jonnybaker

the lost art of getting lost

this week i had the absolute joy of catching up with friend lowell sheppard who was in london for a book awards ceremony as his book dare to dream was one of the books in the final selection. he was giving a workshop at the royal geographic society.

i have never been there before and we got a tour as part of it. it's a place with millions of maps, paintings of colonial explorers and their artefacts and so on. we were shown the lecture theatre and this slide was up for a lecture that was happening that evening called 'the lost art of getting lost' which was celebrating 50 years of the bradt guides. hilary bradt is a female explorer.

that of course made me think of getsidetracked as we had the same thought and one of the prompts is GET LOST . it's one of my favourite illustrations and would love it as a t-shirt if and when we get round to doing that (there's another idea for a GET!)

GET LOST says

It’s really hard to get lost these days. So switch off your phone or even better leave it behind. Set yourself a challenge of genuinely getting somewhere where you have no idea where you are. This will sharpen your senses no end. See what you find! It’s worth practicing lostness with low risk so you’re prepared for really being lost. You lose a friend, a job, a home, your health. Whilst you wouldn’t wish these bigger displacements on anyone people often find things they would never have discovered if things had followed the path they had planned. So whether you choose it or it just happens embrace it.

GET SIDETRACKED is an app on creativity with 54 promts - shake your phone for a random GET. search getsidetracked in the apple or android app stores. 

get lost!

shake it!

thanks to those of you who have bought the getsidetracked app. we have just updated to version 1.02 so the shake feature is now working properly. it's a fun way to use the app. shake the phone and you get a random prompt. 

get heretical

the getsidetracked app has a get of the day and i noticed today's is get heretical. this reminded me that iain cotton gave jon (one of the team behind the getsidetracked app who did the illustrations) a gift for his birthday of the get heretical image and prompt carved into slate. it's gorgeous. every line of work or business has an orthodoxy, a usual way of doing things. getting heretical is about suspending that and seeing what happens, what opens up. 

thanks everyone who has downloaded the app - just search getsidetracked on apple or android to find it. love to here how you are using it and especially any stories of how a prompt has worked out. we also have no idea how to promote an app so do tell people about it! thanks to nick who included it in a church of england mailing today which made me smile when i received it. it also made me smile because it arrived on a day when the prompt of the day is get heretical!!!

a sample GET from the app

someone asked to see a bit more of the GETSIDETRACKED app or what exactly is going on there. there are 54 GETS. think if it as a digital deck of cards with 2 jokers. each one is a prompt to help the creative process. each GET has an illustration, a short spiel, a quotation, and an example/story.

here's one by way of example, the title track if you like, GET SIDETRACKED. if you search for books using the word 'sidetracked' they tend to be on how to stop being side tracked and get focused as though it is a problem. whereas counterintuitively for creativity getting sidetracked is something to welcome.

this is the illustration and spiel

here's the quotation and story (which of course in the app simply flows down)

you tap or shake the phone to get a random one of 54 of these but also you can browse the list and find one that connects. or pick the one of the day (see below for some of the GETS and the look and feel of the app). in the about of the app we suggest a few ways it could be used. i have used it in discussion with people about ideas they want to develop for example. it wasn't planned that way but it's a useful coaching tool as well as good for individual or group use. 

the content is short deliberately - it's a phone app so you don't want long spiels but having said that it is distilled from reading multiple books on creativity and the creative process over the years. the thinking behind it is that lots of people assume creativity is a gift you have or don't but we think it's more like a muscle that can grow with use and that there are ways of helping people engage and develop that muscle. the prompts are hopefully that and will help get the creative juices flowing. we'd love to hear how it sparks or develops any ideas if you use it. hope that helps.

 

getsidetracked app is live

i have made an app together with jon birch and joel baker, partners in getsidtracked. it's a practical and fun app for creative thinking. tap or shake your phone and get a prompt to spark you. this is the blurb

This app is designed to help you think creatively with a series of 54 prompts. Tap, hold or shake for a random “GET” or browse through them to find the one that catches the moment. Many people see creative thinking as the preserve of a minority of ‘creatives’ or artists. They think you either have the gift or you don’t. They don’t imagine they have it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Creativity is for everyone. It’s a muscle everyone can exercise and it strengthens with use. There are quite simple processes and creative-thinking techniques that anyone can use. Then the process of creative thinking invariably encounters blocks on the way. It’s common to get stuck. But there are methods you can use to overcome them. The 54 prompts in this app are a mix of those processes, techniques and methods distilled down into a fun and user-friendly format.

Creativity is a way of being, a way of relating to your life. Thinking creatively can transform your life. We hope the Getsidetracked app helps you do just that.

you may remember it was due to be launched a year ago at greenbelt festival. well better late than never!

i am very into creativity and have a whole shelf of books on it. the app is simple. each card is a 'get' with an image, spiel, quote and story of about 200 words in total. there is a lot of thinking distilled into it. it is available for both apple and android and it will cost you £1.99 .

if you do download it and even better use it we'd love to hear what you think and any stories of how it might have helped your creative process. we have never done an app before so also have no idea how to promote one so do telly your friends and any influencers you know!

here's a few screens from it to give you the idea.

and as i say each prompt is a 'get...' this one is 'get interrupted for example which i love so much i want it on a t-shirt. watch this space as we may actually do that in due course.

