The Jotter - issue 22
“If at first you don't succeed, before you try again, stop to figure out what you did wrong.”
Leo Rosten (thank you, again, Harry Watson for the quote).
Hello good people,
Last week I had root canal treatment. The highlight was the end.
Not for the reason you think (modern dentistry means the only discomfort is the bill).
It was because as I left and went downstairs the dentist let out a cheer.
But not for the reason you think (I was a patient patient).
It was because I have (as she put it), “strange anatomy.” There are four roots in my troublesome tooth and one had embedded itself at a jaunty angle (that's another thing - there are normally three roots per tooth, but this one is stubborn).
At the end she admitted it had been difficult. Her calm professionalism meant I was unaware. The cheer let me know that the jaunty root was a bigger obstacle than I realised.
It made me smile and reminded me how rewarding it is when we overcome a challenge.
For the dentist, it was my troublesome roots. For me, it's when a client wants some website functionality I haven't done before.
I rarely say “no” because with research and playing round, I may discover how to do it.
If I can't, at least I've tried and I'll learn something on the way.
If I can, I feel a sense of achievement and add it to the list of things I can do.
Most problems can be solved with patience, collaboration and experience. New challenges are what keeps work interesting. They advance our skills and knowledge. It means we are progressing and giving our customers and clients an even better service than before.
That's what makes overcoming challenges so rewarding.
Onwards
Andrew
01, Business
This is one of the wisest things I’ve read about business.
“If folk don’t ‘get’ your thing, it’s probably just not for them. Which is fine. Because there is a place just down the road — in your town — which is made for them.”
02, Tone knob
A treasure trove of insights by Nick Parker on the ‘tone of voice’ used by brands. The latest is about the abusurdist humour of Puccino’s.
03, Sharing.
In January I was one of the many who caught the Wordle bug. Marketing Examples explains why you may have heard of it.
04, Quote
“I go to my studio every day. Some days the work comes easily. Other days nothing happens. Yet on the good days the inspiration is only an accumulation of all the other days, the non-productive ones.”
Beverley Pepper, Sculptor
Sourced from Russell Davies, ‘Everything I Know about Life I Learned from PowerPoint’
05, Photography
Judith Joy Ross’s quiet, probing portraits aim to “To know something about somebody.”
See also August Sander. Chronicler of the German people in the early 20th century.
06, Slightly improve your life
My favourites are no 30. “Be polite to rude strangers – it’s oddly thrilling”, and no 98 “Make a friend from a different generation.”
07, Print
In these days of doomscrolling, it’s rare that someone has the wherewithal to launch a newspaper. Fortunately, they do things differently in the south west.
The theme for the first issue of The Southwester is ‘Your Imagination Needs Space.’ I’ve pre-ordered my copy.
08, Work.
It was seasonally quiet over Christmas and the first half of January. People seemed to wind down earlier and pick up later. This enabled me to start writing a series of posts (based on my December talk at The Glove Factory), on the five stages of creativity. The first asks ‘What is Creativity?’ while the second delves into a very important component of creativity.
Work has perked up. The Original Collection have hotel and wedding venues dotted across these isles. All will be granted refreshed websites soon. Launch nears for two community projects in Bradford on Avon and for a Bath based property business.
Thank you for reading the January Jotter. The next one will flower on Friday 25th February at 11am. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the lighter evenings.
Onwards
Andrew
“When burdened by the feeling that there are too many photographs in the world, I ask myself if there are too many flowers.”