The Jotter - issue 38
“Some days work comes easily. Other days nothing happens. Yet on the good days the inspiration is only an accumalation of all the other days.”
Beverly Pepper
Hello,
Some time this month I will have been self-employed for the same time as being employed. 17 years for each.
I enjoyed working at Courage Brewery, Thorntons and Kodak. I like drinking beer, eating chocolate and taking photos (I learned early on that it’s best to work for a brand you like).
But in 2006 it felt like the right time to strike out on my own. I was filling my day with mindless meetings, launching new products that weren’t really new and driving places to meet people so I could look busy.
I wanted to follow in my family’s footsteps. Ever since my great-grandfather took ownership of a pharmacy in 1922, we Eberlins like running our own businesses.
As I wrote here, my advice for budding entrepreneurs is this… the more people you meet, the more you do in your community (in person and online), the more you help, the more you smile, the more you learn - the better quality your work will be and the more people will recommend you.
I love what I do. Working with interesting people doing interesting things.
So to those of you I have worked with, thank you for entrusting me. To those that have supported me, thank you for being there. To all of you reading this, thank you for taking an interest.
Onwards
Andrew
In a nod to my last employers, this month I enjoyed bimbling around Bristol with some expired Kodak slide film.
01, Book.
DO/Interesting is a book about noticing, collecting and sharing.
Here’s a taster:
01,01. Ant is 34 and he wants to make 34 pots, listen to 34 podcasts and cook 34 fish dishes. He documents them here.
01,02. Denise makes notes every day. It helps her notice things.
02, Business.
Against all odds, Elon Musk has launched rockets into space, upended the car industry and ruined a social media platform.
His foresight, tenacity and appetite for work has made him one of the most influential people of our age. You may not like Elon Musk, but you can still learn from him.
03, Photography.
Monument by Trent Parke sold out within 7 hours of its announcement. The publishers, Stanley Barker, are right when they say Monument is: “… a portal through which we bear witness to the disintegration of the universe.”
04, Pay attention.
“Do stuff.
Be clenched, curious.
Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead.
Pay attention.
It's all about paying attention.
Attention is vitality.
It connects you with others.
It makes you eager.
Stay eager.”
Susan Sontag
05, Magazines.
Nick Parker has removed himself from social media to create more space and quiet.
He now subscribes to a monthly magazine. The difference is that he doesn’t know what will pop through his letterbox.
06, Cartoons.
The meanness of painting over a cartoon mural at a reception centre for migrants in Kent is one of our nation’s more unsavoury episodes in recent years.
In response, leading cartoonists have joined together to create a ‘Welcome to Britain’ colouring book which will be given to all children newly arrived in the UK.
07, Work.
Last month I had the tricky task of working on the Bristol Cheesemonger’s website and using all my willpower to resist eating cheese. So you can understand my relief at launching The Perfect Bottle’s website. All that fine wine winking at me before cocktail o’clock…
Lauren Dunleavy is at the very early stages of her racing career but in a short space of time she has shown bags of potential. I designed a landing page celebrating her talent and offering people the chance to support her.
Thank you for reading the September Jotter. The next issue will grace your inbox on Friday 27th October at 11am. In the meantime, I hope you find time to take a stroll and inhale the early autumnal air.
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.”