Pizza Express and grew it from a collection of 12 restaurants, to 250. He's also a chairman of the RSA and the former chairman of Channel 4. And somehow, he has effortlessly channeled his many years of experience into one book.<br />
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The content is spot on. There's no messing around; the mix of guidance and practical advice is easily swallowed because it is peppered with real-life situations Johnson himself has navigated. His writing style is conversational, direct and down to earth. He doesn't throw around all those big words that strike fear into even the most budding of entrepreneurs.<br />
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I primarily read the book for for the financial advice, and it was a great place to start. There is a succinct but clear rundown of the common sources of finance available to most start-ups. At the time of reading, I felt the chapter was quite short, as realistically I was probably looking for a bit more detail... but then afterwards, I realised most of my confusion came from not really understanding what each of my options actually involved. So in hindsight, it was a great starting point - I found out what I needed to know and therefore which one I wished to research further (angel investment, if you're wondering).<br />
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My other favourite thing about the book is the way it addresses the "are entrepreneurs born or made?" debate; ie. can you teach someone to be entrepreneurial and business minded, or does it come naturally to a certain 'kind' of person. Johnson reckons the most important characteristic to have is the ability to make decisions, in a term he calls 'a bias for action'.<br />
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<i>"They are not the same as other people. They have an ambition, a competitive urge and a lust to take risks that is way beyond the norm"</i></blockquote>
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However, he then goes on to agree that nurture can too an entrepreneur make. He believes the key ingredients of a good businessman/woman emerge from a mixture of hard work, their upbringing and hands-on experience. Overall, he puts forward several compelling arguments for both sides of the endless debate, leaving the reader to ultimately make up their own mind.<br />
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Overall, the book was a good read and probably one of the better business books I have read. It was interesting, engaging and actually quite hard to put down. It serves its purpose as a motivating, all round business book. If you take nothing else away from it (unlikely) - you will at least learn some interesting business facts. Did you know that KFC's "Colonel" Sanders' founded his chicken empire at 47, but it didn't take off until he was nearly bankrupt at the ripe old age of 66?<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-26721273366703895892012-01-03T20:11:00.000+00:002012-01-03T21:44:09.024+00:00My 2011I am aware that today, the 3rd of January, is decidedly past the date unto which 2011 year summaries are deemed acceptable. Fortunately, I don't mind being unacceptable, and I've had a pretty stellar year, so I've decided to blog about it anyway. Sorry :-)<br />
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<b>January</b><br />
- Saw in the New Year in Dundee with my best, Scottish, friends; <a href="http://www.jenstrachan.com/" target="_blank">Jen</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/keirandogg" target="_blank">Keiran</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/MissCMillar" target="_blank">Carol</a> and <a href="http://www.pauljcreegan.com/" target="_blank">Paul</a><br />
- Started developing Pillow Talk's first prototype after winning £25,000 at the end of 2010<br />
- Was interviewed and accepted onto Cultural Enterprise Office's "Starter for 6" programme<br />
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<b>February</b><br />
- Went to Dublin! Few personal dramas.<br />
- Secured £3k of funding to conduct an IP Audit on Pillow Talk<br />
- Met Ben Folds in Glasgow<br />
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<b>March</b><br />
- This was a very stressful month, with subcontractors letting me down and lots of deadlines<br />
- Finalist in Newcastle University's 'Enterprise Challenge'<br />
- Did a pretty cool project with Newcastle Council looking at how to raise awareness of public art in the city<br />
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<b>April</b><br />
- Went to London to compete as a finalist in the "Disruptive Enterprise" category of NACUE's National Varsity Pitch Competition... and won! :)<br />
- Won a scholarship to <a href="http://www.pmn.co.uk/" target="_blank">MEX Conference</a> in London<br />
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<b>May</b><br />
- Pitched to an auditorium of people at the British Library as a finalist in the National Varsity Pitch Competition and won £10,000!<br />
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<b>June</b><br />
- Won a Shell LiveWIRE 'Grand Ideas' Award<br />
- Got a pretty insane amount of press thanks to <a href="http://www.shelllivewire.org/" target="_blank">Shell LiveWIRE</a> and Jonathan at <a href="http://www.wavepr.com/" target="_blank">Wave PR</a><br />
- Found <a href="http://www.mesodesign.com/" target="_blank">Meso</a>, my amazing, amazing new product design company who have been a breath of fresh air in Pillow Talk's development process<br />
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<b>July</b><br />
- Reached the end of the six month 'Starter for 6' programme and pitched for funding<br />
- 2 years with John. He was at sea, naturally.<br />
- Went to T in the Park with Jen<br />
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<b>August</b><br />
- Went on holiday to Lanzarote<br />
- Found out I'd secured £10,000 of funding after my pitch at the end of Starter for 6<br />
- My car came back from a BMW service, started making a funny noise and they tried to get me to pay over £3,000 to fix it. Still haven't won that battle.<br />
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<b>September</b><br />
- Busy month!<br />
- Won a Smarta 100 Award and hung out with Deborah Meaden at the awards ceremony in London<br />
- Headed to Sheffield for <a href="http://www.madefestival.com/" target="_blank">MADE Festival</a><br />
- Won 'The Pitch' competition at aforementioned festival<br />
- Gave my first ever proper, teaching-y lecture at Dundee University<br />
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<b>October</b><br />
- I turned 24 and celebrated in Scotland with a nice meal with my closest friends<br />
- Found out I was a finalist in the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards<br />
- Worked with <a href="http://www.wearesnook.com/" target="_blank">Snook</a> on a project for people with Dementia<br />
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<b>November</b><br />
- Definitely the most exciting month of this year! Got so much press and publicity including three radio interviews.<br />
- Travelled to London and spent an amazing few days being judged as a 'young entrepreneur' and experiencing Shell LiveWIRE LIVE!<br />
- Also went to London to speak on a panel of young entrepreneurs during Global Entrepreneurship Week and met some pretty awesome contacts<br />
- Pillow Talk was featured on CNN and my inbox reached a whole new level<br />
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<b>December</b><br />
