“Liquid Modernity” is Bauman’s term for the present condition of the world as contrasted with the “solid” modernity that preceded it. According to Bauman, the passage from “solid” to “liquid” modernity has created a new and unprecedented setting for individual life pursuits, confronting individuals with a series of challenges never before encountered. Social forms and institutions no longer have enough time to solidify and cannot serve as frames of reference for human actions and long-term life plans, so individuals have to find other ways to organize their lives.
Individuals have to splice together an unending series of short-term projects and episodes that don’t add up to the kind of sequence to which concepts like “career” and “progress” could be meaningfully applied.

Such fragmented lives require individuals to be flexible and adaptable — to be constantly ready and willing to change tactics at short notice, to abandon commitments and loyalties without regret and to pursue opportunities according to their current availability. In liquid modernity the individual must act, plan actions and calculate the likely gains and losses of acting (or failing to act) under conditions of endemic uncertainty.”

The ‘Grand Finale’ of the Kilkenny (Create a Taste) food innovation programme was held last Saturday in Castlecomer. 50 people were invited to enjoy a sampling menu of new foods provided by 12 artisan producers, as they listened to their individual background stories. It was a wonderful day, and a true celebration of talent, passion and energy.

I have so enjoyed working with Tina Mosse, Margaret Kirwan, Trevor Cunningham, Olivia Goodwillie, Helen Finnegan, Nigel Harper, Roseann O’Brien & Eadaoin Walsh, Mary McEvoy, Don Browne, Jackie Hoyne and Anne Neary! Guest speakers and judges John McKenna (Bridgestone Guide) and John Hickey (Supervalu) spoke glowingly about the participants, and rightly so. They’re an inspiration to everyone. Forget all the talk of recession, the moaning and gnashing of teeth about why the country is in such a state. This was a celebration of what can be done, not what is impossible. It was one small example of how a group of people can work both as individuals and as a team to create something fantastic.

I am constantly amazed at the energy, passion and enthusiasm that these food producers have in abundance. They are all exceptionally busy people who absolutely love what they do. Many of them made lifestyle choices to opt out of one rat race or another to be able to work from home or spend more time with their kids, and they really are an inspiration. With enough people like these in Ireland and the work ethic they demonstrate there should be no recession!

Recently I was in Las Vegas, the city of excess, and it occurred to my husband and myself how massive the carbon footprint must be for all the food that’s consumed there - it’s in the desert after all, and everything has to be shipped in. Compare that to the wealth and quality of locally produced food around the Kilkenny region and in other parts of Ireland - we really are incredibly lucky. Take Goatsbridge Trout Farm for example - run by Margaret and Ger Kirwan. They hosted an open day in August, and not only did we see the different stages of the fish rearing process, but we dined on delicious trout cooked in a variety of ways. To have food like this produced in Ireland is wonderful - with little or no carbon footprint!

The reason I go to events like this is, apart from presenting, to enjoy the work of other practitioners from all parts of the world. I came back to Ireland feeling re-energized and full of ideas from three days of being with creative, positive and enthusiastic people. The atmosphere at the conference is very well established by Kanes, who is an exceptionally warm and hospitable host.

These conferences are open to all, regardless of discipline or background. Creativity is a universal theme, and everyone takes something away which is highly practical and relevant to their life or business. I will be posting information soon about and Irish Creativity Conference taking place here next Spring, but in the meantime you might like to check out two which are coming up this Autumn:

The 15th Annual Creativity Conference in Africa which will be taking place in Limpopo from October 6th - 9th, and the EACI Conference, which will be held in Brussels from October 28th - 30th.

So no matter what your current challenges are, you will find inspiration, synergy, and even practical solutions to your challenges by attending creativity conferences like these!

It’s given me a lot of pause for thought in the past few weeks. Why do some people take risks while others stick with a safer route? For example, why do some people start businesses in a recession whilst others cringe at the prospect? Why do some people come up with great ideas but never implement them?

When I mention my skydive to people, most of them question my sanity. Recently I’ve begun questioning them as to why they shudder at the prospect of throwing themselves out of a plane, and invariably they say that they’d be afraid of the parachute not opening. When I question them further on what they are visualizing, they describe images of themselves hitting the ground with a SPLAT! and ending up dead or maimed.

