#honestly I’ve been really enjoying my new job because I get to specialise in what I want and my boss is a literal angel

[not-xpr-art]

Art Advice #6 - Ways to combat social media fatigue as a creative person

Hi guys!

This week’s topic is something I think any artist who’s predominantly active on social media will relate to; that feeling of utter helplessness at trying to live up to social media algorithms, which can really impact your mental and physical health...  

I want to just offer some advice on how to feel less burnt out from art social media (advice I need to take myself sometimes)...

Ways to combat social media fatigue as a creative person (& how you can make social media overall a better place to be).

As I’ve already said, social media can take a big toll on your mental and physical health, particularly if you’re relying on it for your career (as a lot of artists and other creatives do). 

This blog post aims to offer some small pieces of advice to help make your life a little easier when navigating the world of art social media!

1) Algorithms are built to destroy creativity.

I think we’ve all had that phase where we try and keep up with the fast paced algorithms of social media that demand we produce new content day after day, as well as constantly interacting with other people’s posts and spending a minimum amount of time on the app. And all of this leads to feeling fed up and tired when you’re using that particular social media. 

For me, Instagram used to be such a wonderful place for sharing art. I met many amazing fellow artists, and the community that was formed their was genuinely lovely. Unfortunately, everything changed when the fire nation (Facebook) bought out the company & the whole site became so less friendly to smaller creatives. 

I’ve heard a similar story from a lot of artists, who find Instagram’s focus on excessive posting and engagement, which mainly rewards big influencers or celebrities and not smaller accounts of creative people, incredibly disheartening. The algorithms don’t allow artists to naturally explore their creativity, and it leads to more and more artists getting just completely creatively burnt out.

Of course, this all sounds really pessimistic, but it doesn’t have to be. For me, places like Tumblr and the newly created Artfolapp, which (although not perfect) offer a great alternative to the algorithm heavy apps like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. As with all socials, there’s a huge element of luck that comes with posting art (timezones, audience, etc can all play major parts in how well your art does), but I always find places where posting doesn’t feel like a chore are a lot more enjoyable.

Alternatively, as simple as it sounds I think a great way to start approaching all social media is to not focus on numbers. Instagram actually recently gave the option of being able to hide likes on others and your own posts, which I actually think is a great idea! Once you become less focused on numbers I think you can breathe a little easier!

2) Numbers =/= Your worth as a creative person.

Following on from my last point, it can often feel like if you’re posts aren’t getting as much attention as you used to then there’s something wrong with the work your doing. 

Of course, this isn’t true at all, and most of us know this. Unfortunately if your posts are a part of your work, and the engagement they have is directly linked to how successful in your job you are (and how much money you make that week), then numbers are a lot harder to ignore. 

My biggest piece of advice for this is to visualise the numbers as what they are; people actually interacting with your work! So even if it’s only 1 person, that’s still 1 entire person who enjoyed what you posted! 

3) Luck be a b*tch, honestly ...

As previously mentioned, there is a lot of luck that comes with being successful on social media. Luck of posting in the right place at the right time, having one person with a bigger platform share your art, etc. 

So there isn’t a lot of advice I can give in this section. One thing I’d recommend is involving yourself in a particular community or fandom. Even if you don’t do fancontent, finding a community where you can meet like-minded people and support each other’s work is a really useful thing!! 

For fancontent (like fan art, edits, cosplay, covers, etc) you can just check out the tags of those fandoms! Even if it’s a small fandom, there is usually some content that already exists for it. Often by following a range of people in the various fandoms you enjoy can also lead to fun opportunities, like fan-zines or collaborations! 

For non-fancontent it can feel like it’s a lot harder to find people to relate to. One thing I’d recommend is to find independent magazines online which specialise in sharing creative works! This can offer great chances to get your work featured, as well as meeting some fellow creatives!

Basically, curating your social media experience to feature people that inspire you & support you not only makes for a more enjoyable time being on social media, but it also means there’s more potential your work will be seen!

4) Passion Pays.

Audiences often know when you’re producing something because you feel like you have to (perhaps it’s fancontent for something you gained a lot of followers from, or a particular style that you’ve done for a long time) rather than from genuine passion, and that can be to your detriment.

My advice is to do what you’re actually passionate about, even if that means that some people may not be as interested. For example, I gained a significant portion of my followers on other social medias from posting Kpop fanart. And although I still do this occasionally, I only ever really do it when it’s something I really want to draw. Even though I know I could churn out a lot of Kpop content that those people who followed me for it would really like, I also like drawing other things & going out of my comfort zone in art. 

And I know that the people who still follow and support me now understand this, and often appreciate that I draw things I’m unabashedly passionate about! It has also made me a lot happier overall with my own work, since I feel like I’m constantly pushing myself to do new and interesting things for me, and not to fulfil the interests of others! 

This can also include a complete turn around of the kinds of things you create, by the way! If you’ve been a 2D artist for ages, but suddenly develop a passion for 3D sculpture, then go for it! Those who are still interested in your work will stick around. As well as this, you’ll grow an entirely new audience with the new creative outlet you start sharing! It’s honestly a win-win situation, and don’t let the fear of people not accepting the change hold you back!

5) TAKE BREAKS!

Possibly the most important piece of advice in this post is to remember to take a break from social media! Even if it’s something you rely on for your job, and the algorithms demand you spend time on them, try to take periods of time during your day to switch off from it. 

Another thing I would also suggest is taking breaks from posting things. I did this in January because I wanted a break from forcing myself to live up to the hell of a posting schedule. I still did art, but without the pressure of having to post things I was able to take time and have a little more fun with it! 

A final thing in this part that I’d suggest is taking breaks from doing creative stuff occasionally. If you’re anything like me, you probably spend nearly every day doing or at least thinking about creative things. And that can become very tiring! Whether it’s taking a week, a few days, or entire months, remember that your creativity and skill aren’t just going to disappear if you take a break from it for a bit! 

I think creative people tell themselves that if they don’t keep posting, then people are going to stop supporting their work. But in my experience, people stick around even if you haven’t posted something in years! Because if someone enjoys your work, then they’re going to stick around regardless! 

TL/DR

Basically to sum up, social media can be hell to navigate with it’s obsessive algorithms and posting schedules. But if you allow yourself to adapt to other sites/apps that don’t rely on those things, don’t fixate on numbers, curate your experience to both be inspiring and supportive, let your passion shine through, and remember to take breaks, then social media can become a lot more enjoyable! 

I hope this post was somewhat helpful to anyone who struggles with this... I have to admit that I often don’t take my own advice in regard to social media, but I thought me posting this could help both of us out lol!

Check out my other Art Advice posts here if you’re interested!

[jurijurijurious]

Fic writer interview

Tagged by: @thisbluespirit tagging me in all the cool memes! Thankyou!

Name: @jurijurijurious / Jurious / Grace

Fandoms: Really just Elizabeth (1998) at present. I still play about with Pirates of the Caribbean occasionally but have not published anything yet. My “retired” fandoms included Star Wars, Doctor Who, Disney’s Hercules, ReBoot, X-Men (movies), The Lion King and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I won’t write any off as there’s always potential for a resurrection. (Or I might just hyper-specialise in obscurity forever...)

