Latest / The Common Creative / Episode 211: Paul & Chris - Creative Pause

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Episode 211: Paul & Chris - Creative Pause · The Common Creative

• speaker-0: ⁓ Hello and welcome to the Common Creator Podcast. My name is Chris Meredith. speaker-1: And my name is Paul Fairweather. And Chris and I, for the last six years, have been on a mission, on a regular mission, ⁓ a consistent mission, to lift the lid, open the discussion, open the door to creativity and life and business through the lens of ideas, stories and visual communication and many other things. speaker-0: That's right, you know we've recorded 209 episodes. This is now episode number 210. And the big news today, there's no guest today, you and I have decided to take a bit of a sabbatical. We're gonna hit pause for a while on the common creative. And so the purpose of this recording is to discuss what it means to pause, how that influences creativity. And maybe a bit about what our plans are in this in this gap in the evolution of the Common Creative Podcast. But how are you feeling about the idea of pressing port? speaker-1: Well, Chris, you know, like many things in creativity, it's it's a double edged sword or a double edged pallet knife, maybe. ⁓ in my case. Look, I I think that, you know, as I said in the introduction, we have been very consistent. ⁓ we've had a few little sort of minor hiatuses, ⁓ only for a couple of weeks at the most. And ⁓ and look and and it's been con it' been consistent, which has been great. But I I think it'd be great to stand back from a we're planning on a three month sabbatical. Three month Pause to ⁓ think about how we might make it better and more engaging for our audience. And and and have a think about, you know, reflection on who we've had, what worked, what didn't work, you know, spend that time to think of, you know, some different type of guests, maybe, maybe a different sort of format. But I think that whole thing is, you know, what does it mean to pause in creativity? You know, So I I I'm looking forward to getting out of the routine and I think this is that thing about, you know, we get creativity needs a routine, but also it needs that time to have sporadic a sporadic approach. speaker-0: Yeah, I g I agree with you strongly on that, Paul. I ⁓ you mentioned this idea of a pause and the moment you mentioned it I thought, what a good idea, that could be really refreshing. And one thing in particular that strikes me across those two hundred and nine episodes that we've recorded is we've never got into a a lot of depth To explore what the themes are. We've had a couple of episodes when we've reflected on what we've learned and that's been really useful. But I'm sure there are more powerful threads, more powerful learnings from what we've already got. And I'm hoping that those will emerge when we step away from it and think about it. And like you, I I think the idea of reflecting and co exploring without the weekly habit of the recording, will it will Deliver new ideas. I agree with you. Maybe there are different kinds of guests, maybe there are different kinds of formats. Something we don't do, for example, we don't have really any ⁓ standard questions apart from that opening question about challenging guests to tell their story. But maybe there are there are pointy questions that we can ask that deliver new insights from our guests or help them think in new ways. So those are just first thoughts. I'm sure we'll think of more in the next three months. Yeah. speaker-1: I look I I think that's I ag I agree with all that, ⁓ Chris. And I think that it is that thing about, you know, what what can we what can we do different. Hopefully, you know, you and I will to continue to catch up because I think one of the great benefits, ⁓ personally to me, has been this regular sort of standing board of of you, ⁓ as we go through things. So I I think that's yeah, and it and it's just that thing of breaking the routine to see what else is possible. Maybe, you know, listen to a few more podcasts elsewhere to see what other people are doing too. I do have a little podcast project that I am doing for the professional speakers Australia for ⁓ a little podcast for their conference which is coming up in March. Little ⁓ advert here. So ⁓ and just really ⁓ and take it because it's all about elevate twenty seven, it's all about story. And so really just taking that and it's not just the speakers, we're gonna be talking to the sponsors and the organizers and the travel people and just have a different approach to ⁓ to see what everyone's story is to make it if 'cause they want to make it a very inclusive. That's a little bit off track there, Chris. Sorry, I just speaker-0: Don't know if it is. I mean it's it's one of the great advantages of stepping away and exploring different things. I I agree with you ⁓ that it's one of the great benefits, one of the great privileges of a podcast. Weirdly, it is poor the show hosts connect regularly with each other. And have some kind of a structured or intelligent conversation. It's easy to jump online and and natter about the weather or the grandkids or whatever it might be. But to have a focus