Over the last couple of months I've been thinking a lot about creativity so it's time for a quick download of thoughts. For about a year I've been using the "garbage in = garbage out" principle that creativity is in some part related to the quality and diversity of your 'cognitive diet'. As part of … Continue reading Creativity: Diet + Exercise

When I first started exploring side projects Alex Thomas and I drew a simple diagram to capture our initial idea that side projects were a hybrid activity that looked like a bit like a hobby or personal interest, and a bit like a job or professional role: From there I developed a three-circle model in … Continue reading Overlapping Circles

Our 15th side project pioneer is curiously a colleague, a school-friend of one of my closest friends, and a man who designed part of a building I walk past almost every day of my life. He has also turned one side project into a career, let another go fallow, and is in the process of … Continue reading Side Project Stories #15: Brian Records

For this latest blog I got tipped off by a previous side project pioneer, Travis Baldwin who was #7, about another designer/maker with some interesting side projects. I was sold from the moment his website described him as ‘chaotic good’; a fellow gamer would always be someone who could articulate the value of hobbies and side … Continue reading Side Project Stories #14: Sparkwood and 21

For this thirteenth episode of the #sideproject blog series I’ve turned to a former colleague who has very much made her own luck. I’ve known Tracy for about fifteen years since we worked together delivering skills training first when I worked at the University of Bristol Students’ Union and later for the University of Bristol … Continue reading Side Project Stories #13: Brainbox Coaching & Fitness

In some ways my own TEDx talk started when I first encountered our twelfth side project pioneer. I met Mel whilst I was working at Bath Spa University and she approached me about getting student involvement in the first of her TEDxBristol events back in 2015. Being on the side-lines of such an amazing event … Continue reading Side Project Stories #12: TEDxBristol

Welcome to the eleventh episode of my #sideprojects blog series. This is the first of the 'second season' of blogs about an array of diverse people pursuing passions, skills, future lifestyles, and maybe a living through spare-time projects. Nick Skelton & Jonathan Chenoweth I’ve bumped into Nick periodically for many years as we’re both long-serving … Continue reading Side Project Stories #11: Nutgrove Kitchen

Devotees of this blog will be delighted to hear I’ve got four new Side Project Stories penned and at least two more booked for interview in the next month or so. However, before I crack on with ‘season two’ I thought it would be good to catch up with the ‘originals’ and see how the … Continue reading Side Projects: The Great Update

About 18 months ago I read a blog by Do Lectures founder David Hieatt on the subject of ‘Side Projects’ little knowing that it would kick-start my own side project. "For side projects read ‘Labours of Love’. You know those ideas that just won’t go away. That little idea in the back of your head … Continue reading Side Projects: The Story So Far

On January 19th 2018 I got to give a TED talk; that's a lifetime goal chalked off right there! It was at TEDxCorsham to an audience of about 100 people and I chose to talk about my #sideprojects side-project! Huge thanks to the team at The Pound, to Libby (the local sixth-former whose idea it … Continue reading #sideproject talk for TEDxCorsham