Book Review - Simplify, Structure, Succeed - Shannah Kennedy
by Janine Fitzpatrick
The title of this book drew me in, Simplify, Structure, Succeed. Three little words that seem to offer a plan to move from chaos to achievement. Could it be that easy?
Shannah Kennedy is a Life Coach who has created this "practical toolkit for modern life". Kennedy gives a step-by-step plan for restructuring your life to help you achieve your goals while remaining in tune with your beliefs, your personality and your circumstances.
The book opens with a series of set questions to ask yourself to help determine who you are, what you value and your vision for the future. There are simple tasks to complete to remind yourself of all you have accomplished thus far, and where you would like to go from this point in time.
In the second stage of the book Kennedy encourages us to simplify our lives. To rid ourselves of energy drainers and clutter to enable us to focus on what's important. Urging us to set boundaries in tune with the values identified earlier. This is also the section where we are asked to create visions and goals for the future.
When we hit the third stage of the book, structure, I realise we may have met my own personal stumbling block. I have ideas and goals aplenty, it's creating the right system to manage the conflicting demands of wife, mother, employee, creative person that it all starts to full apart. Kennedy's advice moves from the practical (get yourself a planner and lay out your life in a daily, monthly, yearly frameworks) to the more cerebral (responsibility vs blame, commitment vs trying, self-sabotages).
By the time we get to "succeed" Kennedy is inspiring us to create a definitive version of what success looks like in our own life. There is a toolkit of steps to take to ensure we are able to experience that often elusive goal of success.
Simplify, Structure, Succeed is an easy-to-read book filled with inspiring quotes and beautiful photographs. Case studies sprinkled throughout show practical examples of implementing Kennedy's advice. The book provides note sections for you to fill in with your thoughts and responses to the ideas presented. I found it to be a very useful resource for providing direction and clear focus. The step-by-step nature of the book is helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of combining your responsibilities and your dreams. All in all this is a handy book to remind you of what you need to do to create a balanced, successful life.
Janine Fitzpatrick blogs at Shambolic Living where readers get to feel far happier about their lives when they experience the chaos of hers. She is coming to terms with being the mother of two teenagers, has given up on the dream of a tidy house and still plans to write a book one day.
Book Review - This I Know - Susannah Conway
by Janine Fitzpatrick
This I Know (notes on unraveling the heart) is a book which explores grief, creativity and growth in a thought-provoking series of essays.
In 2005 Susannah Conway's partner died from a sudden heart attack. Conway gives a moving portrayal of how grief freezes your soul in time and unravels your heart as you work your way through the pain.
As a photographer, writer, blogger and journalist Conway shares how her creative life became a sustaining force in overcoming the loss of the man she loved.
While the book deals with a deeply moving subject it isn't a dark read. Instead the book offers an authentic and ultimately positive look at how difficult experiences can be transcended.
The writing in This I Know has a gentle lyric to it which is complemented perfectly by Conway's beautiful Polaroid photos dotted throughout each chapter. These dreamy watercolour images capturing different snippets of time and emotion give a calming quality to the book.
Conway explores a number of issues in the book. Birth, body image, strength in stillness, finding comfort in your very own "tribe of one", obtaining a sense of belonging and living a creative life are just a few of the topics Conway tackles.
"if you were to take away the paintbrushes and the cameras, the loom, the guitar and the stage, you'd be left with a bunch of people who are compelled to act on their creative impulses. You are left with artists. I believe we are all artists at our core."
Conway shares how each creative medium adds a different element to her life.
"When you're floundering in grief, photography can get you out of the house, while writing is a key for a different door."
Each chapter concludes with a reflection activity for the reader to complete. There are an assortment of tasks including Conway urging you to write not just the standard "letter to your younger self" but a letter to the present you from the woman you will be in twenty, forty, fifty years . Or having you create pretty "treat cards" for yourself, highlighting the things you love. On a regular basis you slip out a card and activate the treat on it be it taking a bubble bath or eating in a nice restaurant, whatever will bring a little joy into your world.
This I Know is a beautiful book, part memoir, part gentle self-help. It acts as a guidebook to uncovering creativity in your everyday life and moving through the challenges of your existence.
Janine Fitzpatrick blogs at Shambolic Living where readers get to feel far happier about their lives when they experience the chaos of hers. She is coming to terms with being the mother of two teenagers, has given up on the dream of a tidy house and still plans to write a book one day.
The Little Black Dress Project by Cheryl Lin
CWC-Member Cheryl Lin (who you may know from her Melbourne streetstyle blog Business Chic) is currently holding a Pozible campaign to raise funds for her very first book!
Throughout 2012, Cheryl challenged herself to wear an 'LBD' to work once a week for the whole year, styled differently each time. She employed accessories (many made by local designers), some DIY additions (instructions of which are included in the book!), and of course dressed according to seasons and sometimes even local cultural events.