like creativity and and guests provide structure to the thinking. It's an amazing benefit and I I must confess I I rarely look at our audience figures because for me the great benefit is in talking to you Paul, listening to the guests and reflecting on what I personally have learned rather than sharing it with the world. If other people listen in obviously that's fantastic news. but it's but it's not for me the the sole benefit. speaker-1: Yeah. And I think I think that's really interesting, Chris, because you know, we've obviously had a lot of recurring themes. And although we've had recurring themes in over the years, everyone has a different take. It's not like, yeah, look don't talk about curiosity anymore because we've heard that before. But but just you know, the last episode that we did, you and I, which was just about risk, came about because our previous guest, talked about risk. And we've never in our two hundred and eight episodes at that stage, or turn of seven, had talked about risk. And I thought it was very interesting and and it just and it changed. So yes, to to build on your point, it really has been quite inspiring for me to get these different insights about creativity. speaker-0: So what are your thoughts? If you if you I mean, in a way, i we're pressing pause on the podcast in the three months. I mean there are plenty of other projects that we've both got going on that that aren't gonna hit pause. But if you if you think of the next three months as a as a blank sheet, do you have any thoughts about where you might go, what you might explore, projects you might start? speaker-1: ⁓ well Chris, I I've also, as you know, I've just been appointed ⁓ a non executive director for ⁓ an amazing design company based here in Brisbane, about a hundred people, and they're originally planners, town planners and surveyors, which is a little bit mundane or practical or pragmatic, but they've grown into urban designers, landscape architects and also advisers, trusted advisors ⁓ in the property industry and built environment. community and place. And so that's very exciting to do that. Now, that's not a a huge time commitment. It's a been a bit of a mind commitment to to think about this. And so I'm really excited about that. It's the called the Veref group, previously Walter Consulting. It's a company that I've known for some time. In fact, Natalie Natalie Raymond been a guest on our show, one of the directors there, one of the managing directors, and she had that great thing about Norm McGouvre and And what's it called? ⁓ her his program for for h sleeping in basements of car speaker-0: I yes. I I I thought for them we'll come to but he he set up a program to speaker-1: Bed down, bed down. So yeah, so so I've known Natalie for many years and I've done some work. So so that's very exciting in in part of my time. I think in terms of the podcast, Chris, I one of the things I'd like to investigate, and just to put it out there and I'll put it out there now to our audience, is we've never commercialised this podcast. And and I suspect we probably won't it because as as you've already admitted, you know, we probably do it for our own benefit. But I think that You know, possibly and I gotta say it I really dislike podcasts where you get into the flow and all of a sudden, you know, there's a frickin' ad, you know, might as well watch ⁓ Freedo Air TV. But ⁓ I I think it would be interesting to to investigate or have a think not investigate, but just have a think about what might be a creative way of we'll say sponsors, you know, in a verted comments, but someone to partner with us to take this and whether it's ⁓ a platform mode, because I every time I tell people I've got a podcast, I go, ⁓ yeah, everyone's got a podcast and I say, Well done I over 200 episodes they go, ⁓ well that's interesting because the was the the aggregate number or aggri average not ⁓ what's the not average aggregate is is speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: The the major the major percentage of podcasts have one episode. ⁓ and there's certainly, you know, there's there's there's there's ⁓ only a few that get into double figures, less over fifty or a hundred and it starts getting small and and look, you know, we're in a we're in a very small percentage, I think, being plus two hundred. There are people that have thousands, ⁓ which you know, I don't know if we'll ever get there, Chris. ⁓ because it's to take it six years. We'd have to we'll have to pick up the rate if we want to get to a thousand. I don't know, I've run out time. But yeah, so I think that to have some sort of partnership. I'd also think that in that time I'd like to explore ⁓ maybe some more ideas around seasons. You know, we you know we did that ⁓ for a while there. We had a couple of different seasons. Probably the one that probably had the most impact was the one on neuroscience. Yeah, which I think was very powerful. And I think if we do that speaker-0: Yes, absolutely. speaker-1: You know, that takes time to put seasons together 'cause you've got a book ahead. ⁓ 'cause as we, you know, do it now, you know, y we used to do bulk ex bulk editing or sorry, bulk recording and then drip feed them. But