I am snook
Hello! It has been over a month since I went offline to begin a new adventure. Closing my blog and twitter account for a while just felt like the right thing to do, Redjotter has become more than I ever imagined it could be, opening my mind and challenging my perspective on what it means to be a Service Designer in ways I never thought possible. I am humbled and excited that students and educators from all over the world are keen to hear about my online 'journey' and I hope I can continue to share this with all of you via The Studio Unbound.
Now that MyPolice is grown up and officially a ‘business’ it was time for Sarah and me to become an official company. We chose to create an ‘umbrella concept’ that MyPolice can live under. MyPolice is my main focus, it is what I work on every day. Nevertheless, we wanted to develop an identity to convey the ethos of MyPolice and what we believe can happen when designers work with public services...
I would like to introduce you all to Snook:
"The idea is a simple one.
We just want to change the world.
Snook is all about the power of people.
Sure, we are young. We may not have run a business before. And we may never fully understand what indemnity and grey market mean.
But, we do know how to make people listen to us. We do know how to get a community to speak up about what's important to them with lollipops. And we know how to bring change to a closed organisation with a few pages of newsprint and red felt tips.
We are part of a new movement; a shift in ways of seeing and ways of being.
You can follow us on twitter at @wearesnook
We hope you are as curious as us as to what Snook might become…"
As part of our 30 day social media rehab Sarah and me wrote letters to each other to develop our thinking about what we wanted Snook to be. Hand written letters have always enchanted me, I spent a year designing 'Douceurs' ; a service that enabled people to send letters to their future, intended to capture the beauty, simplicity and personal touch of traditional communication methods. This time around, our letters were to each other in the present day, each letter answering and asking a new question. They are all available to read on our site.
What a month. Alot of learning that went on, out of my past year in this space this month was really different. It was a time of the unknown, conflicts, newness and amazing conversations. For me personally this past month and this year end marks the beginning of the year ahead as a fully fledged entrepreneur.
I was uneasy about giving myself such a 'title' but people often ask me "What is it about being a designer that has helped you to be so naturally entrepreneurial?" and "Have you always been entrepreneurial?" and the truth is I think I have been. When I discovered the world of 'service design' I knew the job I wanted didn't exist yet. I have suddenly found myself interviewing employees, generating cash flows and signing too many forms to count. It feels a bit like a crash course but I am loving every minute of it.
Joining up in all its forms has happened, is happening, and I hope it will happen even more in the future. I have met incredible people with ideas so good they give me goosebumps. I am on a mission to practice what I have been preaching and win the hearts and minds of those who are in charge of putting my ideas into effect. With Sarah by my side, I believe we can do it.
Coming offline gave me space to reflect on what Redjotter means to me, in terms of what has been and what lies ahead. It also made me value and appreciate the online network I am part of. Thank you to everyone who asked me to come back online, wrote to me to and text me instead of tweeting me.
Last year I offered you all winter wishes, this year I think we should all put some of our Christmas spirit into jars and open a jar of it every month...