So, the first instalment in my ‘musings’ or BH&ST (blistering honest and shocking typos), which somehow looks like B*LLSH^T when I look at it now. Probably not far wide of the mark, but it’s home grown BH&ST, so make of it what you will….

It’s taken a while to get this down, as I somehow got busy with work. But I remember hearing David Fraser of Ready 10,  being interviewed on PR Moment, about his start up journey, and being impressed with his decision to be totally honest about the highs and lows of starting your own business. That was inspiring and honest, and I think I might attempt to emulate him a little.

“If you feel held back by the timid, the conservative, the lazy or the dogmatic, then do it”.

Just over 4 months ago I finally broke with the model of being a paid up, card carrying creative pushing my shoulder against the wheel of someone else’s mill wheel, otherwise known as the daily grindstone. The first few months of working out ‘what next’ felt like some kind of hyper intensive micro MBA in becoming born again into this strange new world of gig economy and what Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs recognise as an exponential increase in people working for themselves and with multiple organisations. I’d never heard the expression ‘portfolio career’ before. *

I spent two months meeting anyone who was willing to give me their time and a few thoughts. And the thing that amazes and inspired me, and still does, is how open and generous with their time and ideas most people are. You do meet, and work with, people who are scared of change and creativity, but this last few months I’ve found myself not running into any of them. Quite recently I met the very inspirational Neil Williams, the CEO of Crucial Group PLC, who said that

‘There’s no such thing as a wasted cup of coffee!’

He is of course totally right. My caffeine intake went up with my knowledge quotient, even as my sleep quota went down. I’ve enjoyed working with his team and the fruits of that labor will soon be out there in the world as a totally new way of looking at recruitment.

The one thing I’ve wanted to comment on, or share, is that most of the world want to help you. I can’t think of a single person who hasn’t shown an interest in what I’m doing, with Mummadadda. Most people are keen to listen, or share freely of their experience. And so, having begun this solo flight with some uncertainty I’d like to thank all the people who have encouraged me. I’ll try to name check you all as I share what I’ve learnt this last few months.

And to anyone reading this who is half wondering whether they should do their own thing, I say do it. It’s hard work, but it’s your work. The rewards and failures are yours yours to celebrate and learn from. If you feel held back by the timid, the conservative, the lazy or the dogmatic, then do it. And if you want a hand or a strong cuppa, you know where I am.

*Probably because I’d spent most of my working life thinking of a portfolio as something you put your best creative work into. But even the shape of that has changed as technology has evolved and we’ve had to become faster, more portable and adaptable versions of ourselves. My first ‘portfolio’ was a huge black rectangle that I carried around London in my Next trousers and best shirt, looking for a first job in London’t creative studios. It was such a huge slab of a thing that, not beng blessed with the longest legs, I found myself having to lift off the ground, as I walked along. And then the vogue for portfolios was in interesting cases with work presented in 3D and folded curiosity. I was working in all sorts of media back then – packaging, direct mail and forms that had to be handled and explored for their tactile properties. This box of curiosities was soon replaced by another slab like case, filled with laminated A2 presentation boards, which seemed to be the way people needed to digest your creative output. The final physical incarnation of the portfolio was the leather bound folder, usually with your name debossed into a front cover in a patrician serif font. These things cost a fortune to make and I wonder how the small family run Italian businesses, who used to make these things, are faring now. Now that the internet is the only way to look at creative work.