now we we do ⁓ on Tuesday, we publish them on Friday. Yeah. I think that routine's been fantastic. So I I'd like to explore maybe some idea of some seasons so that yeah, well ⁓ here's gonna be ten episodes on well I've there's speaker-0: One one season I think we definitely need to re explore is AI. We've already done one season on AI, but that was two or three years ago. And of course the world of AI has changed so much. I think that's definitely a topic. But there may be particular kinds of creative we want to talk to, maybe visual artists or maybe they're performance artists, and we kind of group them into themes that way. ⁓ and I think based on the learnings from Tracy Hall, our most recent guest business people who who don't wouldn't describe themselves as creative but are harnessing the power of creativity. I'm thinking also of Stephen Basil Jones, who's chief executive of ⁓ Sony Entertainment here in Australia. ⁓ and he he's all about harnessing the power of other creatives. ⁓ so maybe the people who kind of facilitate creativity could be if season as well. speaker-1: Mm hmm. And and I think the other two and you know, and Chris, maybe, you know, maybe maybe part of this in my sort of thinking is that and again, you know, for the audience if you're listening, that you and I I have ⁓ a bit of a secret source. I know you've got your chili sauce, ⁓ painted chilies, but but we've got a bit of a secret sauce and it's basically the chemistry. The chemistry that ⁓ an accidental chemistry we were We were introduced to each other from someone as I was being in in introduced into thought leaders and you know, there are creators in thought leaders but no one like me and the I could think of was like you should talk to Chris 'cause he's creative and I didn't know w what where to put me and and and we've told the story many times, but you know how that serendipitously led from a conversation speaker-0: We should draw we should acknowledge that was Paul Wirth, who was one of the coaches in the Fort Leaders Business School. He spotted that link between Chris's nothing brain and Paul's nutty brain. You're gonna get on it may not get on with anyone else, but you're gonna get on with each other. speaker-1: So and and and he was right, and I think we've you know we've done ⁓ yeah, it's been remarkable. But I think that and and you've done some episodes ⁓ by yourself and I've done some episodes myself and they're fun and they're and we're we're good at it, and I think they're good episodes, because obviously it's all about the guests, not us. However, there is a certain magic that happens, and it I say it's magic because it's not something that we sit, you know, ⁓ sit ⁓ down before you go, I'm gonna tell this joke, or you're gonna tell that joke, or you do this and that. In fact what we do is we scobble over, you know, getting a word either way and then allowing some time for the speaker along the way. But you know, I I think that every speaker has has, you know, said that was fun. And and ninety-nine percent of them have said it was great fun. And yeah and I know and and I think about ninety percent of the time I come away with a sore jaw speaker-0: No, don't speaker-1: From laughing too much, from smiling and laughing so much. And so it it's really and people come on and go, I'm nervous, you know, what are your questions gonna be? And I say, Look, you know, trust me, you know. It'll be fine. You you'll enjoy it, it'll be fun, you don't need to be nervous. And and we do a little bit of prep, not to say we don't, you know, we do a bit of prep, we have a a ten minute chat beforehand. ⁓ more often not one of us one of us know the guest or know of the guest, ⁓ so there is that sort of connection. speaker-0: We'll work it out. speaker-1: But it really is I think fascinating. And I and I and what was gonna say, Chris, is that maybe there's some you know, in terms of partnering, there are some people out there, some companies that would maybe like to consider us hosting a podcast with them. speaker-0: That that's exactly what I I was thinking, Paul, that that there could be big companies full of amazing people whose creativity, whose stories has n ha hasn't been explored. And ⁓ a podcast gives those individuals inside that organization a chance to say, This is me, this is what I do, this is this is who I am, and therefore how I can work better with my colleagues in that organization. ⁓ th there was a bit of insight into that. ⁓ I think I mentioned to you that thirty plus years ago I recorded an episode of a a UK radio show called Desert Island Dists. Now I I had no official connection with them at all. But ⁓ so I the guest was my mum and I interviewed her. The format is that the guest has to choose I think it's eight records that they would take with them if they were cast away on a desert island. And I'd forgotten that this or recording existed and l was listening to it quite recently and there were some wonderful insights about somebody I thought I knew really well. And there she is on tape, telling her story, saying things that I wouldn't have learned about her without the format of that, effectively a podcast recording. And so I think by partnering with an organization