- Pillow Talk properly entered its final phase of product design, the end is in sight!<br />
- Inbox hit 20,000+ unread emails.<br />
- Full page spread in the Daily Record<br />
- One of my best friends, and the guy who introduced me to John, got married and I photographed his wedding.<br />
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<b>2012</b> is going to be my year. Pillow Talk is going to launch and I'm going to go from running a small start-up to being in charge of a global, internationally-exporting company. This is the beginning of something incredible and I can't wait.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-37168223864038940152011-11-26T23:49:00.001+00:002011-11-27T19:02:19.245+00:00Shell LiveWIRE LIVE! 2011<span id="goog_1369630894"></span><span id="goog_1369630895"></span><br />
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(With YO! Sushi Founder Simon Woodroffe and Shell's John MacArthur)</div>
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Since starting Little Riot in September last year, one of the best business support organisations I have come across is <a href="http://www.shell-livewire.org/" target="_blank">Shell LiveWIRE</a>. The longest-running enterprise support programme in the UK (30 years!), the organisation supports young people aged 16-30 who want to start, or have recently started, their own business. They are best known for their "Grand Ideas Awards", a monthly competition in which budding entrepreneurs can apply to be in with a chance of winning £1,000. If you make it through the first round of judging, you are then invited to submit a one minute elevator pitch video which is then subject to public vote via the Shell LiveWIRE website. They give away up to 5 awards of £1000 every month.<br />
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I won a Grand Ideas Award back in June and, at the time, had little idea of what was yet to come. In October I was honoured find out I'd made it into the "Hot 40" - a list of the top Grand Ideas winners from the past year. Never for a minute expecting anything further, I was amazed when I received a phonecall to say I was one of the 8 finalists in the running to become Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year.<br />
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(Article in the North East Journal, October 2011)</div>
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That day kick started an incredible few weeks for myself as a young businessperson and for Little Riot as a company. One of the greatest things about Shell LiveWIRE is the publicity they have the power to generate - I received a lot of press after winning my Grand Ideas Award and they certainly weren't holding back this time around either. As the only Scottish finalist, I was lucky enough to have Jonathan from <a href="http://www.wavepr.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wave PR</a> as my "right hand PR man" and he did an absolutely phenomenal job in generating a lot of buzz around both my company and myself as a finalist. If you you're based in Scotland, I genuinely couldn't recommend him enough - as well as being amazing at his job, he's also an incredibly nice person who is always at the other end of the phone whenever I need advice. I had a whirlwind time in the run up to my departure for London, squeezing in the submission of a business plan and other supporting documents to Shell LiveWIRE (for the judging process) around various radio interviews and photo shoots.<br />
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On November 7th, in quite a last minute aaah-what's-happening-to-me flap, I rolled into London, arriving the night before the judging day. I checked into <a href="http://www.doylecollection.com/locations/london_city_hotels/the_bloomsbury_hotel.aspx" target="_blank">The Bloomsbury Hotel</a> - which I also highly recommend if you're looking for somewhere to stay in London - and the next day I headed off to the Shell Centre to meet the other 7 finalists. We had an intense day - we all had to deliver a 10 minute presentation to one panel of judges, and were interviewed for half an hour by another. With that all done and dusted, we were glad to spend the evening enjoying dinner and drinks with the Shell LiveWIRE team. With the decision made, we just had a nail-biting wait until the LIVE! event the following day.<br />
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(Will King from King of Shaves)</div>
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The day's activities, at the Southbank Centre, included talks from the likes of Will King (King of Shaves) and Brad Burton from 4Networking. As ever with Shell LiveWIRE, the content and speakers were spot on for the audience - relevant, interesting and highly motivating for the several hundred young entrepreneurs in attendance. The 8 finalists sat close to the front, torn between savouring the afternoon and wishing it away to get to the part we'd all been waiting for; the evening event and hence the announcement of Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year.<br />
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After Brad Burton wrapped up with his motivational "Get Off Your Arse" talk (also the title of his book!) everyone headed back over to the Shell Centre for the evening event. For the finalists, this was an amazing opportunity for us to network and make connections. Each of us had an exhibition table on which we could display our products or offer leaflets etc. I took the opportunity to showcase my Pillow Talk prototype - I do this at every opportunity I get, as it's really fascinating/inspiring to see people's reactions when they actually experience the product, rather than just read about it. Simon Woodroffe of YO! Sushi had lots of nice things to say about it!<br />
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After lots of pillows (but definitely not enough canapes or wine) we all took our seats and Oli Barrett took to the podium, cracking out several bad jokes over the course of the evening. Simon Woodroffe gave an absolutely hilarious talk - the man is wasted in sushi! Each of the 8 finalists then spoke to the audience for 60 seconds about their idea (Oli Barrett: "Joanna, when you ask for investment do people say "let me sleep on it?"")... and then came the moment we'd all been waiting for; the final announcement.<br />
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Michael Korn of <a href="http://www.kwickscreen.com/" target="_blank">Kwickscreen</a> was announced as Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year - so well done to him! Definitely well deserved; he has organically grown his company from an idea to where it is now and is entirely self-funded. For the "unlucky" other finalists - well, what can I say? I don't really feel like I lost! I still came away from the whole experience feeling like a winner. I had an absolutely incredible time, met some amazing people, made some valuable connections - and I got a bottle of champagne for being a finalists! No one's a loser when there's champagne involved.<br />
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The other finalists - and now my friends - were Rosemary Francis (<a href="http://www.ellexus.com/" target="_blank">Ellexus</a>), Isabel Lizardi (<a href="http://bareconductive.com/" target="_blank">Bare Conductive</a>), David Grimes (<a href="http://myParcelDelivery.com/">myParcelDelivery.com</a>), Lawrence Kemball-Cook (<a href="http://www.pavegen.com/" target="_blank">Pavegen</a>), Chris Dodson (<a href="http://www.conceptcupboard.com/" target="_blank">Concept Cupboard</a>) and Christopher Yeomans (Estriatus Energy). Stiff competition, and a bunch of people I'm happy to be placed amongst.<br />
