tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128441172024-03-23T18:26:40.988+00:00The Amsterdam ProgrammeI'm an expat Canadian relocated from Vancouver to Amsterdam via Rome, Brussels and London. I'm a writer, actor, improviser and communications specialist. This is my little piece of the internet.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.comBlogger1226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-1084253892839145762015-01-22T11:36:00.000+00:002015-01-22T11:36:00.182+00:00Milly Can Rap rides again<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10612615_495185753958990_4983158846020166128_n.jpg?oh=ef118f4e52218185b39e11a8b139d664&oe=555EC0A2&__gda__=1433009434_8689fadb5df6e7ec8b598838d93e6acc" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10612615_495185753958990_4983158846020166128_n.jpg?oh=ef118f4e52218185b39e11a8b139d664&oe=555EC0A2&__gda__=1433009434_8689fadb5df6e7ec8b598838d93e6acc" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PHOTO: Olli Heinanen</td></tr>
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As you may or may not know I've got a relatively new pan-European improv project that I'm really excited about.<br />
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Part improv duo, part freestyle goofabout, this supergroup is me and Trent Pancy (and when fortune allows,Sacha Hoedemaker on piano). Together we are <a href="http://www.millycanrap.com/" target="_blank">Milly Can Rap</a>.<br />
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Our show is a fluid collection of interconnected scenes and tangential flights of fancy, with a hearty dose of freestyle rapping and beatboxing. Like all good improv, the whole project was unplanned, but the hip-hop element brings a certain manic energy, also providing a vehicle for character development as well as provoking all kinds of discoveries. The show is really fun for us, and judging from the reactions, the audiences love it too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VB8V66VL3RUNv5R3fkQzTX4s43r2_Rc-fiSEVFXEeQKxZ-MSpMyMVbjRrBuASIRDexG4Zw5tpciNC_K7Pn_XCtwBw0uLJbVeqXNxxZ0uHi8e8Wg1s5gCv67hKVdvXEy43Eo1Pg/s1600/MCR1-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VB8V66VL3RUNv5R3fkQzTX4s43r2_Rc-fiSEVFXEeQKxZ-MSpMyMVbjRrBuASIRDexG4Zw5tpciNC_K7Pn_XCtwBw0uLJbVeqXNxxZ0uHi8e8Wg1s5gCv67hKVdvXEy43Eo1Pg/s1600/MCR1-.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a>So far we've performed our improvised throwdown in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Tampere, and Helsinki. We've got our sights set on taking it farther afield in the future. Our new website is up and ready <a href="http://www.millycanrap.com/">www.millycanrap.com</a> But our biggest announcement is one for a show closer to home.<br />
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Next week, Thursday 29 January, we'll be playing the mainstage at 20th anniversary of <a href="http://impro-amsterdam.nl/cms/programme/" target="_blank">IMPRO Amsterdam</a>. That means Trent will be in town, and we can hang out, plus we get to be a part of this incredible festival.<br />
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If anyone wants to come see some sweet freestyles and fresh improvisation, well then this is the show for you. And come down on other nights too, the whole damn programme is fantastic.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-69712045572396531452015-01-15T15:10:00.000+00:002015-01-15T15:10:00.358+00:00A proper start to the new year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJQq3IrIovPfP21x2-xeLYSqmIJnXZAeCkCgpe5Gx0H88-WYIW2o0PjuUse-FiNjqvUqyVt_YmQmO-ndiCr07dkupcfG8nY1HbeSRvIp5RTcYvGMsq03en5TxM2ZZ-Z0jhiYjTg/s1600/lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJQq3IrIovPfP21x2-xeLYSqmIJnXZAeCkCgpe5Gx0H88-WYIW2o0PjuUse-FiNjqvUqyVt_YmQmO-ndiCr07dkupcfG8nY1HbeSRvIp5RTcYvGMsq03en5TxM2ZZ-Z0jhiYjTg/s1600/lion.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>This post originally appeared on <a href="http://bitly.com/1IqvPp1" target="_blank">Alexander and James</a>. When you're done here, head there and have a read, and buy some spirits while you're there.</i><br />
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January comes in like a lion. As do many people; marching at full stride, prideful, brimming with best intentions. Only to have that energy peter out surprisingly quickly, like pound store batteries.
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Make no mistake about it: in the direction of bravado and absolutism lies only disappointment. The good news is, there is another, better way. <br />
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Rather than good intentions and overweening ambition, the smarter way to proceed into the new year is, like one of those stacked-up rock sculptures you sometimes see while hiking, thoughtful and well-balanced.<br />
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<b>Best feet forward </b><br />
<span style="font-size: 1em;">So take in the new year not like the fictional lion of lore, but the </span><i style="font-size: 1em;">actual</i><span style="font-size: 1em;"> lion: the one that spends the major part of each day lounging around, luxuriating in its majestic mane, and being prepared to tackle a day, but only if <i>absolutely</i> necessary. Some might call it laziness, but the lions themselves prefer to think of it as ‘energy conservation’. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 1em;">Because the king of the jungle knows that the most important part of training is saving your energy for when it’s actually needed. And in January, full-scale exertion just isn't required. Better off pacing yourself. There are eleven more months to follow in the year. Slow down there, ace. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 1em;"><b>Say no to kneejerks</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1em;">The temptation to turn your back on your holiday indulgences, and plow into a guilt-fuelled fitness routine can be strong. However now, more than at any other month, it's important to push back on kneejerk reactions. Show yourself to be immune to the capricious calendar. Here are some easy actions you can take to make the transition smooth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 1em;"><b>Step one</b></span><span style="font-size: 1em;">: grow a moustache. There's something quite honourable about growing one in Movember (not least because if you 'stache up then you should also be raising money for prostate research). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 1em;">But to bristle your upper lip in January shows that you're master of both your calendar and your facial furniture.
(Make sure that while cultivating that lip foliage you’re also donating some money to a worthy cause, because otherwise growing a moustache just seems selfish. So select one or more of any number of good causes and make a sizeable donation). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 1em;">If you’re not a moustache grower – because you’re a woman or a child – get yourself a pocket watch. It serves roughly the same purpose.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTp7SKIx1Q9TjF6swT1fcmLufZ8Tx-Vm90-PR4ldkwfovlPwJTgMyliOXs1h9HAiYPTzgUTgE7MMUXSel3QjogLYnY-Nf5zXA0mmDvuT5crBEYtErzqM5cdXDK-YUdWWTL1SitOw/s1600/rocks2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTp7SKIx1Q9TjF6swT1fcmLufZ8Tx-Vm90-PR4ldkwfovlPwJTgMyliOXs1h9HAiYPTzgUTgE7MMUXSel3QjogLYnY-Nf5zXA0mmDvuT5crBEYtErzqM5cdXDK-YUdWWTL1SitOw/s1600/rocks2.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 1em;">Now you’re well on your way to a bright new year with a stylish new mustache, and you've literally put your money where your upper lip is and helped out some people who need it. Congratulations: you’re ready for step two. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 1em;">(If you’re not a mustache grower – because you’re a woman or a child – get yourself a pocket watch. It serves roughly the same purpose). </span></div>
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<b>Ain't no party like a January party</b><br />
<b>Second step</b>: To defiantly reject penance mode requires an ostentatious gesture. So throw a large party early in January. Ideally, it will be a relaxed affair: a dinner party, with understated bossa nova music in the background, a small selection of fine cocktails, and 60 or so of your closest acquaintances, dressed to the peak of their January ability.<br />
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If nothing else, it’s an opportunity to change out of the track suit bottoms you’d otherwise be wearing for the entire month.<br />
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<b>Third step</b>: in terms of exercise, rather than trying to sprint into an exercise regimen that you will have trouble following for the rest of the year, adopt an exercise programme that you can believe in. The answer is as plain as the tea strainer growing under your nose: sprinting.<br />
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Jogging is all well and good for wimps and babies. But what real athletes and actual lions know, is that the exercise that will serve you best in a real-life emergency, is sprinting. Jogging is pointless; there has literally never in all of history been a pressingly dangerous situation where the solution was to slowly jog away from the peril.<br />
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Start with short distances (the width of your living room or office), and work up incrementally to the point where you can sprint for a mile. Good cardio that doesn't take up a lot of time <i>and</i> is useful in an emergency? Yes, it is possible.<br />
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<b>Your hobby options</b><br />
You’re already cresting the wave of 2015, and it’s only just begun. Not as hard as you thought. is it? There’s only one more thing you can do to keep abreast of this chronological twist around the sun.<br />
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<b>Step four</b>: cultivate a hobby. People who exercise a lot are bores, all they do is talk about exercising. So especially now that you’re sprinting regularly, you need an edifying diversion.<br />
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Here is a complete list of possibilities<br />
<ul>
<li>Glass-blowing </li>
<li>Building and painting model airplanes or birdhouses </li>
<li>Close-up card magic </li>
<li>Fly-fishing </li>
<li>Restoring American civil war artifacts </li>
<li>Collecting rocks </li>
<li>Rewiring old radios </li>
</ul>
These activities don’t have much in common: except that they all require some manual dexterity and each one will give you something to talk about at your January Party (other than how your sprinting practice is going).<br />
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Choose wisely, for the one you select must blossom into a lifetime of dedication. But for now, just follow your instincts.<br />
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That's what a lion would do.</div>
Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-24084337966612084722015-01-05T18:30:00.000+00:002015-01-05T18:30:00.487+00:00Zen and the art of nederlands maintenance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blog-rbm-pullzone.redbranchmediain.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Bigstock-22321633-Spa-still-life-with-bamboo-fountain-and-zen-stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blog-rbm-pullzone.redbranchmediain.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Bigstock-22321633-Spa-still-life-with-bamboo-fountain-and-zen-stone.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I went to a <i>proefles (</i>trial lesson) for a Dutch-language Zen Buddhist meditation class yesterday, thinking that I could kill two birds with one stone. Admittedly, this was a terrible start. <br />
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Killing two birds with one stone is a violent image that relies on either preternatural aim and good fortune or the cold-blooded ability to throw a stone, murder an innocent bird with it, and then picking up that blood-soaked rock and doing it all over again.<br />
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So let me instead say that I thought I would be able to accomplish two things with one action – that is to achieve more mental stillness and improve awareness and happiness (due to the zen part) and brush up on my Dutch (by doing the whole thing in Dutch).<br />
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Again, a poor choice of words. 'Brushing up' suggests that my Dutch is already at a high level and I merely need to give myself an opportunity to remember what I may have forgotten. However the facts are otherwise: I need to improve at Dutch. Full stop.<br />
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<b>Driven to distraction</b><br />
What I discovered is that I am not yet ready for the using of Dutch in practical circumstances. While I understood some of the words – <i>gedacht, hoofd, stilte</i>, and could guess at the meanings of some others, <i>aanzicht</i>, for example (means insight), I was still quite far from being at the point where registering for a course in Dutch Zen would offer me enough benefit to justify it.<br />
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With my tendency to be easily and almost constantly distracted, meditation will already be quite the big challenge for me. Understanding, ie a true appreciation of the benefits, techniques and what it's all about might be even further away. Then add in the possibility to do it in a language of which I understand precious little and it turns out to be a non-starter. But it was worth a try.<br />
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For example, after being greeted all of us who had signed up for the free lesson were ushered into an inner sanctum, where we all sat on small circular cushions resting on larger square black mats, all lined up around the perimeter.<br />
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The session leader, dressed all in black, spoke at length (in Dutch) about what Zen is. I didn't understand much of it (again partially due to the confounding nature of Zen and its Koans eg. "To speak about Zen is not Zen", and partially due to it being in Dutch). And yet it was pleasant nonetheless. Plus, I felt pretty proud of myself for rising at 9am on a Sunday morning to got to a meditation class.<br />
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<b>A drawing board</b><br />
But I won't be going back. As what I learned, aside from the fact that it will require some real practice to get my mind to stop its ceaseless chattering, is that my Dutch is unfortunately still below a useful level. Which sadly relegates it to something closer to useless.<br />
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Would I go back if it were in English? Perhaps. But for the moment I will focus on meditation at home. Three times a week is what I'm looking at. And for something extra-curricular in Dutch, well, I'll need to get involved in something that is more visual or otherwise easier to understand. Like tetherball, boatbuilding or fingerpainting.<br />
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And if the using my Dutch in a practical setting doesn't work, I can always go back to killing one bird with one stone, and take some more Dutch classes. </div>
Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-21270517788956454402014-12-31T15:44:00.000+00:002014-12-31T17:22:15.205+00:00A few favourite posts from 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-09/15/13/enhanced/webdr05/enhanced-25211-1410801056-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-09/15/13/enhanced/webdr05/enhanced-25211-1410801056-2.jpg" height="274" width="320" /></a></div>
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As is both customary <i>and</i> appropriate at this time of year, I've done some number crunching and general blog review, and compiled some of the most popular posts from the past year, added in a couple that I am quite proud of, and presented it as ostensibly new content, when it is really nothing of the sort.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It does, however, save you the annoyance of scrolling through pages of this very blog, reading all of the mediocre or underloved pieces of content, to find the ones that you might really enjoy.<br />