we could offer a chance to help their staff tell their stories in a way that wouldn't otherwise get told. I I think there's a it's a big idea there. speaker-1: And look whether whether Av Chris I you mentioned that recording before, I think we should publish that. ⁓ in the ⁓ maybe when we come back the first episode back we'll publish you you and ⁓ you and your speaker-0: Well let me let me put a counter on but maybe I should interview you as a guest on Desert Islanders. Maybe that's what we should do. Eight records that you take with you. speaker-1: But I look I I I think that w this sort of building on what you were saying there about, you know, opportunities for business. Obviously, you know, podcasts, you know, are are are the new are the new black the black t shirts. Or maybe a refresh of the T shirts. speaker-0: ⁓ Yeah, I think certainly for me, my one's getting a bit faded. speaker-1: Well, I've got b a bunch of them and some of them got pain over them. But is that and you know, in this little thing that I'm doing for professional speakers in Australia, like I intend to interview the accommodation manager from the Grand Chancellor in Hobart because you know, because everyone's got a story. And there's this whole thing that you know, this is a professional speakers and people getting up and talking about their stories. But what we've learnt in this podcast is that everyone has a story. Now, you know, it'll be a bit of a pr it's a sort of a promo podcast, so it's for people that wanna be speakers or members, you know, who haven't booked yet. So that's a that's a sort of a bit of a thing. But and so, you know, I'd like to talk to someone from the hotel about Hobart and I don't know if you know the Grand Chancellor Chris, it sits on the harbour there, it's beautiful outlook. It's it's absolutely wonderful. speaker-0: I think I've stayed in the cheap pub that's down the road. Yes, exactly. But speaker-1: Yeah, yeah, you probably looked up at it. You know, everyone's everyone's got a story and so and and it's always ⁓ you know, ⁓ un ⁓ not unraveling, but you know, ⁓ pulling that thread of the story about where it goes. Which actually just just reminds me I there was ⁓ I've got a friend, we have a connection through a family and their father was a very well known Brisbane architect, Ian Ferrier. And I was telling this friend that no no one is his daughters. I know a couple of the kids, but not this particular daughter. And I was telling this friend, I said, you know, that ⁓ her auntie is Leneem Ford, ⁓ ex governor of Queensland and who's a friend of mine and she's in the nineties. And and the connection is and it's a ⁓ and I and I couldn't remember the connection. But here's the thing Ian Ferrier was born in New York, was raised in China, Vietnam and L England. When the war broke out, he was sent to Canada to go to school. Okay. When he's in Canada, his Jared Francis Gerard Ford, who is the son of Frank Ford, who was the fifteenth pres ⁓ yum prime minister of Australia, got sent to Ottawa as the ⁓ ambassador or ⁓ to Canada. Whilst he's there, he took his two daughters, both of them married Canadians and one stayed in Ottawa, the other one married in Ferrier, who was over there going to school and university, and they ⁓ eventually emigrated back to Brisbane. speaker-0: So that's what, a dozen countries? speaker-1: Yeah, I unbelievable unbelievable unbeliev I I met Ian many years ago. I know his son Ian and his other son Paul who who's an architect in New York now. But i it's just like this story, this this sort of this pulling the thread of this, you know, incredible person ⁓ and then the connection and then and then obviously fr fr of Jared Ford ⁓ mov moves back to Brisbane and ⁓ and and so then he married he married Lanib, ⁓ who was ⁓ also Canadian. So she was Canadian, so so he marries her and they all you know, so they all live in Brisbane, so in the all these international people end up in Brisbane. So the point I'm trying to make is it was a long winded everyone has a story. Yeah. And what I'm thinking about this sort of idea to to investigate over the next three years about any businesses that might be interested. There there's two there's two parts to it. One is it could be if it's a very large business, it could be ⁓ an internal podcast, you know. So speaker-0: Cool. speaker-1: podcasts is to share. But I would think that there's a possibility or, you know, a strong opportunity for it to be a podcast, you know, that is public. And be because ultimately, and going back to your thing about AI, ultimately I think the real treasure going forward is having this very strong connection and relationships with people. And any company, you know, if you employ a multinational company, If you're buying a product in Apple, you don't have a relationship. But if you're engaging a company to do some work, you might be engaging that company, but ultimately it comes down to, you know, the one, two, half a dozen or a dozen relationships you have in that company of people. So ultimately people telling their story, ⁓ which might actually not be about the company, is about the company because that's where they're at, you know. So speaker-0: that that makes perfect