Two-shot: What is this guys, I’m out of the loop? Does this mean a two-chap fic? Never happens. If a two-shot as in two characters, then just my usual Walsibeth nonsense. Sometimes they are the only thing in the fic if it’s a one shot.

Most popular multi-chapter fic: Historically, it was my Star Wars monstrosity “Eclipse” which I wrote between 2002-2005. Though I am proud I finished this beast over a 3 year period, I would never ever ever write a story like it now, it is so ridiculous and problematic in so many ways, I’m utterly embarrassed by it. But it was the most popular thing I ever wrote on Fanfic.net and at the time, I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback and reviewer interaction. Part of me wants to delete it but you know what, I should just face the fact that it’s part of my life history and leave it the fuck where it is. I might not ever look at it again though, I can’t bear it. I toyed with re-writing it back in 2010 and again in 2014/5-ish but I am literally so out of the loop with Star Wars, don’t enjoy the new movies much (minus Rogue One), and hugely dislike a big chunk of the fandom, soooo....  I don’t think I want to bother any more. 

At present the only thing I’m writing is my Elizabeth 1998 “Walsibeth” (Blanchett’s Elizabeth I/Rush’s Walsingham) stuff and my main project “Mea Culpa” has a few kudos on AO3 but not a lot, yet it probably is the only thing I can call “popular” at present as I’ve only in the past 18 months got back into writing and there’s nothing else recent. Ah well, here I am carving out my nichey-niche with dogged determination.

Actual worst part of writing: Checking your work like spell-checking, grammar checking, and checking for stupidly obvious plot holes which you don’t see because you’ve been working on it for weeks on end and you’re blind to any sense of cohesion... And also sometimes realising half way through a fic that you need to retcon the earlier chapters already because you have a better idea. -_-

How you choose your titles: Sometimes I just give a story a title and it just seems to grow into it. Other times I have an epiphany whilst working on an unnamed document and it becomes the title. I don’t really know, there’s no method to it.

Do you outline: Yes to a degree, or rather I plan out several events I want to happen then have to work out how to link them with filler and that thing called plot. For short stories or challenges, usually no, I just have the idea I want to write and then it writes the rest itself.

Ideas you probably won’t get around to, but wouldn’t it be nice: The Elizabeth (1998)/Attack on Titan crossover my imagination spewed out at me. I absolutely love, love, love it and have so many ideas and visuals in my head, but it’d be a full-time job to realise it, and then it’s such a bizarre niche-y crossover, there’d be next to no readership besides me. (It’s like many, many years ago I started playing with a Discworld/The Lion King crossover but again, a lot of work for essentially just myself.)

I used to toy with the idea of writing a Henry VII hist-fic but I honestly am overwhelmed by the thought of the research involved and so that freezes me like a deer in headlights and I get nowhere.

Callouts @ me: All my stories are the same. The bad guy/morally questionable guy falls in love with a female protagonist. It’s usually an unconventional ship but it’s predictable af. I have no regrets. I think I am a bit better at fleshing out my female chars now than what I used to be, otherwise I haven’t changed much since I was a young teenager. But yes, I am a one trick pony.

Best writing traits: I literally don’t know. I just like writing the aforementioned m/f dynamic and I have no shame in that. Actually I just have no shame, full stop. Smut? Sure, with all the trimmings.

Spicy tangential opinion: I’ve probably not read enough recently, or been in dialogue enough, to have many “spicy opinions”, and this isn’t original by any means, but I hope that writers continue to be unafraid to attack amoral, upsetting, unpleasant and challenging issues in fic. I know there will always be issues with the way things are potentially represented but we should feel free to explore issues and peoples’ actions without readers thinking the author approves of all the acts/feelings that their characters commit/show. If that makes sense?

Tagging: I literally hate tagging, if you see this and fancy it, please consider yourself tagged! :)

[hazycosmicchild]

Rambling post about 2018

This time last year as I waited to ring in the new year I can honestly say I was at the lowest point in my life. I was on anti-depressants, suicidal, I had very little money, and I hated everything about me. What a difference a year makes. And what a year 2018 has been! It's definitely been one of the craziest years of my life but one of the best of my life too. I've made friends, made progress, and genuinely feel like my life is heading in the right direction.

This year in Febuary I’ve started a new job as social media / admin/ press officer for two motorsport photography teams that specialise in F1. It’s been crazy working for them but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love getting up for work in the morning and I enjoy what I do. I also became a member of the Autosport Academy and started training with them on how to be a proper motorsport journalist. And just before the end of December I submitted my first article to appear in the magazine. So it’s fair to say I am well and truly a Princess of Press in training!

My other big personal triumph was in September when I went onto national TV here in the UK to raise awareness of living with life threatening allergic reactions. Anaphylaxis is something very close to my heart so being able to share my story with everyone and to raise awareness of the issues really was something I’ve wanted to do for years.

I’ve had a lot of fun moments along the way this year including Karting with work, Goodwood FOS in the summer, various silly days out with my wonderful fiance Alex as well as fun nights in too, making new friends, catching up with old friends, spending time with the people that matter. And of course spending lots of time with Maurizio Arrivabunny. There’s some people on here I need to thank for everything they’ve done this year: 

Firstly my crazy Scottish wife and adopted little sister @historygeek12: Sweetie you already know how much you mean to me. I couldn’t have got through the year without you. You have been amazing this year and I am so proud to call you my little sister. As I always say you’re the Susie Wolff to my Claire Williams.And I really hope 2019 will be your year!

Next to the wonderful @livelongandfangirling: We’ve really only started talking this year but I’m glad we did. You’re fantastic lovely. It’s been wonderful talking to you and nice to fangirl with someone else over Britta too! As well as someone to share the gossip with. I really hope 2019 brings you all you wish for.

There’s also the lovely @raibabyrai : It’s been wonderful getting to know you more this year and talk to you sweetie. You brighten up my inbox when you message me. And I won’t forget your messages about Kimi’s win in Austin. I hope you have a great 2019 because you deserve it.

And last but by no means least @theianitor: Thank you for your friendship this year sweetie and for keeping me amused on long train rides with your fics. I’m so glad we started chatting this year. You’re a really wonderful person!

A huge thank you to you all too for all you’ve done this year to keep my dash a happy and bright place. I couldn’t have done it without you. So I sit here now waiting to ring in 2019. I’ve been off my anti-depressants for nine months now with no relapses, I’m no longer suicidal, I have money so I’m no longer facing homelessness or starvation, and I can honestly say when I look in the mirror I love the person I see.

It’s not been easy. But 2017 was the year that broke me, 2018 was the year that made me. So 2019 you’ve got a tough act to follow.

Happy New Year to you all. May 2019 bring you all a great year with lots of personal highs and great moments. ❤️🌟❤️

[musesmilk]

REBECCA MILTON

Rebecca Milton is an accomplished Scottish art director who has worked on The Hitman's Bodyguard, Macbeth, The Imitation Game, and most recently The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. In our interview, Rebecca graciously offers our readers a glimpse of her artistic career.

“The project on hand is your life and the likes of Steven Spielberg or Barry Levinson demand this commitment since they too are giving all they have to their art and it is their name stamped across the picture a year later.���

Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.

