:: soap ::

NEW SITE FOR BLOG!!!

2007-07-25T18:38:00.001Z

www.karlgrupe.com/blog
www.karlgrupe.com/blog
www.karlgrupe.com/blog
www.karlgrupe.com/blog
www.karlgrupe.com/blog

International Food Fiesta, 212107

2007-07-23T19:11:00.001Z

The Class of Art of the Snapshot Summer 2007 decided to have a festival of food since there were so many different nationalities present on the course and in true style they created some AMAZING dishes. Julia and I offered to host it and it turned out to be a fabulous Saturday, despite the rain. Along with the food tasting, hikes into the Chiltern countryside were on offer and here we see those willing to risk the wet.
Hope you all had as good a time as we did, making your chocolate torte while we were in the woods for 2 hours.

Peace.

A Canadian Classic

2007-07-18T10:32:00.001Z

Pay it forward.

2007-07-16T21:40:00.001Z

Every once in a while there is something that you come across that is too good to keep to yourself. May it inspire you as it did me.

Dedication and tenacity pay off for SFX student.

2007-07-16T16:32:00.000Z

A year and a half ago I was lecturing at an evening course in Clapham South. It was a beginner's digital photography course and I was nervous because it was a new syllabus I developed and not conducted yet. Fifteen people were in attendance - a sell out. As I asked people to introduce themselves I also asked them to show us the camera they would be using during the ten weeks. One by one the names were said and the cameras came out. All were these point and shoot basics which made me think they were all coming here and starting from the absolute beginning. As I got to the 15th person, he introduced himself as Martin and from beneath the table rose this massive Nikon D1x. I thought - what on earth possesses someone to buy a D1x as a "beginner" camera? As the class looked on they resembled a group backing away from an aggressive dog. Martin quickly calmed everyone down by saying he didn't even know how to turn it on and was just as intimidated by it as everyone else.

A year and a bit more on and Martin's work has been seen in the national and local newspapers and even on various television networks. The day he walked into my course he wanted to become a photojournalist. He is now that. Outside of some adult education classes to formalise what he had been learning on his own, he is practically self taught. He has now moved on to the next wave of digital photojournalism and is advancing himself beyond what some of his peers have formed a resistance to -- using digital video capture and from that isolating a shot for a still photo use in papers and magazines.

I have had the pleasure of watching Martin move from strength to strength in the last 18 months.

On Demand Media

Visit the link above to witness his most recent portfolio --- Enjoy! And congrats Martin on a successful drive forward.

Photographer's London SOLD OUT

2007-07-06T13:28:00.000Z

This workshop just gets more and more popular. The next date is set for January 12 - February 9, 2008 Saturdays, 10 - 4. Details can be found HERE.

Now here's a place you don't expect to see your image every day.

2007-07-03T08:55:00.002Z

Yup. I've always wanted the cover of a book, but who would have thought?!

But just in case curiosity got the better of you - "click"

work | Germany.

2007-07-02T22:01:00.000Z

[folio] | KATHERIN BRUNNHOFER

2007-07-02T21:42:00.000Z

Art of the Snapshot
"Armed with a Hasselblad 503 cx, Polaroid back and Fuji FP 100C Polaroid film I ended up wandering through London. It was when I entered the Tube I became aware of my process for this day. It seemed to me that in a very fast moving train, in a very fast moving city there was this point of stillness settling. If you looked long enough at someone you could see it. An anxious calm developing on the faces that marched through the streets and undergrounds. People became these puddles of calm, like after a thunderstorm, the cooling period."

Kathrin Brunnhofer from Art of the Snapshot.

work | France.

2007-07-02T15:05:00.000Z

If you live in Maine....

2007-06-29T16:21:00.000Z

This is a photograph of mine which is licensed through Getty Images . If you live in Maine and see it on a billboard or transit ad could you get a shot of it? I'd appreciate it if you could send it my way. I know it's a shot in the dark request but this is one of my favorite shots and I'd love to see how it turned out.
Bless.

Congratulations Peter!

2007-06-29T09:05:00.001Z

Peter Landon, a 2006 Art of the Snapshot summer workshop graduate has moved on to bigger things. One of his latest images recently won him Creative Match's monthly professional photographer's competition.

Great work Peter!!!

Summer + Autumn 2007 Photography Workshops

2007-06-24T23:25:00.000Z

A list of up and coming workshops and the spaces left.