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All in all, Shell LiveWIRE LIVE! was an incredible experience and I'll definitely be heading back next year to see what 2012 has to offer. Thank you to the Shell LiveWIRE team for treating us so well and making the whole thing so amazing - hats off to Stu, Anna, Erin, Mark, Paul and also John and Wendy. I'm honoured to have been a part of it all and I'm sure I'll be reaping the benefits of the event for many months to come.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-29210716556444661592011-10-01T20:31:00.000+01:002011-10-01T20:31:19.362+01:00Lecture: Pitching and Presenting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62623721@N02/">Lena Blackstock</a> :)</div>
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My ex-lecturer and now friend, <a href="http://mikepress.wordpress.com/">Professor Mike Press</a>, last week invited me to <a href="http://djcad.dundee.ac.uk/">Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design</a> to deliver a lecture to the Master of Design and Master of Design Ethnography students and teach them how to pitch an idea persuasively and present themselves as people.<br />
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After panicking for a little while, failing to think of a good excuse as to why I couldn't do it and then trying to opt-out regardless, I eventually decided to man up and get on with it. It was a new challenge for me; I've pitched and presented a lot over the past year, but it's always been about my product, my company or myself. I've spoken at young enterprise events about my journey so far and what others can learn from it, but as I'm sure everyone knows - <i>talking about yourself is easy</i>. What isn't easy is establishing the best way to impart your knowledge unto others; how do you choose what to tell them? How do you structure it in such a way that it is not only easy to understand, but absorb? How do you ensure they learn something from it? It's a whole different ballgame from pitching and one I wasn't sure I would excel at.<br />
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I was feeling pretty apprehensive about trying to "impart my knowledge" for a whole 60 minutes, but fortunately the class were a good bunch and I think it went okay. Despite my fears, turns out I can talk for nearly an hour <i>no</i> bother! It was actually really good fun, sharing what I know with other people and hoping that they learned something from it. Definitely open to the idea of doing more in the future.<br />
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I've since come across some notes taken by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61998023@N03/">Jamie Thoms</a> during my lecture - aren't they beautiful? I find them really inspiring as it's really interesting to see how someone has interpreted what I've said (the fact he wasn't asleep at any stage throughout is also a bonus as far as I'm concerned!)<br />
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Thank you very much to Mike and DJCAD for having me, as well as the MDes and DesEtho guys for being such a great audience. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-26708717401855633952011-09-05T22:35:00.003+01:002011-09-05T22:39:13.402+01:00The Apple Logo<br />
The Apple logo. Is there a more recognised logo worldwide? It must be up there in the top few. This logo is a real success story; it's been around for 34 years and, save colour/texture changes, has remained the same. Not many logos can say that.<br />
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Today I read <a href="http://creativebits.org/interview/interview_rob_janoff_designer_apple_logo">an interview with Rob Janoff</a>, the graphic designer behind the Apple logo. It's a pretty interesting insight into the mind of a designer who kicked things off for a brand that has ultimately been so successful, people get the logo tattooed on themselves. How many companies can say their brand is so strong, their customers want it permanently on their bodies? Not many.<br />
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I won't share the whole thing, just my favourite part. Before I read this, I presumed that Apple would have hired the cream of the crop and that the design process would have been a laboured, intensive process. If I was a graphic designer, I'd probably want to know this guy's secret. It's pretty eye-opening, and really refreshing to see that even Apple were a start-up too once - only giving a brief of "don't make it too cute".<br />
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<blockquote>
"Well, I'm probably the least religious person, so Adam and Eve didn't have anything to do with it. The bite of knowledge sounds fabulous, but that's not it. And, there is a whole lot of other lure about it. Turing the famous supposed father of computer science who committed suicide in the early 50's was british and was accused of being homosexual, which he was. He was facing a jail sentence so he committed suicide to avoid all that. So, I heard one of the legends being that the colored logo was an homage to him. People think I did the colored stripes because of the gay flag. And, that was something really thought for a long time. The other really cool part was that apparently he killed himself with a cyanide laced apple. And, then I found out Alan Turing's favorite childhood story was Snow White where she falls asleep forever for eating a poisoned apple to be woken up by the handsome prince. Anyway, when I explain the real reason why I did the bite it's kind of a let down. But I'll tell you. I designed it with a bite for scale, so people get that it was an apple not a cherry. Also it was kind of iconic about taking a bite out of an apple. Something that everyone can experience. It goes across cultures. If anybody ever had an apple he probably bitten into it and that's what you get. It was after I designed it, that my creative director told me: "Well you know, there is a computer term called byte". And I was like: "You're kidding!" </blockquote>
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Part of me kind of wishes Steve Jobs had designed it, though. I still feel such a sense of "ownership" to my company... I contemplated hiring a graphic designer, but at the moment my company is ME and I wanted to retain, or at least be a part of, what defines it visually.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com107tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-88287301132732706052011-04-22T00:42:00.000+01:002011-04-22T00:42:30.199+01:0020 Reasons Why People Get Their Best Ideas in the Shower<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Today I found an <a href="http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2011/04/20_reasons_why_1.shtml">article</a> on 20 reasons why many people get their best ideas in the shower. It's so true! So I thought I'd share it - some interesting points here, I'd be interested to know if there's any real science/psychology behind it. </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">1. Showering signals "a new day" or "new beginning."</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">2. You're usually alone, with time to reflect.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">3. Interruptions are rare.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">4. The rush of water creates a kind of "white noise" that makes concentration easier.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">5. Shower stalls look like little incubation chambers.