Here’s the secret. Positive visualization. When Conor initially suggested the idea to me I too shuddered, and visualized not only my own SPLAT! but his also! I tried to talk him into go-karting or horse riding instead, but that didn’t work. So what I did was to consciously imagine a beautiful day, both of us laughing and enjoying the adventure immensely, both of us landing safely, and not being in the least afraid. I imagined the best possible outcome, and as the day approached I found myself becoming more excited. I was hugely disappointed when we had to cancel due to bad weather, but when we finally arrived at the airfield at a later date we were in great spirits and full of beans. We loved every moment of it, and didn’t feel scared at all, just very excited and full of adrenalin. The real experience totally lived up to my visualization.

To me, visualization is one of the most powerful tools available to us, this ability we have to imagine a positive outcome, get us past the barriers to implementation, and get our ideas and dreams up and running. This is a good reminder to each of us, as we get stuck or find ourselves unable to move forward with an idea, to ask ourselves “what exactly am I visualizing?” We can then deliberately shift our perspective to create the best possible outcome. I think collectively we need to engage in a lot more positive visualization to get ourselves past the stumbling blocks, pull ourselves out of apathy and recession and into action.

Leitrim is a county to which I have a great allegiance, as I regard it as a second home. With my husband and dog, I spend a lot of the summer cruising the Shannon waters from our base in Dromod, and in fine weather it’s simply God’s country!

Recent years have seen a glut of construction in the county, which in my opinion was ill-planned and in some cases resulted in the visual destruction of wonderful countryside. However, no sense in crying over spilt milk - instead, it’s time to focus on the delivery of future business excellence. There is huge potential in Leitrim, particularly from a tourism aspect, with an amazing waterway system, warm hospitality and great scenery. I’d love to see the development of Leitrim’s assets take place in a creative, well thought out and sustainable manner. No more greedy developers trying to make a quick buck, but considerate initiatives by people with vision and loyalty to this wonderful county.

It was a day of freedom to be part of a ‘band’, designing our poster and rehearsing 3 songs for our performance in front of the rest of the group in the late afternoon. Alec had provided us with props, instruments mikes and karaoke equipment, and we had a ball!

The recipe was simple, but what made the difference was Alec’s warm enthusiasm and appreciation of everyone’s efforts, and the feedback at the end of the day reflected the confidence that each person had gained. If you are part of a group who long to let their inner children out to play, contact Alec at 00353-87-6460399 or email

alectaylor@multi-talent.eu.com

During 2008 I worked with Kilkenny County Enterprise Board in designing and facilitating a BIN (Business Innovation Network). This was comprised of 12 business owners who came together to experience new creativity and problem solving tools and develop a strong network through which they now continue to support each other and develop new ideas. A great group of people whom I thoroughly enjoyed working with.

Happily, I’m looking forward to starting work on a new BIN in Kilkenny - this time they are all food producers, and together with a number of other consultants we will be working towards helping them to develop new products. All good stuff - positive and challenging. The ethos behind these networks is about getting people collaborating, working with and for each other and finding the opportunities that this recession will provide.

My hope is that people everywhere will see the downturn in the global economy as a chance to sharpen their thinking skills and their creativity. Whether it’s coming up with new ways to save money, make resources stretch further, find new careers / products / services, or better ways to run a country. As long as you’re not on the breadline and have a roof over your head, as long as you and the people who are important to you have good health, then these can be seen as exciting times. Challenging, but exciting. Networks make it easier because more heads are better than one.

“None of us is as smart as all of us.”

Ken Blanchard

And then I came across this Tibetan monk creating a Mandala and was completely blown away all over again.

I think most of us can understand how amazing it must feel to leave a legacy in the form of a piece of art for future generations, but here was someone creating a beautifully intrinsic design, which would be poured away at the end of the day. Knowing this didn’t deter him from giving his complete dedication and skill to the job however, and I was spellbound by his faith, his simple belief in the value of what he was doing. And I thought, what if we could each take just a fraction of that attitude and apply it to our daily work and play?