The rise of rampant opportunism

It never cesaes to amaze me that no matter what the political or economic climate there are always those who will take advantage of the situation to make money. Looking at our current situation here in the UK we have a coallition government and are still trying to climb out of the recession caused by the collapse of the banking industry, and yet we still have a position that the banks, who were a major contributing factor to the position are currently making it increasingly difficult for individuals and businesses to borrow money, and charging higher interest rates than before the current problems. They provide reasons for this state of affairs which at first glance appear to have validity in terms of reducing lending to high risk groups, and charging an appropriate interest rate, but interbank borrowing is the cheapest it has been for a very long time, the Bank of England base rate remains at record low levels, and the argument that inappropriate lending has been reduced is a nonsense highlighted by the continued existance and advertising of pay day loans, perhaps the most inappropriate borrowing there is.

If we look further we see the the utilities companies, freed of the controls of state ownership, have, rather than increased competition and therefore given customers a fairer deal, apparently colluded to raise prices far above the rate of inflation, or indeed above increasing costs. Looking at Centrica, formerly British Gas and their posting of £1.3bn profits one has to question whether price rises to the extend they have been seen are justified. Now, the company itself, along with the rest of the industry say that such profits are required for the massve amounts of investment the industry needs, but if these profits were not channeled into shareholder pockets, that would not be the case.

Another example is the insurance industry. How many times do you receive a quote for insurance for your car, your home, whatever only to phone up and question the price and have it instantly reduced. If it could be reduced without apparent difficulty, why try to get away with the original inflated price? Again it smacks of profiteering at the most fundamental levels. We live in a world where a benefit cheat who has had to commit fraud to survive gets longer jail time than a millionaire politician who decided that he would fraudulently claim expenses paid by taxpayers just to further line his already plush nest.

This country, and, I would argue, most of the World is tarnished by the machinations and profit motivations and money grabbing tactics that have become endemic from the top down. Without strong leadership in the form of scrupulously honest, society aware leaders, we seem doomed to keep making the same mistakes and thereby undermining the progress and success that we, as a species have enjoyed for quite a while. Some say that it is just a part of our nature, that greed and appetite are bred in the bone, but if this is the case why have society at all? Why not revert to a winner takes all anarchic system? If society is supposed to serve one purpose it is to give our populations an opportunity to rise above our base instincts and develop more fully into the protectors and guardians of our world that we should all be.

There is no cause for the rampant opportunism that we curerntly endure, it has no sustainability, and therefore no future but destruction, and it needs to stop now....

Trance states and creativity.....

There is an aspect of the creative process that historically was an integral part of that process but seems to have been missed more recently. That part is the use of trance or meditative states as a precursor or preparation for creativity. We have historical accounts of master makers of musical instruments spending a period of contemplation before starting a great work, anecdotal stories of the great artists spending time in darkened rooms prior to begining a new work, master blacksmiths sitting alone in the forge before even heating the metal. If we look at the modern reconstruction of Druidry, based on the 15th century Christian writers accounts we see a tradition of meditating on spirit guides before composing in the bardic style, and even when considering the writing of great works like the Torah or the Koran where scribes meticulosly copy out the text we see a pause each time the name of God is used for contemplative prayer for inspiration. The image of the artist waiting for the muse to descend, and at times assisting that proces with alcohol, hallucinogenic drugs and similar is one that resonates strongly.

The first question is, why is this the case? There is a thought that the process of contemplation, or meditation changes the levels of alpha and beta waves within the brain that can change the way in which the brain processes sensory input, and the way that neuro-chemicals and neuro-transmitters work send signals, but is this enough to enhance creativity or is something else at work? My gut instinct is that this is at the core of the process, in that by taking time to induce an altered mind state the way in which sensory inputs are rendered by the mind is also altered to give a greater "feel" to the artist, allowing him or her to interact with their medium in a small but significantly different way. By taking the time to develop this interaction the art is enhanced.

The second question is, is it possible in the hectic world that we currently live to take this idea and incorporate it into the business world? I would argue that there is still an element of this in some contemporary artists work, but not in all. Tracy Emin for example develops her artistic concepts from a blank canvas to completed project as an ensemble piece from an initial idea that comes as a flash of inspiration. As I understand it this is very much an accepted method of working amongst proponents of post impressionist modern art, the altered mind state being replaced by a sense of frenetic energy and movement that is carried through into the work. By contrast an artist like the South African sonic installation artist James Webb subscribes to the aforementioned principle of pre-commencement contemplation. When we move to the business world where life is by definition fast paced and hectic, it would at first appear that there is little time, or indeed inclination to utilise this technique, but there are exceptions. If we consider companies like Vax or Dyson, formed around a true creative we see examples of where the meditative principle is alive and well within successful industrial businesses.

It would be interesting to see how far this principle could be taken in the wider commercial world....

Working under pressure....

