Together In Electric Dreams

  Wow what a year that was, it flew by. The kids seem taller every day (or maybe I’m shrinking). That old cliche they grow up so fast reminds me of Elf. It’s one of my fav Christmas movies which goes on repeat in the Raeburn house every year and it's guaranteed to have me shooting drink out of my nose from laughter. Will Ferrell stars as Buddy the elf, accidentally transported to the north pole as a child and raised by elves and feeling like he doesn't fit in (the shower scene is comedy gold) he heads into New York in search of his real father Walter Hobbs (played by James Cann). Hilarity ensues as Buddy gets accustomed to human life, falls in love and meets Santa! Buddy was meant to stand out, it’s part of his charm and it reminded me of something. Being ourselves is key to building a personal brand. One thing I have been a whole lot more conscious of this year is stopping comparing myself to others. I actually feel that new years resolutions are actually detrimental to our me...

  I’m sat here in my warm office, my tears splashing on the keyboard as I type (these are happy ones mind you). When the lockdown happened I struggled a lot, struggled with family commitments and balancing work, struggled with my mental health (I had a pretty big breakdown and came to terms with certain untold truths about myself). This past year hasn't been easy either but I feel like I have accomplished a lot with myself and one of the main components of this, is this beautiful book. Which sits next to me on my desk. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. If you haven't read it I urge you to go order a copy right now! I’ll be waiting here till you get back... Oh that was quick (good old Amazon eh). Good let’s carry on. It’s a tale about an inquisitive boy, a mole who's enthusiastic but a little bit greedy, a fox who's been so hurt he is withdrawn from life (he's an old friend) slow to trust but wants to be a part of all things, and the horse ...

  I’m a Gen Xe'r, I was around when the sweet sound of dial up rang in my ears like angelic trumpets, I can remember floppy disks and Walkmans (smell the nostalgia). I watched as the Internet bubble expanded and popped and what was left standing was a few giants. I’m old enough to remember Netscape Navigator (I popped my Internet cherry on this bad boy, it was messy, but my god it was fun). Excite, Alta Vista and Yahoo! Remember those? One of these hulking behemoths started by Larry page and Sergey Brin has now become ubiquitous with the word search. You know you've made it when your brand becomes the actual term. We no longer searched for things on the internet we "Googled" them.  But how much the world has changed since those early internet highways. Little villages are springing up, and those villages are becoming booming towns and cities and they want the search to just be inside their little eco bubble thank you very much. The internet is more fragmented than eve...