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On The Move

Yesterday I left my usual home to look after a friends house for a couple of weeks.

I have been reading about Ev Bogue and Gwen Bell hitting the road from Seattle to San Francisco and it got me thinking about what I do when I travel.

I noticed some similarities in their experiences with mine.

When packing the previous night, I felt drawn to put a scented candle in my bag. I once read that the memory part of the brain is right next to the smell part of the brain and that is the reason why smells trigger memories.

This can be particularly settling when you arrive in a new location and things are unfamiliar.

I packed very little; a bag of clothes, essential toiletries, no hair dryer or fancy electronics besides my laptop and phone.

Things I noticed since minimising:

• It took me very little time to pack - I knew where everything was - clothes in my wardrobe, washkit in the bathroom.
• It was way less stressful.
• I didn't pack for every eventuality.
• I felt settled very quickly and was soon out and about experiencing the sunshine and other goodness.

I unpacked in 10 minutes and am sat here writing to you.

I feel at home already.

Breathing deep. Relaxed.

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Embracing the Inner Kid

Today I went for a walk around a park.

Half way round I spotted a kids playground with a zip wire big enough for an adult sized kid at heart.

I thought twice and opted for the first thought.

I glanced around to see if anyone was watching then went in the park and zipped along the zip line. Repeatedly.

FUN!

The second thought I ignored was talking nonsense along the lines of:

• You're too old for that!
• What if someone sees you?
• It's only for kids!
• You might get in trouble!
• Grow up!

I'm glad I ignored the second thought and did something that the kid in me really needed to do today. 

Although the zip line was fun, it was more of a rush to ignore the second thought and go ahead anyway.

Maybe my inner kid can trust me to listen some more.

I wonder if any other people walking by today really wanted a zip down the zip line?

Here is a little video of the experience.



How will you have fun today?

The Measure of Good Living

How do you measure the degree to which you are living the good life?

• Wealth?
• Health?
• Comfort?
• Material items?

Lately I have been measuring mine by answering the following question:

"Did I make a difference to someone's day today?"

If I can answer this with "yes", then I am living the good life.

Somedays the answer might be a very small yes, others it might be a BIG, often tiring and longwinded journey to YES!

It provides a very simple focus to the day, moment by moment. I can pretty much always find a way to make a difference even if it is just a smile, or listening, I mean REALLY listening to someone's problem.

Of course there are other elements to answering with a yes such as taking time for myself so that I am energised enough to give to others.

Somedays the yes might have been for myself - did I change something that positively impacted my own life. Did I make a difference to myself by eating well, breathing slow and stretching out?

If I want to feel good, at the end of the day I review the ways I have made a difference today and then the next day look for opportunities to do more of the same.

How did you make a difference today?

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The Sun Always Rises*

*based on my experience so far.

Today I witnessed an incredible sunrise. Golden beams of light and a red and orange streaky sky painted with clouds lit up at about 7.45am, followed moments later by a giant fireball peeking above a ridge of hills. All whilst driving along. I smiled and breathed it in. It was a fleeting moment and I wondered if humans have always appreciated the beauty of seeing the sun rise. There is even a salute to the sun in Yoga.

It got me thinking.

Right now in the Northern Hemisphere we are faced with darkening mornings and nights drawing in earlier. Many people go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, as the earth tilts on it's axis slowly away from the sun for the autumn and winter months.

However, the sun still rises everyday. It gets light every single day. Wow.

At the moment I am hanging on to this. It helps when I wake up in the dark hours to know that the darkness is merely temporary.

At lunch time, when all is light and I wander outside for some minutes of air, the dark morning is just a distant memory and the evening is still way off.

One benefit of the dark nights is that it allows me to focus on my work without feeling like I should be outside making the most of the sun and the heat. Time to press on.

I'm embracing the temporary darkness in the knowing that lightness is just around the corner.

I Love Washing Dishes*

*When I have nothing else to do.

When I was on holiday I really enjoyed washing dishes.

I had nothing urgent to do at all besides enjoy the moment.

I took my time washing each dish.

I was not thinking where I was going, or of some place I had to be.

I had no plans.

The dishes loved it.

Each dish and piece of cutlery got washed and rinsed with care.