GET interrupted

had fun yesterday at a screenprint workshop at print club london - a present from jen for christmas. i took a design from a forthcoming app on creativity which we are working on at GETsidetracked . i know i said it would be out last summer but we will get there. this image is from the prompt 'GET interrupted' - a key thing in the creative process. they came out wonderfully well - thanks to joel for the idea for this image and jon for drawing it. i wasn't expecting this but i now have a limited edition print run numbered 1-7 which feels very artist like!

half price pioneer practice

pioneer practice is a full colour coffee table book that you can dive into anywhere - a mix of stories, articles, how tos. it's the distilled wisdom of what i have learned over a decade of working with pioneers at cms. if you have an idea and want to get started - perfect. the discount code is PPFIFTY and it works for both print and download. order here

2024 we hope will be the year the next getsidetracked project finally lands!

see you at greenbelt

it's greenbelt's fiftieth over the bank holiday weekend - I have been to over 40 of those which is a weird thought. it's one of the most consistent things in my whole life. and my life is the better for it in so many ways. hope to see you there!

if you are there CMS are helping run the exchange venue - so come and find me there. love to catch up for a coffee or beer. we are hosting a gathering for pioneers at 6:30pm sat night so consider yourself invited.

i am personally taking part in two things - first up i have been developing an app with fellow conspirators jon and joel as our second getsidetracked project. the app will (i am 99% sure) be in the app store by greenbelt and will be called getsidetracked - i am searching on that every day expecting it to land any moment). it's a fun app on creativity designed to help spark the creative process - i'll blog about that separately once it's live. i am on a panel called tech for good in the exchange on friday at 12 noon and will be talking about the app. out of that panel we will taking an idea forward to a hackathon to be coded so that all sounds good fun.

the second is that i am on a panel on sun evening chaired by martin wroe at 7pm in treehouse called it's not me it's you and the blurb for that is as follows:

How come so many of us have broken up with church? We take part less and less often. Or not at all. It used to be part of our lives… until it wasn’t. What’s your story? Why did you call time on the institution ? Was it you? Was it ‘church’? What do you do instead? Marika Rose, Dave Tomlinson, Jonny Baker and others listen to your stories and reflect on your experience.

pioneer practice portsmouth feb 18th

delighted to say that we are taking pioneer practice to portsmouth on 18 feb - info and tickets available here

 

pioneer practice now available as a download

we created pioneer practice to be a designed printed book, a coffee table book, full colour, lovely to hold and read and dip into kind of book, the kind of book you feel would not be out of place in the tate modern bookshop. so we resisted selling it as a digital book. but over a year on and we think it's time to make it available as a download. because the layout is so much the book it is available as a pdf (not as ebook or kindle). it looks fabulous on screen on an ipad or laptop with the luminosity of the screen. it is available from getsidetracked.co for £10. of course this is good news internationally - far easier than the cost and impact of posting round the world. enjoy!

luton hat factory arts centre - july's pioneer practice venue

looking forward to the next stop on the tour which is the last before a break over august. i'll be in luton at the hat factory arts centre on july 16. i like that the header of the arts centre web site says 'dream it you must' - indeed i couldn't agree more. there is a workshop in the afternoon and an evening social with food. come to one or other or ideally both. hope to see you there if you are anywhere nearby.

 

deja vu

just when you have cleared your house of books a second print run arrives and refills the lounge! seriously i am so chuffed to have had to do a second print run of pioneer practice - thank you so much everyone who has cheered me on and/or bought a copy. 

stafford, leicester, brighton, sheffield - june tour dates

the pioneer practice tour has passed the half way point. it's been brilliant connecting with the wider network, meeting pioneers, hearing stories. this is me in a cafe at poole harbour sat catching some sun on what was a glorious summer day before diving into the fray there.

one of the lovely stories there was how a simple idea of a few raised beds and a bench has created community in a street. this is the bench.

the next gigs are all on the tour page with links to register and get tickets under each location - stafford, leicester, brighton, sheffield are in june. we'd love to see you there. they are all double acts with me and gav this month. they all have evenings too with a chance to get some food and conversation as well as the tour stuff. i confess i am doubly excited that we are visiting candid beer in stafford which was an idea brought to our make good week by mark bamping, and we get to visit new lubbesthorpe where sue steer has been building community in a new housing area since before the very first house was built and she has done an amazing job. looking forward to all the venues i should add!

i have now cracked into the very last box of books from the first print run which feels amazing - thank you so much everyone who has bought it. so we have now ordered a second print run which feels very exciting for our very first project from getsidetracked. they will arrive in time for the june leg of the tour - june here we come (via anglesey of course).

newcastle, bristol, yeovil, poole

new york london, paris, munich everybody talk about mmm... ok showing my age and if you get the reference you are too - pop musik by m in case you were wondering.

