It seemed to me that 55, going on 56, was a good time to put a few things in order…
I was listening to a guy on the radio the other day explaining why he’d given up his smart phone: “I didn’t want to look back at my life and think I spent it on my phone”..
Well I’m not against spending some of my life on a phone – so long as it’s for a good reason. Anyway, the point was: “What have you done, what are you doing – and why”?
I also thought a website might be a good way to answer the first half of that question. Whether it says much about the second half, I don’t know, but here’s a start:
My website, for anyone who’s curious (including me)…
Ok, so what have you done?
Oh, loads of stuff…
In no order at all, I’ve worked in factories, restored antiques, delivered stuff, sold stuff, worked in building, worked for others, worked for ‘myself’ (always thought they were curious means of expression), worked ‘in’ packaging, had a week ‘in’ photocopiers, went to art school, worked ‘in’ care, worked as a tree surgeon, gardener, picture framer, gallerist, traffic enumerator, worked in a plastic extrusion moulding factory (a lowpoint), made stuff, started 4 businesses and one (ongoing) project, written 3 books and several articles, a lot of songs, lyrics and ‘stuff’, run exhibitions and live events, sold books and prints, been a rights adviser and a telephone counsellor, taught art and design and literacy, campaigned, written letters, marched, raised kids, been ‘a partner’. I even had a morning as a milkman. Didn’t fancy it much….
I’ve probably missed quite a few and am probably still doing a few of these right now.
Maybe it’s not the most interesting question.
How about: “What are you trying to achieve?” – A website!
Or:
“What do you want to show?” – The goods, evidence, I suppose. I want to show you the evidential goods!
Best I can come up with is:
“Here’s some of what I’ve done, what I’m doing and what I want to do – or maybe achieve”
BUT –
It’s the ‘why?’ that’s more perplexing.
Well, I suppose everyone tells themselves a story. Don’t we all do that?
For some reason, like many other people, I’ve been someone who’s both told themselves a story about caring for others – people and planet etc – and, I hope, someone who’s done (is doing) it. Like everyone else who professes to care (or who cares) about stuff, I show it in different ways. Hopefully, I’ve asked myself these questions many times along the way and I now know something more specific about what I’m doing.
and what are you doing?
Good question!
I am..
Exploring ways we of being creative and sharing – I’ve written a book about it here
Project working with Kendraio and other partners on the CultureBanked project to build interfaces and tools for sharing intellectual property and managing our rights more effectively. I’m also looking at ways to initiate ‘Money Systems Transparency Education Projects’ (Money STEPs!) with the Money Systems Transparency Alliance
Making art, songs, poetry, stories, assemblages and paintings – all of which I would like, one day, to see ‘CultureBanked’. Follow the hashtag #culturebanked, (go to the website and social media, googledrive or articles to learn more about what that means – and to contribute).
So:
Exploring, working and making.
There it is.
And why am I on that phone, making that call
Kids, grandkids, the tiniest glimmers you very occasionally find which suggest that humanity might be something worth preserving – and, obviously: ‘everybody gotta do something’….