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No need, my friend! Instead you can just relax and read some of these handily aggregated posts, which were most clicked upon. Enjoy.<br />
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1.<b> Commit, dammit! In all your stuff</b> ~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/03/commit-dammit-in-all-your-stuff.html" target="_blank">A piece on the importance of commitment.</a><br />
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2. <b>Nobody's Perfect</b> ~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/03/nobodys-perfect-ryman-illar.html" target="_blank">Mostly just a link to my rap video</a>.<br />
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3. <b>To beg, borrow and steal </b>~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/04/to-beg-borrow-and-steal.html" target="_blank">Some thoughts on artistry, creativity and influences</a>.<br />
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4. <b>An ideal workday </b>~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/05/an-ideal-workday.html" target="_blank">Imagine if you will, what your perfect day of work would be like</a>.<br />
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5. <b>Las Vegas: everything in excess</b> ~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/06/las-vegas-everything-in-excess.html" target="_blank">Some impressions of Sin City (Spoiler alert: I liked it)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/red_flower_garden-wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/red_flower_garden-wide.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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6. <b>Performers: be yourself</b> ~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/06/performers-be-yourself.html" target="_blank">Musings on the utility of authenticity in performance</a>.<br />
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7. <b>12 tips for the creative freelancer</b> ~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/07/12-tips-for-creative-freelancer.html" target="_blank">This listicle of </a><a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/07/12-tips-for-creative-freelancer.html" target="_blank">useful advice</a> <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/07/12-tips-for-creative-freelancer.html" target="_blank">was one of the most popular things on this blog last year</a>.<br />
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8. <b>10,000 hours more or less</b> ~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/08/10000-hours-more-or-less.html" target="_blank">Looking at passion's place in excellence, with reference to the recently debunked 10,000 hours rule</a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXv1V8NjzDP0FzkgKcHCLkgjhXi5AHNCiEeOHSN1ZMwmsOtUelXtozHHk6VyZEfNSknw_nB8ODUwaiCP3tJ-d_s5CPmWv3Z1QqNgmLtxkdlf6QED2O-J1xWhfOpXRvsqq5mvTLg/s1600/rhino_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXv1V8NjzDP0FzkgKcHCLkgjhXi5AHNCiEeOHSN1ZMwmsOtUelXtozHHk6VyZEfNSknw_nB8ODUwaiCP3tJ-d_s5CPmWv3Z1QqNgmLtxkdlf6QED2O-J1xWhfOpXRvsqq5mvTLg/s1600/rhino_1.jpg" height="200" width="164" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXv1V8NjzDP0FzkgKcHCLkgjhXi5AHNCiEeOHSN1ZMwmsOtUelXtozHHk6VyZEfNSknw_nB8ODUwaiCP3tJ-d_s5CPmWv3Z1QqNgmLtxkdlf6QED2O-J1xWhfOpXRvsqq5mvTLg/s1600/rhino_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
9. <b>Beautiful justifications; wabi sabi</b> ~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/09/beautiful-justifications-wabi-sabi.html" target="_blank">I almost always stay true to my ethos: "never leave the house dirtier than when you started cleaning it."</a><br />
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10. <b>Getting lucky</b> ~ <a href="http://www.alexanderandjames.com/the-magazine/getting-lucky/lucky.html?cm_mmc=paid%20media-_-promoted%20post-%20a%20and%20j%20account-_-social%20-%20facebook-_-getting%20lucky&agp=true" target="_blank">Actually an article I wrote for Alexander and James, but still, a pretty good piece</a>.<br />
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11. <b>A journey through South Africa</b> ~ <a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.be/2014/12/a-journey-through-south-africa.html" target="_blank">One of the highlights of the year was traveling to South Africa with Chiara. Here's the recap</a>.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-29656779594933773852014-12-02T11:22:00.000+00:002014-12-02T11:22:00.516+00:00A journey through South Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpiXV_HDZDJoTIlR1yZrb3k_yTZFYajst4FGB5OfQwYkwAoPjGrIznxzfsPdTmZ-s73mH4pfchBuc4XQu13AovyRuhrY-9_jx-CspDl5PEPF-C809udhz_jJyQ6tqIemae7PPBg/s1600/africa_sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpiXV_HDZDJoTIlR1yZrb3k_yTZFYajst4FGB5OfQwYkwAoPjGrIznxzfsPdTmZ-s73mH4pfchBuc4XQu13AovyRuhrY-9_jx-CspDl5PEPF-C809udhz_jJyQ6tqIemae7PPBg/s1600/africa_sunset.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></div>
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The flight to Johannesburg is eleven hours. As far as flights go, that's pretty long. As far as anything goes that's pretty long. The good news is that, on top of that flight taking me to South Africa (!), I actually, for the most part, enjoy lengthy flights. </div>
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Being on a plane for that length of time, even accounting for <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9006.Don_t_Get_Too_Comfortable" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the indignities of coach class</a>, is like the WALL-E version of the future (in a good way); a plane ride basically consists of you sitting in a reasonably comfortable reclining chair with a display screen full of entertainment in front of you, while people in uniform patrol the aisle beside your seat, bringing you food and drinks.<br />
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You can even fall asleep onto your half-finished dinner, and when you awake your leftover food has been cleared away and you are beginning your descent into a new city.<br />
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In this case also a different country and a different continent. Pretty sweet.<br />
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Plus I watched <i>Muppets Most Wanted, Invictus</i> (both excellent for very different reasons), an episode of <i>Louie</i>, and the first half of <i>Goodfellas</i>. So yeah, it was pretty great. And at the end of it all, I was in Africa!<br />
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<b>Making it work</b><br />
For a long time Chiara and I discussed whether we should take this trip or not. Well, she didn't really have a choice, because she had to go to Pretoria for work, but the question was whether <i>I</i> should come or not. And if I did join her, what we should do.<br />
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We realized that it would be foolish for us not to take advantage of this opportunity, so we decided that I would join her at the end of her work thing, and we would spend a few nights at a game lodge outside of Joburg (as I will refer to Johannesburg from now on), then take an epic 27 hour train ride to Cape Town, spend some nights there, and then mooch around the Cape of Good Hope for a couple of days.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHv6_CGeQ7-pdqnJ7Toa6PJqCL0PkezefbCU303CB1Uf3BV39yy-NYm1gbLCWAoRovHYP18v2PT5m2CCpxoXvBw3VJeEpsta-Ak1Li3TE3ozxZJzvmX2bWC9Tj9Ulku6eMQCFwAA/s1600/kololo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHv6_CGeQ7-pdqnJ7Toa6PJqCL0PkezefbCU303CB1Uf3BV39yy-NYm1gbLCWAoRovHYP18v2PT5m2CCpxoXvBw3VJeEpsta-Ak1Li3TE3ozxZJzvmX2bWC9Tj9Ulku6eMQCFwAA/s1600/kololo_1.jpg" height="283" width="400" /></a></div>
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Despite oversleeping a couple of hours on the first morning (guess who didn't set his alarm properly? Me. The answer is me; <i>I</i> didn't.), we rented a car and off we went in good spirits.<br />
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Our unfamiliar GPS took us on the township route north. And as we drove along the highway, avoiding goats, cows, chickens and the many people walking up and down and across the highway, the cultural differences were pretty stark. It was like no highway we'd driven before.<br />
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<b>Safari time</b></div>
Our safari lodging was great <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">–</span> secluded, verdant and not short on amenities. But we didn't spend too much time sitting around in the lodge: we were there for some game viewing.<br />
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Which meant sitting around in a covered retrofit Range Rover and driving through the <i>Welgevonden Game Reserve</i>, seeking out animals going about their daily business close enough to the roads that we could see them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXv1V8NjzDP0FzkgKcHCLkgjhXi5AHNCiEeOHSN1ZMwmsOtUelXtozHHk6VyZEfNSknw_nB8ODUwaiCP3tJ-d_s5CPmWv3Z1QqNgmLtxkdlf6QED2O-J1xWhfOpXRvsqq5mvTLg/s1600/rhino_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXv1V8NjzDP0FzkgKcHCLkgjhXi5AHNCiEeOHSN1ZMwmsOtUelXtozHHk6VyZEfNSknw_nB8ODUwaiCP3tJ-d_s5CPmWv3Z1QqNgmLtxkdlf6QED2O-J1xWhfOpXRvsqq5mvTLg/s1600/rhino_1.jpg" height="200" width="164" /></a>We woke up at 5am a couple of days in a row, and were rewarded with the sight of a whole host of exotic African animals just doing their usual, in their natural habitat: fish eagles, rhinoceros, zebras, warthogs, impala, red hartebeest, baboons, kudu, a close encounter with a buffalo, and more.<br />
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But no lions or leopards. No giraffes, even.<br />
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And just one single lousy majestic elephant off in the distance, thanks to the keen eyes and determination of my wife, who scoured the mountainside from our lodge while we were between drives, and spotted this mighty and distant beast snacking on some trees.<br />
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As we left the game lodge we stopped at another conservation area to give one last try to encounter lions, or elephants, or even a stupid giraffe.<br />
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And as we headed out that afternoon, on our fourth and final attempt, we had a tracker sitting right up front of the vehicle, and a guide who all but assured us that we'd see some of these animals, all of which had been spotted the day before. We were quite confident.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5G8xUko8alDplk90yqZJuFiYgC-HfesMkbh61XPOuZp0quhJLHopkXqdnsE-bcH-u8TTRFp3VxvK2rmYN7B3sT0FXUhVZgBpEiDuoXIaqC4xVQeP8-ZDnsWmVKj-N7JGUp4CqQ/s1600/Lodge+Kudu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5G8xUko8alDplk90yqZJuFiYgC-HfesMkbh61XPOuZp0quhJLHopkXqdnsE-bcH-u8TTRFp3VxvK2rmYN7B3sT0FXUhVZgBpEiDuoXIaqC4xVQeP8-ZDnsWmVKj-N7JGUp4CqQ/s1600/Lodge+Kudu.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a>When it started pouring rain half an hour later and our drive was abruptly called off, we almost laughed about it. Almost.<br />
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So, despite all of the African natural splendour, and the delightful and surprising individual little moments we enjoyed, we were left with this feeling of disappointment.<br />
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Because we were <i>unlucky </i>not to see more animals. As if the panoply of exotic animals wandering the reserve, and visible from the cozy confines of our lodge, somehow weren't enough.<br />
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But the reality is: are you kidding me!?!?: a trip to <i>Africa </i>with my <i>wife</i>, semi-adventuring through all that wildlife and nature, then (spoiler alert!) catching up with old friends in Cape Town, having great meals and fun times, in city, on train, at the blazing seaside (and thankfully not being the victim of any unpleasant 'informal wealth redistribution' scenario that can affect tourists. (Except for paying obscenely over the odds for some cookie-cutter "African art".)) How can I feel anything but extremely fortunate?<br />
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Which puts the whole trip into perspective. But there's still a stupid footnote that finds its way into the conversation when I talk about the safari leg of the trip. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLw7jxbwU4ucgGj__NFjR6bKnCDkg14qHbXwBMUt3H365bWSqtqfsMmi9XlSgNd-hoH_v1R4kWxFzIkshjbJAZYRktWy2qNW97TlJM9NzyexXKAsfM0M4lYLbfUXKbBxb1fgWWg/s1600/train+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLw7jxbwU4ucgGj__NFjR6bKnCDkg14qHbXwBMUt3H365bWSqtqfsMmi9XlSgNd-hoH_v1R4kWxFzIkshjbJAZYRktWy2qNW97TlJM9NzyexXKAsfM0M4lYLbfUXKbBxb1fgWWg/s1600/train+sunset.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Rail for Africa</b><br />
After the game lodge we headed back to Joburg and caught the <i>Shosholoza Meyl</i> train to Cape Town, a 27-hour journey through the heart of the South African savannah.<br />
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We had packed the iPad full of entertainment, in case we got bored of looking out the window. But we didn't. The shifting socio-cultural landscapes, as we went from city to township to mining outpost to huge, lengthy stretches of grasslands. And then when the sun set and the stars came out the reached down to the horizon and we sat up and gazed out the window of our compartment for what seemed like hours.<br />
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Then we watched <i>Lars and the Real Girl </i>and went to sleep.<br />
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The Cape portion of the trip was full of food, friends, frigid oceans and whipping winds. We took some scenic drives and walks, and experienced some cosmopolitan Cape Town restaurants, as well as taking a trip to Robben Island, which was harrowing, because of the profound premeditated and sustained systemic injustices that it represents, and the return boat ride that drenched fully half the passengers with freezing Atlantic waters.<br />
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But mostly for the apartheid stuff.<br />
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It's hard for me to fathom how recent that history is <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">–</span> the 1994 election marked the end of apartheid. That's just twenty years ago. I then realized that every adult I saw had lived through apartheid. Everyone over the age of say, thirty, black, white or coloured, had a very personal experience of living like that. Mind-blowing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ0KtV-Tv8nZLyTpmxw9tEO1Za0tWEHnm6t_zX6oVVY5O0ustJf_8kut82WcO563Sf5JBVhtz6FXEAyue9zUrOzi-rhobT2NoPpSY0jpCrGUL6x8WOQKwqHpiC11tl7cL0odr_w/s1600/peng1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ0KtV-Tv8nZLyTpmxw9tEO1Za0tWEHnm6t_zX6oVVY5O0ustJf_8kut82WcO563Sf5JBVhtz6FXEAyue9zUrOzi-rhobT2NoPpSY0jpCrGUL6x8WOQKwqHpiC11tl7cL0odr_w/s1600/peng1.jpg" height="200" width="175" /></a>So it was with some thoughtfulness, and whatever the opposite of nostalgia is, that we set out the next day for a journey around the Cape of Good Hope, also known as The Cape of Storms, for the extensive list of shipwrecks there.<br />
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I love shipwrecks, lighthouses, and nautical ghost stories (it's the wreck site of the Flying Dutchman!) so this was an incredible place to be. Plus we got to spend an afternoon on Boulders Beach, which is full of African Penguins, formerly known as Jackass Penguins.<br />
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They're goofy and adorable and walk like they've spent time at the Ministry of Silly Walks, but <i>jackasses</i>? I should say not.<br />
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<b>The last day</b><br />
We went up Cape Town's fabled Table Mountain at the end of our last day, which also happened to be Chiara's birthday. On the tail end of a spectacular sunset off the Cape horizon, we rode a full cable car back down. As soon as the doors shut, some American college kids started playing some music out of a tinny mobile phone speaker, which generally annoys me to no end, and was also true in this case.<br />