It also allows me to look out of the window and enjoy sights like this:

Sunset Over Dishes

The challenge I find is to take this approach in day to day life, when there is more going on and you have more places to be.

It is of course, great to be able to practice at least twice a day.

Something I am working on.

Happy Dishwashing.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Not me.

I want:

TIME.

Have you heard the expression time is money?

What if we all had enough time to create (whatever that means to you) and enough money to take care of all our living expenses? What would that look like? What impact would that have on the world?

Anything left over could go towards helping others and improving life on earth.

I'm thinking Equal distribution of resources and wealth.

I don't want more things. I want more time to create and more experiences.

How about you?

Keep on Sharing

Today I learnt a lesson.

Sometimes I wonder how much of an impact my work is making.

My desire is to help others through the mediums of writing and music.

Sometimes, what I do might not feel very groundbreaking or seem like is very important.

I am learning to ignore these false emotions.

Sharing my experience can provide insight and encouragement to others.

How do I know this?

Over the last 2 days I received 2 individual messages from 2 different people to say that some posts I had written had really helped them take steps with moving forwards and clearing out old work.

It is always humbling to receive these messages.

What is not new for me might be new for someone else.

Keep experimenting, keep sharing.

Thanks for reading today.

Deleting Old Creative Work

I just deleted a whole load of old digital creative work that was sitting on my hard drive.

This included gigs and gigs of:

• artwork
• graphic design
• website designs
• website code
• client work
• video projects
• music production
• inspiration - others artwork and musings
• ebooks

My reasoning: where I'm going, I won't need it. The future is about creating.

The digital past is taking up way too much digital space and head space and there is no need for it.

My old work is simply not up to the standard I see in my head moving forwards and although it can be useful to reflect on past work, I think it is way more useful to move forwards.

Why was I hanging onto it? 

Thoughts ranged from:

• What if I need it in the future?
• Keep it just in case you go back to that kind of work and need a portfolio
• I might need it to get inspired
• What if I want to publish it as an archive in the future? It could be valuable!
• What if I don't make anything as good in the future?!

This to me is The Resistance at work. Extra baggage that halts the creative process and stops me from creating something better. There is also an element of fear and having a backup plan in there somewhere. Pure nonsense! Get over it, I told myself.

I burnt all bridges and moved ahead.

DELETE.

Gone.

Ahh, and relax. Feel the space. Time to create something new.

Keep pushing, keep striving, keep making.

Now THAT is exciting!

What are you hanging onto that you could let go of?

I Untethered from Vinyl

I recently made the decision to untether* from my vinyl collection.

I first bought records when I was a kid.

I started to seriously buy records in 1999 when I started to DJ at uni.

I bought a whole load of records over the next 5-8 years, mostly via mail order from Turntable Lab in NYC. I remember the day I actually went there in the flesh. It was like a mini pilgrimage to the birthplace of the music I loved. I took many records back home.

I loved everything about vinyl. Taking a record out it's sleeve, being careful not to touch the surface, blowing off any dust, setting it on the platter, lifting the needle across and letting it drop gently, before hearing that familiar warm crackle and the music began. Ahhh. Bliss.

Great things about vinyl:

• the artwork and packaging
• they are very tactile
• there is a certain calming ritual you carry out with the simple act of putting on a record
• they force you to slow down and really listen to the music
• I never skipped tracks, but listened intently to whole albums
• the warm sound

Compare this with the flipside.

It's never easy negotiating a full record bag through airport luggage systems and I always worried whether it would arrive at my destination. Many a fellow DJ lost their entire record collection including rare gems whilst travelling, when they would mysteriously disappear on route before baggage claim. But still I kept on buying.


The not so great things about vinyl:

• it's sooooo heavy
• it collects dust
• its not portable
• it takes up alot of space
• some is very valuable - one more thing to be precious about

I made the switch form vinyl to Serato a few years back. Serato is a digital vinyl system, which allows me to play mp3s from a laptop using 2 real vinyl control records. It's the best of both worlds. I couldn't face another airport trip with the weight of vinyl hanging off my shoulder. I love the freedom this brings and it has allowed me to travel to gigs abroad with the minimum of hassle.

I have already sold a couple of crates over the years, pairing it down to the best of the best that I used all the time. This numbered around 70 pieces:

The last of my collection.