Rebecca Milton: I am a Scottish freelance architect and film art director currently living between the Cotswolds and west London with my partner and my little boy. I have always enjoyed a fairly diverse skill base; fine art, interiors, lighting design, film, and installation art - even through art college I would find alternative mediums to communicate and present my architectural ideas. Then when I heard about the work of an Art Department, I was already working as a qualified Architect but it seemed a really good fit for me. What appealed was the day to day and project to project diversity it brought, the variable contract lengths, wide range of locations, the idea of bringing to life a story and the potential reach your work can have to audiences around the world. Ultimately it was a way to introduce more variety and creativity into my life.

MM: Is there a production you are most proud of? 

RM: I have been lucky to have worked with some of the worlds best Directors and Production Designers and am exceptionally proud of all the projects I have worked on. I think the most fun I’ve ever had recently was working on the film The Hitman’s Bodyguard.  This was entirely down to the production designer and his team. I must have laughed every day on that film and it really didn't feel like work. The result was a genuinely funny movie which looked great and that we all enjoyed being part of. My most difficult project location was probably up on the Isle of Skye, where we shot Macbeth. We worked for days in harrowing conditions carrying rocks up a mountain to create a very simple stone plinth which was the base of a ceremonial burial fire in the scene. I was soaked and utterly broken, although the build looked great. On screen this was an extremely powerful moment but I think it lasted less than two seconds. There must be a lesson in there somewhere.

MM: Art directing a feature film is an enormous undertaking. Where do you begin on a project like Macbeth or The Imitation Game?

RM: The creative process of designing a film is one which generally begins with lots of research and reference material. Especially on a period production. There are so many things you can take from reference not just in terms of history but also the human details. For example, when we were dressing Alan Turing’s Hut in Bletchley Park, one dressing element was to chain a tea mug to the radiator beside his desk. This was a small but historically accurate detail which we had read about. At the time mugs were sparse, and a cup of tea was very important when trying to win a war with mathematics. It can be little things like this that collectively add to the richness of a film set. Macbeth was much less historically locked so we had more creative freedom to draw reference from things like stretched waxed animal skin tents from North America, primitive art, religious iconography, world war one imagery and contemporary photography.

MM: What do you want readers to know about you, as an artist and as a person?

RM: I’m actually a fairly private person and I don't use any form of social media platforms other than my website which exists primarily as a job portfolio rather than a performance window to the world. I like to keep my head down and my circle small. I believe if you work hard and are good at what you do, then most things are possible. There used to be so much noise in my life, and I wasted a lot of energy on the wrong things. Its a huge cliche but last year I had a little boy and I feel he has helped in a big way to clarify whats important in life.

MM: Do you have advice for students looking to pursue film production?

RM: I never considered a career within the Art Department of the Film and TV Industry when leaving school, because I honestly didn't know they existed. It’s a relatively closed industry. I went to Architecture school and followed that path before crossing over. Interestingly though the original Art Directors in Hollywood were Architects, so the key skills are essentially the same. I made a contact through a friend and was lucky to find a way in through her. I took a holiday from a steady architecture position to do a week of work experience on a kids TV show. From there, I left my job and worked my way up through all the positions in the Art Department; Assistant, Graphic Designer, Standby Art Director, Assistant Art Director, Art Director. Starting in TV and slowly moving into Film.

If I were to do it over again, I’d still go down the architecture route but perhaps just do just three years follow by a post grad specialising in production design. Once you graduate it is hard to get your first break because you rely on word of mouth and are permanently marketing yourself, putting feelers out for any new projects starting up just to get experience. So a lot of it is about timing and luck. There is a harsh, survival of the fittest element to the industry. You have to be able to adapt quickly to change and there is no space for tardiness, mistakes or an inability to do the job.  And there is little time for a personal life. The project on hand is your life and the likes of Steven Spielberg or Barry Levinson demand this commitment, since they too are giving all they have to their art and it is their name stamped across the picture a year later.

[felidae-charr]

Okay, fair play. I’m interested.

As many here may know, I’ve been in a huge Guild Wars 2 slump lately. It’s why I haven’t been posting much in the way of content, especially due to the fact that Stormblood dropped for Final Fantasy XIV recently and man I really love that game. I didn’t expect to be interested in the expansion, and frankly I’d forgotten there was even an announcement about it till a friend reminded me. So... what are silly Felidae’s thoughts on the coming Path of Fire?

The Living Story has failed to capture my interest in any meaningful way for the last three or so episodes, and the final two in particular. To be very frank with you, the final instalment of the Living Story’s third season was so unimpressive to me that I had actually made the decision to ignore the likes of the expansion that was coming.

After all, I was using it as my justification to either go on and buy the expansion, or to not. So when I played through the story constantly asking “Is it bad that I’m having to ask myself why I’ve even logged into this game to do this?” for that entire stupid piece of story - which felt and still feels like it was filler and didn’t even need to exist, and like it did a terrible job at dealing with the Mystery Character reveal (to avoid spoilers in this non-spoiler post) - and when I had more fun spending an hour just doing the jumping puzzle rather than the hour I spent slogging through the awful story... why would I buy an expansion that was likely built in a similar way?

The Living Story had gone in directions I hadn’t enjoyed. The new maps were never places I found particularly enjoyable to explore and they never really got me to go back to them for any reason once I had done the story there.

It was mostly on a whim and at the behest of a friend I checked out the expansion announcement video - I’d completely forgotten about the stream that ArenaNet was doing and honestly I’d forgotten that an expansion for GW2 was even coming out. I had Put It DownTM. 

Fair play to ArenaNet, however... having watched the announcement, I won’t pretend I’m not interested. There seemed to be an acknowledgement that the latest parts of the Living Story left everybody asking “What the actual fucking fuck?” and an undertone of acknowledgement that not everybody was happy about the direction the Living Story had taken. Or at least, that’s how it seemed to me. There was talk of taking GW2 back to its routes; of making maps that were not only fun to explore but were designed with exploring in mind in the first place, and it looked promising that a lot of the maps we were shown didn’t involve the drastic bullshit layers of verticality that the last several Living Story maps did. (Gliding’s great and all, ArenaNet, but I don’t want a five story fucking map that I can’t navigate because your minimap is ass and because I didn’t grind out asinine masteries.)

The mounts, something I was dreading as it went right backwards in the face of exploration, actually seem to have been crafted in tandem with maps so that they are less “get to place A faster than you would without it” but do seem to be, in fact, crafted as tools of exploration in and of themselves. Rather than just make a “go fast” thing that flew in the face of what exploration meant, maps and mounts seem to have been crafted to compliment each other, and they look like they’ve actually been done well.

Story...? Well... That, the jury is out on, frankly.

Elite specialisations look fun. They don’t just look like classes got a new weapon, they look genuinely like specialisations as the name would suggest. Oh, necromancers lose their death shroud, but they can more ability to actively support other players and more mobility - something neither of the last two have! Thieves get to pick up a proper ranged weapon that looks to focus on dealing damage burst, but also looks to sacrifice the huge mobility they’ve always been able to enjoy (and I am so excited to finally give my fiery salad thief the Predator, because I made that for him in the first place.) Mesmers have had their dodge roll fundamentally changed to fit this new up-close-and-personal playstyle and I couldn’t be more excited. Elementalists are having their four-attunement rotation thrown out the window in place of mixed attunements, and so on. The specialisations actually look like, well... specialised classes! Not just the same old classes with one new weapon. (I also enjoy ArenaNet subtly acknowledging pet AI is terrible by letting rangers basically fuse with their pet.)

