The Experience of Being Different
A month ago I posted about how I had lost my way in my career, in my relationships, and finally lost my physical self in a rainforest in Australia. I wrote about a series of brutal lessons learned from year of wandering round the world and thinking about my stupidity.
I explained how the arrogance that stalks ambition and success had led to some poor life choices, and a lack of integrity. How I had lost passion for the business I built, lost faith in the person I loved and and I eventually stopped loving myself.
I explained why, in a crazy way, that clusterf@*K had been good for me. That it helped me understand that with the world, desperately unequal and poisoned as it is, our politicians and political systems as corrupt as they are, we need to redefine our businesses and ourselves as a moral and political tool.
I explained that in a year of deep introspection and talking things over with strangers I had understood that I'd been shallow and profoundly wrong.
It led me to stop what I was doing, (exacerbating the problem), and instead take over at a company that had a dual moral and fiduciary responsibility.
I posted the same thing on facebook and linkedin. Because that was my point.
That we are, all, all of us good people, deep down but that the impersonal world of modern profit driven business and shallow media turn us in to greedy liars.
Why does it take a 16 year old girl with more courage than the rest of us put together to call us out on our hypocrisy?
Because we are lost.
As soon as there is daylight between what we know to be right, the businesses we run and the personal and professional relationships we are in, the things we say and the things we do, then it all goes to sh!t.
Not everyone can simply start again like I have done. I get that. But we can all join communities that fight for change.
Back in my own tiny world. Last month's post went viral more likes than I ever got, loads of shares. Kind things said. I took a lot from that. Thank you.
In the few weeks after.
*People I had never met before, random internet people, reached out to me with their own stories and to offer support.
*People I barely knew some so sad, suicidal, confided in me that they felt the same, that they felt trapped in a broken system that stole their identities and left them doing bullshit jobs making money for rich old white men they would never meet
*A couple of big partners let us down with emails that went back on what they had previously agreed in each blaming ‘the system’ for going back on their word.
I felt like giving up
Then
*People shared the post more, then more random internet people at leading companies and charities contacted me and asked if they could get involved in some way
*People straight up wrote to me and asked to come and work with us
I didn't give up.
I doubled down. I renamed us esd because
- It sounds like a hybrid psychedelic
- You say yes in the middle and
- You smile when you say it.
I redesigned the logo of the company to be a better reflection of who we are.
It has the red team and the blue team working together because the politics in almost every Western Democracy is often a pointless fight between the reds and the blues while the real problems are ignored.
The infinity reference reflects the reciprocal ongoing element of what we are trying to do.
The hearts show that it is without merit if we don’t do what we do with love.
I know. What a hippy.
Then, last week to my surprise, Experience Something Different was made finalist of the Great British Entrepreneur Challenge https://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Meet-finalists-Great-British-…
Then, due to the contacts made from my last post and the incredible work by Deb Qualie we secured 10 brilliant new experiences around the UK that will deliver a wonderful time while helping charities.
I am totally over excited about the new cohort of experiences. They are all family friendly and inclusive (except the naked painting and the beer ones- they are Adult obvs)
We have a go-kart grand prix, behind the scenes at a football club, a vets day experience and naked painting and loads more. I love how weird and wonderful these new experiences are.
If you have a team away day or a birthday party coming up > chat to me and I will design the fu*k out of it. For free.
And I am really grateful for the people who have shown this experiment some love. In the meantime the first two of our latest cohort of experiences are happening next week in the London area.
So let’s begin with a Toast. Next Friday, May 3rd if you are in London, and you like beer come to Raise a Toast to a Better Planet with Toast Ale As Toast say
“The only way to change the world is to throw a better party than the ones destroying it.”
You can buy advance tickets here.
https://www.facebook.com/events/655791831538287/
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/raise-a-toast-to-a-better-planet-tickets-60743083197
Or if you want to come and be creative on Sunday 5th in a little London gallery with big heart come join us here. Families totally welcome.
We have a kind experienced teacher from Artbox London who is showing us some deep Shibori Japanese art techniques.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1083240818534962/
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/become-a-london-artist-for-the-day-tickets-60919410597
Thank you again for the people who backed this. Have a good week - I'll see you on the weekend for drinks and creativity in the name of good causes.
P.S. If you are skint but you would like to be involved anyway let me know and I’ll buy you a ticket. :)