I have made the decision to part with this also.

I will miss my vinyl in many ways but feel I have made the right decision. I always have the memories of the positives.

At this time I am not sure where I am going to be for how long and love to be as portable as possible with the minimal amount of kit.

The only vinyl that remains with me is the bare essentials that allow me to create for Studio Scratches:

• 2 Serato control records for use with my laptop (mixing)
• A few real scratch records. (Real always sounds better than digital control records for scratching.)

The ebay bids are rising on my collection as we speak and I have ordered some boxes to mail them safely.

I am glad that someone else will get pleasure from them for a while longer.

I feel lighter and there is more space to carry on creating and doing the real work.

*Note - I borrowed the term "untethering" from Ev Bogue.

I Deleted Twitter

Yesterday I deleted my three twitter accounts:

• Short_E_Scratch (Personal account)
• StudioScratches (Studio Scratches related stuff)
• BeDeliberateNow (for Deliberate)

Why?

I never really spent much time on twitter.

When I did, I never really seemed to get the hang of it or notice much impact on my work. I didn't have the time to invest in learning how to use it properly.

I think I joined twitter at a time just as everything was changing and new features were coming out, which made it more complex and not so great to use.

The Result

• One less thing for me to worry about
• One less social network to interact with
• A greater focus around the networks I do use
• More space for me to think and create, a running theme as a result of me deleting things

Alternatives

At the moment my facebook group for Studio Scratches and G+ are doing the job. The Studio Scratches group seem slower to adopt G+ but other areas on G+ are booming.

What is your experience?

Untethering* from Hair Electronics

I recently have drastically cut down my use of hair dryers and hair straighteners to almost never. The last time I used them was 2 weeks ago.

Why?

When I went on holiday to St Ives, I was staying right near the beach, doing lots of walking around in the fresh sea air. The moisture just meant that straightening my hair was a complete waste of time - as soon as I went out it frizzed right up.

It got me thinking. Why fight the natural? Why not go with the flow? My hair is naturally curly, why not embrace and make the most of it?

From then on I just let it do it's thing, tamed only slightly by the minimum of hair product.

My new no effort routine:

• wash hair in the shower
• wrap in a towel for a few mins
• put in some Moroccan oil and a tiny bit of curl creme
• leave to dry naturally or overnight whilst sleeping
• wake up
• throw it up with a clip
• job done!

Benefits:

• saves time in my morning routine
• saves energy / power
• my hair is less damaged by heat
• less electronic things to keep tidy and dust free
• I travel light

Maybe I can apply this concept to other areas of my life. Maybe you can to yours.

The funny thing is that I get way more comments from people saying they like my curly hair which takes no time at all, than I ever did when I spent all that time straightening it.

I may use them occasionally in the future when going out in the evenings but right now I'm enjoying the freedom of not spending so much time drying and styling. More time to create and just be.

*Note - I borrowed the term "untethering" from Ev Bogue.

Very Mini Digital Sabbatical

During the week of 9th - 16th September 2011 I experimented by taking my first very mini Digital Sabbatical after reading about Gwen Bell's experiences.

This coincided with a week holiday mostly by myself in the beautiful town of St Ives:

I really needed a rest and a break from everything digital. I had picked up some bad digital habits, namely checking email and facebook a great deal.

For this week in September I:

• read books
• surfed - the perfect activity for refreshing the mind
• walked around loads
• read dedications to passed loved ones writen on park bench memorials
• ate good food (and a little bad food too!)
• wave watched
• cloud gazed
• drank a few cocktails
• hung out with family
• wrote in my journal a lot

I didn't:

• take my laptop with me
• hit refresh on digital inboxes / streams
• check email much (I disabled all accounts however I did give in 3 times enabling mail on my phone then disabling it each time after)
• create digital work (besides a few notes on my phone to remind me of concepts I wanted to write about)
• browse the web with the exception of reading intentionally Leo Babauta's two sites, Zen Habits and Mnmlist. Both were simple text only sites / posts.
• do anything that required my laptop to be on

What was it like?

I'm not going to lie, the first couple of days were tough! I didn't really know what to do with myself. time seemed to expand. I ended up writing alot about what I was doing / not doing / thinking which helped me debrief.