July 30th - August 3rd
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Photographer's London
SOLD OUT

August 13th - August 17th
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Toy Cameras
4 SPACES AVAILABLE

September 10th - September 14th
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Photography and the Narrative
4 SPACES AVAILABLE

2007-04-22T08:22:00.000Z

american in italy

2007-04-19T23:23:00.000Z

When understanding seems boring

2007-04-19T09:28:00.000Z

Irony

2007-04-18T16:41:00.001Z

Zurich See

2007-04-18T16:30:00.000Z

Untitled

2007-04-17T10:50:00.000Z

Weis Deutschland I + II

2007-04-17T10:34:00.000Z

Kent, UK

2007-04-17T10:30:00.000Z

Black and white for a change.

Mountain Climb

2007-04-13T17:45:00.000Z

Uncertain exposure

2007-04-12T18:25:00.000Z

Wookey Cave, Somerset, England

SPRING + SUMMER 2007 Workshops

2007-03-28T06:27:00.000Z

April 20th - May 19th (Saturdays 10 - 4)
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Photographer's London
SOLD OUT.

May 26th - June 23rd (Saturdays 10 - 4)
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Art of the Snapshot
ONLY 4 SPACES AVAILABLE.

July 30th - August 3rd
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Photographers' London
SPACE AVAILABLE.

August 13th - August 17th
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Toy Cameras
SPACE AVAILABLE

September 10th - September 14th
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Photography and Narrative
SPACE AVAILABLE

A live wire....

2007-03-27T15:51:00.000Z

karlgrupe.com has been relaunched. Check it out!

Thank you to the following people:

maya @ lonelytoast.com
julia @ juliamasseystewart.com
joyce@ wye-ho.com

for their skills and time and talents.

PROJECT 5.0

2007-03-06T23:00:00.000Z

PROJECT 4.0

2007-02-22T21:29:00.000Z

PROJECT 3.0

2007-02-22T14:34:00.000Z

PROJECT 2.0

2007-02-22T12:56:00.000Z

PROJECT 1.0

2007-02-22T12:35:00.000Z

LOADING idea/ sketch

2007-02-21T01:34:00.000Z

Recent art work

2007-02-18T22:08:00.000Z

A series of new work which will be revealed on the new website currently under construction. Watch this space.

New Website look -Phase one.

2007-02-18T21:34:00.000Z

Gallery Shots

2007-02-18T21:23:00.000Z

For those who could not attend the gallery showing of the group show - "lostfound" here is a snappy of the space with our art --- the photo appears on the gallery's website now.

Thanks to the bunch of you from Enjoy Work.

2006-12-09T17:26:00.000Z

A great big thank you for a great workshop gang. May your photography be the voice of many grand memories ahead.

Stop.

2006-12-02T09:52:00.001Z

Very often we pass by. This time we can stop, think and respect.

Mort.

Please drive with care.

The doors are now open.

2006-11-22T10:33:00.000Z

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

lostfound exhibition going up

2006-11-21T02:27:00.000Z

Here are some pix of our show going up. It's such a good feeling when its all on the wall. From here its all about chance and fate.

Announcing Soap-2-Go.

2006-11-19T18:20:00.000Z

Soap-2-Go is the mobile extension to this blog. It's an immediate feed coming through from a location where the instant nature of the photo and its exhibit is part of process. The process of immediate and disposable art culture is a fascinating study. Today, the digital capture of something artistic for the sake of record or for the sake of a bolt of creative need or drive seems effortless. Images are captured as we are traditionally accustomed to - momentarily define or state who we are or where we have been or what we have witnessed.

Yet millions of these digital captures remain dormant. There is this universal process left undeveloped. Unfulfilled. A mass flash of inspiration embedded in a silicon desert of CCD's amounting to nothing more than a moment's departure into a curiosity. Not one to let these moments of inspiration escape, Soap-2-go is a blog concept created to allow the inspiration to flow beyond the minimal landscape of the device itself. Its a portal into the unknown. The democracy of art, its freedom, its availability to each of us, to inspire and ignite emotive reactions, to whatever the scale, is the experiment behind Soap-2-Go.

Enjoy.

The art of the apology.

2006-11-18T17:30:00.000Z

Yesterday evening I was on my way to an event in the heart of London. It was a dramatic evening. The rain was torrential. Small flash floods were not uncommon throught the south of England.
I made the decision to park the car in Chiswick and take the tube in to the city to avoid possible traffic tie ups and congestion snares. £4.30 (return) to travel in the evening, post prime travel time, and only about two miles. I went to pay for my ticket, passed through the gates and then was shocked to discover that my side of the platform was closeed due to construction works.

"CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE".

Well. The inconvenience was that this sign SHOULD have been placed directly beside the ticket kiosk so I could have thought of an alternative plan. It was not. I understand that construction requires the closing down of a platform. What I don't understand is the logic of having the sign posted in a place that you see only once past the gates -- and I was not the only one who experienced this.

Ok, thought I. One stop in the other direction to Acton and then cross the tracks to the other side and take the Picadilly line directly into to Earl's Court. Change there and off to Olympia.

While on the platform there was an announcement made ---

"The District Line is approaching Earl's Court and will be 11 minutes late. WE ARE SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY HAVE IN YOUR JOURNEY."

11 minutes passed by. Still no train. No follow up announcement either. 35 minutes later a train arrives.

I finally arrive at my event - an hour late.

Later that evening I am on the way back to Chiswick on the return tube. Somewhere between Turnham Green and Chiswick we are stopped. Its not at a station so we cannot get out. We wait. We wait. We wait. Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen.

"We are experiencing a slow train service due to a train ahead taking slower than normal to leave the station. WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY CAUSE TO YOUR JOURNEY".

I understand delays. I understand construction. I understand slow trains stalling the path of other trains. What I do not understand is the art of the apology.

Why I don't understand it is because it has no value. No one is going to give the travellers who were with me that day our time back. Our missed moments we spent waiting when we could have made alternative travel arrangements if the information would have been properly delivered.

The 11 minute delay turning into a 35 minute wait is the one which really highlights my argument. With all the technology in CCTV and computer analysis and tracking systems we fund through the absolutely expensive public transport fares we pay in London one would think that there would be the OPTION announcements could provide so that travellers could change their travel plans. Had I known that I had a 35 minute wait in total - and that was just to go the OTHER direction first due to the construction at the departure station, so add on another fifteen minutes to travel back -- in 50 minutes I could have walked the 2 miles or gone back to the car and made the attempt to drive in and wait out the time in the congestion - if there even was any.

The art of the apology is in my mind an excuse for laziness. Its an empty excuse. In my business it would be like bringing only one camera to the job and when it breaks down saying to the client "we are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused in the process of your job".

No doubt there are natural things that happen. The driver of the return train had no idea that we would run into another train stuck at the station. I understand that. What I cannot understand is why information is not communicated to the public in a manner that alternatives can be made, and instead the limp apology serves as etiquette. I don't know about you, but I rather have practicality over and above etiquette.

This is not an essay on a train journey which went a bit sour. Its about the art of the apology and what we accept it is allowed to excuse. I would love to know your points of view or your own experience.

Untitled 171106

2006-11-18T01:55:00.000Z

Untitled 161106

2006-11-17T00:49:00.000Z

Gallery information

2006-11-16T07:22:00.000Z

Our exhibition is now live on the web.

Here.

Untitled 151106.1 | Untitled151106.2

2006-11-15T23:13:00.000Z

Untitled 151106.3

2006-11-15T22:48:00.000Z

The Sony Ericsson k800i moby is unbelievable. Hope to spend a bit of time a day showing off what one can do with it.

Location of Private Party - Post Private View

2006-11-11T10:15:00.000Z

Those attending our private view --- we are heading off to Le Vie En Rose next door. This photograph gives you a feel for the space - very warm and intimate and with amazing French food. It's a real catch and we are lucky to have it right next door to the gallery.

You can never leave enough time.

2006-11-09T10:13:00.000Z

The deadline is approaching. It's getting all a bit anxious. We are now sending out the invites and dropping off the promotional material wherever we think will have reaching power. But our prints are not done yet. First the lab had its machine breakdown. Now our printer is sick. Poor thing. BUT --- Not done yet means the framer is now put in a difficult situation. It's getting hot in here.

But I love this. It's about just believing it will be all fine. And it will.

If you get a chance to ever have an exhibition - DO IT! .......Its a thrill.

SUCCESS AT THE CARPHONE WAREHOUSE

2006-11-08T13:09:00.000Z

My previous blog was premature. No later than I hit the "Publish Post" button I receive a call. It IS the CPW.

A "saga" they called it. My poor experience with their service line. I am compensated to a matter in which I feel is very, very fair.

Thank you CPW.

Regarding my frustration with their length of time in responding. My letter had so many points which needed investigating. So they did that. And they needed to arrange for the authorisation of my compensation.