</div><div id="a001133more" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div id="more" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">6. Water is associated with "contemplation" (i.e. sitting near a river, lake, or ocean.)</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">7. Showering is a metaphor for "getting rid of the dirt" -- the stuff that covers up what's beneath.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">8. Showering is a ritual. Lots of creative people like to have little rituals to get their head in the right place.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">9. You can write your ideas on the walls with a water soluble pen.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">10. There's not a lot of judgment or analysis going on in a shower.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">11. A hot shower opens the pores -- and by extension, maybe the mind.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">12. Showering wakes up you. It makes you more alert.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">13. Showering is a relaxing and stress free experience. With nothing to stress about, your mind is free to roam new territories.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">14. If you shampoo, you're massaging your head. That's gotta be good.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">15. It's hard to check your iphone or Blackberry in a shower.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">16. Albert Einstein also did his best thinking near a shower. ("Why is it I always get my best ideas while shaving?")</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">17. Water is associated with "flow." Being in the "flow state" is often a precursor to creative thinking.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">18. There is no deliverable expected of you.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">19. If you shower with a friend, and he/she happens to be in a brainstorming mode, lots of great ideas get sparked.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">20. Showering is easy. Not a lot of thinking is required to make it happen, which frees your mind to think about other things.</div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-45612922176105039682011-03-20T03:22:00.002+00:002011-03-20T03:24:27.956+00:00SleepGosh, I haven't updated since January! I'm a bad blogger. I've been run off my feet lately - things at my company <a href="http://www.littleriot.co.uk/">Little Riot</a> are getting pretty hectic. Pillow Talk is nearing the end of its £25,000 development phase and is being developed for the commercial market. This time last year I don't think I'd even come up with the idea, it blows my mind how quickly it's all happened.<br />
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Sadly, one of the downsides of being constantly stressed out and having to think about 100 different things at once, is lack of sleep. I also hurt my back a few weeks ago which added to the problem - it's even harder to relax when all the muscles you're lying on are really tense/tight. I was doing some research online about sleep, and came across this rather interesting graphic, which I thought I'd share with you all.<br />
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<a href="http://www.psychologydegree.net/facts-about-sleep"><img alt="16 Things You Didn't Know About Sleep" border="0" src="http://images.psychologydegree.net.s3.amazonaws.com/sleep.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Via: <a href="http://www.psychologydegree.net/">Psychology Degree</a><br />
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Not that it's of any interest, but for the record I went to a chiropractor and got my back fixed. It was SERIOUSLY AMAZING. Best £40 I've ever spent - felt a million times better afterwards and had such a great sleep that night. Wish I hadn't waited so long! Never again will I put up with back pain for over a week when some magical man can crack it all out of me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-13096341541649314352010-12-31T01:53:00.000+00:002010-12-31T01:53:50.216+00:00My 2010A year coming to an end always makes me slightly nostalgic and reflective. I like to look back at my year and summarised the main events of each month and what they've meant to me. So, this is my 2010.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>JANUARY</b><br />
Saw in the New Year at a pretty good house party/fire/BBQ in Dundee.<br />
John took me to Egypt for my Christmas present, it was amazing.<br />
Started the home run towards my final degree project.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://l8.sphotos.l3.fbcdn.net/hphotos-l3-snc3/hs146.snc3/17353_512741512635_289400272_660615_3887826_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://l8.sphotos.l3.fbcdn.net/hphotos-l3-snc3/hs146.snc3/17353_512741512635_289400272_660615_3887826_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs196.snc3/20339_513224619485_289400458_684252_7392511_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs196.snc3/20339_513224619485_289400458_684252_7392511_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs176.snc3/20339_513224774175_289400458_684283_2919217_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs176.snc3/20339_513224774175_289400458_684283_2919217_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>FEBRUARY</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lots of nights out!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Was hating my degree project</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spent a lot of time discussing my life with the cat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">John spoiled me rotten on Valentines Day</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs176.snc3/20339_513302613185_289400458_687012_3856693_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs176.snc3/20339_513302613185_289400458_687012_3856693_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs535.ash1/31348_514969847035_289400458_748048_2890698_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs535.ash1/31348_514969847035_289400458_748048_2890698_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/65944576.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1293754548&Signature=d2Nq5PHUaTRKirGl8oUApOMlp88%3D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/65944576.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1293754548&Signature=d2Nq5PHUaTRKirGl8oUApOMlp88%3D" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>MARCH</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tache Bash, the fundraising event for our degree show</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Changed my project idea 6 weeks before the end of the year - BEST THING I EVER DID.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pretty much just slaved away for all of March doing project work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs477.ash1/26148_513862196775_289400453_709516_5568384_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs477.ash1/26148_513862196775_289400453_709516_5568384_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://c0573862.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/1/0/11201/138095/Screen%20shot%202010-03-24%20at%2020.47.15_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://c0573862.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/1/0/11201/138095/Screen%20shot%202010-03-24%20at%2020.47.15_640.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs126.snc3/17369_620582023728_223702438_9168350_5320416_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs126.snc3/17369_620582023728_223702438_9168350_5320416_n.