Battleplan Creative

Communications with Purpose

night shifts…

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I’ve talked before about my ‘working arrangements’ and the upshot of this style is that I’m often working when sensible folk are catching up on Sky+ / Facebook / Twitter / the pile of books on their bedside table (delete as…). Those who know me well will argue that I manage to put in a fair shift on FB/Twitter but that’s more to do with typing speed and availability of iPhone than commitment to the cause.

Working at night is a strange one, being freelance already places you in that vortex of self reliance, often paralysed by the absence of ‘water cooler’ moments to gain perspective. Someone much more talented than me put it perfectly this week (on Twitter) RT @susanorlean “Being a writer requires an awkward balance of utter confidence and abject insecurity. Both necessary, neither sufficient.” followed up with RT @susanorlean “You do need the nerve to think you have something to say, but also the humility to listen, and the neediness to want to be heard.” So, so true and somehow working antisocial hours makes you feel even more of a pariah in social / business commentary terms, which is why I have to work hard to develop skills that keep me current and relevant and useful on the 2009/10 marketing communications tour.

Ultimately for me, it comes down to two things:-

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An Introduction

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I’m experiencing something of a personality conflict; heart-pounding as if for an exam I’m sure I’ll fail, it’s clear in my head that this blog is supposed to be about me in my professional capacity talking about the power of expressive communications and yet….. I’m almost intolerably drawn to the idea of using it to spill in the manner of a teenage diary. I guess it’s a tangible lesson in how we’ve all come to view the internet and the sense of anonymity it grants us, not to mention the voyeuristic delights it affords us in tapping into the inner mechanics of a stranger’s brain.

I recently read a blog entry from “Outraged of Oxford” (identities have been changed to protect the innocent) bemoaning the lack of grammar, proliferation of misspellings and interminable text speak from ‘so called writing professionals’. I was interested in how personally he took the English Language being mangled and dissected and his sense of vitriol that people get paid to make a hash of communicating for others. Personally, I’m torn; I love this language and take great enjoyment from listening to those with a mastery that I can only wish for. But more than that I value the power of communication, the ways in which simple ideas can be translated and shared whether for profit or altruism and surely the method is less important than the outcome?

I’m contemplating my reasons for being here – not in a metaphysical sense, but in a real “Why am I writing this” kind of sense. It’s a curious leap for someone who makes a living from writing about other people’s businesses to devote quality time to writing about her own. Whether I’ll sustain it will ultimately come down to an equation involving time, inspiration and motivation….

You’re more than welcome to join me and see where it takes us…

Let’s talk!