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When the cable car driver started talking to the ringleader I thought "Ha! Great, he's going to have to turn it off!" But instead, the guy got the cable car driver to hold the mobile phone up to the internal speaker so everyone could hear the song better. It was Shakira's "This Time for Africa".<br />
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Maybe a bit on the nose, as a selection, but it worked. It's a catchy tune, and in this case, as the twilight darkened and we made our group descent, it seemed to acquire some personal resonance, and broader significance, as an agent of cable car stranger-bonding.<br />
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Everyone in the car seemed to be at least bobbing their head. Those few minutes were a fitting coda of our experience, and a good example of what we experienced: expect one thing, receive something different. It might not be what you were hoping for, it may not be what you wanted, but it may turn out to be beautiful and appropriate.<br />
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We all applauded as our pod gently bumped into the landing hutch at the base of the mountain, I think because we were all a little moved by the whole experience. It might've been just me, but I don't think so.<br />
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Thanks Africa.<br />
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Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-57508953065669673222014-11-10T19:30:00.000+00:002014-11-10T19:30:01.399+00:00Airport times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8vrBRAEHcxXipe4pKrDd90dbP2kY-BQ_BxpEF0_IPI3rxMFloafwWk1CivGRtixLfhGYlSwy_dOpYBmxHMkCYqD_jxkioZCJ5fNRTqLSeskWxugaH3x4kerMoJjQKoLsTc_rLA/s1600/shutterstock_225265696x1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8vrBRAEHcxXipe4pKrDd90dbP2kY-BQ_BxpEF0_IPI3rxMFloafwWk1CivGRtixLfhGYlSwy_dOpYBmxHMkCYqD_jxkioZCJ5fNRTqLSeskWxugaH3x4kerMoJjQKoLsTc_rLA/s1600/shutterstock_225265696x1000.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was in Barcelona last week for The BIG IF # 2 (which was a hell of a fine improv festival, with great shows, people, workshops and general times, from beginning until end).<br />
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When I was walking through Schiphol yesterday afternoon, I realized that I would quite soon be on my way back through that airport, as I'm flying to London this afternoon.<br />
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Then Thursday I'm heading back to the airport to fly to Johannesburg, where I will meet Chiara, and hopefully some lions, elephants and penguins.<br />
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I love traveling. Well, more accurately, I love being in new cities and countries, which is easy enough to do when you choose your destination. But when you're traveling for work, it can be challenging to maintain that positive attitude.<br />
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Since airports and travel have been on my mind, and under my feet recently, I wrote <a href="http://bit.ly/1zeyuPM" target="_blank">a little piece about air travel for A&J Magazine</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Travel and the airport</b> </span><br />
The business and pleasure of departures and arrivals<br />
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<i>When my occasions for business travel were rare I found my workday routine going from comfortable to tiresome to aggravating, in short order. And once that happened, the surest remedy was to take a trip. </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhl2rQVPMEijTyrSQAhEJ9yG3Ll8iKFDWnzgzbfkSs2SRquzgZlk5qiyEmEYHVHLzQdjUJCI6xwp3AKj-aDK6NXeieHimoiDm2It8ilmMqZ2UY1Jpbjy3JY6OTNjHN5iBtEdbGw/s1600/shutterstock_225059584x1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhl2rQVPMEijTyrSQAhEJ9yG3Ll8iKFDWnzgzbfkSs2SRquzgZlk5qiyEmEYHVHLzQdjUJCI6xwp3AKj-aDK6NXeieHimoiDm2It8ilmMqZ2UY1Jpbjy3JY6OTNjHN5iBtEdbGw/s1600/shutterstock_225059584x1000.jpg" height="138" width="200" /></a><i>Fortunately, duty would often then call, and summon me to another locale.
Sure, it meant being in a meeting room most of the day, but that meeting room – and me! – would be in another city. It might be exotic, like Istanbul, warm like Barcelona, or grey like Brussels. But it was somewhere different. I’ve spent a working holiday in a Greek resort, a meal-centric day and evening in Milan, and an afternoon that felt like a week in an anonymous Dutch town. </i><br />
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<i>In a best worst-case scenario I was recently on a job in Istanbul, and hardly left the hotel in two days. But in this particular instance, the accommodations were the palatial hotel that marked the beginning (or the end, depending on the direction you were traveling) of the Orient Express. The restored elegance of that spot compares favourably with my experiences at various prosaic airport lodgings, all aspiring to be ‘non-descript’.</i><br />
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<a href="http://bit.ly/1zeyuPM" target="_blank">Read the rest at A&J</a>Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-5029166762213195462014-10-07T16:36:00.001+01:002014-10-07T16:36:50.979+01:00Getting Lucky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aakx_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-DiageoUK-Site/Sites-DiageoUK-Library/default/v1412600959447/images/articles/feature/lucky_feature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aakx_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-DiageoUK-Site/Sites-DiageoUK-Library/default/v1412600959447/images/articles/feature/lucky_feature.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've been thinking a lot about the idea of 'getting lucky' (in the superstitious <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">–</span> not biblical <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">–</span> way). I think it has a lot to do with how much of the reading about business I've been doing, boils down to "luck is when preparation meets opportunity, and that's how you succeed" kind of philosophy.<br />
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Though I may be paraphrasing slightly.<br />
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But in a time of crisis I'll take any pithy slogan I can get my hands on, and cling to it like a life preserver. Or, when things are good, like now, I'll try and show some gratitude to the universe for any positive outcomes, while simultaneously diverting some of that credit back onto myself. After all, I couldn't have gotten lucky if I wasn't so prepared, right?<br />
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And so far, it seems to be working.<br />
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Well, look: it's an opportunity for me to reminisce about one of my favourite Kids in the Hall sketches, with a line I've been quoting in my head for almost two decades. I'll jump right on it!<br />
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The sketch takes place in a supermarket I believe, and it's a "Flying Pig" sketch (about a flying pig who entertains people in any one of life's many lineups).<br />
<a href="http://kithmeme.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/heyheyhey.png?w=774" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://kithmeme.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/heyheyhey.png?w=774" height="156" width="200" /></a><br />
In the beginning set-up a character delivers the throwaway non-sequitur "I know I can win the lottery, I just have to try harder". And soon thereafter FP arrives to bring some joy to the queue.<br />
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But that line's stuck with me, because it seems like a good motto: patently ridiculous, yet with a kernel of truth nestled in a blanket of optimism; that line heaps a can-do attitude onto wishful thinking, which is about as wishful as that type of thinking can get.<br />
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Unfortunately, as a financial planning strategy, it's doomed to failure. But luck, and getting more lucky, is actually achieveable.<br />
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And I've actually hit upon some tips, and you can have them too. They're all in this article I wrote for <a href="http://bit.ly/1vNVPp0" target="_blank">Alexander & James</a>, titled <a href="http://bit.ly/1q9kLCW" target="_blank">Get Lucky</a>.<br />
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They may not help the win the lottery, but you never know.<br />
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In the meantime, here's last year's summer jam.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RSaTCcb2eXI" width="560"></iframe>Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-87163580010137046952014-09-18T15:38:00.001+01:002014-12-31T13:42:17.992+00:00Beautiful justifications: wabi-sabi<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-09/15/13/enhanced/webdr05/enhanced-25211-1410801056-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-09/15/13/enhanced/webdr05/enhanced-25211-1410801056-2.jpg" height="342" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Design from <a href="http://www.untranslatablebook.com/the-book/" target="_blank">Lost in Translation</a> by Ella Frances Sanders</td></tr>
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My favourite jeans have a pronounced wallet fade, and a hole in the pocket that's been resewn almost a dozen times. They look great. They look, and feel, distinctly mine.</div>
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The longer I have a notebook, the more I like it; pages get bent, the stickers on the cover peel, it gets that lived in look and feel. </div>
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I <i>love</i> that look. And feel.</div>
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I'm a lousy housecleaner, as my wife is at pains to remind me. I wash dishes and sometimes don't rinse them very well, or even leave some soup on the side of a bowl. Quality control is low when I'm on chore duty. She and I both think it's because I'm not great at paying attention – my focus wanders and the work suffers.<br />
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Same with vacuuming. I don't always vacuum <i>every</i> corner and get <i>every</i> piece of dust. But when it comes to vacuuming, dishwashing and other household tasks, I almost always stay true to my ethos: "never leave the house dirtier than when you started cleaning it." It's not much to brag about, but at least it's something.</div>
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<a href="http://patientadvocate.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/dirty-dish.jpg?w=300&h=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://patientadvocate.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/dirty-dish.jpg?w=300&h=300" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="text-align: center;">I like to think that the lack of quality and attention is due to my artistic creative nature – rather than seeing these tasks as failing to hold my attention, I see them as launchpads for valuable daydreaming. The poor results in the cleaning are the price to pay for brilliant ideas. </span></div>
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Unfortunately, I don't think that answer is true – it's far too willfully self-congratulatory to be accurate. My wife also thinks it's bullshit.</div>
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That left me defaulting to a cold hard possible truth: that there's really no excuse for being unable to do housework effectively; it's laziness, pure and simple.<br />
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<b>Not 'wasabi', it's 'wabi-sabi'</b> <br />
Then this morning, I was reminded, by the beautiful illustration up top, of the Japanese term <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wabi-sabi</a>. Which is actually a pretty complex and beautiful Buddhist-inspired philosophy around embracing impermanence and imperfection. Life is fleeting, and so is order.<br />
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A chip or crack in a bowl can make it more interesting, draw attention to its once-flawless shape. Expand your conception of what beauty is to include the passage of time, and don't cling to a false ideal of perfection as beauty, and a whole world of possibility and serenity opens up.<br />
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"Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect," writes Richard Powell in <i>Wabi-Sabi Simple</i>.</div>
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To add a further element of desirability, this elegant philosophy (which can additionally be applied to many examples of children's arts and crafts), also has a narrative dimension to it. </div>
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A favourite pair of shoes that travel with us, wear in, get stained, become more interesting not just physically, but also because they become imbued with story. Like sweat and dirt, they absorb our experiences.</div>
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Jeans are another great example – I've enjoyed breaking in any pair of raw denim I've owned because it becomes a project, because I can see them change and adapt to my body, and because they develop a story as they crease and fade. </div>
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They change from a mass marketed product into an individual article that embodies and expresses shades of identity, and carry story in them. </div>
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<a href="http://i2.wp.com/www.kasilworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/kasil-raw-denim-story-02.jpg?resize=700%2C466" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i2.wp.com/www.kasilworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/kasil-raw-denim-story-02.jpg?resize=700%2C466" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wabi-sabi, was first introduced to me by my boss at Waterwise, he was fond of the concept, and championed imperfection. </div>
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Being reminded of it this morning pleased me, not least because the wabi-sabi philosophy can also be perverted to justify my half-assed attempts at cleaning; my lazy distracted approach to chores are in line with an ideal of beauty that purposefully and honourably strays from perfection, in search of a deeper beauty.</div>
Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-47164713961834680692014-09-09T15:31:00.000+01:002014-09-09T15:31:25.189+01:00All in one week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ryan-millar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/424531_528013873918984_1013684235_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ryan-millar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/424531_528013873918984_1013684235_n.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I feel like I've been relatively on hiatus from my 'normal' life, as I get settled into some writing work and the rhythms of the more-or-less regularly employed.<br />
<br />
And so far it's been pretty decent. I ride my bike most days through the park to the office, eat lunch with my<br />
colleagues, and cultivate my appreciation for fine spirits. It sounds not too bad, and it isn't at all.<br />
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I've been writing and editing away. Including putting together the latest issue of the <a href="http://bit.ly/Z5ygxS" target="_blank">Alexander & James magazine</a> and writing <a href="http://bit.ly/1oLWcva" target="_blank">this particular article</a>.<br />
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And all in all, immersing myself in the world of digital marketing, HTML, content management, editing, and online retail <i>and</i> getting to decide on content and style for a professional website is a pretty sweet gig. And when I'm not working I try and have meetings with other freelance friends, work on projects and go swimming. Yes, I dig it.<br />
<a href="http://www.blog.themacgroups.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/PR0301.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.blog.themacgroups.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/PR0301.png" height="200" width="195" /></a><br />
But I've been so deep into it, I've not been paying attention to all of the other stuff i enjoy doing, and then POW, this week I've got three exciting events happening.<br />