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>APRIL</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Didn't eat or sleep for weeks as I frantically worked on my project</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pillow Talk went viral</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Got featured on Gizmodo which, it's safe to say, has changed my life</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Apparently didn't take many photos as I was so busy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My horse kept me sane</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://c0573862.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/1/0/11201/125423/Screen%20shot%202010-05-07%20at%2023.54.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://c0573862.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/1/0/11201/125423/Screen%20shot%202010-05-07%20at%2023.54.00.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs535.ash1/31348_514969876975_289400458_748051_2017113_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs535.ash1/31348_514969876975_289400458_748051_2017113_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>MAY</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Where do I start? Gave my final ever presentation at uni.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Was awarded a First Class Honours degree.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Degree Show opened.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saw the true colours of some of my "friends".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Was interviewed on BBC Radio and made the front cover of a National newspaper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Photographed my first wedding</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs634.snc3/31795_515281317845_289400458_758536_3965736_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs634.snc3/31795_515281317845_289400458_758536_3965736_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs544.ash1/31795_515281312855_289400458_758535_934698_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs544.ash1/31795_515281312855_289400458_758535_934698_n.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://c0573862.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/1/0/11201/125423/IMG_0180_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://c0573862.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/1/0/11201/125423/IMG_0180_640.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>JUNE</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Graduated from uni!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Went to grad ball</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Drank my own bodyweight in champagne</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Did a lot of Freelance work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Spent a lovely weekend in Loch Lomond with John and his family</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Was offered a PhD place at Newcastle uni.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs037.snc4/34231_515981389895_289400458_794432_2751423_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs037.snc4/34231_515981389895_289400458_794432_2751423_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs013.snc4/34006_515981928815_289400458_794472_2965069_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs013.snc4/34006_515981928815_289400458_794472_2965069_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(These are my two best friends in the whole world)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs033.snc4/34006_515982093485_289400458_794503_4536344_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs033.snc4/34006_515982093485_289400458_794503_4536344_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/full/113490656.png?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1293756162&Signature=%2Bq6sack8sjolsoA3W5JsHcg475g%3D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/full/113490656.png?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1293756162&Signature=%2Bq6sack8sjolsoA3W5JsHcg475g%3D" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>JULY</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Went to T in the Park</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Chilled the hell out since uni was finished.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Grew a giant courgette.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Drove a lot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Celebrated one year with John. Well, I did, he was at sea!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b198/violentsmile2/IMG_0210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b198/violentsmile2/IMG_0210.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs129.ash2/39783_516909190575_289400458_841059_4811989_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs129.ash2/39783_516909190575_289400458_841059_4811989_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>AUGUST</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pretty much just went on holiday a lot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Went to Greece with John.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Went to France with John to visit my folks at their house there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Had my PhD offer pulled out from under my feet and was suddenly left questioning what to do with the rest of my life again</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs211.ash2/47470_470165341279_643171279_7024024_3220243_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs211.ash2/47470_470165341279_643171279_7024024_3220243_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs609.snc4/58965_517854416335_289400458_884313_6525992_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs609.snc4/58965_517854416335_289400458_884313_6525992_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>SEPTEMBER</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Moved to Newcastle</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Started my own company</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Started a Masters of Research at Newcastle University</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Did a LOT of paperwork in my newfound Director role</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/167638426.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1293758668&Signature=BSgvJw9zDRug35OcinK4Glb%2FINE%3D" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/167638426.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1293758668&Signature=BSgvJw9zDRug35OcinK4Glb%2FINE%3D" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>OCTOBER</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Turned 23! Worst birthday ever, alone in Newcastle hardly knowing anyone. Spent it at the aquarium with my 3yr old pseudo-nephew, who also shares my birthday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Won £25,000 the week after which kind of made up for it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Went to London.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Presented Pillow Talk at the Innovate 10 Conference</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Met some old friends :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b198/violentsmile2/IMG_0353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b198/violentsmile2/IMG_0353.