The LBD Project Book goes to prove that even in a corporate office environment there are always ways to express yourself creatively, and on a larger scale, one need not have 260 seperate outfits to wear to work in a year: less if always more!
Illustrations by Angie Rehe
Examples of some of the outfit creations in The Little Black Dress Project by Cheryl Lin. Photography by Meagan Harding and creative design by Jim Petroutsos of C*Juice Studio.
Cheryl has had the book designed & photographed in Australia (it features contributions by by Meagan Harding and fashion illustration by Angie Rehe), and hopes to publish it locally as well.
She hopes that the Pozible campaign will reach its target to raise $5,000 in two weeks to help fund the cost of printing locally. Supporters will be able to elect to receive their physical book by mail or pick up from the LBD Project exhibition that will be held at Melbourne Central in March 2013 as part of the L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival.
Go here to learn more about the book and support Cheryl's project!
Book Review - The Right-Brain Business Plan by Jennifer lee
by Janine Fitzpatrick My idea of a "business plan" is to make some pretty stuff, display it attractively where the public can see and hope like hell it sells. Unfortunately, the bank manager doesn't class this as any sort of plan. The thought of compiling spreadsheets, estimating cash flow, and designing an executive summary of my business idea brings me out in a cold sweat. Which usually means I relegate it to the too hard basket and continuing blundering on with a lot of "big picture" visualisation and very little attention to detail.
In The Right-Brain Business Plan, by entrepreneur Jennifer Lee, counteracts the creative person's aversion to all things financial by crafting a step-by-step guide to get you focused on a plan of success for your business.
Lee ditches the finance-speak of standard business books and adopts an easy-to-read style, peppered with hints and tips on running a successful business and examples of how individuals have created their own right-brain business plans.
You are given permission to have fun with creating your business plan - the first step is to get out the old magazines, scissors, glue, crayons and stickers and go all visual.
The scary terminology is dispensed, competitive analysis becomes a business landscape, the elevator pitch is replaced with engaging in meaningful dialogue, the executive summary is re-termed hearty highlights, and the financial plan is a moola map with moola goals.
At each stage there is a creative activity to spark your imagination on what your business will look like, who your customers will be, how much cash you need to make it a viable concern. You splash all these thoughts into collages, posters, brightly coloured planning sheets. It helps to turn a dry subject into something much more fun and thought-provoking.
About now you are thinking, that's all very nice, but my bank manager is likely to experience a cardiac arrest if I lob into his office with posters, mind maps and tear sheets. It's OK. Lee ends each chapter with a left-brain checklist to keep you on track to be able to speak the language of the logical when it comes to that time. One last chapter is devoted to showing you how to convert all your beautiful work into a format that will win approval from the accountant types.
The information Lee presents is not new, however she has repackaged it into a format that is user-friendly and enjoyable. The hands-on activities force you to thinking more deeply of what your business can be. Working through each stage of the business plan would give structure and cohesion to your ideas. It would be a useful resource for those just starting out in a creative business, but also for those who might have hit a bit of slump in their business and need to reinvigorate their thoughts and strategies.
The Right-Brain Business Plan is published by New World Library.
Janine Fitzpatrick is a former radio producer who has had a stop-start career. Over the years, at the bequest of the mortgage-holding bank manager, she has worked in an assortment of industries. There was education, media, public relations and sales to name a few. A book-lover from way back she has reviewed books for the ABC Mid North Coast Morning Show and the Hardie Grant Book Club. In a blinding flash of midlife crisis, while lamenting the lack of creativity in her life, she did what all wannabe writers do and started a blog, Shambolic Living. Here readers get to feel far happier about their lives when they experience the chaos of hers. She is coming to terms with being the mother of two teenagers, has given up on the dream of a tidy house and still plans to write a book one day.
Book Review: Women of Letters curated by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire
By Jodi Wiley
This anthology sprung from the famed Women of Letters salon events created by Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire where women of note (and some gentlemen too) 'revive the lost art of correspondence' by reading out their self-penned letters to a rapt audience. The concept is an appealing one - oh, I do love letters! - and it translates beautifully to the page.
Letters here are used as a clever device to tell a short tale about life, love, family and in some cases, hideously embarrassing situations. The letters are organised by theme: 'To the night I'd rather forget', 'To my first boss,' 'To my turning point' and are penned by a range of wise, clever, funny and talented correspondents.
Some of the star-studded line-up include: Tara Moss, Claudia Karvan, Noni Hazlehurst, Joan Kirner, Judith Lucy and Catherine Deveny. And the menfolk: Paul Kelly, John Safran, Eddie Perfect and Dave Graney among others.
I laughed out loud at Cal Wilson's tale of humiliating herself at a work function after having a few too many and was moved by Helen Garner’s sparse, perfectly worded letters to a range of seemingly random people from the past. Missy Higgins’ tale of her turning point is illuminating and Tim Rogers’ letter to ‘the woman who changed my life’ made me catch my breath.