<br />
1. Tonight I'll be leading a workshop for storytellers called "<a href="http://www.meetup.com/Impact-Storytelling-Amsterdam/events/204687792/" target="_blank">Learn How to be Funny</a>". Now if I were making and marketing a workshop this isn't what I would call it, but the good people at Impact Storytelling polled their members and the overwhelming consensus was a workshop specifically on this topic.<br />
<br />
So they asked me to do it, because I use the tools of funny in my work, and like to quip. And I've designed a pretty nice workshop that balances fun and freedom and confidence with some specific tools that contribute to (or move in the direction of) 'funny' without encouraging hokey or lame jokes in presentations.<br />
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I'm actually quite excited about this. And who knows, perhaps there will be another one down the line, as the more I've been thinking about it, the more I've become convinced that humour can't really be taught, and it definitely can't be taught in one short course.<br />
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2. On Thursday I'll be doing some character comedy as part of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/362944157190852/" target="_blank">Amsterdam Free Fringe's Comedy Night</a>. I didn't specifically plan to do this, but now I am, and as I don't usually do character comedy, the chance to bring out and debut some favourite characters I've developed and been sitting on is quite exciting. It'll be pretty loosey-goosey on my part, and seems like a quite diverse line-up, so it will in all likelihood be an enjoyable night.<br />
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Yes, there will be tango.<br />
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3. On Friday I will be hosting <a href="http://www.mezrab.nl/" target="_blank">My True Story at Mezrab</a>. This is generally one of my favourite events, and I've been away for the past couple so unable to attend, tell stories or host, so I'm quite excited to get back at it. And this one is special as we will be celebrating 10 years Mezrab. A phenomenal achievement for any arts organisation, and an even bigger on for one run so singularly on dedication and community-building. I'm hoping for a big turnout, and we've got some great storytellers lined up.<br />
<br />
So yeah, it'll be a busy week, busier than I would actually set up on purpose, but, after a run of working corporate style, I'm looking well forward to enrichment and empowerment, raw silliness, and authentic engagement. All in one week.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-56722903366102474502014-08-22T14:57:00.001+01:002014-08-22T14:57:45.870+01:0010,000 hours (more or less)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Practice makes perfect – in theory.<br />
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Or perfect practice makes better, according to my high school volleyball coach. But in both versions of this peptalk, there is a direct correlation between practice and improvement (or hours of practice and level of achievement).<br />
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It's a theory, an idea, that quickly became a truism, partly due to the fact it's so easy to understand, and a useful shortcut to judge progress and expertise.<br />
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The theory was first posited in 1993 by Swedish psychologist Anders Ericsson, and then popularized in Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers. Of course those strengths were also its weaknesses; it seemed an oversimplification. And even Ericsson has been on record calling it into question and offering footnotes, corrections and changes.<br />
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And now, "a new meta-analysis [...] indicates that the 10,000 hour rule <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/10000-hour-rule-not-real-180952410/#8hehDrwIEZY4pkby.99" target="_blank">simply does not exist</a>."<br />
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Meta-analysis in this case being the study of 88 different studies covering human achievements and practice. And it has comprehensively debunked the theory, "overall, practice accounted for just 12% of all the stuff which might explain expert-level performance. More often than not, there are variables besides practice that are <a href="http://www.nerdist.com/2014/08/practice-doesnt-necessarily-make-perfect-and-neither-is-the-10000-hour-rule/" target="_blank">driving levels of performance</a>."<br />
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<a href="http://www.mortgagestrategy.co.uk/Pictures/web/c/u/l/Spotlight_18_July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mortgagestrategy.co.uk/Pictures/web/c/u/l/Spotlight_18_July.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a>It was really only a matter of time (and concentrated effort) until something like this came along, but <i>quelle disappointment</i>.<br />
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<b>10,000 hours is dead!</b><br />
I've used the theory before as justification for practice of anything. <i>It's a journey to 10,000 hours</i>. I'd tell someone, or myself.<br />
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And when I think about something I do, like <a href="http://ryan-millar.com/improv/workshops/" target="_blank">teaching improv</a>, it was easy to think that well, I've had my 10,000 hours there, so therefore I'm qualified. But it's not that simple.<br />
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Does it matter though, that this theory isn't actually valid? I mean, it always felt like pop psychology anyway, so who cares (or is surprised by) its failure to stand up to actual scientific scrutiny? If you like something and keep working on that thing (and trying to get better), that should be enough.<br />
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It means you're doing what you love and are working on it. Whether you fall shy of, meet, or exceed the actual 10,000 hours mark is beside the point. I'm sure nobody <i>actually</i> thought this 10,000 hour threshold had preternatural power.<br />
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It was always just a useful shorthand.<br />
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<a href="http://www.todaysparent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Kids-and-music-lessons-Sept11-istock_0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.todaysparent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Kids-and-music-lessons-Sept11-istock_0.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Long live 10,000 hours!</b><br />
So now that the debunking has been done, is it time for kids to put away their violins and catcher's mitts, and guys like <a href="http://thedanplan.com/countdown/" target="_blank">Dan McLaughlin</a> to go back to whatever they used to do, and slacking off in the downtime? Well, no. Because the bigger point here is one of passion.<br />
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If you are passionate about something, all those hours of practice (whatever the number) are actually a <i>by-product</i>, rather than a goal.<br />
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10,000 hours is <i>a tonne</i> of time. If you're loving the activity you're engaging in, then it won't feel onerous, and you'll probably think about it in the off-time, it will relate to other things you're doing in your life, and you will gladly dedicate yourself to it. In short it will become a welcome part of your life. That passion will grow and evolve.<br />
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That leads to fulfillment and probably – though I don't have a whole lot of scientific data supporting this – you'll probably get pretty good at it.<br />
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<b>Passion matters</b><br />
<a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2014/08/if-you-choose-to-be-in-the-dog-food-business-.html" target="_blank">Seth Godin</a> writes that: "if you make dog food, be delighted to eat dog food." Which is a deliberately extreme example, and makes the point powerfully: if you dedicate your life to something, you damn well better love it.<br />
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And if you love it, do it more. Do it the most. As <a href="http://www.fastcocreate.com/1683167/how-to-be-prolific-guidelines-for-getting-it-done-from-joss-whedon" target="_blank">Joss Whedon</a> says "Absolutely eat dessert first. The thing that you want to do the most, do that.” That's advice I want to follow! I love dessert.<br />
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And that thing you love, if you do it more, you will most likely improve. And that will probably make you want to do it more, and get greater enjoyment, and on it goes. Apparently, nothing magical will happen when you reach 10,000 hours of practice, but who cares? You'll STILL BE DOING THE THING YOU LOVE! You win!<br />
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So basically, the 10,000 hours rule doesn't matter and it never did. It's like Dumbo's feather: he thought he needed it to fly, but it turned out he could fly all along. So get to it. ("It" in this case being something you're passionate about. Obviously.)Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-27033452745369092522014-08-15T12:35:00.001+01:002014-08-15T12:35:16.746+01:00A quick blast of Fringe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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An idea formed in my mind some months ago: a sneaky return to the Edinburgh Fringe. Not an actual run, but a couple performances, a few guest spots, some visiting with friends and seeing a few shows I'd been keen to watch.</div>
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Well, it happened. A few days of delightful delights and enjoyable running to and fro. <br />
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Final tally<br />
<ul>
<li>Three nights</li>
<li>Two performances of The Pitch</li>
<li>Three guest slots</li>
<li>Eleven shows watched</li>
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So they were a busy few days, but definitely worth it. I forgot how hilly Edinburgh was, and a few of the shows I wanted to see and did manage to see, were farther apart than I remembered. But art comes from struggle.</div>
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<b>A couple highlights and observations</b><br />
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Walking up the Royal Mile on that first evening I was confronted by hundreds of flyerers, and I experienced some immediate sadness. I even tried to flyer some too, but my heart wasn't really in it. As much as I put a brave face on it, flyering isn't fun.<br />
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However, seeing all the university students in painted faces singing and doing avant-garde dance, I realized that actually, the flyering at Edinburgh is, for these people, the biggest learning experience of them all. How to approach (cold call) people, how to be concise and friendly and engaging, standing on your feet all day for little to no reward, and braving inclement weather without complaint: all things that will serve them well no matter what profession they enter.<br />
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<a href="http://www.emilyfyfe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/EmilyEdFestival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://www.emilyfyfe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/EmilyEdFestival.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
I saw a couple of improv shows that I didn't really enjoy as improv shows. However, they both had very strong 'hooks' (movies, and Downton Abbey). And the audiences loved them. A lot. It's not that the improv was bad; it just wasn't impressive nor strong. However, it didn't really seem to matter; everyone else in those packed auditoriums had a riotous time. Commercially they were very successful, and the performers seemed to be having a blast too. So I'm the odd one out; time for me to do some thinking.<br />
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The Pitch is fully sustainable as a full-length 45 minute format. Each show was very different, one slightly silly supernatural love story with lots of audience involvement, the other a dark psychodrama. Both satisfying with complete stories. But the second one was kinda sad (as sad movies tend to be). And while that's all well and good, I intend to bring more funny to the next performance of The Pitch, which will probably be in September or October.<br />
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Edinburgh Fringe is more and more nuts each year. I alternately hated it, loved it, was overwhelmed by it, and when I left, I was sad to go. We'll see what happens next year, but I've already got some ideas.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-22695955925688400202014-08-03T00:20:00.000+01:002014-08-03T11:12:59.670+01:00A new year, a slight pivot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Oak_Tree_in_Ontario_August_2011.jpg/800px-Oak_Tree_in_Ontario_August_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Oak_Tree_in_Ontario_August_2011.jpg/800px-Oak_Tree_in_Ontario_August_2011.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We're over the halfway point of the second calendar year of my Amsterdam Programme.<br />
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That 'programme' is sort of generally my life here: working as a creative freelancer, and pursuing writing and performing professionally. It's been going really well. i'm writing lots, have been traveling quite a bit, had the opportunity to develop a couple of new shows, and produce some comedy and storytelling events. It's actually even worked out to be reasonably – though not wildly – financially successful.<br />
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So, yeah. Pretty good. But what's the next step? <br />
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The next phase in my freelance career is a hard pivot – almost a straight buttonhook. Starting early Monday morning I will be returning to office environs for a five month stint as a communications and writing/editing guy (!)<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/The_Park_Northpoint_-_Open_Plan_Office_Space.jpg/800px-The_Park_Northpoint_-_Open_Plan_Office_Space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/The_Park_Northpoint_-_Open_Plan_Office_Space.jpg/800px-The_Park_Northpoint_-_Open_Plan_Office_Space.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
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That's right: I'll be back working an actual job; going to an actual office for four of five workdays, thus shrinking my freelance time down to just one day a week.<br />
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It's weird. I feel like I've been championing this freelance life so hard. But as productive as it sometimes feels (and I don't know how much of this has to do with the slow summer season), I have a lot of free time. <i>A lot</i>. And much of that free time gets spent doing not too much. I'd love to be more focused and productive, but after eighteen months, I'm just not satisfied with my output. I'm a pretty good boss, but not a great one. I need greater output to justify the amount of hours spent 'freelancing.<br />
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So perhaps re-upping my professional time in a corporate office environment will allow me to refocus on what I love '(and want to be doing when I'm not in an office again). Or maybe I'll find that the office work and regular paycheque are worth it, and I can balance the freelance endeavours and a regular gig.<br />
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I'm surprisingly excited about this return to office life. The timing hasn't hurt at all; the prospect of regular income has allowed me to face my 37th birthday with a surplus of equanimity. I'm doing alright. I didn't need this job, but I <i>chose </i>it. And my continued employability is now a demonstrable fact!!<br />
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Five steady paycheques to take me through Christmas, and with enough off-time negotiated to allow me space to do shows and travels I've already got planned, including my upcoming trip to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.<br />
