Welcome to Episode 28 of the West Park Park Bench Podcast. Today's topic is horizon or horizons. It was mentioned at the end of episode 27. That Horizons would be this week. And in a, in a break with tradition, I'm actually going to talk about the very thing that I said I was gonna talk about at the end of last week.
So horizons. Now those of you have been listening to this for a little while, I go swimming before I record my podcast. And then I sit down here on a bench, new thumbnail, trying to keep that up to date to give a little bit of the view. And also when I look back over them, I can kind of see the thumbnail was changing in terms of the seasons, but when I was in the pool, I find the first probably 15 minutes I'm just getting my body coordinated and as someone who is an overthinker actually having to focus on the coordination of my limbs. Probably for me in an exaggerated way. I must look really silly when I swim. But I think about doing the correct breaststroke and making it as efficient and how my body is moving and how my core strength is increasing just a tiny amount because say last year was posture and I did try and start to address the physicality of me, but it just gives me a slot of time where I can't think about anything except coordinating my limbs and then I find I kind of break into a clarity of normally what is it that I'm going to discuss in this podcast?
What is it that I'm going to be doing with my next project? What is my next project what is taking place in the week to come? And prior to this year, with this year being Balance. It was all very immediate. It was very much in the moment and as much as I was trying to practice to work on my projects and not in my projects. It's it's a very difficult balance to achieve without an external meditation on that balance. So, Horizons was being able to look at the horizon and aiming for that horizon. And that all the space between you and the horizon is the time and the the activity that you have to reach it. How fast you approach the horizon. How soon you arrive, what the increments are that you put between you and the horizon is part of the meditation of what the destination is about, however, and this I think came to me today when I was swimming is that as I was swimming across, I knew there were lots of people in the pool because we'd all got in at the same time and I go to width swimming. I'm not fast enough swimmer to be able to do length and even if there's five people in a lane, I would feel I would constantly be having to stop to let them pass or be conscious of where are they behind me and where are they in front of it and the notion of swimming up and down in a lane with another person is no fun for me. So the width swimming is ideal because I can go backwards and forwards in my own little lane. Everybody else has their own little lane. You know we steer and manoeuvre outside each other. We give each other elbow room but essentially you are just backwards and forwards and I find that a much better meditative space. But it does mean that if you are in sync you're all swimming or a lot of you are swimming to one side at the same time. And when there's quite a lot of people in the pool, it can get quite crowded or it can feel quite crowded when you first get in and you're jostling for a lane, but then you swimming across and you sort of go in hold on a minute, oh, it looks quite empty. And then you look back to where that lane would begin and you realise that, oh, everybody's swimming together. So we're all approaching the same horizon line. And then when we get there, it's very crowded, and you turn back and the pool is empty and gradually people hope pull back and, and it kind of balances out a bit but it made me realise the the relationship that we have personally with the notion of a horizon and that it is unique for everybody. But you can be looking at the same horizon with someone. And I mean this in a geographical sense. So first of all, taking the the geographic horizon, the geographic horizon, is the point at which the ground meets the sky or the the environment obscures the horizon and you start to see the sky. Now if you're sat in the same place as someone you've both got the same horizon as you move towards that horizon and you get closer. If it's a a flat piece of ground, their horizon will get further away. So you're no longer heading for the horizon. You're currently in your head in for the horizon that you were in when you left a spot that you saw the horizon. Now, if everybody heads for that same horizon, it could be empty at the point at which you will see it. But by the time you arrive at it, you will arrive at the same time. So that horizon is very crowded. And this kind of led me to think about the notion of innovation and the notion of advanced technology and the evolution of the technology space, especially we're in at the moment with chat GTP with AI with augmented reality with virtual reality, with machine learning with artificial intelligence. And right now, we're all looking at Horizon. Some people are already on that horizon and we're kind of seeing their activities and those of us that are heading to that horizon are heading towards those people that are currently the head of the curve is a word that had been used and, you know, the crest of the wave, there's some surfing analogies that go in there as well that you are heading towards somewhere. That is your destination but when you will reach there you will reach there together and the people who are on the horizon have already moved off unless you're waiting there and somebody is waiting for people to reach the horizon. And they become the educators. But whilst they becoming the educators, they haven't moved on to the next horizon. And that is also something as I'm talking here, it's a really key point to have as a balance within your role, especially if you're an innovator or a disrupter, that if you hold back too long, the horizon that everyone else has reached and then sees over the hill. Oh, we've got it's not dog coming over today to pause me for thought it's it's a helicopter going over Wow.
Usually pause in this podcast that just gives me a break. Probably for you listening gives you a moment to kind of reflect and pick up what the topic of the podcast is which this this week is horizon. So what is my horizon and why is this an important revelation to me? The temporal component really resonated with me.
Now, in terms of balance for me, I am trying to find a balance of delivered delivered projects and quantifiable income, so this is saying I've got to earn enough money to pay my bills. But I also need to work on things long enough to be able to achieve an ultimate goal of a project to attain the thing that gives me satisfaction and closure.