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b198/violentsmile2/IMG_0364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b198/violentsmile2/IMG_0364.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkGllU5AP6HoRGwqx1o5V6Yrl-9yGAYky-56Gf6XLYXxsTYlU4j0rydzA8ZKJytOM66mPRUqRnW7rXofa82vJxmQwE1JpE_JQnprGaQ8gtF4-GZsvNIEeSnUD7H-aavIv64sl9pRv5CU/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-12-31+at+01.23.38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkGllU5AP6HoRGwqx1o5V6Yrl-9yGAYky-56Gf6XLYXxsTYlU4j0rydzA8ZKJytOM66mPRUqRnW7rXofa82vJxmQwE1JpE_JQnprGaQ8gtF4-GZsvNIEeSnUD7H-aavIv64sl9pRv5CU/s400/Screen+shot+2010-12-31+at+01.23.38.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>NOVEMBER</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">November was bad for a variety of reasons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But it still had its good parts... like going to Spain</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs968.snc4/76122_10150095444316280_643171279_7683211_3622844_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs968.snc4/76122_10150095444316280_643171279_7683211_3622844_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1196.snc4/154800_10150095441156280_643171279_7683103_6158407_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1196.snc4/154800_10150095441156280_643171279_7683103_6158407_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1142.snc4/148397_10150095443986280_643171279_7683198_4238619_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1142.snc4/148397_10150095443986280_643171279_7683198_4238619_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>DECEMBER</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally started to feel settled in Newcastle</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Drank more jagerbombs in one night than I will ever again, across the rest of my life!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Home to Scotland for Christmas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs695.snc4/63563_10150103498276280_643171279_7799782_8359346_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs695.snc4/63563_10150103498276280_643171279_7799782_8359346_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all, it's been a funny year. It saw my last year of university, the last time I would enjoy the company of all the people I spent the best four years of my life with. It saw the end of four years of studying, of blood sweat and tears, becoming one single certificate which will define my career prospects for decades to come. Two thousand and ten was a year which, for me, held a huge life transition. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And let's not forget the people. I found out in 2010 that a lot of people weren't who I really thought they were (or perhaps I wasn't who they thought I was?) But either way, as the year draws to a close, I call far less people my friends. This doesn't bother me - those I have lost were not worth my time, and those who remain will stay with me forever. Jen will forever be my best friend, and I'll never forget the loyalty of Keiran and - until nearer the end - Neil. I suppose, in a way, 2010 has shown me what I expect from people and who I can expect it from. It has also carried through some old friendships which, through thick and thin, only become stronger for each New Year they see (Ross, I'm looking at you).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two thousand and ten started okay, slid into a Springtime Slump and then gave me everything I could have asked for in the summer. Autumn was hard, harder still, but I'm approaching 2011 with a strange sense of optimism. I hope you all have a good one too. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-37714435459961050562010-12-23T01:06:00.001+00:002010-12-23T01:07:14.088+00:00Russell Brand on Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ld3xw1OISH1qzd378o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ld3xw1OISH1qzd378o1_500.jpg" width="365" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Russell Brand writing about Katy Perry. I don't like Russell Brand in the slightest, but this is lovely. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-54296466055774551412010-11-25T15:26:00.002+00:002010-11-25T15:26:23.308+00:00Trust<div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>–noun</i></b></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>1.</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #7b7b7b;"><b> </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.</span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><b>2.</b> confident expectation of something; hope.</div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>–verb </i></b></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>3</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #7b7b7b;"><b>. </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on.</span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>4.</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #7b7b7b;"><b> </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">to believe.</span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>5.</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #7b7b7b;"><b> </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">to expect confidently; hope (usually fol. by a clause or infinitive as object): <i>trusting the job would soon be finished; trusting to find oil on the land.</i></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 13.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Trust. What is trust? We use the word so boldly but do we ever stop to question what it really means? We talk about it with family, with friends and with colleagues. We talk about it online and offline, it is responsible for our deepest secrets and for the successful completion of many daily tasks. We are defining it, outlining it and promoting it to each other, but the definition of trust seems less concrete. As I battle the ups and downs of various situations life throws at me, I am finding myself becoming more aware of what moves me to “trust” - and what undermines that. </span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There are so many different kinds of trust. I trust my parents to love me unconditionally no matter what decisions I make in life. I trust my boyfriend not to cheat on me. I trust online shops to send me the items I have paid for. Is any kind of trust more important than another? </span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The birth and creation of trust is a grey area. Trusting someone should be hard but we seem to accept that it is a necessary starting point in any relationship or friendship. Where do we find it in ourselves? Trust opens us up and presents our vulnerability to anyone we bestow it upon. It exposes us in a way few other emotional commitments do. In doing this, we expect our openness to be treated with respect and our disadvantages and weaknesses not to be taken advantage of. As individuals, we have to do this in good faith. But how do you prove this trust? <i>Can </i>it be proved? People have many flaws but we are all so beautifully raw and vulnerable when we initially interact with people. We can be guarded and attempt to shield our cores but ultimately, we have to trust based upon nothing. </span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The reality is, our ability to trust is probably one of our purest traits as human beings. Truth can be so easily lost. Once the damage is done, the notion that you might ever trust that person again can feel impossible. When we are hurt or betrayed by someone and the trust is no longer complete, we find it difficult to expose ourselves again. It takes this “proof” that we cannot trust them before we experience the doubt, yet we trust so openly and completely in the beginning with no solid foundations. </span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’ve been thinking about this for days but I still don’t know what trust is. All is know is that trust is both brave and vulnerable. Trust is not sparing my feelings. Trust is the hard truth spoken gently. We can lose it before we have it or find where we least expect it. Trust can be given, but not invented, stolen, or demanded.