The story here is to never, ever give in to large business just because you believe it's simply "the way things work". And never feel you cannot complain to the highest level of a company. This is the second CEO I've written to. If you feel you are not treated appropriately then make the company accountable via a letter detailing your experience. I find this can be time consuming, but always worth it. There is a win/win on both sides. Granted the CPW took more time then I am accustomed to for a voice to let me know that something is in the works. The AA for instance took one day to solve an issue. Ikea took three days. Natwest took about a week. The key here, in my opinion, is to have a voice available as quickly as possible to let you know that you are being served. Automated response has a short shelf life.

Bigger picture is that there has been winning for both sides. The Carphone Warehouse has learned via my detailed letter who and what stores and call centers are performing under par and will be able to train those individuals in a better manner. And for my work of spending the time noting the weak points in their systems I am compensated.

I love business when it finally works out. It just takes a bit of work at times to get there.

If I were CEO....

2006-11-08T11:53:00.000Z

Update on the Carphone Warehouse.

Nil.

A three page letter outlining the complete inconsistency of service and knowledge regarding my recent experience and transactions with the CPW has to this date had no result. This was not a letter to a dark hole in the ground customer service dept. but a letter right to the CEO himself - Mr. Dunstone - and the results are... well hold on --- there are no results. It has been over three weeks and two follow up requests from myself and I have had not one person write or call to let me know how they are proceeding. I recognised that I have wasted over 13.5 hours "working" to be a customer of theirs and in my letter detailed all the time and the events which that time involved.

As a business person myself I recognise the importance of customer service and customer loyalty. To date the CPW has come up very very short on this. I always achieve a point or victory for the "faceless" customer when big business has erred or created through their systems, a pathway in which to get the product to me wasted too much time. Whether a large bank, a telephone company, a financial insurance company, the Royal Post, Ikea... I have always made my argument and won my argument. The key issue here is there has always been a dialogue. I find it absolutely ironic that a company dealing with communication tools such as mobile phones and landline services and yet ... wait for it....THERE IS NO ONE WHO CALLS TO TALK TO YOU!!!! They send out an immediate automated email when you write the CEO saying "all matters require investigation" but at the three week plus mark and not a sound since the ebot I am beginning to wonder where this is all going.
This company is so poor at its communications - both internally as well as externally- it is appalling.

Finding your groove

2006-11-01T08:20:00.000Z

I think I have found a system which works for me. By system I mean a way of deploying my own efforts towards achieving a goal or series of goals. I am in the end an eight week person.

I've worked very hard at uncovering this about myself. I've always had ambition and a desire to go at it alone - as a leader - but found that when having to go out and nip away at creating the steps to success I would find that I held a short attention span towards the tasks I was pursuing. I am an ideas guy. Maintenance and administration of a task or goal are what I was challenged with. Until I found out I was an eight week person.

As an eight week person, I now carry a journal which houses only eight weeks within it. Once the eight weeks are done I begin a new book. This has allowed me to see the end in site, so to speak, and with that I can maintain a consistent workflow and inspiration. Even if the idea or concept is not completed within eight weeks, let's say its an ongoing project, chopping into eight week segments gives it a measurable quality which I can analyze and measure my success within. I can see eight weeks with quite a clarity. Its my graduated cylinder of time.

I am now about to begin my third round of my eight weeker. This is the last week of my second then - or as I denote it - 8.2. Next week will be 1.3.... and so it goes.

The fun part to the eight weeker is that I also have a reward built into the end of the series. So for instance in this second series I have managed to make some very good strides forward to the business due to the program and my dedication to it, so I gave myself a year long gym membership at my dream gym. So at the end of the eight weeks there is a reward scheme. It makes life and running your own business much more fun.

I have also discovered that I am a 60 hour per week person. As I chart my hours that I log into the business I find that I am most comfortable working 56 to 60 hours of work. This is true time... meaning if I take an hour out for lunch, or go do some domestic errands in the middle of the day, that these times are not logged into the work day. So the discipline is to log in ONLY anything related to the efforts made at building a business. Each week I calculate the hours per day I am building the business and i find that there is an average of 60 hours per week.

I also enjoy working from 7 - 12. So all the tasks that require focused attention are scheduled there. Things that are more mundane or not requiring a focused mind are scheduled for 1 until about 5 and then after a supper break I can find myself happy to be in research mode and admin mode from 7 onwards. So a lot of research happens at home after 7. Reading art books, sourcing the internet, attending lectures --- after 7.

Its been a thrilling exercise discovering how and where one is most efficient with their time. Finding the groove has been a very very successful experiment and if you have the opportunity and willingness to do some interpretation and exploration in this field I highly recommend it.

