Introducing: Work In Progress
"You're going to be bad at it before you're going to be any good at it."
I’ve been staring at a blank blog page for days. The irony of wanting to nail the first sentence and publish something profound when the very purpose of this blog is to celebrate the messy, imperfect and unfinished work isn’t lost on me.
I’m certain this won’t be the last time you’ll find me contradicting myself.
It’s not that I plan to. It’s just that I know that to test the boundaries and explore my own growth edges, I know I’ve got to be brave enough to be wrong, to sit with the discomfort of being sorely mistaken, and to dig around and discover the gore and glory of (what my son’s primary school teacher so aptly described as) the “learning pit”. In other words, this blog is both an experiment and an exploration of what it means to Do The Work. To be brave enough to suck at something new.
I love a good bit of wordplay, so here’s what I’m hoping to cover here:
The Inner Work
The reflection, healing, and self-awareness we do to understand who we are and how we want to show up in the world. I know so many of us (myself included) wrestle with perfectionism and burnout, while longing for belonging and a greater sense of wellbeing. In that sense, we are all works in progress.
We entered the world as minimum viable products and our identities, relationships, and paths are never finished – we are constantly iterating.
The Future of Work
The world of work is evolving and while some things are unchartered and unpredictable, other things are clearer than they’ve ever been. We’ve seen the pitfalls of the profit-first approach in businesses, as well as the virtuous cycle created for people-first companies who drive productivity and performance. But even if high-performance or profit isn’t on your agenda, this matters. If we want our work to be meaningful, if we want to leave a legacy or making a bigger impact, then it’s on all of us to reimagine how we lead, live and contribute.
Progress requires effort and intention. Individually and collectively, we all have a role in building better systems.
The Creative, Playful Path to Progress (not Perfection)
As a self-taught watercolour calligrapher and sketchnote artist, I know how frustrating a misplaced brush stroke or poorly placed diagram can be. But every time we give ourselves permission to pick up our tools and just start creating – whether it’s on paper, on screen, on canvas, on a table stacked with Lego pieces, in a garden bed, or a kitchen bench – we practice, hone and refine our craft. As a child, I hated practicing for anything. I wanted to be excellent immediately. But as an adult I’m learning to embrace that perfection is overrated and that practice can be play too.
And so..
“Work In Progress” is my “professional paint palette” – the place I bring together the many things I’m learning and tools I’m acquiring in what is a fun, multidisciplinary portfolio career spanning leadership, communication, marketing, creative art, coaching, facilitation and mental health. I’m hoping that by sharing it with some people who want to push the boundaries, lead with purpose, and live with intention, I’m able to do all those things regularly too.
If you are looking for an expert who has lots of answers, please click on – I wish you all the best in your search. ✌🏽
But if you’re looking for a person who has lots of questions, then by all means, stick around. This is the place where I’ll be raising, grappling with and testing the answers to many questions.