</span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #333233; font: 11.0px Verdana; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The painful truth about trust is that, once it is shattered, we cannot glue it back together. Like good health, generosity, or love, we are most reminded of its value when it is gone. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-32038400058510466122010-10-24T01:23:00.000+01:002010-10-24T01:23:19.733+01:00A Week in October<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0sWtc2orklVqbFZtuQv_JLrJj7e82GKwTyVrKlX5LECzATbf-E0kyQbq8aa59b9CaPbaXxRUYdqXxyryL4s_DE3vwc9DCyMW52qFBpyiV0nJXCXebM7Q1SnK-gVZXzeGNDZ8h_UwdJs/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-10-24+at+00.58.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0sWtc2orklVqbFZtuQv_JLrJj7e82GKwTyVrKlX5LECzATbf-E0kyQbq8aa59b9CaPbaXxRUYdqXxyryL4s_DE3vwc9DCyMW52qFBpyiV0nJXCXebM7Q1SnK-gVZXzeGNDZ8h_UwdJs/s400/Screen+shot+2010-10-24+at+00.58.58.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">photo: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbrightwell/4322532411/">dbrightwell</a></span></div><br />
About four weeks ago I moved to Newcastle or, more specifically, to a little coastal town to the South East (I think, don't quote me on it) of the city. I'm not sure if I'm officially in Whitley Bay or not, but I do know that I'm close enough to the beach to enjoy it whenever I want. I've had a couple of long walks along it this week but, in a sea of dog walkers, I felt a bit out of place.<br />
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I moved here to live with my boyfriend but he works at sea and is away at the moment so I've had a lot of time to explore the local area. Whitley Bay seems to be quite cheap and cheerful in areas, the street with all the bars/pubs is quite the meat market on a Saturday night! However the town centre does have lots of teashops, and I am a sucker for a good teashop. I also live across the road from a bakery which sells pretty epic cupcakes, so all in all I hope this is going to be a good place for me.<br />
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Other things I've enjoyed this week:<br />
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<ul><li>Coffee with <a href="http://katytrouble.blogspot.com/">Katy Trouble</a> - a very talented little lady, well worth reading</li>
<li><a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/goodbye-new-york-thanks-for-breaking-my-heart/">Goodbye, New York, and Thanks for Breaking my Heart</a> - the NY Times is one of my favourite online reads and this article struck a chord with me for some reason</li>
<li><a href="http://news.uk.msn.com/world/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=155061546">15 Signs You'll Be Rich</a> - some interesting statistics on wage statistics. Sadly being small and rotund, things aren't looking good for me. But hey, being blonde counts for something apparently</li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS3Olh9DnaE">Unicorn After Wisdom Teeth</a> - so funny, not sure how I haven't seen this before now!</li>
</ul><div>xo</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-1055142399734063812010-10-17T23:49:00.003+01:002010-10-17T23:51:58.325+01:00Back in the GameI've been really caught up in various things over the past couple of months, so I'm ashamed to say I haven't found time to update since July! However, I am back now so hopefully I'll manage to write more often.<br />
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I spent my summer thinking I would be beginning a PhD at <a href="http://www.ncl.ac.uk/culturelab/">Culture Lab</a> in Newcastle this month, but at the end of August I was told my funding had fallen through. At the time I was devastaed, but my mother always tells me that everything happens for a reason - and only good things have happened to me since.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.littleriot.co.uk/"><img alt="" border="0" height="108" src="http://www.joannamontgomery.co.uk/littleriotcreativeinteractiondesign.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="379" /></a></div><br />
In September I founded my own company, <a href="http://www.littleriot.co.uk/">Little Riot Ltd</a>. I have a lot of ideas but felt I needed a platform on which to develop them, so Little Riot has been set up as an interaction design company. I'm primarily doing research at the moment, but I'm also going to channel my consultancy and freelance work through it.<br />
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I'm also thrilled to be able to say I won £25,000 to develop <a href="http://www.joannamontgomery.com/#138095/Pillow-Talk">Pillow Talk</a>, my degree project. The lovely people at the <a href="http://www.innovateuk.org/">Technology Strategy Board</a> selected me as one of the three winners in their recent "Disruptive Solutions" competition, so I am now able to finally start pushing the concept towards market. I also got to present my work to a live audience at the Innovate 10 conference - it was really strange to be a "business woman" (I had to wear smart clothes and everything!) but I got some pretty good feedback about what I'm doing. I have several people interested in collaborating with me or using my concepts so fingers crossed there are lots of exciting things to come.<br />
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It's a huge opportunity and I'm both proud of myself and incredibly grateful to have gained the support. As a graduate, I am really lucky to be working on my own projects and interests instead of slaving away for a larger corporation. Still very much living the life of a poor student, but hopefully that will start to change in time.<br />
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I'm also doing a Masters/some research work at Culture Lab, a part of Newcastle University. I think I've really lucked out with it to be honest; I am part of a very small group of people who are resident researchers within the lab. We spend the year working on our own interests and projects, and at the end of the year we write it up and will receive a Masters degree for it. It only came about when my PhD fell through, but I think it may in fact be even more perfect for me as it allows me time to work on my company and sample life as a PhD student or researcher. Again, I'm so lucky to be working in the interaction design field - I always thought I'd end up doing whatever was available when I graduated.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-33169591246384806572010-07-26T18:58:00.000+01:002010-07-26T18:58:06.678+01:00Six Items or Less<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/07/22/style/22six_337-span/22six_337-span-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/07/22/style/22six_337-span/22six_337-span-articleLarge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I spend quite a lot of my online time reading the NY Times, over the years they've published some of my all-time favourite articles - they never hesitate to make me think a lot. One that recently sparked an interest was <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/fashion/22SIXERS.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087&en=d6ea053bb422f6c0&ex=1295409600">this articl</a>e about shoppers on a diet. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><i>"Imagine that horrible though all-too-familiar feeling: You are standing before a fully stuffed closet and yet have nothing to wear. </i><i>Now, imagine something worse: Your closet contains only six items, and you are restricted to wearing only those six items for an entire month. </i><i>Now, if you can bear it, imagine something unspeakable: No one notices."</i><br />
