I am uncertain. There, I have said it.
I have little certainty about whether the ideas that underpin my book project will really fly in the world of business, let alone make sense to anyone but me once fully articulated. I embrace this uncertainty, and to prove it (to myself) I have launched a whole Substack on the topic. Entitled 'This is Uncertain', the newsletter crosses over my twin worlds of writing and design, with a hint of mindfulness thrown in.
Here I will restrict myself to the topic of the book, which I have an (educated) intuition is going to be of value to at least a few other people. Generally writers, who are interested in the creative possibilities afforded by the world of business.
Further to yesterday's post about Raymond Chandler's idea of distillation, it is remarkable to me that the process of active distillation is different to the process of writing. I have learnt, from a quarter century of creative work, that the subconscious needs to consolidate in order for distillation of ideas to occur. In practical terms, this means oscillating between active work (writing, creating) and passive reflection (getting out of the way of the subconscious and letting it do its work). I enjoy both states of mind, but it is sometimes hard to stop working when that gestation needs to be happening instead. No harm is usually done, but the product (writing) tends to be abortive and disposable if I really should have been resting, rather than writing.
On that note of 'intuition', I had a much-respected teacher, Harriet Edquist, who scolded us as students when we said we were using our intuition, as she felt it was nonsense to disregard years of design education as if we were mere 'lay people', rather than those initiated into the mysteries. I have a slightly different view: I think those of us with professional education and experience still use intuition, but that it is shaped profoundly by that experience and education.
My (experience-shaped) intuition is that The Clarity Engine is an idea worth pursuing; we shall see in time if I am right.
Photograph © John Lee
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