And I think what happens for me is I have lots of ideas. I work on those ideas, and I even have a certain amount of deliverable. So you know, I've been these podcasts are a perfect example. I would like to have been doing a lunchtime live stream, which was programmed into my schedule, and I can fire it up and I can do those on a weekly basis. But it would just be a video version of this podcast. I would probably find something else to talk about. And I would probably have a topic that would remain consistent. It would probably be apps it would probably be something that was accessible on my desktop because the one thing I don't have here is no access to any technology or to do any sharing of the internet. It's it is very much an analogue podcast but what I think if I was going to do a live stream, I would want to have guests and to have guests I need to plan ahead and to plan ahead. I need to have a a production period where I can reach out to people who I want to be guests and I can build up that guest list and I can schedule them in because they won't be available exactly where they want. So somebody might be available further in the future and to coordinate and produce something like that for myself. I need to have a horizon point at which when I reach that horizon, my bills have been paid.
So how do I achieve that? Now, having my developing creative practice for a year was very instrumental in me being able to use that money to do the research and things that I need while doing a few little jobs that just topped up my bank account enough for me to at this point in time now I have balance to be able to realistically consider achieving what's on the horizon. So now the question is, what's on the horizon? Where is the horizon? And what date is that horizon? Now, I'm not going to speculate and commit anything to podcast right now because there's a few things I really want to do. And maybe if I give a range of things range of things I want to do now
just waiting for a passerby... a range of things that I want to do. There's the components that have come out of my developing creative practice which is developing a series of theatrical pieces, inspired by the 22 ideas about the future. There is the technology the immersive technology, the time keen to explore which at the moment has come down to spatial audio, projected map projection and virtual production. And the third component is my producing practice and producing practice is being able to produce for others to support others to provide a service that will enable others to move their own futures forward and to aim and define their own horizons. I think that's the thing. That's the part of my producing part. Part of the producing part also means that I need to find an independent source of income for that. And then projects that I have for myself. Now there is a TEDx event. I would love to do another TEDx event. I'm thinking May or June. Next week's podcast maybe the resolution to this next week will be what my horizon is. I think that might be a good way of doing this so I would like to do a TED I'm considering approaching Nonsuch for the venue, physical venue. As with my practice, physical, digital and virtual. I really like digital extensions. So rather than it being people on Zoom, just engaging with Zoom, I would much rather explore a satellite notion where people host their own events, but use a zoom call to watch the content and then the activity they do within their own satellite event can be fed back to a central location which is controlled on the ground with the venue outside of the event space. So a continuity studio is how I've done it in the past. And takes quite a lot of components going together. What I would like to do for that for satellite events is perhaps run some how do you zoom control? So bring groups that want to do a satellite and actually provide the training for them to set up the live stream give them a Zoom account or an appropriated account for them to be able to host on and for them to be the connection between the satellite event and the continuity studio. So that's got quite a lot of training to go in on that. The other thing I would really like to do, which is another crossover and this is why my horizon needs to be defined, because at the moment, the things that I would like to do is too much for the horizon that I have available to me or just the horizon the horizon is actually fixed, depending on where you are in your career or where you are physically, the horizon is the horizon. And I think it's important to define that horizon. So you need to look at it or you need to work out well how far away is it? What are the obstacles that are in the way of the horizon? The further horizon so I'm probably not seeing so at the moment I'm sat on the bench, I have a cricket ground, I have some field. I've got the Tennis Centre, I've got the five side football pitches. I've got the pavilion I've got the bandstand and there's, there's a, there is a there's a screen of trees, and that really is my horizon. Beyond that, I know that there's an additional football field and I know that there's the swimming baths and I know that there is another shielded line of trees before hitting the main road. And then there's a housing estate and then there's the M1. So my horizon is not the one. My horizon is the screen of trees that I can see between me and my horizon. And I think everybody's horizon is so very different, and the things that can obscure your horizon. You don't have any control over the space you have control over is what is between you and the horizon. So in this case, I've just got to get over the feild.