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So really this is about moving freelancing down to a bite-sized chunk of time, while getting regularly paid to write and edit feature articles for a lifestyle magazine (which is a large part of my new job). So... pretty good, I'd say.<br />
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Also, as a side note, the company I'll be working for is a booze conglomerate, so I'm hoping there will be a couple of new snazzy cocktail recipes to add to my arsenal at the end of my contract, and a few sips of some refreshing cocktails along the way.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-41178530213649253542014-07-28T11:31:00.000+01:002014-12-31T13:37:38.771+00:0012 tips for the creative freelancer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/red_flower_garden-wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/red_flower_garden-wide.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fields of flowers at sunset can be so relaxing </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been a 'creative freelancer' for a while now: in fact, ever since we moved to Amsterdam eighteen months ago. And it's going alright. Pretty well, even.<br />
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I've learned a few things along the way, which seems like really the minimum one can do when embarking on a new venture. So I've made a list of some of these things that I think might be helpful for others.<br />
<br />
They apply specifically to me and what I've been doing – which is writing websites and corporate film scripts, performing and teaching improv comedy, producing and hosting storytelling and comedy events, and a smattering of acting and voiceover work. But they are – well, if not universal, at least extrapolatable. Which is only theoretically a word, but most certainly a concept.<br />
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Hopefully they'll be useful for you.<br />
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Also of note: these are things that I'm putting down, not because I figured them out and do them all the time, but because it's helpful for me to remember to work on them. Of course, some of these I'm good at, or come more or less naturally to me. Others are a constant pain in my ass.<br />
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1. <b>Be on time</b>: It's not cool to be late. I do struggle with this, as I'm frequently late for meetings with friends and the like, but I try and keep it less than ten minutes. <i>At least</i>. The Dutch particularly don't have patience for tardiness, but in general, showing up late or otherwise showing you don't value the other person's time says more about you ("I'm a dick!") than it does about the other person. See #2.<br />
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2. <b>Be a nice person</b>: And if you're not a nice person, then fake it. Nobody likes working with dicks, and though I don't see it too often, sometimes I'll have a meeting with – or hear about – someone who (like me) is a creative freelancing type, and (unlike me), is an absolute prick. Makes me wonder how long they can keep it up. I certainly prefer working with people I enjoy working with. And I don't think I'm alone.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ihdwal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/City-Night-and-a-Cup-of-Coffee-HD-Widescreen-Wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ihdwal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/City-Night-and-a-Cup-of-Coffee-HD-Widescreen-Wallpaper.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee is your friend </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3. <b>Follow through on your word:</b> If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you can't do it, or somehow fuck up, be accountable. Own up to it, and then say how you're going to clean up your mess. And then <i>definitely</i> do that. No exceptions.<br />
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4. <b>Say thank you:</b> If someone does something nice for you, say thanks. Simple!<br />
<br />
Also, it's annoying, self-indulgent and patronizing to have an artist start explaining why they're not happy with a work immediately after receiving a compliment on it. False modesty isn't as cool as you might think. When someone tells you that they like your work (a show, a painting, whatever) JUST SAY THANK YOU! Even if <i>you're </i>not happy with it, that person <i>is</i>. Hold those negative thoughts. Write about your disappointment in your tear-stained journal later that night (and make sure your next work is better).<br />
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5. <b>Be politely driven and focused:</b> Know what it is you want to do. And do that. Tell people that's what you're doing, and then just damn do it. Stick with it. Try hard. Make mistakes and learn from them. Plow through the doubt. Hold yourself to a higher standard than is probably necessary. Never stop. And remember: ambition is important, but keep it in check – that's why I say be "politely driven".<br />
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<br /></div>
6. <b>Proofread everything:</b> Some of my work is writing and editing, so this is extra important for me. But even if you're a lighting designer, sculptor or harpischord player, make sure your writing isn't garbage and littered with typos and stuff. It doesn't say much for the quality of your work if it's clear you didn't proofread your email before you sent it. And if it's really important, get someone else to proofread it. It takes a little extra time sure, but can make a big difference.<br />
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7. <b>Don't overpromote:</b> Of course you need to tell people about events and things you're working on, but try not to dominate conversations (online and real-life) with news of things you're working on. This is a tricky one. Use your best judgement.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Marines_do_pushups.jpg/800px-Marines_do_pushups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Marines_do_pushups.jpg/800px-Marines_do_pushups.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suck it up, you baby </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
8. <b>Look after yourself:</b> In my first year as a freelancer I did not one single athletic feat. Well, I might've accidentally done a push-up when getting out of bed once, but that's it. I'm trying to remedy that this year, with some swimming and yoga. Occasionally a fruit smoothie. You know what they say: if it's good for you, it's probably good for you.<br />
<br />
9. <b>Say please:</b> This follows on from #2 above. You're not entitled to <i>anything</i>. Nobody owes you shit, so if you want something, ask nicely.<br />
<br />
10. <b>Take feedback graciously:</b> If you don't want any feedback, stop the person before they give it to you. If you don't manage to do that: just take it. If it's just some idiot and they tell you something stupid and pointless... who cares? They're an idiot. Let it go.<br />
<br />
But if it's someone who tells you something insightful or interesting, use it. If you shut yourself off from criticism, you'll never improve.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hg5QZGcOsNs/Ue692hUZG1I/AAAAAAAABjg/fBUDbl_an5I/s1600/My+Fun+Life+Blogging+Success+Secret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hg5QZGcOsNs/Ue692hUZG1I/AAAAAAAABjg/fBUDbl_an5I/s1600/My+Fun+Life+Blogging+Success+Secret.jpg" height="154" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ants work hard, and look how good they're doing! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
11. <b>Don't undervalue yourself:</b> If you just give your time or your work away, or work too cheaply, people (including yourself) lose perspective on what your work is worth. And how the hell are you supposed to make a living at that thing you do if neither you, nor the people you do it for, value it properly? Not easily.<br />
<br />
12. <b>Do favours, and expect nothing in return:</b> The complement to #11 above; you should also work for free. Help people out, try stuff, get involved in projects that excite you (or excite someone you like) and expect nothing in return. Doing stuff generally trumps doing nothing, so get involved<br />
<br />
Random projects and favours can lead to work down the line – but this is <i>not </i>why you should do them; you should do them because it's good for you to stop being such a career-focused, self-absorbed dick once in a while and help someone else take a step towards <i>their</i> dream.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-60842667957427572092014-07-25T09:16:00.001+01:002014-07-25T09:16:39.054+01:00Return to the Edinburgh Fringe<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6_FdzUSmZAqQCNV_QLrF8NTpKr4i5QgDy5yis8IK7-9T-C2dWHyQy5L9Eg2IGlWwRO4Q9-YJyYJrrRuXVFaDLEwKXhUiD0ecwyOJia1FL57iPt6e7hy8ITiyl1j35NpoUONJJQ/s1600/ThePitch_poster_mockup_1080x1528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6_FdzUSmZAqQCNV_QLrF8NTpKr4i5QgDy5yis8IK7-9T-C2dWHyQy5L9Eg2IGlWwRO4Q9-YJyYJrrRuXVFaDLEwKXhUiD0ecwyOJia1FL57iPt6e7hy8ITiyl1j35NpoUONJJQ/s1600/ThePitch_poster_mockup_1080x1528.jpg" height="400" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For two shows only, I'll be at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />I'm pleased to announce, more or less more officially (I'm pretty sure a blogpost qualifies as an official channel), that I'll be back in Edinburgh for the Fringe 2014. And not as a visitor – although there are about 300 shows I want to see – I'll be back doing a very limited run (two shows) of <i>The Pitch</i>.<br />
<br />
Or, as it's known in the PBH Free Fringe programme: <i><a href="http://freefringe.org.uk/new/edinburgh/ryan-millar-in-the-pitch/" target="_blank">Ryan Millar in The Pitch!</a></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I've been to the Edinburgh Fringe twice before, bringing my first solo show <i>Roman Around</i> there in 2010, and then bringing it back (and also doing my two man improv show <i>Marbles</i> with Dave Waller – and Rob Grundel on keys), the following year.<br />
<br />
Well, this year I'm back for a very short snippet of fringe. And I'm really excited about every single aspect of it: the whole atmosphere of the Edinburgh Fringe is amazing, and seeing so many shows by so many great and talented people is ideal, and I get to participate in it with a show I love. It's 100% of a total win.<br />
<br />
<b>Let's talk about <i>The Pitch</i></b><br />
The show I'm bringing is a solo improv format I created called <i>The Pitch</i>. I developed it some years ago and finally debuted in the Amsterdam Free Fringe last year. It also played in the Remi Festival of Solo Improvisation, and Impro Amsterdam, both earlier this year.<br />
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It's an anarchic high-adventure story of me pitching a feature film idea, which develops and evolves in real time, following characters and plot lines suggested by the audience, the story, and my brain.<br />
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The audience are heavily involved: they simultaneously play the high-powered studio executives to whom I pitch my idea, and my braintrust to whom I turn for inspiration and ideas, helping me concoct the characters, settings, details, dialogue and more on the fly, and in the moment.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAc2q5n8SWrtmWvksZlSowkS60HaQFVs9qddpIfQfrbY2trGVKZSWYGk9kz36Ivz90G8DUlEaKu9PVvShVlBPEUgRGEN1RzGslMUw_B6Gq0ocmwKl9UbJW59gvfWXnzdsI9_kfQ/s1600/Ryan_shakesy_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAc2q5n8SWrtmWvksZlSowkS60HaQFVs9qddpIfQfrbY2trGVKZSWYGk9kz36Ivz90G8DUlEaKu9PVvShVlBPEUgRGEN1RzGslMUw_B6Gq0ocmwKl9UbJW59gvfWXnzdsI9_kfQ/s1600/Ryan_shakesy_1024.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pitch at RemiFest. Photo: Mathieu van den Berk</td></tr>
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What the show ends up becoming, in essence – if I may speak loftily for a moment – is a collectively realized fantasy, where everyone in the room participates in the creation of an entirely satisfying live action, never-to-be-repeated entire feature film-length story, with side jokes about Hollywood, movie tropes, and other silliness.<br />
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"The Pitch promises to be an action-packed, tender, surprising, loveable thrill ride of a side-splitting romp through movies, film, cinema, and the human experience. You'll laugh, cry, cheer – and ideally greenlight the movie of your dreams."<br />
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BYOP (Bring Your Own Popcorn).<br />
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<b>Other Fringe notes:</b><br />
<br />
There are <b>a tonne of shows I want to see </b>there, many of them performed by friends, and many by people I don't know. It will be a mad race in those few days to see how many I can see. Steve Roe of Hoopla just published a pretty <a href="http://www.hooplaimpro.com/edinburgh-fringe-festival-2014-show-recommendations.html" target="_blank">solid list of shows</a> that are going on my list if they weren't there already.<br />
<br />
I will also be <b>performing a few guest spots</b> while I'm up there (at least with The Maydays, and Lamabati, though I'm hoping a few others will see fit to invite me along to make some stuff up with them).<br />
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<b>Come to my show!</b> And/or tell your friends to <b>come see The Pitch</b>! I won't have much (any) time to flyer or build up any word of mouth, so I'm attempting to turn that into an advantage.<br />
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I'm trying to be more selective about my audience: so friends, friends of friends, movie buffs, aspiring producers, screenwriters and the like: <b>watch my cinematic solo improv spectacular</b>.<br />
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Also note that I've only got two dates for this, so don't defer. If you put it off until tomorrow just once, you may miss it! So just come on Monday or Tuesday (if you're a fringe performer this is probably your day off).<br />
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I'd really appreciate it, and I think you'll enjoy it too.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-50604110985244961872014-07-22T09:47:00.000+01:002014-07-23T08:19:44.543+01:00So Corfu-sed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEvNM823TLMR7SW9cCHh9sc2QL6t5ug88gEwTfpKUenPQSrm1_7xD5I0-DoXpo-z7PFOr0PFFtzmTi1TJ4lnqgiYsfLwZD988jDc3XdHTztsupS8f1KHnCXCG6F0PSJEmIebtWw/s1600/bay+corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEvNM823TLMR7SW9cCHh9sc2QL6t5ug88gEwTfpKUenPQSrm1_7xD5I0-DoXpo-z7PFOr0PFFtzmTi1TJ4lnqgiYsfLwZD988jDc3XdHTztsupS8f1KHnCXCG6F0PSJEmIebtWw/s1600/bay+corner.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm just back from <a href="http://www.impro-hotel.de/index.php/en/" target="_blank">Impro Hotel</a> in Corfu, and I'm still completely Corfused.<br />
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I was definitely in another world for a full week - and that world was full of sun, laughs, delicious homemade meals served at pre-appointed times, dune buggies, improv revelations, dancing and high quality good times. Although I was technically working (I was there to teach improv), it sure didn't feel like it; in the words of camp director Ralf, there was much party made last week.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
My trip began in Amsterdam with a Friday night cab at 2am to catch a 4am flight. It finished the next Friday night/Saturday morning with a 4.30am pick up. That lack of sleep bookends a week where there wasn't as much sleep as there could have been. But I attempted to compensate by taking care of myself with excellent food and plenty of sunscreen. I managed, but barely. It was an intense expenditure of energy, but worth every drop.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZs7sBqg2-QRR4FkEWDizxDeL-TX2jJBEEOQQ9oLwNjvlgu2fAu-epNZYfSMu8P3De8ykOXfqcGS1jqMHiKGa9ZoB_mHOQ7DUo8fnmCEN0994pti9Agp1VFv9om5G0gAQi9mHZw/s1600/la+familia2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZs7sBqg2-QRR4FkEWDizxDeL-TX2jJBEEOQQ9oLwNjvlgu2fAu-epNZYfSMu8P3De8ykOXfqcGS1jqMHiKGa9ZoB_mHOQ7DUo8fnmCEN0994pti9Agp1VFv9om5G0gAQi9mHZw/s1600/la+familia2.jpg" height="198" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Libby, Patti Stiles, Stevie Heydeck, Katie Freudenschuss, me and Nadine Antler: the teachers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First of all, the people! I was one of few non-German speakers, but still managed to make more than a few lifelong friends.<br />