sense to me. I I remember arriving as a new employee at a company some years ago and I went on the induction programme and I saw I sat opposite ⁓ I don't know fifteen or so people and at the end of my one hour meetings times fifteen I realised I knew nothing. about the people I've been talking to, except that they all felt they were very important. I'm the person around here who does this and you've got to talk to me when I and I thought I don't really know them as people. ⁓ as it happens in that situation, I I launched a system designed to help me learn about them as people rather than as executives. And so I think this idea that everyone has a story to tell, and also not everyone knows that they have a story to tell. I I often get asked the question, you know, Chris, you tell these great stories, but I don't have a life like yours and I I don't have the stories. And the answer of course is you do. They're around you. Just need your eyes open, you need a few storytelling tools, and the story will reveal itself. So maybe we could play a role in revealing the stories that people have that they themselves may not realise they've got. speaker-1: I think that's that's right, Chris. And I don't know if that was a plug for your business about ⁓ story something very shots, but ⁓ we'll ⁓ throw it. ⁓ but I think the I think the thing about that is that ⁓ back to our secret source and again, you know, we often go into a podcast and we'll go, look, there's this one or two things I want to ask and you'll Yeah, I wanna I wanna know about this. But in the end, what the questions that we ask and what I've learnt from this, you know, six years of doing this Which ⁓ in a way is a little bit of a follow-on from my ⁓ career as an architect, is these questions, you know, and I think every time, at least one of us I and I we should keep a scorecard actually of this in when we redo it again, when when the guest goes, That's a very good question or that's a very good question that no one's asked me before. And I think that's things I think it's very difficult. It's that whole thing about you can't see the label when you're inside the jar. If you're in a business and you know, you're the you know manager and you're trying to trying to drag a story out of somebody, it's very difficult if you sort of know that person 'cause you have these prejudgments and these biases where we don't. You know, we come in you know and we ask which often are the obvious questions, but you know, ⁓ no one's ever asked me that before. Well that's a hard question or that's a really interesting question. I hadn't thought about that before. And I think that's the thing. I think that when we get to that moment ⁓ that really opens up s something in in our guest. 'Cause they said I've never really thought about that before, but they have an opinion or something about it, and it often brings a real a real gem. speaker-0: Maybe there's a pro ⁓ 'cause what what strikes me is the the old power dynamics of companies where people with more experience, people higher up the tree, are more powerful and more important than people lower down the tree. And that that's changed completely, I think. There's a lot of a new generation coming through into into companies which know a lot more about AI, they know a lot more about technology and therefore they have a lot more power than the junior employees ever used to have. And Their voices need to be heard. I I think that's our our if you like our magic, which we can we're not aware of they're the managing director or the the person who's just started that day. We're not aware if they have a big ego or a small ego. We can just ask those simple questions. Maybe there is there's there's a little technique I've I've used in a couple of workshops where I challenge people to bring something to the workshop that they've created. ⁓ you might remember Karn Steenkamp's interview with us was prompted by the artwork that she showed at one of those workshops and no one, I think, none of her colleagues knew that she was such a talented artist. And suddenly she revealed these artworks and I've I thought, wow, we've learned something so powerful about this person. So maybe that would be a pre question we could ask our guests. Bring ⁓ or be ready to describe something that you've created, whether it's a song, a cake, An artwork, anything. And that becomes a vehicle, a window if you like, to talk to them about their story and their creativity. speaker-1: Say that I say I say let them, not not let them in terms of ⁓ say let them eat cake. but ⁓ Chris I just wanted to as as we're looking I'm looking at the time the clock you're picking away. It's like our guests actually when they go, You've gotta be joking, it's the half an hour already and y you you robbed me, you're robbing me. But I just wanted to go back episode one ninety nine, Alex Pang, well Alex Sujoon, Kim Pang, who wrote the book of called Rest and we have and about creative rest. speaker-0: Yes. speaker-1: And I think that we we're supposed to be talking about pausing and and resting, Chris. We just had a bit of a ⁓ a wobble on really. about ⁓ about it. But yeah, I look I think I think to refresh, ⁓ you know, sometimes you need, you