And shit, for the first time since Heart of Thorns launched, we’ve even had an update to character creation with new faces (a very Big Deal even if the update is only for humans, because they’re genuine PoC facial structures and hairstyles that they have added for free into the base game and I would never take how big of a deal that is away from those who it is most important to.)

Things are... hopeful? I won’t even say they’re looking promising because that’s too much of an optimistic statement for where I stand with the game, but they look hopeful. Like there’s a chance. Like just maybe - but not guaranteed - this expansion isn’t the swan song of GW2 me and most of my friends thought it was going to be. And, whether it is or whether it isn’t... ArenaNet have at least convinced me that this expansion might be worth my time and potentially my money.

[cryokinesisandlight]

EXO KoKoBop Criminal AU

With the new concept I got a new AU ... 

Yes, I have a criminal AU based on KoKoBop because why not and I want to talk about it because there's no actual story connected to it, just a bunch of babes~

It’s gonna be a long post, though. 

This is kind of a lazy gang but I love them.

Minseok (Xiumin) is the leader and he doesn't really do much right now other than being soft and kissing his babes. It's not really some kind of harem or whatever because it's mostly just platonic kisses but he just cares for the members so. fucking. much like where would he be without them? 

That's a good question and also he would probably be in jail, not because he'd get caught but just because what's the fun in doing soft crimes and stuff if you're all lonely? 

So yeah, he has done most of what the others do but they do it far better than he does - and because he's got an organized mind and is really good at figuring out how to work everything so nothing ever goes wrong, he's just ... the leader. 

Honestly, he doesn't look like the leader at all but hey, that's good because nobody would actually think he could do the shit he does. And if you were to betray him, he would kiss your temple right before he cuts your throat. That's my boy Minseok.

Jongin (or Junghwa, maybe Junghwa tbh) is 2nd in command but only because they're romantically involved with Xiumin lmao. Like that's literally it. The two of them just love each other a little more than they love the rest of the members. They're also the scariest member of the gang outside of Xiumin whose appearance betrays his mind. 

Either way, Jongin/Junghwa is scary as fuck. They do most of the murders and honestly, they mostly do them for Chanyeol's sake but they can do them for any of the gang members. They enjoy it, the desperation of their victim as they stare death in the eyes. Exhilarating! And it's just so enjoyable to lift that gun, aim that knife, press those fingers into throats. 

Jongin/Junghwa loves looking into the eyes of their victims to really see the fear and they honestly have absolutely no trouble killing kids either. 

There's nothing psychopathic over them as such, though. Emotions fully intact, moral code just completely screwed. 

They love cuddling after a job well done tho and they sleep practically 15 hours a day so most of the time they look so so so soft and approachable lmao.

Chen (Jongdae) is the information. Mostly he gets it from eavesdropping and monitoring the police and the political people but sometimes he also gets it on the streets. Honestly, Jongdae is so wild on the streets like he can sniff up the most irrelevant information and still have it be relevant. Ask about anyone and Jongdae will get you information. 

He's got a lot of informants as well. Actually he prefers everything but hacking because hacking is really really boring and it leaves him alone in front of a computer. He's a social guy, man, what did you expect? 

He knows how to hack, though, but it's just not something he does if he can avoid it. Getting information the old way is preferred. 

Jongdae used to be a spy for North Korea but then he ended up liking South Korea too much so he defected and found Xiumin and Jongin/Junghwa instead and hey, that was pretty good as well. 

Jongdae has gotten new identities countless of times but hey, with a guy like Chanyeol, it couldn't get any easier.

So yeah, lets talk about Chanyeol because now I've mentioned him twice, haha. Chanyeol does ghosting. That's primarily his job and oh boy does he enjoy it. In case you don't know what ghosting is, it's taking the identity of someone that few people know has died. 

And that's where Jongin/Junghwa comes into their partnership because what better way than to steal a dead person's identity than to kill them first? 

That way very few people will know they have died (if any at all) and fixing passport photos etc. is a piece of cake. So mostly they ghost when they need knew identities because that way they can take on a "living" person's identity and if everything else fits (age, appearance to a certain extent, nationality and so on) then why not? 

He can make fake identities from scratch as well but that requires more work and Chanyeol actually likes ghosting. To think of the lives they overtake and wonder who they were in the past. 

Oh, to dig up all those childhood memories of the ghost and hand them to a member - what a joy. 

Chanyeol honestly lives for ghosting. 

He's also tall as fuck and has a wide smile on his lips so being in public is not really any problem and - seriously, Chanyeol has so much free time, what is he gonna do with it?

Which leads us to Joonmyun. Not really but I want to talk about Joonmyun. So ... Joonmyun actually does a lot of the footwork in the gang. How boring, now isn't it? Okay, no, not really. 

Joonmyun is a total babe and mostly he just sets stuff on fire. 

Arson is his specialty and he's developed his own way of doing it. Like you just know when it's EXO's arsonist that has been lighting fires but nobody is able to catch him because he's just that sneaky. 

He's so good at what he does, though, because he lingers in the night and also looks like a normal business man at day, assessing the buildings, how to light them on fire subtly and makes mental notes for days or even weeks. 

Every arson is so well-planned that it's just impossible to trace it back to him, yet at the same time there's just this thing that makes it his entirely. 

He also does drugs as in he sells them. Sometimes he hands them out at night clubs because why the fuck not and he's got that dealer reputation but nobody really dares take him down as a dealer either because Joonmyun is the perfect liar and he can get away with everything. 

Smooth motherfucker really.

Let's talk about Soo next. I kind of want it to be Sookyung, though. She's a badass woman. She holds a master in biochemistry and that's actually her best weapon. She spends most of her time in labs and she hates noise and bothersome gang members that just wants to cuddle like get the fuck out of her lab. Right now. 

She is actually kind of harmless, even if she's also the most deadlist.

Sookyung usually makes CBRN threats. She has yet to actually release anything to create a contamination but that's beside the question. The threats are definitely enough to have people do their bidding, especially political people. 

If you don't know what CBRN stands for, it's an abbreviation of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and it's used as either attacks, defense or happens as accidents, usually with quite horrible consequences. 

While Sookyung deals mostly with the Chemical and the Biological aspect of CBRN, she has knowledge of the other two as well. She doesn't really use them for consequences but rather nurses her vira and bacteria and tries to combine and create new fatal chemicals. 

She's a little introverted and mostly wears a scowl on her face but she's also fiercely loyal and when she's comfortable she can speak for hours about her small microscopic children. 

She prefers Xiumin, Jongin/Junghwa, Seyoon and Lay over the talkative members such as Jongdae, Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

Lay operates in a business suit as he walks around in the daylight and looks into numbers. He works top jobs and steals millions of money with fraud, but he's the kindest person on Earth and nobody would consider him worthy of such crimes. 

He's intelligent as fuck, often leading to confusing moments and he's often far ahead compared to the people around him. It makes him seem rather dazed and sometimes people think he smokes weed. Yixing has never touched such substances, though, his intelligence just puts him on another level. 

