Tuesday, September 28, 2004

What do you want from your business? Found a great article on one man's personal exploration of this. He faced a decision on whether or not to expand his one-person "microbusiness." As he remarks, what's most interesting is not his final decision, but the decision making process. I was especially interested in what he decided he wanted from his business: On the plane returning to Melbourne, reading an article on the notion of a utopian society in the Australian Financial Review, I set down what I really wanted from my business. Firstly it must materially and energetically support those things that are most important to me in my life. At present that is my spiritual journey as a Buddhist practitioner, the relationships in my life and a lifestyle of health, simplicity, style, enjoyment and balance. Secondly the business had to fulfill a clear and pressing business need of my clients, while also being socially beneficial. The work had to be fulfilling and finally I wanted it to demonstrate a viable alternative model of working. Quite a bit of personal exploration and vulnerability preceded this answer. The whole article is well worth reading. I intend to do this journey myself. 11:54:47 AM    comment []

Into the Forest Here's a quotation I found online, from DH Lawrence: When we get out of the glass bottles of our ego and when we escape like squirrels turning in the cages of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright but things will happen to us so that we don't know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in, and passion will make our bodies taut with power, we shall stamp our feet with new power and old things will fall down we shall laugh, and institutions will curl up like burnt paper DH Lawrence This was at the end of an article online by John Seed. 11:45:11 AM    comment []

Rhythm Partway into reading "Tropic of Night," I recognized the rhythm in the writing. It was exactly the same rhythm as the writing in the so-called Tanenbaum novels that Gruber also wrote. It gave me a little shock of pleasure to recognize it. Until this experience, I hadn't realized the importance of rhythm in writing. I think of rhythm as important in music, and to a certain extent in spoken language. Intellectually, I'd agree that it must be important in everything - waves of energy, etc. I remember a book called "The Silent Pulse" that was about this. But I'd forgotten that book, and I'm not sure I ever associated it with rhythm in writing. What difference does it make? I'm not sure. I think I'll watch for it more now. Maybe some authors develop more rhythm in their writing than do others. Maybe some artists develop more rhythm in their artwork than do others. A pleasing characteristic rhythm is definitely good. I've figured out that much. It could be interesting to do a piece of art - or writing - paying attention ONLY to the rhythm while doing it. Never mind the content. If it's artwork, never mind the colors or the composition. Just tend to the rhythm. I'm going to try this. It sounds like fun. And the results are sure to be of interest - at least to me. 9:57:15 AM    comment []