know, little naps and sometimes you need a bit more of a rip van winkle ⁓ approach to rest or pausing. So ⁓ and I think the r reality is that i it it's too important to me To not come back. And I think it in and ⁓ and hopefully there is some value, hopefully some people listen to going, ⁓ no, ⁓ you know, three months without without Chris and Paul well maybe there's one or two people out there that Yeah. Like, well who knows? That's well w that Chris, as creatives, that's a risk and going back to that recent episode, we have to take that if we do a three month pause on the Common Creative podcast, that the world keeps spinning. I know that's a risk and apologies, you know, actually this is a bit of that movie. What's that Stephen King book where, you know, the guy ⁓ they made a movie recently and and the world What no, the world's stopping. The world's gonna stop and it it's and you know, and as he's going to the and it's something to do with him is is the world is coming to an end. ⁓ it's just sort of it's fading away. And ⁓ speaker-0: I'll t tell you I think the great irony of this particular episode, we're supposed to be reflecting on the idea of heading pause. And what we've actually done is brainstorm a completely new idea for how we take the podcast where we can't not create new things. speaker-1: Well well that well that's it up but that that is that is the problem, isn't it? You know, like it's ⁓ creativity is a bit like ⁓ whack a mole, you know, you that one goes away and someone else pops up. But I think it was another thing, 'cause you and I, you know, are both, you know, moving into different phases of our life. I'm focusing less on speaking more on more on ⁓ workshops and obviously want to do this and and my primary focus now is is is the painting. But I think that you and I have have Developed a thing, a process that, you know, i is could be very beneficial to other people as well. Some and and and as I said, you know, it was really accidental. And and you know, I've I've experimented as I said before, ⁓ doing the solo as you have, but it's a lot more fun when we do them together. I I suppose that's ⁓ I speaker-0: I agree completely and that there's a s there's a lesson there for creatives around the world is it it's working together, collaborating makes it a lot easier. I think it makes it a lot easier for the guests too, because it's quite intense one on one for half an hour. Three people and we can bounce off each other. I think you and I ask questions in different ways and that's very helpful as well. So yeah, I think we do have some magic. speaker-1: Look, I I think one of the challenges for the guests and probably for us is that it's it's often you know, it's it's not linear because when you're doing it solo, you know, you have a plan and you know and and and when I do them solo I've got to do more prep because, you know, in case that's you know, that pregnant pause, that awkward pause. This not the this how pause an extra month's not an awkward pause, it's a you it's a liberate pause. speaker-0: Yeah, we need some questions. No, it's a speaker-1: It tends to be a little bit more erratic and we go in different places and I know we're saying, Look, that's you just said something here and I want to take you there and then I might go, Look, I just want to bring you back to that and then that's here and so And then you know and w and and then God the time's up. But ma maybe when we come back, Chris, we could, you know, take a ⁓ leaf out of, you know, some of those more famous colleagues. We call them colleagues of podcasters like ⁓ you know s speaker-0: Miss arrivals. I mean we're trying to steal their speaker-1: ⁓ What's his name? The guy that does the ⁓ you know, the neuroscience guy, ⁓ some of those big guys and and do three hour episodes, you know, like so Mark Schnell, you know, let's just do let's just do speaker-0: The war and peace of creativity. Yeah, some real speaker-1: H Huberman, you Huberman does like three hours and ⁓ I didn't say Seth Ro Seth Roden, right? No, no, he's a Seth Godin? You know, the you know, the diary of a CO, he does a couple of hours. Yes. You know, like speaker-0: And the rest is history team, they they give their episodes always over an hour. So speaker-1: But yeah, so I think ⁓ yeah, some some a different approach, ⁓ fresh approach. And again, maybe what it is we say, well, you know, we'll do a season not to say that we'll then pause, but ⁓ we're gonna do this. ⁓ I'm just looking at my podcast list. One of the ones I love is Strangers on a bench, which some guy walks around with a tape recorder and just sits down in next to a stranger and goes, you know, can I So it goes for about an hour ⁓ generally, an hour around an hour. ⁓ and ⁓ it's just ⁓ yeah, Tim Tom Rosenthal speaker-0: I've never heard of that one. speaker-1: approaches a stranger on a park bench and asks if he can sit down next to them and record their conversation. So, ⁓ you know, I don't know, may maybe we can do rhyming, Chris, we can do rhyming. Yes. ⁓ you know, we'll go out and and I've got speaker-0: If everyone if everyone is a creative, then sitting next to somebody on a bench would reveal exactly that truth. So yeah, that would