Fraud keeps him sane and he loves tempering with the numbers, watching his own bank account grow as he empties banks and large companies before he moves onto the next one. 

Originally from China, he has contacts in China as well and sometimes operate there. He likes traveling around the world and Xiumin mostly lets him. 

Innocence is his appearance and nobody would suspect a bad bone in him. Too bad they're wrong.

Baekhyun and Seyoon have a small competition, but let's talk about Baekhyun first.

Baekhyun is a thief. He likes action and stuff happening and if he's without his gun it's all just wrong. That's why he has found solitude in robberies and shoplifting, stealing mostly in broad daylight where the chance of getting caught is high. 

But Baekhyun is also like a magician and even if he is caught, there's no way to find the stolen goods on him. He cannot be spotted on cameras and he's like a chameleon as he blends in with people. He's absolutely sneaky and he's so observant. 

Baekhyun always knows the trends, come to Baekhyun for anything and he will know. The most social of them all (although followed closely by Jongdae) Baekhyun loves to be where people are. 

He also pickpockets and he's good at it. Refined pickpocketing with a dash of excitement is his specialty along with the shoplifting and the robberies. 

It isn't uncommon that he shoplifts something none of the other members of the gang don't think they need such as expensive wine, Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses.

Seyoon is also a thief, but she has specialised in much more refined theft. 

Her specialty is racketeering and her patience and persistence is what lets her get away with it. She plays on fear and often convinces her victims they need the protection she offers, even if the danger is completely fictional. She enjoys the smooth lie that slips through her lips and the fear she can instill in people, only to collect hard cash in her hands. 

She loves watching her bank account grow with deposits and her lips are usually curled into a small smile. She's cocky as fuck and considers her work the most important for the gang. Where would they be without her really. 

She also does pickpocketing because she cannot let Baekhyun have all the fun. 

While she isn't as extroverted and social as he, she has the benefit of her good looks and men are so easy to pickpocket when they're drunk. Her playing field is clubs and bars and she rarely sets foot in a shopping mall.

At the end of the day, she and Baekhyun always counts who got most money from their pickpocketing and while Baekhyun often wins, Seyoon still considers herself a more successful thief. After all, she does the refined theft.

I'm not even sure this gang could work in the real world, but they're important and soft and even though they don't necessarily do all the dirty work with extreme violence and such they still have enough money and most certainly enough power to secretly run the government. 

That said, they're usually also hidden from other gangs because of their little street-action and involvement with the rest of them.

Shimmy shimmy kokobop, I think I like it~

[gawaine]

Stitching: A Code Blue x Unbroken Crossover

Happy birthday, Mehak!

I know I promised a chapter of Code Blue - and it is on its way, as promised - but I wanted something else for you too, something special, and something to make up for the fact the CB update isn’t on time, despite how much warning I had (I’m a procrastinator and I edited the beginning three times, I’m sorry).

Ahh, where do I even start? Let’s start with... I think you’re wonderful. You’re wonderful and beautiful, inside and out, and so clever, and a selfless friend (and sister!) and brave, and I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as determined as you. Your work ethic is incredible, and constantly inspires me. Your dedication to your friends, and your loyalty and compassion, is... Insane. And your friendship means so, so much to me, and I am genuinely proud and honoured to call you a sister.

You’re awesome! And I’m sorry that words are currently evading me in describing how awesome and great I think you are (emotional awkwardness just hits at the very best of times), but I am a better person for knowing you, and a happier one, too. You’ve been there for me through so much, and I am incredibly lucky to have you.

So, here is a very small token of how much I adore you and I hope you like it, because there’s plenty more where that came from :)

I’m so proud of you, birthday girl. Everything you’ve achieved in this past year and what you continue to strive towards... You’re a damn inspiration, and I am blessed to have you.

Happy birthday, Deeps. And I hope you like it. x

Kaiser Medical Clinic Manhattan, New York 2044

“Hello, sir, can I help you?”

“We’re here to see a Doctor Kaiser?” The man - young man? Boy? - smiled tersely, the politeness in his voice not quite matching his expression. His companion, a young woman, offered a polite smile alongside him - right before shooting the man daggers.

The nurse pretended not to notice, checking her tablet.

“And is that Chief or Director?”

The man blinked - and the woman sighed.

“Look, I’m very sorry to be what I’m sure is extremely abrasive to someone who is only doing their job,” He began apologetically. The receptionist - Oona - simply smiled, too busy enjoying his accent to be offended. It seemed to be British, but there were American lilts. She’d work it out. Oona liked puzzles. “But all I know is that I spoke to a member of your senior management and they promised me that we put in the care of only one of your best doctors - and I was told to come to reception and ask for a Doctor Kaiser, that’s all I know, I’m afraid.”

British. Definitely British. The wording was too formal. Back when Oona had been a little boy, she’d enjoyed watching period dramas with her mother. She could tell the difference that a few word choices could make.

“Give me two ticks.” Oona said warmly. “I’ll just-”

“If Doctor Kaiser is busy, or if there’s some kind of emergency that requires their attention, which I’m sure there is-” The woman’s eyes narrowed as the man sighed, rubbing his eyes. Oona stilled. She’d spent enough time managing the ER desk to know a couple’s dispute when she saw one. “- then, honestly, tell him not to bother. This trip really isn’t that necessary-”

Now, this was interesting, because Oona was pretty sure that was a British accent, too - but with more of an American lilt than the guy. Immediately, Oona’s imagination went wild. Were they travellers? A couple who had gotten lost? Total strangers who would hook up by the end of the night? Oona had seen more surprising things. Though, judging by the senior management comment, it probably wasn’t that interesting. Unfortunately.

“Let me just go and find out, before we make any decisions.” Oona said soothingly - soothing was her specialty -, before reaching for the phone.

*

“I’m sorry for the wait.” He shut the door behind him, before shaking their hands. They looked… Nervous. It was too early in the night for them to look nervous. “My name is Doctor Adam Kaiser, I’m one of the directors of this clinic. I understand we’re dealing with a kidney donor?”

Adam raised his eyebrows in surprise as the girl slid off of the hospital bed, wincing slightly, before staring defiantly at her partner.

“You’re the one that insisted on dragging me here, you can give the good doctor here the synopsis while I try and find a snack.” She told him shortly. Adam tried to hide his raised eyebrows as the man’s mouth fell open. “Excuse me, doctor.”

“Is he authorised to speak on your behalf?” Adam asked quickly, before she left the room. The girl smiled, but not entirely pleasantly, in the boy’s direction.

“Oh, yeah. He made damn sure of that.” She replied sweetly - before slamming the door behind her.

There were a few seconds of tense silence, as Adam watched the young man look heavenward for guidance. Realising he wasn’t going to speak anytime soon, Adam decided to break the ice.

“So what seems to be the problem, Mr-?”

“Zafar.” The boy - he really did look young, light stubble aside - said suddenly, snapping out of his thoughts and offering Adam a hand. Adam shook it with what he knew to be one of his most reassuring smiles. “Sorry, it’s Danny. Danny Zafar and that was just my wife, Samara.”