Life is full of pressures, some large, some small, some about money, some about time, some about competition for resources. Pressure is part of life, it is one of the key drivers of environmental evolution and is a part not simply of all human life, but all life. If we think of the word pressure, and what it means we can imagine a great weight crushing us, but it is far more subtle than that. Pressure can be a gentle breeze, barely noticable, but with a perceptible effect, or it can be the crushing pressure of the ocean depths. Through our ingenuity and inventiveness we, as a species have been able to design and develop methods of surviving on the ocean floor under almost mind boggling pressures of hundreds of tons per square inch, and in the vacuum of space where there is almost no pressure at all. These are methods of dealing with physical pressure, but the principle surely applies in much the same way to psychological pressure. Some people seem to be able to glide through life largely unaffected by even the most severe pressure, whilst other crumble under something that may at first glance appear relatively trivial. It is my contention that by applying the same principles as used to deal with physical pressure it should be possible to find better ways of dealing with other pressures.

If we think of the developments in both space, and sub-oceanic exploration we can see that there was analysis of the problem, measurements of the parameters, materials testing, safety considerations, planning, testing, modifying and improving, pushing the boudaries of exploration step by step. I wonder if it is possible to address psychological pressure in the same way. Can we quantify pressure in the same way. What psychological pressure is applied by the loss of a parent say? or by the loss of a job? The problem as I perceive it is that the effect is not static. If anyone dives into the ocean and swims deeper and deeper the pressure increases at a known rate, and consequently the effects on the human body can be mapped and understood, and traeted accordingly. When we move to consider psychological pressure the way that we each as individuals respond to a set amount of pressure will be variable based on our existing coping mechanisms, our experiences and our perceptions. This situation is further complicated by the issue of perception of pressure. What I perceive as being low pressure may differ from yours. If we are both given the same time critical task lets say, but I have a more confident attitude to the task than you, I may perhaps perceive the task as being less pressured than you do.

However these are primarily issues around defining variables, and given the progress made in working with chaotic systems using advances in computing power, I would suggest that these are not insurmountable. Given the damage caused to society be people failing to cope with pressure, isn't it time we gave serious thought to investment in this research? Just a thought......

Anger is an energy.....

Follwoing on from the theme of yesterdays blog post, I am quite certain that the shift through the 1960's and '70's towards a loved up, pacifist mentality that tries to find compromise and seek mutually acceptable resolution to conflict is a wrong headed approach. I am aware that this may not be a politically correct option and that there has been a tremendous history in our species of the negative effects of anger, but for me this is something of a misinterpretation. If we consider many of the conflicts throughout history these have certainly been aggressive acts expressing anger, but that anger has been driven by another emotion, fear, jealousy, panic, greed, whatever, the point is that they were not an act based in anger as a pure and isolated emotion. For me, the isolation or compartmentalisation of discrete emotions is crucial to the use of the energy of that emotion in a productive way. There is something delicious about the raw, screaming rage that comes from a very primal part of the brain unfettered by any of the emotional baggage that usually surrounds an anger response, unshorn of the concerns of appropriateness or concern over consequences.

To scream ones rage to the wind is one of the purest expressions f our animal energy and it is a gift that should be treasured rather than repressed. Anger is not a negative emotional state, it isn't ugly or false, it is something that we all experience and personally I would contend should allow ourselves to experience fully, embracing it as we embrace happiness, craving it as we crave love or companionship. I am convinced that it is the repression of our most instinctive emotions and mind states that is at the root of many of the current mental health issues that are reaching epidemic proportions in the Western World.

Now, don't get me wrong, anger for the sake of anger is pointless, anger that spills over into aggression towards others should be anathema, anger that is allowed to fester as resentment is to be avoided, but these are allowing the pure emotion to be corrupted. There has been a link with repressing anger associated with the major World religions, but one only has to look at the parable of the casting out of the money changers in the bible to see that within Christian dogma there is a place for pure anger and rage, but it was anger directed and focused and used for a specific purpose. Looking at the other major faiths we see a constant refrain of anger used for constructive purposes, as seen in the story of Odin being given the secrets of the runes, his anger being the driving force that kept him going through his challenge.

So, if you want a happier and more creative mental state, embrace anger, understand it, work with it rather than against it.....but a note of caution....without understanding, anger is nothing, without understanding and control anger can be and will only be, negative and unproductive. Learn to love your anger, learn to accept it and acknowledge it, work with it, embrace it.........

Love and light ;D

The energising effects of anger....

A very good, and much underated poet and artist, Joolz Denby once wrote "It takes control to be angry, you must be precise, grip the twisting screaming thing each day and leash it tight, otherwise you burn up inside and nothing gets done, you die". I spent a long time listening to Ms. Denbys poetry, backed by Justin Sullivan of New Model Army, and I must confess, at the time, as an angry young man her words made my blood race and my anger simmer more than a little. What I learned from this period was that anger was not in itself destructive or creative. Anger is simply a force, it drives the mind and body by triggering neuro-chemical changes and the related physiological changes associated with that. For me, as my awareness of my own anger grew, the realisation dawned that whether the anger was destructive, or constructive was at root a choice that I could make internally. Without concious effort on my part my anger appears to be, by deafult destructive, but but a focused effort of will I can channel that same anger into creativity and energy.