Top Lab.Odd Mobile Phone Shop. Great Dentist.

2006-10-25T19:27:00.000Z

Its not every day that in London you find a high end professional lab who will treat you like you are the only one in the shop.

If you EVER visit London or live in London but are looking for a great new lab -- this is the place:

Top Lab

Terry is absolutely fabo and Iris, yes... can you believe it... she works the digital production unit and is so approachable you feel like giving her a hug once the meeting is over.

Next - Carphone Warehouse. I can't decide if they are fabulous or a bunch of yoyos. Really. It's so inconsistant its not funny.
I just renewed my contract and got my new phone. I am not happy with it so thought I'd look at an upgrade. But this is a serious case of the right hand not speaking to the left hand. From the call centre to the high street shops, there have been about five different ways in which I can solve my return. From "sorry you are not elegible for that return" to " yes, let's see what we can do for you when you bring the phone into the shop... i think we can do something here for you".... I know that eventually I will connect with someone there who will genuinely know what they are doing and have the service to match, these people I hope CPW is propping up and grooming for better things. They are the glue holding CPW together. If anyone has a comment/ experience about CPW I would love to hear it.

Dentists. I know this is not about work, but I just have to acknowledge that my dentist is fabulous. He is the product of a second opinion - the first dentist wanted to do 3000.00 GBP worth of work and by the sounds of it great damage to my mouth. I went for a second opinion and my soon to be new dentist explained to me what aggressive surgery to the mouth can do, how the bone of ones teeth is not something to play with and he has this "let's act if and when" - in other words if it ain't broke, don't fix it". He also believes in the body's natural approach to healing. He's so common sense. Love it.

Death of a Salesman.

2006-10-23T19:49:00.000Z

How honest can one be in business?
How personal can one be in business?

I seem to have these old ideas. I believe that business is this powerful engine generating new life or process between two parties and that the grease that makes this process operate successfully is honesty and fairness resulting in a respect. From this point onward, anything is then possible.

I know this sounds supremely idealistic, a bit utopian ... but its my nature. I believe in the good of mankind, and believing in this includes a belief in being personable and honest.

So how do you sell anything then?

The Affordable Art Fair

2006-10-22T14:02:00.000Z

A mobile camera shot of the event. It was interesting to see how little photography there was in comparison to painting and sculpture, but what was very inspiring was how much photography was selling relatively speaking. Also it seemed the more simple, bold and graphically strong the image, the more sales it reached. One artist had sold 12 @ £1999.00 and that was only after the second day there. The image was a very simple landscape shot, of a tree in snow. To be honest, a lot of my students could execute such an image.

The thing about the Affordable Arts Fair is that its not about refined concepts and theory. Its simply aesthetic.

The INVITE

2006-10-22T13:25:00.000Z

Its decided ... (to tell you the truth we were going to go ahead with this one anyway, but it was good to get the feedback so thank you!)

What sort of artist are you?

2006-10-20T22:55:00.000Z

The idea came about having now attended Frieze and
The Affordable Art Fair.

Would you rather be an artist who sells only a single piece for £24,000.00 or a artist who sells the same piece twelve times for £2000.00 per sale?

I've seen both in the last two weeks. I find this a very difficult question to answer. I can only question if the single image has more chance of escalating the artist over time - to a potential Gursky earning 2.5 million US. The £2000.00 will never reach that sort of money market.

Three versions of our exhibition invite... comments please.

2006-10-20T06:35:00.000Z

Our gallery show in November is rapidly approaching. I've completed the invites but am unsure as to which one to go with. Any comments on either of these four would be appreciated.

Turning around the day.

2006-10-19T14:36:00.000Z

What a morning. I was in an insipid mood and feeling very, very angry. I was in conversation with a friend of mine who owns his own business in the tech sector and I was hearing how successful his business was, as it was growing faster and faster and bigger and bigger. I was angry because the tech world has a corporate affiliation, and with that comes automatically a heightened fee structure. It's simply automatic. The environment is cash rich and so any business aligning itself with it will share in that higher earning curve. It's that simple.

So in comparing work for work it was a no brainer. The destination of, say, a million pounds, to each of us has a different expectation life span. It's not as easy to earn that financial figure as a photographer who owns his own business as someone building a business around the mobile phone industry. Work for work, each may do the same amount, but the day to day service and need of the product/ service he offers is so much different than my industry. Mine, infact, feels like a bloody luxury in comparison.