be a great idea. speaker-1: Well anyway, Chris, well, ⁓ look, you know what I'll I'll I'll talk to you ⁓ anon ⁓ with certain speaking. speaker-0: So before we we always challenge our guests to cut on one sort of main message and Paul, I'm gonna give you that same challenge. Over the next three months, what what what reflection have you got for yourself? Yeah, who what's your message to yourself over the next three months? speaker-1: I gotta it was the last time I asked this question, you rephrased it. I'm gonna rephrase it, I will answer that question. But I I think that ⁓ what ⁓ what I would say what I would like our audience to do over the next three months and I probably have to do over the next ten minutes, otherwise I forget we'll never hear from them. But ⁓ you know, please drop ⁓ me or Chris a line, I'm Paul Fairwather at me dot com or hello paulfarweather dot com. They both work. About, you know, whether you're disappointed we're taking a pause or with Yeah. But yeah, look if you have any ideas about ⁓ future guests or future formats or things they might want to do. Like I'd love to hear from that. So that's what I'd love to hear. So I I I think that what I want to reflect I reflect on in the next three months is really about how we can make this even more special. Yeah. Or if we need to. You know, or do we just come back and we do the same thing again, which I'd be fine with because as we've talked about the benefits and it's fun and all that stuff. But I'd like to think about To take a creative lens, our own creative lens to it and to go, How can we make this really special? And and I don't mean, you know, meaning millions of views or you know, listeners or whatever, but just to go that, you know, when people do stumble on it go, ⁓ my God, that was amazing. ⁓ and we have some episodes like that where people go, ⁓ my god, that was incredible. It'd been really nice to go maybe we could change the name to the Incredible Creatives. We're just the Incredibles. So ⁓ speaker-0: Incredible, good looking creatures. Yes. speaker-1: So ⁓ I I had a ⁓ I did actually ha Chris, ⁓ one of the things I w we're thinking about also about how I can so I didn't do I did a self portrait today. speaker-0: Fantastic for and that is a first. ⁓ I guess you were sketching something right. speaker-1: you ⁓ things that I was thinking about was and and maybe this you know of well one of the things I want to think about in the three months is how I can incorporate this thing that I do where I do drawings of of our guests and you know if we do something with that more more d distinctly. But one of the things is that I was and it came about when we're speaking to ⁓ Stacey Hall the first time we spoke to her and I said to her, You're I always say something people are very drawable. And I said, you're drawable. A very, very attractive lady. Yes. But I I said you're a drawable. And I and there's something about that which I want to explore. so and and probably the last thing I was do is, you know, go back and and look at some of the episodes, listen to some episodes, to promote some of the things about, you know, what was incredible, you know, what came out of it. So yeah, so what what I do with this, if anything, and ⁓ around being ⁓ a d not I'm a drawable, but having a drawable guess speaker-0: I love it's one of your pieces of genius, Paul, ability wordplay and wonderful puns. So the idea of people being a drawable, I think it's a wonderful place to bring this to a close. speaker-1: Well you have to tell me what you're gonna think about before we call to a close. speaker-0: It's for me it's it's ⁓ mind wandering. ⁓ that there's a huge opportunity to to not do stuff, to not know, to to explore new things. ⁓ in in theory I'm gonna pick up some paints and some pens and do some drawing rather than photography. But for example I'm doing a lot more sport these days and maybe I could build that into my my craft or maybe maybe stuff with my hands. I love a piece of woodwork, so maybe but The principle is don't jump into new projects too quickly, be ready to wander, be ready to not know. That is my plan. speaker-1: Okay, Chris. Well look, just to to reiterate, if you are if you've got any thoughts about this conversation we've had, please drop Chris and or I an email. Again, hello at PaulFairweather dot com. Chris, you're at ⁓ I'm at speaker-0: Chris at Chris Meredith dot com dot AU and yes, I agree with what we'd love to hear from you. Ideas for guests or ideas for formats, please let us know. My if you know speaker-1: Company and you got you want a couple of clowns to ⁓ you know to get your people's story out, drop us a line and we know we're we're ⁓ well we'll have some time to think about it. and of course, although we're going on to pause, please hit follow so that you know when we're back. Yes, know that when we're back we'll wear back important that and tell your friends because they also might want to line up for a new new improved t-shirted common creative with ⁓ speaker-0: Available for Drawable people. speaker-1: You are with adorable people questioning you for that adorable people. speaker-0: So we'll see you, we'll hear we hear from you in November twenty twenty-six. Python.