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Special shout outs must go to my fellow teachers and Ralf. We were each other's support network over the week, and looked out for each other, whether we needed to take the boat for a test ride, have daily teacher's tea time, to having lunch or drinks and riffing on exercises, ideas and goals.<br />
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And of course, there was also that one night when we went karaoking, and showed the town how we cut loose. I chose two songs that, as it turned out, I didn't know nearly as well as I thought.<br />
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Fortunately I was able to freestyle my way through them (Will Smith's 'Miami' and Cameo's 'Word Up', if you're wondering), which I enjoyed more anyway; I sure am glad I had a dope-as-hell avenue to channel my desperation into, as I stood there with the mic in my hand and realized I was sinking.<br />
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Other karaoke highlights were Jim's heartbreaking version of 'In the Air Tonight' and Katie's perfect rendition of 'American Pie' ("The day the tango died").<br />
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The other big delight was teaching my two workshops.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmEpDyZNfM97Vu91LOwUFoOgyHD5tQR-GZoSk3H_YSEApYJNdP0eaPxmc7s4sMW7B2rA6c8l33DyB2LXZfPa4wy_Ouk82H0X93Ve-YhSfJXKZQB87lAbu5v88eJNlbpQw6NgEeQ/s1600/getting+real.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmEpDyZNfM97Vu91LOwUFoOgyHD5tQR-GZoSk3H_YSEApYJNdP0eaPxmc7s4sMW7B2rA6c8l33DyB2LXZfPa4wy_Ouk82H0X93Ve-YhSfJXKZQB87lAbu5v88eJNlbpQw6NgEeQ/s1600/getting+real.jpg" height="138" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get Real!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U5anE5wZRcoXrLG07DIg8i44Lc8x6eG0dvsVnvW2jWJ7u6jgeiwG95Zzlh_7UDYRM3uYYBbdUfnLHoMgFuWa0U9LQy1RdRmHyVkZ8A-OTdmLqNMBrdPAkrHwtcie-s46A5jETw/s1600/taking+it+easy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U5anE5wZRcoXrLG07DIg8i44Lc8x6eG0dvsVnvW2jWJ7u6jgeiwG95Zzlh_7UDYRM3uYYBbdUfnLHoMgFuWa0U9LQy1RdRmHyVkZ8A-OTdmLqNMBrdPAkrHwtcie-s46A5jETw/s1600/taking+it+easy.jpg" height="129" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take it Easy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The first was <i>Take it Easy</i>, which is about discovering story and structure, letting them come out in the moment, and offering the scene what it needs. The second, <i>Get Real</i>, is about connecting with our scene partners, and being aware of what they're doing and how we feel, and acting on that.<br />
<br />
I had prepared three hour sessions for each of them. However, I found out the night before starting that each of my workshops were actually ten hour sessions spread over two days (!)<br />
<br />
After the initial panic subsided, I scrambled to think of how I could expand the content. In the end it couldn't have been better. I was able to go really deep with each group and explore the improv elements I wanted to teach them, and also focus on what they needed, as those things arose. Now I just wish, quite seriously, there had been <i>more</i> time.<br />
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There were hundreds of other bits and moments that became part of our week, and though they may only translate into "you had to be there" anecdotes, they live on. Like the tango. which is forever. And everywhere.<br />
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<div>
In Italy, when someone is leaving from a (working) holiday, they say <i>buon rientro, </i>which means, "Have a good reentry". Because it can be difficult to adapt back to your regular life. </div>
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Fortunately, when I got home from Corfu the weather in Amsterdam was beautiful, and I got to hang out with my wife, who only gave me a little bit of a hard time about how rough my week of 'work' must have been. </div>
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And now, I've got a bunch of things to do, but I still can't resist looking back on last week and smiling. And of course, now when I look ahead to the weeks coming up I will do it with a bit of a tan, a headful of memories, and a heartful of tango.</div>
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Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-11607797304176412952014-07-03T11:05:00.001+01:002014-07-03T11:09:12.259+01:00An incomplete guide to Ryan Millers and Millars<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Breh-VlIYAAvRgv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Breh-VlIYAAvRgv.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's not a typo. The Canucks new goalie spells his last name with an 'e'. </td></tr>
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<br />
A lot of people have been asking me if I'm excited about heading back to Vancouver to play for the Canucks. I would be, <i>if</i> I were doing so.<br />
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But I am not. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
My my name is Ryan Millar, and even though I love hockey (and am a Canucks fan through and through) I am not an elite goaltender with twelve years of experience playing hockey at the highest level.<br />
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Nor have I ever won the Vezina trophy, nor played for the US Olympic team. So I have no large contract to carry the expectations of insanely demanding Vancouver hockey fans. I am merely one of those insanely demanding hockey fans.<br />
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Also, I spell my last name Millar - with an 'a', not Miller with an 'e'.<br />
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<b>The Ryan Milla(e)r legion</b><br />
There are a few other Ryan Millers (and Ryan Millars) out there, all of whom I am not. So I thought I'd just let people know who is who.<br />
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<a href="http://images1.mtv.com/uri/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:249645?width=324&height=324&crop=true&quality=0.85" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images1.mtv.com/uri/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:249645?width=324&height=324&crop=true&quality=0.85" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
Ryan Miller - This guy is a singer/songwriter. And a good one too. He's contributed soundtracks for a couple of films, and even co-wrote a movie.<br />
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No relation.<br />
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<a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/08/23/sports/olympics/24volleyball04_650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/08/23/sports/olympics/24volleyball04_650.jpg" height="137" width="200" /></a></div>
Ryan Millar - Former U.S. Olympic volleyballer. Mormon.<br />
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No relation.<br />
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<a href="http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/nhl/blog/083013_miller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/nhl/blog/083013_miller.jpg" height="133" width="200" /> </a></div>
Ryan Miller - Aforementioned hockey player, newly signed to the Canucks.<br />
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No relation.<br />
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<a href="http://www.diabolicalskateboards.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/front180-199x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.diabolicalskateboards.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/front180-199x300.jpg" /></a></div>
Ryan Millar - <a href="http://diabolicalskateboards.com/site/team/ryan-millar" target="_blank">Skateboarder</a> from Winnipeg Manitoba.<br />
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No relation (although in a strange coincidence I met the mother of a friend of his in Las Vegas recently).<br />
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<a href="http://www.renewintegrativehealth.com/sites/renewintegrativehealth.com/files/Dr.Millarchiropracticpic_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.renewintegrativehealth.com/sites/renewintegrativehealth.com/files/Dr.Millarchiropracticpic_0.jpg" /></a></div>
Dr. Ryan Millar - An Ontario-dwelling chiropractor and acupuncturist.<br />
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No relation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiet5JgrntYYDjoP5kLZMn4GTbG9pwk3H_oI2gFcrBUNaOAGal57AKiWJJwoIdBjWgFnhgQZbc-J5SS-zHjmujoYJl1z8HGStpQrnHekV2uYBHcB7tNIwQWaBW8yQ-eyIOVddAdQ/s1600/Ryan_shakesy_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiet5JgrntYYDjoP5kLZMn4GTbG9pwk3H_oI2gFcrBUNaOAGal57AKiWJJwoIdBjWgFnhgQZbc-J5SS-zHjmujoYJl1z8HGStpQrnHekV2uYBHcB7tNIwQWaBW8yQ-eyIOVddAdQ/s1600/Ryan_shakesy_1024.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
Ryan Millar - Me.<br />
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Hockey fan, former skateboarder, music lover, indifferent to volleyball, respectful of medical professionals. And proud to be a Ryan Millar.<br />
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Go Ryan Millars! (And Ryan Millers!)Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-85098745860406210412014-06-25T12:32:00.000+01:002014-06-25T14:58:01.305+01:00Performers: be yourself<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theplf.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Get-Real.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://theplf.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Get-Real.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As straightforward as it can get. </td></tr>
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I've started teaching a new workshop this <a href="http://slapdashfestival.co.uk/" target="_blank">Slapdash Festival</a>, named "Get Real". It's called that because it's a snappy title (if I do say so myself), and also to help performers get at something that I think is vital: reality. Or authenticity.<br />
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A lack of reality (or commitment, or vulnerability) is one of my biggest turn-offs in improv. And in performance (and people), in general.<br />
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By 'real' I don't mean 'kitchen sink' grittiness, nor do I mean mundane situations or a lack of character work: I just mean that there needs to be some element of the performer visible and sensible to the audience. There needs to be some 'skin in the game'. As a performer you <i>need </i>to care.<br />
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Audiences want to see some aspect of humanity onstage. And the easiest way to show that is by baring a little bit of your soul. Of course, they want that mixed in with talent, experience, passion, polish, wit, and lyricality <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> among other things. But they also quite definitely want people who show some measure of who they are.<br />
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It's an interesting relationship between the heart and the brain onstage. People want to laugh, they want the performers to be witty, and the situations full of humour. But they also want to care about the characters, and feel that there's some personal investment on the part of the performers. If not, it can still be funny, but it will seldom <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> if ever <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> be anything more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSo7vT-WxEpPQ4ubO2MBsBo18ybGScgqct5-gHwNKx96fFBmoSIryWqUi3d3cKEOaA5KAD1T56x013tZxeRFglh0bgyj3V25DL-pO1D8cJ7yjv71AeBE8R_tzHbvW9wx1PHYytw/s1600/Ryan+MIllar+-+David+Bruce+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSo7vT-WxEpPQ4ubO2MBsBo18ybGScgqct5-gHwNKx96fFBmoSIryWqUi3d3cKEOaA5KAD1T56x013tZxeRFglh0bgyj3V25DL-pO1D8cJ7yjv71AeBE8R_tzHbvW9wx1PHYytw/s1600/Ryan+MIllar+-+David+Bruce+photo.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me doing "technically stand-up"</td></tr>
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<b>A brief return to stand-up</b><br />
While Chiara and I were on holiday (as we were until last week), I did very very little "work-related" stuff. But I actually did do a show. I did a six minute guest spot at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RatfishComedy" target="_blank">Ratfish</a>, a stand-up night in Victoria. I deliberately didn't prepare anything, I just went up there and improvised. And, because there was a live band, I finished with a freestyle rap on setlist topics solicited from the audience.<br />
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I loved the show overall because it was the first time I got to see my brother do stand-up (and he killed), <i>and </i>we got to be on a bill together, <i>and </i>a bunch of family <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> some of whom I haven't seen in years <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> came out to support.<br />
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My set also went down well. And Chiara (my staunchest supporter and toughest critic) said she loved it, which she doesn't say often. Because I was myself, she told me.<br />
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Going into it I knew that if I tried to do actual written stand-up I wouldn't be able to draw upon my improv skills, so I opted to go with a strength. Plus, having so much solo improv experience <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> which relies on audience interaction and connection <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> under my belt, it was where I felt most comfortable. Although I wasn't sure how it would fit into a stand-up night. But freestyle rapping always goes down well with an audience, so I figured I would at least finish strong. Of course, I was also <i>really</i> nervous, but in a controlled way; I was able to show enough of myself and take risks, without going over into something rote, nor be out of control.<br />
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<b>Accounting for taste</b><br />
Part of that sincerity comes from a real desire to connect with the audience. When performers attempt to connect with an audience, with confidence and consideration, they will almost always succeed. Sincerity is underrated.<br />
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Of course for most performers, the act of performance is some sort of sublimated attempt to get the love and approval they desperately crave. So automatically, when they pretend that it's not, that they don't care what the audience think, it rings false and is a turn-off for the audience.<br />
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Of course, go too far the other way and beg or be overtly needy, and it will also fail. Because nobody wants to deal with that person in any capacity.<br />
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But when the attitude is along the lines of: "I'm glad you're here! What I'm about to do is something I'm excited about, I'm proud of, and I want you to like it too. I'm going to enjoy myself up here, and I invite you along for the journey.", then you should be in good shape. And if any of those sentences don't apply to the performance you're doing, or the audience you're doing it for, you're in trouble.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-80470092253125641012014-06-23T11:13:00.000+01:002014-06-23T11:13:08.160+01:00Words, words, words<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/A_picture_is_worth_a_thousand_words.jpg/663px-A_picture_is_worth_a_thousand_words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/A_picture_is_worth_a_thousand_words.jpg/663px-A_picture_is_worth_a_thousand_words.jpg" height="361" width="400" /></a></div>