not quite those locations but this week pioneer practice heads to newcastle and bristol. it's not too late to sign up. love to see you there. the week after i am heading south west - i'll be in yeovil and poole. all the dates are on the tour page here.

going on tour with pioneer practice!

i am really excited to be able to share that i will be heading off on tour with pioneer practice. gavin mart, a fellow pioneer, musician, poet will be joining me. the poster above is the current state of play but will no doubt evolve. but we will keep the tour page on getsidetracked up to date with links to booking pages for events as they land. some are day time, some are evening and some are doing both! 

we are in hull and york and chelmsford in march so if you are anywhere near those do sign up, come along - love to see you.

the book pioneer practice is about seeing possibility, dreams, ideas of how things could be better or new or different. and then making something happen out of that seeing. the events will be practically focused with a mix of stories, exercises, poetry, songs, conversation, inspiration and encouragement. ideal if you are interested in pioneering or in encouraging others who are. and ideal If you are new as it will be an opportunity to reflect on how to get started and explore your god given ideas. and if you have been pioneering a while it will give you some encouragement and practical wisdom for the journey you are already on. it is also a given that it will be a great chance to connect with others interested in pioneering. 

if you are interested in hosting and there isnlt anything near you then give me a shout as we are open to more dates.

and before anyone mentions it yes i do feel like i am treading in the shoes of harry baker. i'll have a merch bag and everything! 

change - last in the pioneer practice webinar series this thursday

on thursday it is the final in my pioneer practice webinar series. i remember last year the series i did took over my january and this year's been no different but it's been fun and so many people have turned out! i have three guests - ed walker, betsy blatchley and tina hodgett. we'll be exploring change both in terms of how you create change in the world but also how you navigate systems or the powers that be which seem resistant to change. i'll be interviewing the guests and doing some exercises - one of the exercises will be trickster's wheel of ruses that i have created for a photo group i'm in but it's so good i want to try it out on the guests! 

it's not too late to register and if you do you'll get sent links to the first three webinars to watch. hope to see you there. 

i apologise that i have not managed to get my act together for any other blog entries since starting the webinars but i'll get back on it including an exciting announcement.

build - webinar 3 this thursday

this thursday is the third in the webinar series on pioneer practice. the answer above is from a survey i did asking what tools help you in pioneering. build is this week's theme. i have three guests - one to talk about building a congregation, one a social enterpise based out of a church and one a business for good. they are idina dunmore, meg fry and steve baker. do join - you can register here. i keep getting asked if people can see previous weeks - the answer is yes you will get sent links to those if you are registered.

see - week 2 of pioneer practice this thurs evening

thank you so much everyone who came along to last week's webinar and especially the guests. the chat was buzzing! in the poll of which of 5 things best described those present in relation to pioneering the top answer was 'seeing and imagining new possibilities'. so i am delighted to say that 'see' is the theme of week two where we will be exploring how you see possibilities, come up with ideas and use imagination. i have four guests this week related to three projects. susannah baker and khadeja, sue steer, and anna hembury. come and hear their inspiring stories of practice. i am looking forward to it.

if you missed week 1 you are still really welcome. register here and you will be sent the webinar info the day before. and you will get sent a link to week 1 so you can catch up should you wish to though no pressure to do so. hope to see you there. the series is a partnership between church mission society and heartedge.

be you - pioneer practice webinar week 1 this thursday

i am really looking forward to the pioneer practice webinar series. week 1 is exploring the idea of be you (and as it's the first an intro to pioneering and how you might get started). i have three guests joining me. it will be informal, chat show style. it's free to join - register here and if you do register you'll get links to any weeks you miss. 

the series will follow the four themes i explore in the book pioneer practice - be you, see, build, change. it's a partnership between cms and heartedge.

webinar series is back in january - pioneer practice

last january i ran a series of four webinars just imagine exploring creativity and imagination which was a lot of fun. i am pleased to say i am hosting another series this january on pioneer practice. it's a partnership with heartedge and the guests and conversations will explore the themes of pioneer practice and the areas heartedge focus on. register here (it's free). the dates are

• 13 January: Be You
• 20 January: See
• 27 January: Build
• 3 February: Change

here's the blurb...

As a pioneer, you see something — a possibility, an idea, a way that things could be better or new of different. Then you make something happen out of what you see.

This webinar series explores over four weeks how pioneering happens in practice. Its focus is how things happen on the ground. Each week Jonny will have two or three guests and get into the gritty day to day of how they pioneer. It’s ideal for you if you have started something or if you have an inkling or an idea you want to explore and get started. It would also be really useful to attend with a couple of others who you might pioneer something with. If you are a church leader it would be great for you too and do think of people in your church who might have the pioneer gift, whether they know it or not, and encourage them to come along.

That idea might be starting a new Congregation — the Church of England, for example, is encouraging every parish to pioneer one. It might also be an idea related to Compassion in your community. It might be related to Comerce as a way of making good in the world through enterprise. Or it might be related to Culture. These are the four Cs of the HeartEdge network.

recordings will be made available for those signed up to the series so if you can't make a session you can catch up. hope to see you there!

register here