Adam tried to sound as neutral as possible. “Wife?” Hopefully that was a young colloquialism. You know. A street version of girlfriend or… Sibling?

“Yeah. You’re old.” Adam tried not to laugh as Danny Zafar immediately cringed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry, I just mean - you’re - you’re experienced, right? Obviously, I just-”

“I’ve been a surgeon for over twenty years.” Adam said kindly… And, seeing Danny’s hesitant expectancy, tried not to laugh as he continued. “I still perform surgery regularly, I’m not that old. At least, I don’t think I am.”

“And you trained…?” Adam decided he didn’t mind Danny’s questions. Judging from his expression, he seemed self-aware enough to know he wasn’t in a position to ask - and Adam kind of felt for him. The guy was worried. He saw that all the time.

“I went to Harvard Med-” Adam noticed how Danny seemed to perk up slightly. “And I trained in paediatrics at Johns Hopkins.”

Danny frowned. “Paediatrics? I know we’re young-”

“A part of specialising in paediatrics means you have to first fully specialise in general surgery first.” Adam explained. Danny’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Kidneys falls under general and I am one of the most general surgeons qualified here.”

“Nice to know I’m dealing with a fellow Crimson.” Danny smiled.

Adam grinned.

“Harvard too, huh?” Danny nodded. “Great! What are you studying?”

“My MBA.”

“Ahh.” That explained how he’d managed to get Adam’s ass hauled out of his office for this private consultation… And that was when Adam recognised the name Zafar as one of the most influential names in the city. “So, back to the medicine - your wife?” Glancing through the blinds, Adam spotted the said wife, holding a candy bar and talking pleasantly to one of the nurses - Oona?

“She was part of a kidney transplant a couple of weeks ago.” Danny muttered, shaking his head slightly again. Adam recognised that look. One of utter despair. Unfortunately, he’d seen it all too often over the course of his career. “And she was meant to have someone looking after her and keeping an eye on things, and that person was meant to be me and…”

“And?” Adam pushed.

“And she lied to her doctors when she said I would be there and the surgery was almost a month ago, and I found out maybe thirty minutes ago and she’s in pain and I’m freaking out.” Dany replied honestly.

Wow.

“And, if you don’t mind me asking, why-”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Dany guessed. Where did he start? He figured with the truth. It wasn’t like this doctor would have heard worse… Right? “Uh - how confidential is this conversation?”

“Are you paying for this meeting with your medical insurance?”

“… Yeah.”

“Then, seeing as that makes your wife my patient - if she agrees to treatment - and you’re footing the bill, pretty confidential.” Adam told him, smiling.

“Brilliant.” Dany nodded, rubbing his face. Adam quietly pulled up a stool. He had a feeling this consultation was going to entail a little… More than he’d expected it to. “Right, well, the thing is… Um… We weren’t exactly meant… To get married. But we did, because of something I did and…” Dany struggled to find the correct words. “She’s not… Exactly… Happy, about it?”

At first, Dany didn’t understand the grin that began to play on Doctor Kaiser’s face. For someone who had been in medicine for over twenty years, he looked… Young. Full head of dark hair, dark eyes, a friendly amount of stubble. He seemed trustworthy, though probably not enough for Dany to be spilling his secrets to - except, well, because he looked trustworthy and because Dany was more nervous about this… New information than he cared to admit, he was talking more than he usually would.

“I used to know someone just like that.” Adam told Dany warmly, upon noticing his confused gaze. “Don’t worry, Mr Zafar. We’ll have you both sorted out in no time, and she’ll go back to glaring holes into your head whenever you say the wrong thing.”

Dany’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“That’s eerily accurate.”

Adam chuckled.

“Let me go talk to her.” Adam told him, getting to his feet - and already guessing what Dany planned on saying when he opened his mouth, answered before he could. “Trust me. I’ve got a lot of practice talking to fiery young women who don’t like to be ignored.”

Doctor Kaiser left before Dany could warn him again - Samara was in a really bad mood, and she wasn’t exactly friendly when Dany was within reasonable distance -, but before he could, Doctor Kaiser was already outside.

Dany didn’t realise he was even holding his breath as he watched; first, Doctor Kaiser approaching Mara, and then quickly telling her something before she could speak. It was only when he released that breath, when Mara broke into a small smile, that he realised at all.

*

“So, where are you guys from?” Adam asked warmly. He’d already made a rough guess. Samara had been wearing harem pants and a T-shirt underneath her flowing, dark coat.

“India and Pakistan.” Dany told him, somewhat more cheerfully since he’d managed to get Samara onto a gurney, ready to be examined. “One parent from each.”

“Pakistan.” Samara told him, as Adam put on his gloves. “We both grew up in London, I moved here a little while ago.”

“I’m from Pakistan too.” Adam told her happily, smiling as Samara beamed. “Right, now, Samara, I’m going to have to ask you to pull up your shirt slightly and pull down your pants so that I can have a better look at the surgical site, is that okay?”

“Does he have to be here?” Samara asked sharply, staring angrily in Dany’s direction.

“No,” Adam admitted, ignoring Dany’s attempts at silent communication. “But he may need to see it at some point later anyway, if you require any kind of assisted treatment.” Adam watched as Samara… Slowly nodded, rolling her eyes slightly as she did. “This may hurt a little.” He warned, looking over to Dany, who instantly was alert. “If you’d like to… Hold your husband’s hand-”

“That’s really not necessary.” Samara said through gritted teeth. Adam nodded - but glanced in Dany’s direction, and was glad to see that he took the hint. Adam put it down to the Crimson bond. “Dany, why are you standing here, I said I’m fine-”

“I want to see what the doctor is doing.” Dany shrugged - but he placed his hand next to hers on the bed, and Adam pretended he hadn’t seen how Samara’s little finger moved ever so slightly… Just enough to make sure her hand and Danyal’s was brushing. “Doctor Kaiser?”

“Ready?” Adam asked. Although wide-eyed and nervous - Samara nodded, swallowing loudly as she pulled at her clothes.

Immediately, Adam forgot how much he liked Dany and Samara, how familiar it all felt. Nostalgic. He went back to being a doctor, a surgeon, and that meant focusing solely on the task at hand.

Although Adam had already been told that Samara’s nephrectomy - kidney removal - had been done via the much less invasive keyhole surgery, her scars immediately confirmed it; three scars on the left of her stomach, no more than a few centimetres in length and forming an odd sort of triangle, were still red and slightly raised on her pale skin. The first two, higher up on her stomach, were good scars - pinkish and healing well, almost sealed.

It was the third scar, the lowest of the three, that was the problem.

“Samara, how does this feel?” Adam asked neutrally, pressing on it gently - and immediately letting go, as Samara hissed in pain. “Have you noticed anything odd, or different, about your scars since the operation?”

“Yeah.” Samara nodded, her eyes squeezed shut from the pain. “One’s more swollen, I just guessed it was deeper than the others-”

“Okay, now tell me, does this hurt?”

“Ow, Dany, it hurts!”

Adam took that as a yes.

Somewhere, during her brain becoming fuzzy from pain, Samara had grabbed Dany’s hand - and Adam couldn’t help but notice at how Dany clutched it back, glaring holes into his head as he continued to inspect the surgical site. There was a large bump underneath the third scar, and Adam knew exactly what it was.