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Words. That's how people communicate. With their mouths, their minds, their keyboards and even their pens. Mouthing the sounds or drawing the shapes of letters that together form words. These words, once written or spoken, carry meaning, so that people can express themselves.<br />
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It's important that we understand these individual words. So that we can pursue the meanings of them when combined with other, different, words. <br />
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But hold on. Before even going that far; in the first place it's so so important that we have words at all. Because if we don't have words to describe things, what are we going to use? Rocks? No, of course not.<br />
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Rocks are good for sitting on and thinking, or kicking while you're walking down the street having a good old think, or even smashing the skull of an enemy, real or imagined. But for communicating ideas? Nothing beats good old words. Not even rocks.<br />
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<a href="http://www.brighttorchcommunication.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/words1-300x199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://www.brighttorchcommunication.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/words1-300x199.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a><br />
Sometimes though, people use words that we don't understand. They might have a big vocabulary, or they might simply be speaking a different language.<br />
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<b>NB</b>: A different language is one that uses weird words in strange ways to convey ideas that may be familiar to you, but you'll never be sure. In this case the words are a barrier.<br />
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TIP: If someone puts a whole bunch of sounds together using their mouth and you have no idea what they're saying, you might be listening to a different language.</blockquote>
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However, on the flip side, if someone says "now you're speaking my language" there's a good chance they want to make a business deal (or have sex) with you. That's a good rule of thumb. So feel free to use it, that's what thumbrules are for.<br />
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In conclusion, words are really important, so use them wisely. We have a finite amount of words, but an unlimited amount of opportunity to use them in our life. However, that doesn't mean we should use them carelessly: nope.<br />
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Quite the opposite.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-71669378420156437852014-06-20T11:51:00.002+01:002014-06-20T12:24:37.532+01:00Life and Death at Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBzMkadGW_lstyRj0yVkuI3-2kdXdPGAUCTF9IZAVpYMbRDY3fUQ6_fmWI-dgdE8gbZ8eevLWeqY_anb1OvZHLFpsluywsaW0nlscW_V5Fj9mQT-5fIeokiSOWlJeNKUFQlq_SA/s1600/lighthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBzMkadGW_lstyRj0yVkuI3-2kdXdPGAUCTF9IZAVpYMbRDY3fUQ6_fmWI-dgdE8gbZ8eevLWeqY_anb1OvZHLFpsluywsaW0nlscW_V5Fj9mQT-5fIeokiSOWlJeNKUFQlq_SA/s1600/lighthouse.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></div>
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At last night's Geekeasy, as part of Slapdash, I delivered a lecture entitled "Life & Death at Sea". The topic <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> adventure, risk and consequences on and in the ocean <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> genuinely fascinates me. It's also the first time in recent memory I've done something non-improvised on stage.<br />
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It was a small and friendly audience, but I was pretty nervous. Though I warmed up.<br />
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The lecture is pretty funny, and definitely intended as a humorous piece, but it not only has a mock-serious tone <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24.88888931274414px;">–</span> it also contains actual facts and draws on real events, and pop culture references. Plus it is a subject I'm genuinely passionate about, which hopefully shows.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BqhVtsRIMAAzdHD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BqhVtsRIMAAzdHD.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: @comedyfoodgirl</td></tr>
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Afterwards I was a little stunned, because I wasn't sure how it went down. It turns out that not only did people enjoy it (or so they told me), but also I was offered a few other stories and ideas about tales of life and death at sea that had piqued the interest of others. More fuel for the research mill.<br />
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It may yet serve as the core of a bigger and more fully realized piece on the subject, which is really an excuse for me to indulge in my fascination with myths, legends and stories of the briny deep, but at the moment it's also serving as a way of re-focusing me on nautical matters, ans I continue working on another nautical themed solo show: "The Shipwreck of Oscar Mendler".<br />
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It looks like that show may be in the Amsterdam Free Fringe in September, so I think it will be the priority. for now.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-51071457907052473802014-06-17T13:19:00.000+01:002014-12-31T16:32:01.982+00:00Las Vegas: everything in excess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img0.svcdn.lasvegas.com/v2/cache/lasvegas/25C7DBB7FDEE98EB339313F2B55B68D5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://img0.svcdn.lasvegas.com/v2/cache/lasvegas/25C7DBB7FDEE98EB339313F2B55B68D5.jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've now been to Vegas. And I get why it's so popular: it's wonderful and bright and sleazy; it's the epicenter of hedonism and indulgence. It can be so damn <i>sexy</i>.<br />
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Fortunately, we played it cool. We didn't lose our shirts or our heads. We passed up fear and loathing in favour of relaxing and wandering. (And watching World Cup football in the hotel room).<br />
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But we did partake in what was on offer: winning a very small amount at blackjack and losing a piffling amount of time and money chasing slot machine dreams. But it was fun, which is great because I like fun. But the perimeter of fun and madness really stretches only so far.<br />
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We stayed at a hotel/resort/casino thing just two blocks off the Strip. However, anyone who's been to Vegas knows that 'two blocks' in Vegas distance is pretty far. And not just geographically: we saw, in the shadow of neon hot air balloons, and within the rhythmic thump of the rooftop all-day pool bar DJ sets, swarms of cockroaches busily weaving laps around the bushes in front of Bally's.<br />
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Inside the casino it's tightly controlled and everything smells of alcohol and stale promises. But outside the hotel – yet not even off the property, the filthy underbelly lies exposed to anyone walking on the sidewalk.<br />
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And another block away, a friendly homeless guy and his dog were sleeping on the sidewalk in front of a dusty construction site, no doubt soon to be another megamonument to illusions of wealth and fun.<br />
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<a href="http://img2.10bestmedia.com/Images/Photos/190431/El-Cortez-Las-Vegas-at-Facebook_28_495x370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img2.10bestmedia.com/Images/Photos/190431/El-Cortez-Las-Vegas-at-Facebook_28_495x370.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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One night out we went to a fairly fancy restaurant called Roy's, and then had a cocktail at Wynn. We were dressed up and experienced <i>that</i> type of Vegas: gawking at the opulence while trying to buddy up to it, treating ourselves to guilty pleasures, and having a romantic and indulgent evening.<br />
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I overheard the valet at Roy's as we were waiting for a taxi tell another couple to "Keep in mind that every person who works here has to live here." I thought it was an interesting and quite telling choice of words, saying "has to live here" rather than just "lives here".<br />
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The next evening we stepped away from the Strip and went to Fremont Street to have dinner at El Cortez, an old-school casino where they still reward slot wins with real coins. It has an old cafe inside, that was much more downmarket than we anticipated. I loved it. We had enormous messy veggie burgers and speculated on the clientele. They didn't seem so much like the stag and hen partiers on the Strip; the circumstances seemed far more mundane and less joyful. And our meal was accompanied by stale cigarette smoke wafting in from the casino. It was both filling and sobering.<br />
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But the moment we stepped out onto Fremont Street we were scooped up in the lights and sounds and laughter and costumes once again. And we got carried off on that frisson of excitement for our final night. I genuinely loved our time in Vegas, but realize that the famous facades of that city are really just that.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-44733569574418337862014-05-20T09:51:00.002+01:002014-05-20T09:52:20.152+01:00How can you tell if a washing machine works or not?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.pennineplus.com/uploads/images/Broken_washing_machine_347133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.pennineplus.com/uploads/images/Broken_washing_machine_347133.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our washing machine stopped working last week. Towards the end of the regular wash cycle it started beeping and an error message flashed on the screen.<br />
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After draining the machine manually, washing the clothes at the laundromat, and checking to make sure everything was running fine (it seemed to be), we tried again. Same result. So we called a washing machine repairman. He came, declared there was nothing wrong with it, and that it must be a problem with the drain. So we called a plumber to clear the drain and tried to wash the clothes again. Same result.<br />
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I called back, and in rather clipped tones, suggested they come back and this time <i>actually </i>fix the machine. They came back, and as I was unable to be home at that time, we had our neighbour let them in (there were two guys this time). After futzing about with it for a few minutes, they declared the machine in perfect running order.<br />
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We tried to use it again later that day. Same soapy clothes when the machine stopped mid-cycle and flashed that error message.<br />
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Now Chiara called the repair service back. The guy declared that, in his professional opinion, the machine was absolutely fine. She replied that in her personal opinion, well-supported by OBJECTIVE FACTS, the washing machine was certainly <i>not</i> fixed. (It's also worth noting that in their two visits they didn't really do anything that could actually be called fixing, so this result shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone).<br />
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At that point, this self-professed repairman suggested that well, I guess, maybe the computer in the machine is broken, it's not worth repairing, and that we should get a new one.<br />
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The landlord is now in the process of getting a new machine. For which we're quite pleased, as there is a what-cannot-for-much-longer-be-called-a-molehill of laundry waiting to be done.<br />
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But back to the repair situation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.washerrepairsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/about.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.washerrepairsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/about.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A person fixing a washing machine. Using tools,</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Even given the training and the tools, I would likely not be able to fix a washing machine. But then again: IT'S NOT MY JOB. So it's more than a little frustrating that someone purporting to do this activity professionally would make two trips out to declare a decidedly non-functioning washing machine fit and fine. <i>And then </i>require convincing to believe that it doesn't work. So I humbly suggest that in future the repair man (and technicians in general) test to see that equipment functions before giving an assessment.<br />
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In general, testing, trying and generally being sure of what you've done, before making your assessment is a pretty good way to operate. In the same way that surgeons check vitals and mechanics actually turn a car on, technicians should test the thing they're working on before making a decision on the success of their operation.<br />
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It seems so obvious you wouldn't think the point needs to be made. And yet, apparently, it does.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-51616599310054957722014-05-09T17:27:00.000+01:002014-05-10T13:39:09.762+01:00An ideal workday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.searchenginepeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sunshine-typewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.searchenginepeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sunshine-typewriter.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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What would your perfect work day be like? No <i>really.</i> Think about it. Try and imagine a scenario where you would be completely satisfied with your professional life.<br />
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If you're like me, it's not that easy to picture. But I found it a valuable daydreaming exercise when someone asked me that question recently. <br />
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Because it's a quick and practical shortcut into discovering the kind of work you want to be doing: how would your day look if you were doing what you really want to be doing.<br />
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Is it being on a whitewater raft navigating some dangerous rapids, or playing piano in the penthouse of a glassy skyscraper, or travelling the world. Or sitting at home (or in the park) tap-tap-typing away? Or something else.<br />
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I've asked a few people, and surprisingly, many (most) of them aren't sure.<br />
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Well, yeah. But: how are you ever going to achieve it if you have no idea what it looks or feel like?<br />
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<br />
<b>My perfect workday</b><br />
So I have been thinking about my perfect workday, and I've come to the realization that there isn't any single scenario I love above all others. In fact I've got a bunch of things I really like doing, and one of the strands that connects them all is diversity.<br />
<br />
I've got a whole bunch of different things that I enjoy doing and am thrilled when I get paid to do them<br />
<ul>
<li>Sitting in on a production meeting for a corporate film</li>
<li>Hosting a comedy show</li>
<li>Sitting at home writing blogs, scripts, and websites</li>
<li>Freestyle rapping</li>
<li>Going for coffee with friends</li>
<li>Teaching a workshop on public speaking</li>
<li>Designing a lesson plan for a corporate training</li>
<li>Performing improv</li>
<li>Speaker coaching</li>
<li>Acting in a film</li>
<li>Doing a voiceover</li>
</ul>
This range of activities and the unpredictability of my schedule – which I mostly love – have been on my mind lately, because I had a job interview this week.<br />