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The article tells the tale of Stella Brennan, a 31 year old insurance sales executive, who wore just six items of clothing for a month. This self-imposed exercise in frugality was prompted by an online challenge called <a href="http://www.sixitemsorless.com/">Six Items or Less</a>. The challenge was to go an entire month wearing only six items you already own - not counting shoes, underwear or accessories. Motives include a way to trim back on spending, an outright rejection of fashion, and a concern that the mass production and global transportation of increasingly cheap clothing are damaging the environment.<br />
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Aside from the challenge of mixing and matching the same six items for 30 days, what is really interesting about the outcome is that <i>no one noticed</i>. Not even Stella's husband - the man responsible for doing all the laundry in the house.<br />
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This has made me question my own life. Do I own too many clothes? Definitely. Could I survive on six items or less for a month? Probably, but I don't do washing often enough; I'd be out of clothes by the end of the week. I've suddenly realised how much <i>stuff</i> I own that I don't use. I have four bedrooms full of material artefacts, yet I managed to backpack round Australia for months with only a rucksack full of clothes. Do I need to go on a shopping diet? Almost definitely.<br />
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I also hate wearing the same thing more than once a week, incase anyone thinks I haven't washed it. This undoubtedly makes the "what shall I wear today?" dilemma every morning all the more difficult. But the fact that even Stella's own husband didn't notice has made me question if I'm worrying unnecessarily. I bet my boyfriend wouldn't notice (and he does most of my washing) so would anyone else? Would I notice if any of my friends recycled their outfit for many days in a row? I'm not all that sure that I would. I used to have a lecturer who wore the same outfit every time she taught us (including on a uni trip where she seemingly wore the same outfit for 3 days straight) but even then, how many weeks/months did it take us to notice?<br />
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Almost tempted to try the Six Items or Less challenge. Watch this space.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com117tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-34440073479506104982010-07-14T20:56:00.000+01:002010-07-14T20:56:21.818+01:00Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5kbxyYvC81qzrslko1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5kbxyYvC81qzrslko1_500.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
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Oh by the way, I officially graduated a few weeks ago.<br />
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The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of project publicity, job offers, a wedding in Glasgow, a party in Aberdeen, my graduation ceremony, my graduation ball, etc etc. I had plans to chill out over the summer but the summer is rapidly disappearing. Some exciting events are taking place soon, don’t want to say anything until it’s all confirmed though! Watch this space.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-54326888293578661262010-07-05T19:31:00.001+01:002010-07-05T19:33:11.990+01:00Recent Events<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.supermondays.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1118-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.supermondays.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IMG_1118-300x225.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Last week I went to Super Freelancing - an event organised by the wonderful <a href="http://www.supermondays.org/">Super Mondays</a> crew. You can even see my wee blonde head in the audience. Super Mondays is a creative and IT community in the North East of England who meet once a month and host a selection of speakers from across the industry. As I have recently branched out into the world of freelancing - to tide me over until I decide what I'm doing with my life - this month's even was of particular interest to me.<br />
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Paul Easton of <a href="http://www.eastonmedia.co.uk/">Easton Media</a> was first up, who gave us some hints and tips on using PR to our advantage. He urged us not to underestimate the power of good old fashioned newspapers and journalists, and some provoking questions from the audience resulted in us all learning what to avoid when offered a feature-and-ad combo.<br />
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Paul was followed by <a href="http://twitter.com/lauramaddison">Laura Maddison</a> of <a href="http://www.altituderecruitment.co.uk/">Altitude Recruitment </a> who gave some insider information on presenting our CVs. Always valuable advice. Rob Lavendar followed her, giving a talk titled "The Freelancer's Toolkit". I found this very interesting as it laid out some of the key tools and programs which aid the life of a freelancer. He has kindly uploaded his keynote <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/roblav/freelance-toolkit-key">here,</a> which I highly recommend you check out. <a href="http://twitter.com/leesimpson">Lee Simpson </a>was last up with tips on how to generate a passive income. Very interesting but not really applicable to me, unfortunately.<br />
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The following Thursday, I attended the <a href="http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/scd/whatson/news/phdconf">Design PhD Conference</a> at Northumbria University. The keynote speaker was Mike Press, a lecturer of mine from Dundee University, so it was nice to catch up as well as hear his lecture.He showed and described a broad selection of work from Jewellers to Animators, each of whom had made international impacts in their subjects from human computer interaction to cleaning up the planet. This brought the audience to a conclusion that the way ahead for design is in Social Innovation. You can read more about the conference and the lectures at the link above.<br />
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The past week has definitely given me some food for thought.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042554984770972440.post-35785140948878131482010-06-09T13:59:00.001+01:002010-06-09T13:59:46.672+01:00New business cardsGot my new business cards in the post today from the wonderful <a href="http://www.moo.com/">Moo</a>. Really pleased with them :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l3qzz7Msol1qzrslko1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l3qzz7Msol1qzrslko1_500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18408495820311958166noreply@blogger.com21