“You’re hurting her.”

“Not anymore.” Adam told him cheerfully, pulling off his gloves. “Samara, you can pull your shirt down now.”

Samara - her eyes still closed -, nodded weakly, wincing and squeezing Dany’s hand as she tried to turn.

“It’s okay, it’s fine, I’ve got it.” Dany said soothingly, fixing her clothes with one hand, and keeping the other around hers. “Doctor Kaiser, what was-”

“Samara has an incisional hernia.” Adam told them firmly. Dany immediately looked horrified and Samara opened her eyes wide enough just long enough to look scared. “It’s likely that, when Samara was trying to look after herself, one of the scars became infected and that’s caused some tissue from the inside of your abdomen to try and… Poke out, through the wound. It’s not uncommon and is very easily treatable through surgery.”

“More surgery?” Samara repeated, aghast, at the same time Dany asked determinedly -

“When can she have it?”

Adam hesitated as the two stared at one another.

“This isn’t your decision!” Samara gasped, staring up at Dany accusingly. Adam winced slightly as Dany glared.

“It’s the only logical decision to make!” He snapped and, at hearing the word logical, Adam fought not to smirk as old memories resurfaced. “The last time you made a decision about surgery, you literally gave yourself a goddamn hernia-”

“Do I have any other options aside from another surgery?” Samara asked, ignoring how Dany groaned. Adam found it interesting that they were still holding hands. “Doctor?”

“Not really.” Adam admitted, trying not to look too guilty at Dany’s triumphant expression. “With most hernias, they can be left alone, but it’s at the risk of them later getting worse - bigger, more painful - and potentially causing serious damage to the tissue underneath that’s threatening to come out. But, with your type of hernia, you’re not only at higher risk in terms of damaging that tissue, but the original wound needs to heal. You’re still recovering from a major surgery, we need to get you back to your normal self as soon as we can.”

The young couple had become sombre upon hearing the phrase major surgery - and they said nothing for a few moments, still clutching hands, as the processed Adam’s diagnosis.

“Doctor Kaiser, would you be performing my surgery?” Samara finally asked in a very small voice.

Adam hesitated - and Samara’s eyes immediately welled up with tears.

“It would be one of my team.” Adam said hastily. Dany frowned. “They’re very well trained, under our Chief of Surgery, who is fantastic-”

“We want you.” Dany interrupted, though not rudely. Adam sighed. “I know you’re very busy and - but - if there’s anything we can do, make a donation-”

“That isn’t necessary-”

“I was told you were the best, and you’ve been very helpful so far, but the last surgeon who said they were the best left my best friend with an unhealed scar in her stomach-”

“In fairness, surgeons can’t always anticipate-”

“Doctor Kaiser, please.” Dany interrupted again. This time, Adam went quiet, sighing to himself. He liked this young couple, he really did - even if he usually found VIP patients… Exhausting. They reminded him a bit too much of himself and… He stifled the automatic smile that came with thinking the name Mary Azizi. “Is there any way, at all, you could do the surgery yourself?”

Adam knew he should say no. He knew that he shouldn’t even have to think about it.

But he really liked these two young kids, as immature and messy as they were, and, well… When was the last time he’d just said yes to a random surgery? One that wasn’t scheduled, or didn’t require the experience of a veteran? It felt like it had been eons since he’d last done a simple surgery of any kind - and a hernia repair was hardly something that was likely to change in its method since he’d done it last.

They were cute, this… Dany and Samara. Adam wanted to help.

“It’ll have to work around my schedule-” Adam warned - but before he’d even finished, Dany was smiling in relief and Samara was lying properly on the bed again, instead of straining to look at Adam with wide, guilt-inducing eyes. “- which means the surgery may have to be as soon as this evening-”

“We’re meant to be flying out to Pakistan in a few days.” Samara gasped, before staring at Dany. “Pixie’s wedding, we can’t-”

“Your health is more important-”

“No, it isn’t, just shut up and listen-”

“It’s a very simple procedure, you should be able to travel within a maximum of two days.” Adam said quickly. The argument felt familiar, too. In not as pleasant a way. “If you’re sure about this, I can look into booking an OR.”

“We’re sure.” Dany said confidently - only for Samara to nudge him irritably.

“Yes.” She muttered. “We’re sure.”

Adam nodded, heading for the door. He shook his head at the sound of bickering behind him.

*

It was a little bit too quick for Dany’s liking.

Samara made him promise not to call anyone; she was insistent, saying she didn’t want a fuss, and anyway, how was she meant to explain how she’d managed to get a hernia in the first place? Although Dany had initially proposed lying about what type of hernia it was, Doctor Kaiser had been quick to shut that down, pointing out that not only would Samara’s recovery be for the hernia treatment, but for the original surgery as well. Plus, as much as Dany hadn’t wanted to admit it, Mara was right - it was hard to explain. How could Dany say to his family that he hadn’t known she was having surgery? Let alone giving a kidney to the parent everyone thought was dead?

Within an hour, Doctor Kaiser had booked an OR and, seeing as he’d gotten to Mara before she’d eaten that chocolate bar, there was no reason for them to wait.

Samara had said she didn’t need Dany to hold her hand during the pre-op prep, and that she didn’t need to feel him panicking, either. Dany had retorted that he wasn’t panicking, and that she was just projecting.

She’d kicked him out of the room.

Doctor Kaiser found Dany after the surgery. He’d been wearing a hole into the waiting room, and avoiding the elderly couple sitting a few rows over from him, who had looked like they wanted to start a conversation.

“The surgery went perfectly, and aside from another, pesky little scar, Samara’s going to be absolutely fine.” He’d told him - and although Dany didn’t say anything, how he closed his eyes and smiled briefly in relief said it all. “A word of advice?”

“You can give me as many words as you want, Doctor, you saved the day.” Dany mumbled, settling comfortably in his chair.

“With girls like Samara, telling them they’re wrong never works in your favour.” Adam said - and Dany sat up slightly, as this middle-aged surgeon doled out relationship advice. “Trust me. Even when it seems like they’re so completely wrong that it’s a miracle they can even think they’re right, don’t bother. Women like that prefer to learn for themselves, and the more you push them, the more they’ll dig their heels in for the sake of their pride. Which is fine too.”

Dany frowned slightly. “Sounds like you’re talking from experience.”

Adam had grinned. “Years of it.”

“What happened?” Dany asked. He suddenly remembered something Doctor Kaiser had said earlier. “With that girl you said you knew? The one like Samara?”

Adam sighed, getting to his feet and clapping Dany gently on the back.

“Tell you what.” He smiled. “You manage to make it until Samara’s check-up in a few weeks without making her mad enough to burst her stitches, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Dany stared up at him. “That good a story?” He asked ruefully.

Adam chuckled.

“Oh, yeah.” He told him. “That good a story.”

