Weekly thoughts, 26th December, 22

Weekly thoughts worth sharing title image
Things that I've been thinking about this week.

1. Creating versus consuming

I recently realised that my constant desire to create and produce was causing me to neglect my need for rest and relaxation Last week, I mentioned that I’m a naturally curious person. I often consume a lot of information to learn and understand new things. However, there’s also curiosity in creation, exploring the ‘what if’ questions of experimentation. Creating quality content or building something is challenging if you are tired, burnt out or creatively depleted. I’ve realised that I felt it was more important to create than consume, which stopped me from enjoying downtime. Taking a break and allowing myself to consume and absorb information has helped me find joy and value in my pursuits. It’s important to remember that it’s okay to step back and take a break, even if it means temporarily shifting your focus from creation to consumption.

2. Working out my ‘why’

In his book Start With Why Simon Sinek explores and explains that the key to inspiring leadership is to start with the ‘why’ — the purpose or belief that drives an organisation or individual. As I’ve been in CV-writing mode, I paused to consider my own ‘why’. Why do I do what I do? Why do I want to work for a particular company or problem? I’m still working on this, which should hopefully help with the inevitable interviews that will come from applying for a new role. What’s your why?

3. Portfolios

Portfolios have been a subject of conversation among my team while we were all being made redundant. How should we present the content? What’s the best way to talk about case studies etc.? We did an excellent job, as my team all had new roles agreed upon before Christmas. This bought me some cheer and put my mind at rest that they all had exciting new adventures ahead of them. But what about me? As a design leader, what should my portfolio look like? I’ve not looked for a new role for nearly a decade, and the industry has moved a long way, so how do design leaders prove their worth? Tom Scott’s post Design leaders do not have was quite interesting, alongside wise words from some of my peers. Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

4. Upcycling and circular business

Earlier this week, I discovered Bodlr – ‘A directory of upcycling brands through the lens of poetry’. The poetry is metaphorical, but the products are brilliant. My friend Lucy Stanfield-Jenner talks a lot about the circular economy and illustrates it so well in this short post on LinkedIn.

5. Happy Holidays

As these are my final weekly thoughts for the year, I’d like to thank you for reading them and wish you all a happy holiday. I hope that 2023 brings us all some cheer.

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