This really bothered me. I was thinking about the opportunity I have of making my million and it seemed so much more difficult to earn than his. I wanted to escape all my efforts in photography and go in search of something more lucrative.

This is something that occurs from time to time. This feeling of vulnerability. There is this awkward tripping up of the rythmn, of the plan, because it seems that there is a better or easier way to make money than in photography. I don't like thinking this. It makes me fee like someone cheating on a lover.

I then went for my business "mot" or diagnostic by an advisor from Business Link. It was at first like being in a dentist's office. I was terribly uncmfortable. Even with a 40 page business plan in hand, I know that when it would come to financial figures I would be anxious. Its like feeling the pulse of one's body. Is it strong and confident? Or slippery? Weak? or a powerful, slow beat? The diagnosis lay ahead.

Financially the business has grown. This is good. Debt free. Good. But I have come to an impasse. As a solo practisioner I am looking at peaking my earning potential. I am not quite there yet, but there are signs of it. I am costing my business money by trying to do it all myself. The decision is to keep it a "lifestyle" business... or to push the definitions wider and create a company. Labour, money and expertise this will cost. Am I ready for it?

We talk about USP and market strengths and weaknesses, and then past performance with future speculative performance.

I discover... I was surprised to know this about myself... that I want a business mentor. Someone who can show me the next stage, the bigger stage. Someone who puts binoculars to my vision. This is VERY important to me right now.

Coming home and there is a letter from my agent. Sales to Life Magazine and Elle Decor and finally - a transit ad.

I am happy. Life Magazine. ----- 15 years ago it was I thought about it. Today, at the end of this exposure, it was needed.

19:00 hrs GMT

2006-10-18T18:06:00.000Z

End of day. Well sort of. Have friend visiting from Vancouver so must head out and do the site seeing thing - to a local pub ya know. Gastro or traditional ? Ahhhhh.... Spoilt fer choice.

Business financials done. The business is growing. This is very good. And just got word from Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design ( One of my courses )that two more courses I pitched to them have been accepted and will run 2007 Summer Session. Keeping the titles under wraps just in case there are any spies out there.

So all day been excited about this blogging concept and how to best make use of it. Its going to be a diary of someone with a plan and in putting it "out there" through some sort of internet catharsis the universe will provide an answer or direction. That is really what I envision here. Who knows who comes along the way. For a ride. Short or long. Or just a rest stop. One key thing I have learned - the hard way I may add- is the importance of getting things out there into the universe. Being shy is a luxury one cannot afford - at least not I. The importance of the release is everything. Timing of course has its value too, but too many of us hang on by our bleeding knuckles.

If I were working in an office....

2006-10-18T12:24:00.000Z

This is a difficult day. I have a meeting with a business advisor tomorrow and I am putting off what I hate most - building a financial model of my business. I worked all summer on a 40 page business plan and I thought that was enough. Now I have to build a financial model of my past performance. As much as I love business I find this part really taxing. Its the reality of your work habits and efforts. Its a false representation in some ways but also a very true representation in others.

Lockport in London

2006-10-18T08:33:00.000Z

I have been in the UK - London - for five years . Originally from Lockport Manitoba, then Vancouver, BC I one day made the decision in my early 30's to leave a $50, 000 CAN per annum job and make my attempt at being an artist. The choice was to be in London, Paris or New York. New York would have been illegal as I do not have the the right papers to live there, Paris was the language, and so London, with my dual citizenship, was the most appropriate. So I got on a plane and began my new life.

I blame the book "Your Money or Your Life" for this. I read it in my mid 20's and never looked back. When I was 25(i'm 39 now) I asked myself the question - how would I approach life if I was retired? I thought - I would live it like I wanted to live it. I would give myself permission to try and do the things I wanted to do. Realising that this was something I was waiting for - and retirement was some time away - it seemed foolish to waste away so many years waiting for the age of permission. 65 or 25? What is the difference? I made the deal with myself then and there - in my apartment at 25 years old, that retirement began then. I would economise, and do everything possible to pursue what I wished to do. TIme was my new value, not money, and that I would trust life would have all the answers for me. I have been "retired" now for 15 years almost and loving every day of it.

This blog is long overdue. I hope it can be a window for anyone wanting to follow a passion but afraid to do so. Its my attempt at writing a book from the trenches. The victory has not yet been made and books are usually written when an end has occured. Either victory or defeat, it matters not, but an end nonetheless. A report from the trenches is where blogging serves its purpose. So here it will be that I speak from.