Category: Family

Categories
Celebrations Family

My 65th Birthday

Today, I’m 65.

Thank you.

I accept your congratulations. In the great scheme of things – and especially in the 21st century – existing for 65 years doesn’t count as a significant achievement, and yet I feel quite satisfied today.

(Excuse me – I need to take a break from writing and watch Humans Series 2 Episode Episode 7 .)

Very good episode – raising many issues about what it means to be human. I’ll talk about one of those in a separate post.

But for today, I’m just fulfilling my plan for the day, which was to take the day off from work, enjoy what comes along (which I’ve done) and write a personal blog post.

For too long (over three years, based on the date of my last post here), the only non-business related writing I’ve done has been the invitations I send out to the two Meetup groups I run. And increasingly, I’ve found myself making use of those occasions to write something fanciful, whimsical or humorous (at least in intent) – for no reason other than I enjoy doing it.

I have no evidence that my style either increases or decreases attendance, so there really is no other agenda for me writing in this way.

Since I obviously enjoy writing (in a business and non-business context), I decided to resume this blog as a vehicle to express myself outside a business environment. And in this non-business environment, I can write freely with no agenda:

  • No particular care about criticism (should there eventually be an audience large enough or concerned enough to bother)
  • No limitations on subject areas and topics
  • No concession to Google’s preferences
  • No particular audience in mind

In other words, this is a pure indulgence!

Oh yes – and I’m making no promises or commitments (especially to myself) on the frequency or quality of posting.

I plan to just “go with the flow” – which is somewhat atypical of my normal approach.

To finish – I’ll just record that it’s been a good birthday. Thanks to the members of my wonderful family who contributed to it being so.

 

Categories
Jemima Music

Deadines, Creativity and Purcell’s 24-Hour Opera

Before any musicologists get the wrong idea, I’m pretty sure Purcell was never involved in a 24-hour opera.

The Purcell School
The Purcell School

I’m here talking about the Purcell School of Music in Bushey, near Watford in the UK.

Just before 7.00pm last Friday evening, the 26th April, around 20 pupils gathered in Miss Cox’s office and began a countdown to the hour. On the stroke of 7.00pm, the prolonged creative burst began…

With about 40 people involved in total, their mission, which they had all enthusiastically chosen to accept, was to conceive of and create an opera in the space of 24 hours, and perform it at 7.00pm the following evening.

I am witness to the fact that they completed this outstanding mission, and that everyone who saw it unanimously agreed it was great success.

I’m still piecing together the process that supported the creativity, but the general outline is simple.

7.00pm on Friday:

Compose the score (throughout the night) and complete the set design. Complete this by…

9.00am Saturday:

Find the costumes and props; work out stage directions; plan the lighting; build the set; learn the music; rehearse; design, write and print the program; and plan front-of-house activities. Complete this by…

7.00pm Saturday:

Perform it.

 24HourOperaProgramme

 

The experience for the kids taking part in this must have been phenomenal. Obviously it was enormous fun and hugely exciting (and inevitably frustrating at times). But to be part of the creation of something which many minds would dismiss as impossible or impractical must leave a life-long impression and engender – or more likely for these kids, strengthen – a “can-do” attitude.

These children are trained to practice their performances to get them as close as possible to perfection. In this case, though, the priorities were turned on their head: do the very best you can within an impossibly tight deadline.

When there’s no time for a creative block, you don’t get a creative block. When you don’t have enough time to learn the score – you do it anyway. When 5 minutes before curtain-up you realise the lighting controller can’t see the stage, you improvise (phone text message communication). And doubtless there were hundreds of other examples.

Finding that sweet-spot between “careful planning leads to success” and “just do it!” seems to be a lifelong search – for me, anyway. But everyone involved in this project now has a visceral understanding of the creative power of “just do it!”

To not quote Goethe (this is wrongly attributed to him):

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

Alex

Categories
Family Tabitha Travel

Suddenly, Mongolia is interesting

You know what it’s like.

You’ve not seen one far-away country, you’ve not seen them all. Although they all conjure up different thoughts and conceptions, they all fall into the class of “remote and not really relevant” (if we are to be judged by our actions, that is).

Until there is some real connection.

Now, for me, I have a connection with Mongolia. Some of my genes are wandering around out there – and suddenly it’s a real, vibrant place full of wonderful people.

Even though the capital (…. go on, have a go… what IS it? Hint: five a’s) is – apparently, a dump.

My eldest daughter’s travel blog explains my connection.

Worth connecting to, I’d say.