My brain was on the hunt to connect with others and kept trying to find things to DO that mattered. This manifested in me taking alot of photos.

After a while I got into the swing of solitude and relaxing. I ended up walking alot, something which I swore to my parents as a kid I hated and would never enjoy when all I wanted to do was surf. Funny how things, or should it be myself, change.

I became very content with not doing much, moving slowly and having a greater awareness of everything.

Of course this was helped by the stunning location and the fact that I could hear the ocean from my apartment at the stylish sail lofts when I went to sleep and woke up.

What is it like now?


I'm better at using the net. I still think about checking email first thing in the morning, sometimes I do on my laptop, but I try to wait until later on in the afternoon / evening. It's a work in progress.


I cut most ties with facebook.


There is more space for other stuff like creating and thinking now.

Cutting ties with Facebook

I had over 700 people as friends on Facebook.

I actually knew maybe around 100.

I use facebook primarilly for "business" - to let people know about Studio Scratches and Deliberate.

With so many people and so many status updates of largely nothing important, we are getting overwhelmed.

Think about it like this:

I read / follow maybe 3 - 5 people at any one time. At the moment this is:

Leo Babauta (Zen Habits / Mnmlist)
Gwen Bell
Ev Bogue

I actively SEEK OUT their content (RSS and G+ follow stream)

When we really want something we seek it out.

If we like drinking Starbucks, we don't wait for a Starbucks to knock on our door. We go out and order one.

If we like listening to an artist we load it on our music devices. It involves action from US. It shouldn't be passive.

There are tools that make it easier to find updates to your favourite stuff, but these are just tools and not our master. We don't need to be slaves to passive updates.

I would rather people sign up to Studio Scratches and Deliberate or come and visit them intentionally if they find it valuable, rather than me posting stuff in my updates along with 1000s of other people. It devalues it. Opting in so to speak.

I hope the people that choose buy my products do so deliberately, free from marketing hype and trickery and that they are insanely useful. I work on this daily. This is the real work for me.

I cut my friend list down to around 70, reserved for people I have met in real life primarily and family.

Right now I have a facebook group running for the Studio Scratches heads and a Studio Scratches facebook page, but this may eventually become void.

The reason I kept the facebook group is that it is actually very supportive and people post info of value. It serves as a place of community.

I am interested to see if G+ can take over for this.

Deleted apps off my phone

I recently deleted most apps off my phone.

Including:

• Games
• Productivity apps
• Gadgets and gizmos

Any apps I couldnt delete I put in a folder marked "unused" which is out of sight.

What I currently use my phone for:

• making calls (rarely)
• texting (slightly more frequently)
• taking pictures (now and then of cool stuff especially nature)
• shooting video for Studio Scratches
• taking notes for ideas and blog posts
• reading ebooks
• waking me up on work days (a nice mellow sound)

That is pretty much it!

The result

• I am more focused on other things and way less distracted.
• I have space to think about thing
• I am more aware of my surroundings
• I am no longer so tied to a device

Other Notes


I aim to have my phone out of sight when I am with others - no checking of anything! This allows full attention on the present moment and the other person.

From the surface I might appear to be another droid walking around with a smart phone at times, however all the things I do on it are serving other creative purposes and adding value to my life.

Deleted Email off my Phone

I finally deleted email off my phone.

Ahhhhhh. Pure bliss!

Why?

Checking email was the first thing I did when I woke up, last thing at night and even I have to admit on waking in the middle of the night!

I was controlled by it to a certain extent.

What is it like?

Now I have more time to think.

I check email usually once a day, when I get home from my day job.

I disabled most email notifications and unsubscribed from most things.

Things like YouTube comments and questions for Studio Scratches I check once every few days and work until I have answered them all then go back to real life.

I stil sometimes check it more than once a day and hit the refresh button a few times but largely life is good without it!

Hello!

Hey!

My name is Emma.

I write here to keep track of things I have been doing and have done. It's mainly for me but if you find value and benefit in reading it and maybe then applying some action then I am happy about that too.

At the moment:

I help people learn to scratch DJ and make video and music resources for them @ Studio Scratches

I also like to encourage people to live life on purpose and create the life they want @ Deliberate

I also work a full time day job.

My writing here mainly falls outside of things I would write about for the above 2 sites, but it also might end up inspiring it too.