Does it get more inspirational then this?

Balancing Act

Continuing on from yesterday, part of the situation of working in media is that it is a collaborative industry and so you don’t always have to worry about your own balancing act.

sometimes it’s others that can bring things to a crashing halt. Not through any real fault of their own, other then their life got in the way. There was an imbalance. This has happened to several projects I have been involved with in the past few years. sometimes its me, sometimes its not, but most times the project comes to a crashing halt.

Occasionally, if lucky, we are able to dust ourselves and it down and pick it up again/ start again. sometimes even with what feels like a great idea we are not.

Im going through that a bit at the moment and wanted to talk about one particular example. Whilst developing an idea on Youth Activism, with a student of mine, Olie Martin, we had the opportunity to film and later interview a Student Union representative from Belgium on the subject of Student Prostitution. In the following months Olie and I would discuss that topic and what we could do about it. the more we researched it the more we wanted others to know about it.

Olie isn’t a ‘typical student’ in many regards, what ever that actually means. Acutely politically aware, with a strong belief in socialism and a desire to achieve his best it was interesting to approach a project not  as lecturer/ student but as equals.

To discuss the merits and our joint desire to bring light to this issue.

However

This has to be done whilst we both find our balance. And so with us both being in college we agreed to meet Thursdays to  discuss things. Even if we hadn’t achieved anything. The right decision was to meet anyway, so that it stays part of our conversation, even micro achievements better then not meeting at all. Because it is very easy for one week to become two and then a month and then you cant remember when you last met to discuss the project.

Media is a collaborative medium and sometimes the collaboration is just staying the course.

The Balance Redux

 

Previously I talked about Balance, based on a blog by Tim Clague. Its something i think about a lot.

Finding the right balance between working, writing producing, blogging and living.

Im constantly thinking about my life and what the next step is, from a financial point of view.  Do I want more independence, do I want to be debt free or do I want to create. And in real terms i can at this stage only have one of those things.

And depending on what time of day it is I pick a different thing. I’m very lucky, that I get to make this choice, but I can’t make it. I try and i fail and i get it wrong.

So ive benn talking, well i say talking quizzing, friends about their balance seeking some clarity on the subject. Showing how unbalanced I am, some of them i havent got back to due to work. I hope to share things I have learnt from them with you and eventually make a decision i can standby.

And find my own balance. and not fall off.

 

‘Ernest Hemingway once wrote “The internet is a fine place…

and worth fighting for.” I agree with the second part…’

I wanted to share with you things that i never would have seen, and sometimes would not exist without the internet.

Today I present  A Softer World, a series of photo strips, often heartbreaking and funny at the same time.

And this is probably my favourite, click the image to make bigger.

By E Horne and J Comeau

Inspiration: Ze Frank Uninspired

Being Uninspired

Follow the link to another interesting video from the master of the Video Blog and thinking so we don’t have to Ze Frank.

My last blog mentioned my lacking of blog and that was back in August. I am a slacker.

Maybe I was waiting for inspiration before I wrote anything, but then you wait so long, that you don’t actually write anything.

Then so long has passed by that you think, well this had better be a damn good post to make up for the lack of posting.

Then more time passes by.

Then fear. Which we know leads to Hate, which leads to the Dark Dide.

Suddenly you are convincing yourself that if you did actually do it, then it would be great, becuase of just how damn talented you are, but well you are just too busy.

I mean I found time to watch White Chicks, but not the time i should point out to Boo Review it (or anything recently he adds, to kick himself when he is down)

It all reminds me of the scene in West Wing, beginning of season 3, Abi is upset with Jeb, others call him Mr President, becuase he hasn’t talked to her about his decisions. He states he has so much to say, that there isn’t the time to say it. Then he never gets round to saying it, then he gets upset with her for not supporting him.

In this analogy I am both Stockard Channing and Martin Sheen.

This is OnMeJack, not thinking so you might have to.

We’re sending you back to the future

Things have not gone to plan.

The  good news is I now accidentally have a career and a pension. The bad news is this is my first blog in a while.

well time to stop allowing Life to be an excuse for not creating, becuase i have been consuming in vast amounts.

Being a lecturer i am on summer holiday and have used that time to achieve very little.

Time for that to change.

Got lots on, of course, exciting changes at college, great ideas i need to pluck out of my head and show to the world.

Mantra: I Must Work Extremely Hard Doing What I Love…

Daytripper

For your entertainment

more about “Daytripper“, posted with vodpod

Written by George Wielgus and Directed by Deidre Melvin

inspiration: if you build it they will come

 

 

Now even if it’s actually an advert, doesn’t change the fact it’s fun and pretty inspiring.

Because Life Gets In The Way

Haven’t blooged in over a week, my Daily Mugshot fell below 90% and I have a Boo Review Backlist going back all month.

So we can agrre that the work/ creative balance hasn’t been too good.

On half term this week, but still have to go into work! and wont  get paid…

However I will have time to myself and so WILL catch up with writing, and will get back into the swing of things and bore you with the details of what i have worked on and have achieved.

Hope you are well.

#followfriday 15th May

Follow Friday is a twitter trend to promote Friends, like minded people, people of interest, on Twitter.

Les Cochrane quite rightly noted that a random list of names means nothing, he’d much rather have a select few names and a reason why they’d be good to follow.

I decided to do a bit of both, and use my blog to talk about those on Twitter I follow, and why I think you should follow them too.

I’ll only recommend a maximum of ten per week and will set up a category so you can find them should you so wish.

Todays #followfriday is dedicated to those funny, interesting cats who have yet to break the magic 100 Followers and I honestly feel that you and they would be better off if you just tweeted them to say Hi…

Some of them may not have tweeted that much, but im sure with your support…

Andy Walker: KMFM radio’s morning DJ and fellow Lecturer.

Andrew Ireland: Undergraduate Dean at Bournemouth Media School and Director of the a Cheeky Girls Musicc Video.

Andy Mac: Maybe you can bring him out of his cave. He has known to be funny, and even have an opinion or two.

Matt ‘Cherub‘: Guitarist in Mind Without Maths. Lock up your daughters.

David Skelton: Co-Founder of LeMonday, Nice Facist, recent Father and connected to the mysterious Sheep of Justice.

Rachael Lewis: She helped to bring about the end of the world. but otherwise is really great, she needs your followship. But don’t try and hug her.

Ed Holden: Film Editor at MSN.  Watch him try and interview Russell Brand, when his ’striking’ trainee enters the room. http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-gb&vid=9f4c716e-71c5-4d2d-bfaf-c69ec6384d1d