So, knowing where my horizon is, and for me, I want to define my horizon as June What can I do between now and June now the reason why June is my horizon is in July for the past few years, I've been very fortunate to be able to take a sabbatical holiday to the Isle of Mull to a place called Treshnish which is in the middle of nowhere on the island Mull. And I have three weeks there to be able to reflect and I will be wanting to set my horizon. So although my horizon might be Treshnish the horizon that I can see, to achieve stuff in has to be done before I reached that horizon, that alternate horizon where the land meets sky. And I for me, it's June so what is there that I can do for June that will allow me to come out of that I there had been return on my investment, breaking even having paid my bills and start to have some forward momentum to take people with me to my next horizon. Because at the moment I am on a solo mission. And I would like that solo mission to have people with me, I have I have some components in place where I'm starting to build that maybe they will be podcast guests. But this is the thing to my horizon, what is your horizon? Now I'm going to be asking this of the people that I am bringing with me on my horizons journey. So who knows, I may be doing a podcast with them as guests, and we will talk about those horizons. But for now, I need something that's going to hit that horizon. The other thing I would quite like to do is take the 22 ideas about the future book and talk to some playwrights, talk to some writers, have them read the book and has reach a point where I've, I know the 22 ideas I can find out a little bit about what the writers are up to and if they're even interested in taking these into more immersive pieces. Not sure what those immersive pieces are gonna be they might just be spatial audio they might be stand up poetry, they might be a walk or I'm very much inspired by Chronic Insanity. Now, chronic insanity, I've spoken about them on the podcast before artistic director, co director is Joe Strickland with their dramaturg in residence now but also co founder of Nat Henderson and they challenged themselves to make 12 pieces in 12 months. They far exceeded that but the pieces that they do just stand ideas on their feet and apply and augment them with the appropriate technology. And I'm really keen to explore with 22 ideas. What would Chronic Insanity to do with 22 ideas. Now fortunately for me, I can ask that question and so that will be one of my other horizons. I cannot work on them. Although this is a thing. I have to pick the one that's for June. And then what comes out either side. One thing that does have to happen during the horizons journey to that June horizon is finding additional sources of income and that's a struggle that all arts organisations have. I have some fantastic ideas for myself. I'm really excited to explore. And if I've given you this podcast to listen to, you might be one of those people that I think there's an investment future for us. So hey, who knows now? Who have I sent who have I sent to listen to this podcast. But if you're listening to this podcast, and you think that you might know of an organisation that might want to sponsor it, your business might want to sponsor and in my investment pack in the capitalization pack that I did with a developing my with my diploma last year. It starts at 1000 pounds investment so do you have 1000 pounds that you could give me my objective is before I take your money, I can give you an outlay to show you how you will get that money back. That's the objective. You don't part with any of the money until we agree that there's a mechanism in place that if all goes well, you'll get your money back. That isn't always guaranteed and I think this is important with investment and it is why there is some very, very strict and sensible paperwork. If you're going to partner on a programme with a monetary value, I'm going to leave that there.
Horizons really important. So one of the things I need to do on my immediate before he even approached that horizon before even crossed the path. I'm gonna take a photograph of my horizon. So you can you can kind of kind of see that I do have to put together the the structural infrastructure and enforce that. So I've got a very good accounting practice very luckily, however, it's 12 years old and it's frayed at the seams it needs to be shut down, reevaluated and restarted from scratch. It's nice, fresh and new. That will be my Free Agent I also need to take my capitalization investment pack and reevaluate it a lot happened last year.
I also need to start talking to those key investors. And then I also need to start talking to the venue's for projects that may take place I need to find some rehearsal spaces I need to find a space that I can get my projector and laptop and do some map projection tests. You know I need to know the virtual reality my I meta quest one. I need to be on a two How do I do that? Can I loan that from someone? Can someone give me that as a partnership agreement? There's the VR stuff.
So I've probably gone on longer. I usually pause when I think I'm at 20 minutes but I suspect I've gone a little over that. So horizons Tell me about your horizon. Write a blog post and send me the link at least that way. You've then got the piece of content. Get in touch with me. Do you want to be on the Horizons Podcast? Oh my gosh, that's the thing now isn't it? Who knows I've got some I've got some horizons to to define.
And I think that's the thing you the Horizon has to be defined and all the things that get put in front of you as hurdles as you approach that horizon have to be tackled and deflected the best they can. It's not always possible. It's sometimes important to reevaluate your horizon as you get further to that horizon. You do have the advantage or disadvantage of seeing what the horizon will look like next and it is very tempting to say I'll do it at the next horizon. I'll do it at the next horizon. I'll do it the next horizon. As a positive one. I initially said that my horizon was going to be taking a show to Edinburgh in 2023. 2023 Edinburgh Fringe is fast approaching and I decided probably this time last year that it was likely to be in fact, yes, it would have been this time last year, it would likely be Edinburgh 2024. But now is my horizon. I don't think Edinburgh is the appropriate venue. I think it's too it's it's too mainstream for my independence. So who knows? I'd like to take something to Edinburgh because it feels like a comfort zone I need to crush. But right now with my three week sabbatical, being in July, for me to take a show to Edinburgh, my horizon would probably need to be all prepped and ready to be there for June anyway. So yeah, maybe it is possible but it would be 2025 Maybe even 2026. But that's no longer horizon that I am looking to attain is a is a horizon i am looking as a prospective horizon that defines my world I guess it's a cyclical point that comes around every year and I can evaluate where am I now? And where is this horizon? That is the Edinburgh Fringe. Yeah, so yeah. I would really been trusted in your horizons. So yeah, it's gonna be Horizon.
Thank you so much for listening to my podcast, and it's a delight for me to have this point. On my Tuesday, where it is a piece of content making that I really enjoy and when I not able to do it, I actually, I am disappointed. So that is a real achievement for me to reach this this point. And it also gives me a point of balance. Please tell me about your horizons.