[729renegades]

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL – DAVE HARRISON

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Up Close & Personal. I managed to find a quiet little spot this evening after our first day at the Oak Group Summit, so I can interview one of its founding members.  I first met this guy when he was brave enough to take a hot seat at one of our Discovery Days. He must have loved the process because he signed up straight after it to become a member of the Renegade Masterminds, which I’m lucky enough to lead myself. He’s an integral part of that group and a very well-respected member. As a well-respected coach in his own right who specialises in strengths-based approach to his clients, this guy is a joy to know and has become a good friend since I first met him. His business, Co-Creation based in Manchester delivers strengths-based programmes into customers to the likes of Co-op, Thwaites and Bentley.  Now, I have asked for a free car but I’m still waiting. I honestly don’t know where he gets the time to run a business anyway because he has 3-year-old triplet daughters, but he does, and he not only does that, actually he’s more than doubled his business turnover in a year which is no mean feat for any business. I’m proud as punch to introduce a great guy. A magnificent man from Manchester, Dave Harrison. How are you Dave?

Dave Harrison: I’m really good thanks Steve.

Steve Matthews: How’s that for a build-up mate?

DH: That was brilliant. I was wondering who you were talking about at first.

SM: It took me ages to write that. . . And how much you paying me?

DH: Yea, I’ve got to pay for that.

SM: So anyway mate, it’s obviously good for all our readers to know all about you guys, so where did it all start for you? Obviously, you’re a Manchester boy, born and bred?

DH: Yea, always been in Manchester. My business side of things really started at school if I’m being honest with you.  I did Business Studies, enjoyed the business side, however I went into Financial Services working for Barclays Bank and I was there for 12 years. I actually found my way to work with small businesses in the Small Business Team and I really enjoyed that bit. I think the thing for me was always about knowing what I could offer to other people, so that was always going to be a challenge. So, I think my entrepreneurial start happened in around 2003 when I started investing in some properties. I had some failures around that but learnt a lot through it. You learn a lot by what doesn’t always work, as well as the things that do work.

SM: So, with Barclays, it must have been pretty stable there, so what gave you that entrepreneurial spark? My Mother worked in a bank forever, so what give you the thought about leaving that safety and starting up on your own?

DH: I think it was around values and about really living my values and wanting to do it, and the way the bank was going was not quite in line with that. So, I think there was a little bit about that, but also working with other small businesses, realising that it’s all possible with a lot of time and hard effort. But it was really capturing what I had to offer. It was thinking around that. I looked into other schemes and other things I could get involved with, but it was finding the thing that I was really passionate about. Something I was really interested in, something that put the light bulbs on for me. I sort of fell across it when I got made redundant.

SM: Were you doing any strengths-based coaching? I know we’ll come on to that a little later, but did you do any of that in Barclays? Or how did you find that was your thing? Did you get coaching in Barclays?

DH: One good thing for Barclays was, you got a lot of investment in yourself.  You didn’t realise it at the time, but they did invest in you as a person. It wasn’t particularly from there, although I did do some coaching programmes where you learn how to coach people, but it was usually a day training here and there. I think the positive psychology side of it, which is obviously where the strengths-base comes from, in a way I came across it when I was at school because I used to be a swimmer. So, it really came from the sport side of things initially, playing to your strengths and what you’re energised by. And also, the mind set side of things, about how you become a winning athlete. I think that really set me up for perseverance in trying to push the boundaries forward.

SM: How did that come about then? The swimmer in school and learning about the strengths, so concentrating on what you’re good at all the time. Is that right?

DH: Yea, it’s focusing on your strengths, not just what you’re good at but what you’re energised by as well.  That’s why when I look at strengths, that’s the differentiator between a lot of other strengths-based approaches. It’s about where the inner energy comes from as well, where you’re in flow.  So, when you’re at your best you don’t sometimes recognise that you’re good at something, because you can be good at something that you’ve learnt to be good at, but you’re not energised by. So, for myself for instance I can do detail orientation really well, but it really de-energises me if I have to do a lot of it for a period of time.

SM: So, from the bank did you go straight into Co-Creation?

DH: No, first of all, from the bank I went into an Asset Finance company and did project management, both across businesses and IT. So that really enabled me to understand exactly how businesses operated and came together from that perspective, and I found myself in a redundancy situation after about 3 years of doing that. That’s really where I fell into it, because initially I was thinking I was going to do project manager job somewhere else. However, what happened was, as I was going through my out-placement support which helped me go through the process of being made redundant and finding a new job, I also started to help other people through the process because I understood what they’d done in the business. Just coaching them, and I suppose one of my values is about supporting others and helping other people and adding value where I could. And a consultant who was supporting me said, “You’re not bad doing this yourself because you seem to have a natural strength towards it”.

SM: Poaching you, was he?

DH: It meant going self-employed actually, so it meant setting up in business on my own in a completely different industry, which is quite a high risk when you look at your change of industry and change of role as well. But actually, I thought, this is something I can do and I’m passionate about.  I want to help people, I want to help people move forward. So that was really in 2013 when I started my journey. I did it self-employed for about 3 years, and in that time, after about 18 months I actually helped a London based consultancy set up a north west office in Manchester, but it was also a turnaround business as well, so it was making losses. It was on the AIM listed market, so again it was making heavy losses, which isn’t great when you’re on the AIM listed market, so I got involved in the business side of things as well. After about 3 years I became part of their senior management team as an employee. So, I went from being self-employed to an employee. I did that from 2004 but became an employee in 2006, and then I actually left that company in 2012 and set up another consultancy with 3 other people. However, 5 years later it was right for me to come out of that and create Co-Creation.

SM: Isn’t it funny, redundancy kick started me into my entrepreneurial life or business, everybody’s an entrepreneur these days. I always had a scratch that I couldn’t itch, and it was about being self-employed, working for myself. And for me the redundancy thing was, a push is as good as a shove if you like. I don’t know how it affected you at that time, but did the redundancy feel good for you, or was it a difficult thing for you to swallow?

DH: It was a difficult one, because even though they say it wasn’t personal, I knew there were one or two personal reasons why I got chosen to be made redundant, even though they’d got rid of 25% of the business. But equally it was a time when I’d just invested heavily in properties that I couldn’t sell or rent, so there was that financial burden around my neck, and also from working with businesses I knew that the first 18 months to 2 years were going to be tough, which they were. However, I thought, well actually I can work through that, it’s amazing what a driver it can give you when you’re up against it like that. And I thought, well let’s give it a go, let’s make sure that I can give it the best chance I can do. . .

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[dizzyon]

(1) the last book i've read was probably a shadowhunters book hahaha i've enjoyed young adult books, especially with fictional part and i should probably be embarassed about it but honestly, it gave me a new world i could turn to when i didn't like our world and when it felt like i didn't fit in so it worked for me. and i don't really enjoy uni haha because i never knew you could study so much and still feel like you're barely getting through and it's very theoretical in poland but

(2) i think i'd rather not love my uni work and enjoy the rest of my life doing something i can imagine myself doing than the other way around, you know? and i'm actually on my 4th year and still have 1.5 year to go before choosing my specialization. i'm actually quite new on your blog so if you don't mind me asking - you're doing literature, yeah? do you know what you'd like to do in the future? become a teacher or something else? and are you doing an English literature or a dutch one?

Heeey, no, you should absolutely not be embarrassed about that! YA books are great, even my parents still enjoy them, they can be much more fun. And it’s so important they gave you that world. I’m so sorry your degree is that rough, and I get that you’re pushing through to get a job in something you do like, I think that matters a lot too yeah