These short pieces make engaging epistolary reading at a length that's perfect for the poolside these holidays. There's a new one out this year too titled Sincerely which I’m yet to acquire but it promises to be just as juicy, honest, funny and entertaining as the first.
Hmm, I know what I’ll be putting on my Christmas list...
Women of Letters and Sincerely are published by Penguin Books. Royalties go to Edgar’s Mission animal rescue shelter.
Jodi Wiley is an artist, writer, teacher and blogger. She has written freelance articles and book reviews for magazines and newspapers, as well as education curriculum. She has won awards for her artwork and been a finalist for several art and illustration prizes. Visit Jodi’s blog: artbywiley.com
Book Review: The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
By Jodi Wiley
Did you know there is an inherent imbalance in the universe which can be used to your advantage? It's called the 80/20 Principle and successful business entrepreneur Richard Koch reckons anyone can harness it.
Working very hard for very little reward? Stop it, says Koch. Focus your attention on the things you do well which come easily to you, take the least time and see the best results, and your achievement and income will soar. Sounds simple, right?
Koch says people tend to expect a democratic relationship between causes and results (the 50/50 fallacy): 'that all customers are equally valuable...that each day or week or year we spend has the same significance...that all opportunities are of roughly equal value, so that we treat them all equally'. Not so, says this ‘lazy entrepreneur’.
In business 80 per cent of profit often comes from 20 per cent of product, 80 per cent of productivity comes from the top 20 per cent of a company's employees. In life, 80 per cent of your happiness comes from 20 per cent of your time. Fascinating insights with powerful implications for work and leisure.
Koch examines in detail how the 80/20 Principle can be applied to business but also how it can be used more personally to create happiness and 'evolve your ideal lifestyle'. His suggested daily happiness habits are nothing really new but useful to remember and put into practice (eg: ‘exercise’, ‘mental stimulation’, ‘doing a good turn’) and his mission to convince everyone to work less, earn and enjoy more gets no arguments from me.
His theories are attractive but I have to admit I found the book a little more cerebral than I'm used to reading before bedtime. Happily, according to Koch, it should be possible to read 20 percent of this book to get 80 per cent of his message. Accordingly, I did not read it all (although I promise I read more than 20 per cent!) but that's only because at certain points the invitation was extended to skip chapters if you felt they weren't relevant to your situation. Which makes sense in a book designed to promote effective use of time.
I'm quite taken by the idea of reversing this inbuilt imbalance and curious about how I might apply it in my own life and work. I'm going to give it a go and see what happens.
The 80/20 Principle: The Secret To Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch is published by Random House.
Jodi Wiley is an artist, writer, teacher and blogger. She has written freelance articles and book reviews for magazines and newspapers, as well as education curriculum. She has won awards for her artwork and been a finalist for several art and illustration prizes. Visit Jodi’s blog: artbywiley.com
Book Review: My So-Called Freelance Life by Michelle Goodman
By Jodi Wiley
Looking to strike out on your own or maybe you’ve already taken the freelance plunge? You could do worse than to consult this very readable guide on ‘how to survive and thrive as a creative professional for hire’ by Michelle Goodman.
My So-Called Freelance Life contains all the topics you’d expect to find in a guide to running your own show (setting goals, creating a portfolio, acquiring quality clients and time management) with the added entertainment of Goodman’s irreverent writing voice. She is funny, chatty and informative. It’s like sitting down for a coffee with a really fun buddy who’s full of excellent advice and smart quips. Far from being a dry instructional tome, this book is full of spirited enthusiasm and humour. And it’s infectious. After reading this it’s hard not to begin hatching grand freelance plans.
I particularly like Goodman’s advice about acquiring freelance projects which pay the bills while also making room for the dream projects that might not pay so well. She firmly believes in making time for those projects (after all, isn’t that why you wanted to freelance in the first place?) but also acknowledges the reality of doing bread-and-butter work.
She’s also full of great organisational ideas: how to manage your invoicing, client expectations and how to avoid frittering away your time on social media. Like other creative biz guides out of North America, much of the tax and legal business advice is specific to that country, but this information can always be researched locally and doesn’t take up too much space between the covers. On the whole, this book is a useful and motivational tool for anyone toying with the idea of going solo, or for seasoned freelancers wanting ‘to pick up some tips and tricks’.
Although Goodman’s professional experience is in freelance writing she is careful to make the information relevant to those in other creative fields. My So-Called Freelance Life is general enough to be useful to all creative professionals while still giving specific advice. And a big motivational push too. ‘What matters,’ Goodman concludes, ‘is that I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since I was an eight-year-old in pigtails writing essays about Pocahontas and gluing together dioramas of dinosaurs - I’m making a living making stuff.’
My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire by Michelle Goodman is published by Seal Press.
Jodi Wiley is an artist, writer, teacher and blogger. She has written freelance articles and book reviews for magazines and newspapers, as well as education curriculum. She has won awards for her artwork and been a finalist for several art and illustration prizes. Visit Jodi’s blog: artbywiley.com