Neil McCauley
22-04-2016, 19:29
I talk to a well-known freelance audio-designer who currently wishes to remain anonymous in exchange for expressing candid views. We’ll call him John; as good a pseudonym as any.
Neil McCauley / editor in chief
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Neil: I'm interested not specifically in your designs – interesting though they are but in the design process; like what goes on in your head? That sort of thing. You okay with being interrogated on that?
John: Yes …. but I'm not sure I can articulate this. It’s a refreshing change from the usual Q&As. Let’s see how this pans out. Shoot!
N: What’s a typical challenge; no – a tough challenge if any re getting your mind clear to kick-start the innovation process starting? I'm assuming you need to mentally prepare yourself?
J: I rarely hit the ground running.
N: Oh! Why?
J: I find it hard to mentally take a leap It’s as if there are two of me inside my head: the cautious me and the crazy adventurous “go for it” me and there’s this internal argument process I go through to see which of me wins.
N: Hmm. Interesting. How do you sort this?
J: I've a friend and mentor. You know him. He refers to the doubting side as my “lizard brain” giving me all the reasons I shouldn’t, couldn’t, can’t and won’t.
N: I've something like this too, it’s my procrastination and prevarication obstacle. I was going to say demon, but that’s putting it a bit strongly – but it’s there, always. Bloody nuisance. Presumably given your success you have a workaround?
J: To do battle with this lizard brain, I employ two great personal arguments: putting a decision off doesn’t make sense because as soon as you decide to delay the decision you’ve already made a decision – and it may not be the right one. The second and more persuasive argument is the life is short argument – and at my age it’s working pretty well.
N: How about an example please?
J: I have lusted after an Audi RS2 but figured I’d probably never own one – so expensive, hard to find they are and spares ….. well, some spares are an issue.
N: You got one, right?.
J: Nope. But at least I made the decision that’s what I wanted.
N: I note the past tense
J: Sort of. I still haven’t found the right one.
N: Procrastination and prevarication then?
J: Ok, I don’t want this to sound like an AA meeting, but I have decided life’s short and I am going for my vintage RS2. I have set a personal goal to make this happen by exchanging as much of the cool audio equipment I’ve collected over the years as I can and then hunt down the right one. Everything goes – nothing is sacred other than the goal.
N: Everything?
J: No, not really everything. But a load of gear I no longer use; don’t have a use for.
N: But there are pieces you’d never dispose of, surely?
Continues @ http://www.hifianswers.com/2016/04/a-freelance-audio-designer-talks-candidly-about-a-rarely-admitted-mental-design-challenge-and-his-thirteen-point-workaround/
Neil McCauley / editor in chief
---//--
Neil: I'm interested not specifically in your designs – interesting though they are but in the design process; like what goes on in your head? That sort of thing. You okay with being interrogated on that?
John: Yes …. but I'm not sure I can articulate this. It’s a refreshing change from the usual Q&As. Let’s see how this pans out. Shoot!
N: What’s a typical challenge; no – a tough challenge if any re getting your mind clear to kick-start the innovation process starting? I'm assuming you need to mentally prepare yourself?
J: I rarely hit the ground running.
N: Oh! Why?
J: I find it hard to mentally take a leap It’s as if there are two of me inside my head: the cautious me and the crazy adventurous “go for it” me and there’s this internal argument process I go through to see which of me wins.
N: Hmm. Interesting. How do you sort this?
J: I've a friend and mentor. You know him. He refers to the doubting side as my “lizard brain” giving me all the reasons I shouldn’t, couldn’t, can’t and won’t.
N: I've something like this too, it’s my procrastination and prevarication obstacle. I was going to say demon, but that’s putting it a bit strongly – but it’s there, always. Bloody nuisance. Presumably given your success you have a workaround?
J: To do battle with this lizard brain, I employ two great personal arguments: putting a decision off doesn’t make sense because as soon as you decide to delay the decision you’ve already made a decision – and it may not be the right one. The second and more persuasive argument is the life is short argument – and at my age it’s working pretty well.
N: How about an example please?
J: I have lusted after an Audi RS2 but figured I’d probably never own one – so expensive, hard to find they are and spares ….. well, some spares are an issue.
N: You got one, right?.
J: Nope. But at least I made the decision that’s what I wanted.
N: I note the past tense
J: Sort of. I still haven’t found the right one.
N: Procrastination and prevarication then?
J: Ok, I don’t want this to sound like an AA meeting, but I have decided life’s short and I am going for my vintage RS2. I have set a personal goal to make this happen by exchanging as much of the cool audio equipment I’ve collected over the years as I can and then hunt down the right one. Everything goes – nothing is sacred other than the goal.
N: Everything?
J: No, not really everything. But a load of gear I no longer use; don’t have a use for.
N: But there are pieces you’d never dispose of, surely?
Continues @ http://www.hifianswers.com/2016/04/a-freelance-audio-designer-talks-candidly-about-a-rarely-admitted-mental-design-challenge-and-his-thirteen-point-workaround/