I’m all too familiar with Imposter Syndrome. The feeling that I am doing something that I really am not qualified to do and that it is only a matter of time until somebody finds me […]
Author: Steve Chapman
Dancing with my inner critic – TEDx RTW
In February 2016 I wrote a blog about an MI5 style investigation I had began into my inner critic. I was surprised to receive many e-mails from people who had read this blog to say that […]
Certainty sells, but what’s the exchange rate?
I recently co-facilitated a session at Sadler Heath with Rowan Gray that focussed on our shared interest in not knowing. The morning consisted of a number of experiments, chosen at random, that invited participants to […]
Medusa in Reverse – Rehabilitating spontaneity
Head of vile serpents, Avoid her furious gaze, Lest ye turn to stone. Greek legend tells the story of Medusa the Gorgon, a monstrous creature with hair of snakes and eyes that had the power to turn […]
Why am I so surprised? The practice of Bearing Witness
I was shocked and surprised when I read the headlines on my phone on the morning of 24th June 2016. The people of Britain had voted to leave the European Union. Not only was it […]
Does your work require earplugs? Protect your creative stereocilia!
Deep in our inner ear are a collection of hair cells called stereocilia. Like long blades of grass swaying in the wind, they bend back and forth as sound waves pass through them. These movements pass electrical impulses of varying […]
So you want more creativity in the workplace? Are you serious?
As human beings interact with each other they participate in a process of civilising. An ongoing social process of negotiating the norms and cult values* that constitute what is acceptable in our societies. Over time […]
Fail…happy. That afternoon with Keith
September 1st 2014 – the deadline I had set myself had finally arrived. Three years earlier I had attended my first week of training with Theatre Director and Impro legend Keith Johnstone and told him that […]
How old do you have to be to do a bad drawing? The lost adventures of Yappy Dog
This is Yappy Dog. A friendly canine who used to go on all sorts of adventures circa 1981-1983. I’d forgotten all about him until recently when I started to become interested in my own artistic inhibitions […]
Traces, trails and the impermanence of organisings
Although I have experienced 10 leap years during my time on this planet, the 29th February 2016 was the first time I’ve intentionally marked the occasion by doing something to make the most of the ‘extra’ day. […]
“D- This blog is not up to standard. Must try harder” – Investigating our Inner Critic
“I don’t know why you’re bothering to write this blog Steven. You might get one or two positive comments from loyal friends but overall people aren’t really interested in what you have to say. Nobody […]
120 seconds – Stillness in a corporate space
A gentle voice over the public address system interrupted the hubbub announcing that it was 11 o’clock and, all of a sudden, the world around me became almost unrecognisable. This huge, corporate head office, that moments […]
Fertile vs. Fruitful – Does cash stifle creative experimentation?
“How’s business?” I was surprised that this simple inquiry had stumped me. Thinking that I’d not understood the question, the friendly pixelated face on Skype said “Are you busy?“ I paused. “I don’t know” I eventually […]
Trout starvation and silent contracts: On networks versus communities
I’ve never been that fond of conferences. I remember right back at the beginning of my corporate career the familiar cycle of excitement and anticipation in advance of getting a day out of the office, […]
Meeting Mormo. Refreshing the parts other masks cannot reach.
I noticed I was feeling rather anxious as the weekend of 16th May approached. I’ve learnt over the years that, even if my head tells me that I’m calm, my body tells the truth. I […]