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'Juggling' like crazy....
Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 7:00AM Just as I was hoping for a stretch of calm and piece (I'm trying to write up a PhD and need to think!!!) life has gone completely crazy....
A couple of great looking consultancy projects are coming to life, the coaching is busy, people need more pictures and....
I've been back to Schumacher, partly to co-facilitate an Ashridge master's degree module but also to get a few shots of Charlie McConnell, the college director. Our schedules barely met and so I only had a few minutes to work with Charlie early in the morning before the day got going.
We chatted over photos and cups of tea and here are a couple of images from the shoot.
I like Charlie. He's an amicable, likeable guy, you would warm to him... but I think what really attracted me was a curious sense of energising anger that he carries within him. Charlie, I found out, has worked in some difficult, challenging situations all around the globe and has seen a few things....
So now he turns his anger into commitment into activity, adressing environmental issues in his role as director - committed to doing stuff to change things - I admire that.
My favourite picture is one that might not appear on the PR material, but it has an intensity that brings a beauty with it.
So maybe this picture below is the one that captures the essence I see in Charlie. I'm not going to try to describe it with words...
And so over to you. I wonder what you are seeing...? Who are you seeing?
And... just for a moment... back to 'Juggling'. Ian Sanders sent me a copy of his new book titled appropriately enough, 'Juggle'. I'm getting on quite nicely with its bite-size chunks - more in the next post!
Reader Comments (4)
That picture is worth a thousand gently angry activist words. I too have found that intensity of bearing as a mirror of thought is not at all mutually exclusive to amicable. But then I love the intense. In people and in life. Brilliant, ardent, earnest. If there isn't something that brings that spark of intensity, are you living the good life? From the looks of his work, he is a much needed spark in the push for Sustainable Living Education. I wouldn't mind signing up for that two week course Green Design in Practice - Building an Earthship. Commute to class might be tough. ;-)
Juggling? I'd say from the sounds of it. Timely book for you! What's the story with the Ph.D.? Client work or personal endeavor?
Hey Marena,
Thanks for the comment and support - there IS an intensity in there.... And while the courses at Schumacher are fantastic but I guess a commute from the US of A would be kind of ironic. However, the previous time I was there I was in the company of folks from Brazil and Vietnam...
The PhD? Ah well... I figured that if I was going to be involving myself in photo-dialogues then I could at least take the time to learn my stuff. I've was a photographer years ago and have been consulting/facilitating for a while - and bringing the two disciplines together is fascinating.
Fours years on I'm almost exhausted by the effort and discipline required by study at that level but I kinda do know the field now - and, of course, as I come to write up the work I have a whole new stack of questions to play with...;-))
Still reading up on fragmentation ... HUGE ramifications. Talk about needing intense focus.
Sounds like you are rather close then on the PH.D. To write up? Is this like a required dissertation for graduation? In any event, I salute you your determination! Guess we will have to address you as Dr. Marshall soon. ;-)
Mmm...fragmentation - you are entering the dialogic territory of David Bohm and Bill Isaacs (to name a few). It's fascinating stuff and has massive ramifications for the way we think about the world...
I'm hoping to get the PhD thesis submitted late this summer (and then party some....;-)) NOT too sure about Dr.... might imply some woefully absent expertise!