Alison Chisnell – The Consulting Artist

Creative Leadership – A Tipping Point

For the last couple of years or so I’ve been experimenting with art. Partly as a tool to enable others to make work better, and partly for the sheer hell of it. One of the best things about making paintings and sketches, is the opportunity to send them to other people. I’ve come to love my regular trips to the Post Office where I wave goodbye to these little works of art. My work has ended up in many places across the UK, and in several States in America. I am grateful for the opportunity to share, and for the feedback I receive.

Tipping Point

Yesterday I arrived home after a long day of work and fun. I was greeted by an original piece of artwork by Alison Chisnell. Even though I knew it was on the way, the arrival of this wonderful little sky scene stopped me in my tracks. This is the first time that I can recall a piece of art coming back in the other direction, to me instead of from me, and I am uplifted and delighted to be the recipient of such a kind gift. The picture reminds me of my very recent walk in Cornwall with Flora, and the fact that it arrived with me just as Creative Leadership is launching, is surely a good omen.

Small is the New Significant

When he was interviewed about the Principles of Creative Leadership over at Fast Company, Sir Ken Robinson said, “Creativity is not some exotic, optional extra. It’s a strategic issue.” I agree with him, and I also think it should occupy some of the smaller, day to day space in our lives too. It’s as much about looking for the next small thing, as the next big thing. As my friend David Zinger so eloquently puts it, “Small is the new significant”. Amen to that.

Home is where the HeaRt is

This blog post is part of a collection created by various Human Resources professionals. This “Carnival” of HR posts centres around the theme of HR and Home. To read the rest of the collection click here. You’ll be glad you did!

Home is where the HeaRt is

I live with my wife Carole (married for 20 years) and daughter Keira (aged nine at the time of writing) on the far flung outskirts of London, about 10 miles due South from St Paul’s Cathedral. I’m confident about that distance because in a previous life as an employee for a global telco I would regularly cycle into London to work. A great fun, exhilarating and slightly dangerous way to start the day. Fun, exhilarating and slightly dangerous. I think I would use those words to describe many great cities I’ve visited and worked in along the way.

I love London because it’s a fantastic mashup. Conflicts (as I write this a dozen or more seagulls fly past the window hounding a much larger heron bird off their patch) and contrasts fascinate me , and London is full of them. History sits alongside brand new, smart alongside scruffy, rich and poor, grey and colourful.

My work has many shades, many contrasts. From one week to the next I may be speaking in conference, facilitating, consulting, blogging, writing music, painting a picture. My work is experimental with a little professional troublemaking on the side. I’m close enough to the centre of London to feel the buzz, and far enough away to feel on the edge. As a consultant and facilitator, I think it’s vital to be close to the edge, where the real exchanges get done. My physical location, near to and yet not in the centre of London, serves as a useful reminder of the importance of edge to me.

Being so close to a big city I’m fortunate to interact with many smart people face to face. Alison Chisnell and Neil Morrison stand out for me as being two bright people always happy to offer constructive, critical friendship. And though I’ve come to know them both well in real life, it was in the online space that we first met. Like so many other great HR people I have come to know, there is a pioneering wave of bright energy and friendship to contribute to and learn from. Recently it was my privilege to Skype with Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt. I met Jason and Joe in Ohio earlier this year and I’m excited to be catching up with them again. Online, in real life, twittering, facebooking, talking. I’m a tiny part of a fantastic conversational community.

I love that I live just two minutes from a semi-rural track that takes me quickly out to the country side and trails on my mountain bike. Big city to the left, big country to the right. And I love that we are a short walk from Keira’s school and a short train ride to more history and excitement than you can shake a stick at. I love London, and I think it quite likes me.

To close this post here is a lyrical quote from the song Camera Eye, by Canadian rock legends, Rush.

Wide angle watcher

On life’s ancient tales
Steeped in the history of London

Green and grey washes
In a wispy white veil
Mist in the streets of Westminster
Wistful and weathered
The pride still prevails
Alive in the streets of the city

The song (which also references New York City) has played its way through my heart and head for almost thirty years. These words paint a vivid picture for me and I was delighted when Rush played this song on their last tour. I think it’s an epic piece and I encourage you to grab a cuppa, and enjoy this awesome, engaging performance.

Girl on a Beach – 2012 Holiday Postcard #1

For the second year I’ve made an open offer for people to receive a hand painted postcard from my summer holiday. This is the first of my 2012 series of postcards, conceived after visiting the Picasso Museum in Malaga. The girl could be my daughter Keira who thinks the best part of a summer holiday is being near a beach or a pool. Her hair and the sandy stripes on the beach were particularly time consuming to paint and I used barely any water in the paint to achieve the solid colour. On reflection I may have found it easier to paint these parts in acrylic – the experience has certainly got me thinking about how to mix different materials.

The postcard was sent to Alison Chisnell. I hope you enjoy the finished product, I will share the rest of the series in the coming days.