Media Enterprise

The Art of Networking – Focus on giving not getting

Hai Nguyen — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:34:25 +0000

It was interesting Cultural Entrepreneurship session today with the discussion about network sociality of cultural workers. Successful networking can generate lucrative leads for your business and help you to build long-term relationships with your clients.

The Art of Networking

COTTAGE AND ROSES, Laptops and Music

Emmanuel Appenteng — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:07:47 +0000

So as part of my project, i made a trip to meet different writers. I met writers who have been doing this for over twenty years and some who are just starting out. I met those who do it as a hobby and students who are considering enrolling on writing course, but i never forgot to ask the moderator, Lynn Davies, who has written for over twenty years why he chooses not to stay in Birmingham but rather the country side. His response, i like to come to the city but my feeling is some of us writers may sometimes be called unsocial beings because we choose to be far away from everybody else.
In this modern days it is easy to have your music on and perhaps some glass of wine whilst being creative but i learnt something yesterday. The purity of great works like Shakespeare still leaves us in awe of their creative power without all the modern enhancements of laptops, music and chilled drinks.
I have often found out that sometimes the creative thoughts could happen to me whilst i am in the shower, even though it means i usually will stay under the shower much longer to bask in the purity of ideas, i am also mindful that by the time i have gotten myself ready to sit behind a laptop some of the ideas my ideas may have dissapeared. Perhaps one day they may have voice recorders that can work under water and i am pretty sure that i would be among the first to be in the queue to buy it. Other times the inspiration comes from talking to someone and me knowing that i am writing something in my head. The space of getting to a laptop for me can always be the timing where the greatest lose comes. You never know, if there were roses near my home, i may only have to keep the sweet smells of a flower in my head or even behold its beauty in my eyes long enough to have myself by a PC. I am uploading a picture of Shakespeare’s house in Stratford upon Avon which interesting has some flowers. I sure will love to ask him if some of the greatest works were inspired by his surrounding. But after speaking to some of the writers, it became apparent to me that it is always not a black and white with everybody. They always are grey areas. Inspiration may come to us all in many ways. I guess i may have to try Karen’s way and see.

Davos Annual Meeting 2010 – Business Leadership for the 21st Century

Hai Nguyen — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:08:51 +0000

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter F. Drucker

Interesting to know how Top Leaders in the world think about Business Leadership for the 21st Century.

Davos Annual Meeting 2010 – Business Leadership for the 21st Century

The Creative Process of Karen Patel

Karen Patel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:25:37 +0000

Out lecture this week was concerned with managing creative teams. Chris Bilton’s reading was particularly illuminating with regards to ‘creative brokering’ – stimulating communication between members, understanding their creative processes and using their personal traits to encourage a creative synergy between them.

Annette asked us to think about our own creative process, so here is mine:

Far from Emmanuel’s romantic envisioning of the writer in a cottage, I work best in my square room in a semi-detached student house in Perry Barr. The absence of cavity wall insulation means I write and design under the comforting heat of a £15 halogen heater from One Stop Shopping Centre.

Many magazine designers use Apple Macs, but I am happy with my laptop. When I am designing pages I have to listen to music, which I usually listen to through Spotify. Favoured artists are of the easy-listening ilk, such as Erykah Badu, India.Arie, Dwele or if i’m in a more commercial mood, Mariah Carey (don’t laugh). I rarely plan or sketch out pages; I first think of the colours I want to use, then the heading font (which takes a while), then the pictures, and finally the text.

When writing or reading, I can’t listen to music. A few of my friends used to handwrite their assignments on paper, but I can’t do this either. I tend to just type whatever comes into my head and then read over it afterwards, but I don’t proof-read too much because I’ll stop concentrating.

I take breaks regularly, and like to get away from my room when doing so. Rather than step outside the cottage and sniff roses, I go into the out house downstairs. The outhouse is beautifully adorned with graffiti, permanent marker scrawlings and moss, with the odd slug for company if it is raining. There is also a beautiful pool outside, which has been created by a blockage in the outdoor drain. Such surroundings may not be thought of as a stimulus for creativity, but you would be surprised.

Entrepreneurship: Nature vs Nurture?

Hai Nguyen — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:38:02 +0000

Very interesting debate about the root of entrepreneurship. Personally, I also believe we all have entrepreneurship DNA within us. Some explore and develop it, some don’t. Training & experiences are part of process of turning entrepreneurship into what we dreamed or wanted to achieve. In my case, it is more nurture side than nature side. My parents never started up their own business, so did my grandfather, grandmother and my sisters and I don’t remember any of my close relative having their own business either. Does it mean that I do not have entrepreneurship DNA and that I should not start up business myself? I learned how to do business from every sources of life, education, friends, living experiences, working and I wanted to do own business – are these enough for me to be an entrepreneur?

I found this debate is very interesting and honestly I don’t know what is right. I just believe that I also can be an entrepreneur if I want enough and have enough knowledge and experience to do that. Would be interesting to know how you think about this.

Entrepreneurship: Nature vs Nurture?