This discovery was something of a revelation, and although I am by no means perfect at controlling my anger. particularly when it spills over into rage, I am a lot better than I was, and the change it has made has been marked. It is an ongoing project, but as my Gran used to say, the day you stop learning and growing is the day you go in the ground, so I'm happy with my progress so far, and happy that I have more progress to go. This may all sound pretty obvious stuff, but sometimes it takes the genius of an artist to allow you to see the obvious. Maybe that is the "true" genius of the artists, taking the mundane, the profane, the every-day and making it special, making it art, transforming it into something with meaning, with a message, with relevance.

I don't profess to be any sort of expert on art and artistry, or on the artistic mindest, being personally as creative as a fairly short blank, but just occasionally something resonates with me, and if, by sharing my insights, someone else can benefit, then that makes me a happy boy......Oh, and a quick plug, Joolz writes some great books and creates some beautiful tattoos too......have a look at her website, I'm pretty sure she won't mind :)

Imitation is the finest form of flattery.....

As a concept this seems fine, but what happens when that imitation is uncredited. I recently gave a talk to a group of business people, and about a week later I happened to be at a social gathering where one of my former audience happened to be in attendance. I overheard him chatting to a small group and was quite pleased to hear him using an amusing anecdote that I had introduced during my talk. It is always gratifying to know that you have had an impact even in just a small way. I was just smiling quietly to myself when I heard one of the group as they broke up say, whilst patting this chap on the back "Great story buddy" to which the response came "Thanks, it's one of those stories that just come to me sometimes...."

Now maybe I'm just being precious, but would it really have hurt for him to say something like "Yeah, I really liked it when I first heard it"? I have no issue particularly with being a quiet influence rather than having my name plastered everywhere. I don't particularly need any additional marketing, but it does rather annoy me when someone else claims my work as their own. I'm pretty certain I ma not alone in this. I know several comedians who guard their jokes jealously, even resording to law suits when ownership of a joke is in dispute. I know writers who are always on the lookout for plagarism, sometimes to the point of obsession. I know that my case is somewhat different since my livelihood doesn't depend on my rights as owner of my intellectual property, but that isn't really the point.

It is more a question of ethics and moral standards. I would never claim someone elses work as my own, in the same way that I would never take credit for someone elses success, and perhaps naively, I expect those that I interact with to act in the same way. Perhaps I need to be more ruthless and litigious about such things, but why should I have to? I think perhaps a better soultion is to have a little rant, get the feelings off my chest and move on to bigger and more important things. I knew there was a reason for writing a blog ;)

Going it alone in business.......

Setting up, and running a new business, whether it is your first or your hundredth is a process of experimentation, trial and error and learning. It starts with the business idea, and for a new entrant to business ownership, this in itself can be fraught with difficulty. Is the idea a good one? Has it been done before? Is it commercially viable? Is it something one can do day in day out, working long hours in the initial period, i.e. is it something at least passably enjoyable? Having worked through these and all the other questions around the initial concept, it is all about the business plan. This, for a business owner is perhaps the most important document you will ever write, more important than sales orders, purchases, staffing, everything, because your business plan is not just the document that your incorporation and financial backing is based on. It is the document that sets out your plan for your business through the initial period. It defines your goals and strategies, your fundamental ideas and goals, and it may well be the only thing that keeps you on track when things get tough.

It may need modification as you realise that something that you were certain of working turns out not to work, a surprisingly common occurance, but without a properly structured and complete business plan, there really is no way to maintain control on the business. We saw a classic example of this on this weeks episode of the apprentice where the teams had to create and launch fast food outlets. One team had a business plan, working out costing, sales projections, budgets and so on, and the other team didn't.....guess who won? So you have an idea and a business idea and a business plan, but then you need to keep monitoring how the business is stacking up against the business plan, how close or otherwise you are to meeting targets, the speed of progression towards goals, and everything else. At the same time, you have to keep track of the financials, is the new business approaching viability? How is the trading position on a daily, weekly, monthly basis? Can you cover the bills and still take a little something for yourself?

There are a tremendous number of demands for time and consideration within any new business, on top of actually running the business itself, and the best advice I can give to anyone thinking of, or actually starting their own business, is to accept that there has to be time to run the business, and time to learn how to run the business, in essence two full time jobs, and you can take my word for it, if you are going to successfully do two full time jobs, you are going to need to be incredibly well organised, well supported and perhaps most importantly, really, really good at managing yourself, both in terms of working, but also in terms of making sure you look after yourself so you are able to do all that work.....

.....Setting up your own business is not for everyone, but if you can get it right it can be the most rewarding way to work. All I can say, to anyone thinking of going down this route is good luck, and make sure you get the work/life balance right....