<br />
<b>Interviewing for a J-O-B</b><br />
I'd applied because the position looked good – it was for an editor role, and it was for three or four days a week (it wasn't clear in the ad). I chose to believe it was for three days. The pay wasn't great, but for three days a week of stability and regularity it seemed like a decent trade off. Plus I love writing and editing and know communications stuff, so it all sounded good.<br />
<br />
The practical concern was that, as much as I love not knowing what I'll be doing or where and when I'll be doing it, from week to week, it can feel unstable (because it is). And tiring.<br />
<br />
So I applied for this steady less-than-full-time job and got myself as far as the interview stage. The interview started out alright. But then, early on in the process (about two sips of water and three questions in) I learned that, while the amount of money stated in the ad was correct, it was most certainly for four days and not three. Same amount of money for working four out of five days, rather than three out of five.<br />
<br />
I did my best to contain my reaction, but there was a real visceral disappointment. Not just about the money, it was mostly about the number of days; I had convinced myself that three days a week would be ideal, really. But four days a week was just too close to being back in an office full-time. And I felt it physically.<br />
<br />
And I think my feelings were apparent to my interviewers. I may have briefly winced before I regained control of my facial features. Wincing is not a good job interview look.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Freedom comes at a cost</b><br />
Even though I've proven myself able to function in an office environment, I realize that, barring some major changes, I can only allow myself to go back on my own terms.<br />
<br />
I've gotten a taste of what it's like to be more in charge of my own days and time and the ability to earn what can reasonably be called 'a living' by doing things that interest me or I'm passionate about, and collaborating with friends, meeting new people, creating new stuff and bringing together things like acting, improv, education, writing, creativity, collaboration and so forth... well, it's quite literally a dream come true.<br />
<br />
And while my day-to-day life isn't quite my perfect workday, there are enough exciting events and highlights that it's pretty close.<br />
<br />
And I won't change that if I can help it. At least not without a whole lot of wincing.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-30405549812708231082014-05-08T09:19:00.001+01:002014-05-08T09:19:39.280+01:00Slapdash 2014 is officially coming soon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Slapdash is coming up in very little time <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">– </span>it's a little more than a month away <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">– </span>and I'm getting stupid excited. The lineup we have this year is ridiculous. I mean really ridiculous. In the sense that we've got lots of people I really like and respect coming to perform from far-flung (and less far-flung) places.<br />
<br />
And I get to be there too!<br />
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Here's <a href="http://slapdashfestival.co.uk/#the-shows-full-listing" target="_blank">the list of shows</a>, here's <a href="http://slapdashfestival.co.uk/projects/slapdash-workshops/" target="_blank">the list of workshops</a>.<br />
<br />
We'll be announcing our Ensemble in the coming weeks, but I can already say that it's a crack team of brilliant performers, and I can't wait to see them work together.<br />
<br />
<b>Headliners</b><br />
The mash-up of Lee White from CRUMBS and Rene Dellefont from Dad's Garage performing CRUMBS Garage. My old friend Dave Morris, and his fiancee Missie Peters coming out to do Speakeasy - their improvised poetry show. We've also got Will Luera and some of the Improv Boston crew coming out to perform Big Bang, their fantasic fluid longform show. <a href="http://slapdashfestival.co.uk/projects/guests14/" target="_blank">Check them out here</a>.<br />
<br />
All of the above people will also be teaching daylong <a href="http://slapdashfestival.co.uk/projects/slapdash-workshops/" target="_blank">workshops</a>.<br />
<br />
I actually just went through the whole list of performances, and I can honestly say that I'm genuinely excited about every single one of them.<br />
<br />
Since getting involved in Slapdash a few years back it's been one of my favourite weeks of the year. I love the feel of the Nursery Theatre in Southwark, I love meeting and/or reconnecting with amazingly talented people from all over, and performing with, learning from, and watching them.<br />
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Slapdash also has another purpose for me now: it gives me a reason to get to go back to London. A city I once lived in, and love (<a href="http://roadstorome.blogspot.nl/2013/02/a-man-gets-tired-of-london-it-happens.html" target="_blank">sort of</a>). And now the improv scene there is both blooming and booming and I love getting to be a part of it, even if for just one action-packed week a year.<br />
<br />
I guess the main point here is that there's a great mix of shows and workshops on the Slapdash website, so go check it out and get excited. Especially if you live in London or find yourself London-accessible.<br />
<br />
And there's even a few surprises that haven't been announced yet, so keep checking back. And book yourself some workshops and shows, because I expect that they will sell out, as they generally do.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-59687075135887388912014-05-07T12:24:00.000+01:002014-05-07T12:24:03.451+01:00The Pomodoro Technique<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cyWHUNNLQuDXaY_tH8SNRhEmkM9t0UWE0uxzJE2sVj1Bk3l2WuNP0517ste4aMLxZYxJAwmwzJCJ_3mThFtwbg_Z-ieH9WRfVSaqpfoaTpxTa36OcX_xQV8sDKcn0z3GBio-1g/s1600/Pomodoro-Technique-Timer-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cyWHUNNLQuDXaY_tH8SNRhEmkM9t0UWE0uxzJE2sVj1Bk3l2WuNP0517ste4aMLxZYxJAwmwzJCJ_3mThFtwbg_Z-ieH9WRfVSaqpfoaTpxTa36OcX_xQV8sDKcn0z3GBio-1g/s1600/Pomodoro-Technique-Timer-300x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friend and boss: the tomato timer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the very hardest things about freelancing is time management. Actually, time management has always been an issue no matter what I was doing.<br />
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Thinking back to my days in university and high school - the time when a paper was due or I had to prepare for a test were the times when the laundry got done, or I'd make a phone call home, or rearrange my sock drawer - or any number of activities that, regardless of whether they were productive or not, would keep from the task at hand.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to now, when my time is almost entirely my own. And whether I'm writing for a client, preparing invoices, doing laundry, writing some notes or a blogpost, or anything else, it's a challenge.<br />
<br />
If anything, it's gotten worse since my student days.<br />
<br />
In the last ten months or so I've been using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique" target="_blank">The Pomodoro Technique</a>, developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late eighties. I found out about it by tweet from writer <a href="http://jasonarnopp.blogspot.nl/2013/06/the-pomodoro-technique.html" target="_blank">Jason Arnopp</a>.<br />
<br />
The basic premise is that tasks are broken down into 25 minute increments (called pomodori), and after each pomodoro there's a short break (five minutes). After three or four pomodori there's a longer break. That's it.<br />
<br />
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It's straightforward and simple and can be used just as well for housework or meditation or anything. I like it because big tasks can be daunting, but just spending 25 minutes concerted minutes on something can accomplish a lot.<br />
<br />
And although part of the technique is breaking tasks into smaller chunks, I find that just writing for 25 minutes (focused on a task or not), can accomplish a lot. Including giving me a sense of accomplishment that inspires me to keep going. Also, knowing that I earn a break is good incentive.<br />
<br />
I also choose to believe that by teaching myself to focus in chunks of time makes me better at focusing for chunks of time.<br />
<br />
How's my productivity you wonder? Well, when I'm doing my pomodori it's pretty good. Hey look: it's break time!Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12844117.post-20499094254446040982014-04-25T13:45:00.000+01:002014-07-03T23:12:21.948+01:00To beg, borrow and steal<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theupperhandart.com/bloggg/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/brian1986_begsteal-500x386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://theupperhandart.com/bloggg/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/brian1986_begsteal-500x386.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So basically, you've got three options.</td></tr>
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<i>"Bad artists copy, great artists steal" </i><br />
<br />
Maybe it was Picasso who said the above, or maybe the reality is slightly <i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 21px;">–</i> and fittingly <i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 21px;">–</i> <a href="http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/03/06/artists-steal/" target="_blank">less exact than that</a>. But for artists, writers, and creatives, navigation between copying and stealing is a constant negotiation. <br />
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<b>It's all a reference</b><br />
There's nothing new under the sun, apparently (thanks for coining that one too, Shakespeare!) so most people working in a creative field use references, inspirations, universal stories, homages, pastiches, tributes, knowing nods and winks, and outright theft, to make their products.<br />
<br />
It could be the placement of a poster in a shot, or the song used to score a scene, or the colours in a section of painting <i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 21px;">–</i> it could be any element at all, it doesn't matter: everything is inextricably linked and referential, and when an artist is creating something, they rely on these references for shorthand, for inspiration, or for any number of other reasons.<br />
<br />
But the big question, for me, is how to be inspired, to absorb influence, and let it have free reign on your work, without crossing 'the line'. That line shifts constantly too. That line is where "inspired by" becomes "stolen from".<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pattistiles.com/patti-stiles-bio/" target="_blank">Impro Doyen</a> <a href="http://pattistiles.com/im-stealing-that/" target="_blank">Patti Stiles published a blogpost </a>in which she speaks quite eloquently about the phrase "I'm stealing that", which is often used in improv circles to function as some sort of compliment/statement of self-permission to appropriate some other improviser's format or idea.<br />
<br />
That blasé attitude and winky jokey approach fits (or perhaps doesn't fit) somewhere in the context of creative integrity, and the liberalness with which we borrow from other works.<br />
<br />
<b>Is theft so bad?</b><br />
Jonathan Lethem, in <a href="http://harpers.org/archive/2007/02/the-ecstasy-of-influence/" target="_blank">this article from Harper's</a>, asks the reader to "consider the remarkable series of 'plagiarisms' that links Ovid’s <i>Pyramus and Thisbe</i> with Shakespeare’s <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> and Leonard Bernstein’s <i>West Side Story</i>, or Shakespeare’s description of Cleopatra, copied nearly verbatim from Plutarch’s <i>Life of Mark Antony</i> and also later nicked by T. S. Eliot for <i>The Waste Land</i>. If these are examples of plagiarism, then we want more plagiarism."<br />
<br />
There are two things that we have in life: our reputation and our work. If our reputation is sullied, the work won't matter. But if the work is good the reputation grows. And, in the case of almost any art, the best thing you can do is expose yourself to the work of others who you admire, who inspire you. That's why writers can also be thought of as 'readers', and painters spend time at art galleries.<br />
<br />
But an unconscious connection can easily shuffle over to the side of appropriation. One way to navigate all this trickiness is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPtH2KPuQbs" target="_blank">attribution</a>. When we beg, borrow or steal ideas we tip our hat to their sources <i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 21px;">–</i> at least.<br />
<br />
For example, Shia Lebeouf's recent short film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Cantour.com" target="_blank"><i>Howard Cantour.com</i></a>, a so thorough-that-it's-quite-nearly-impossible-to-fathom plagiarism of Daniel Clowes' 2007 comic <i>Justin M. Damiano</i>. It's a bizarre and very public example of copying without attribution.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/675d1ddece3642a41c48fc2b95c53822944500cc/c=744-174-3000-1872&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/02/24//1393300229000-Dumb-starbucks-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/675d1ddece3642a41c48fc2b95c53822944500cc/c=744-174-3000-1872&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/02/24//1393300229000-Dumb-starbucks-7.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admit it: he has a point. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
More fun is comedian Nathan Fielder's Dumb Starbucks stunt in LA. Fielder created an almost-exact replica of a Starbucks store, but adjusted all the instances of the word Starbucks to read "<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/12/dumb-starbucks-trademark-lawyer" target="_blank">Dumb Starbucks</a>". It got a lot of attention before being closed down for violating health codes. That wholesale rip-off of Starbucks was hilarious and knowing, that got lots of positive press.<br />
<br />
Fielder's source was quite obvious, but his mode of appropriation was upfront, knowing, and legal. As for Lebeouf... well, it's really hard to know what to make of that whole thing. I guess it's this: people can be super-weird.<br />
<br />
<b>Sincere flattery</b><br />
So: "don't steal" is a pretty good motto. And so is "respect and honour your sources". Those seem to be words worth working by.<br />
<br />
But then I read this conflicting advice from entrepreneurial guru and author <a href="http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/61505933/0/sethsblog~Steal-dont-invent.html" target="_blank">Seth Godin</a>, who suggests you just "steal your business model."<br />
<br />
<i>"We don't have a shortage of business models, it's okay if you pick one that's already working for someone else. Steal your web design... Steal your tools. Once someone has a reliable, cost-effective building block, feel free to use it."</i><br />
<br />
That seems counter-intuitive, and antithetical to an honourable creative mindset. But I get it; there is a sense to it. When applied to art, it boils down to: don't reinvent the wheel.<br />
<br />
Godin continues:<br />
<br />
<i>"When it comes down to the thing you will be known for, your uniqueness, your gift, your thing worth talking about--don't steal that. Writers shouldn't steal words from other writers, and chemists have no need to steal the research of other chemists."</i><br />
<br />
And that is the key: we can all be inspired by others <i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 21px;">–</i> in fact we <i>should </i>be inspired. And we need to use and remix sources in our creative work.<br />
<br />
So go ahead and follow the path of least resistance (the road more traveled) when you're building up your reputation, and be inspired by whatever inspires you when you're creating whatever it is that you create. Just make sure the <i>content </i>is your own.<br />
<br />
And attribute where appropriate.Ryan Millarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12631644563785668183noreply@blogger.com0