It was great to catch up with Jon Prest, aka Brand Master Flash, this evening, and chat about how we are coping under lockdown, and what we are doing to keep our routines going, while also thinking about adapting. Jon introduced me to the concept of ikigai, and how we can use it to manage our flow and improve our mindfulness. We chatted about running, and whether we will ever be able to get back to the pub any time soon. Jon is passionate about design and branding and explained how he is reviewing his design agency, Seed Creativity to ensure that it follows the principles of customer centric planning by improving conversion centric design flows. We also talked about removing the gubbins from our working lives, and making things easier by working more efficiently.

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While I didn’t get up this morning to listen to the dawn chorus, because that would have meant dragging myself out of bed at 5am, I did spend some time sitting on my doorstep listening to the sounds of my street. It’s amazing how the birds have really gained space to be heard during the lockdown, and the variety of sounds from them was captivating. I had placed my recorded on the top of my wheelie bin, but it wasn’t solid enough for a clear recording, and I didn’t realise it was raining, so the little clicks are the sound of light rain on the bin lid. I’ve taken the gain level up as much as I can, so there is a fair amount of hiss. I’ll keep practising and see if I can capture some more effective recordings.

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This afternoon I’ve been chatting with John Halker, who is a psychotherapist and app developer. We chatted about how we are keeping busy during the lockdown, and what media and music we are distracting ourselves with. John explained why he dislikes joggers who can’t social distance, and I talked about how the praise for heroes misses the point about having proper systems of social support in place. 

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I’ve been chatting with my friend Jay Sykes, who is an audio drama producer and writer, who is based in Sunderland. We chatted about how he is coping with the lockdown, what he’s been watching on Netflix, how he’s getting on with his cats, and how he’s managed to find some time to get some writing done.

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There are many different ways for us to cope with the lockdown. I wanted to find out how my sister, Jackie Crawford has been coping. It’s a mixture of Beatles songs, Carry On movies and gardening apparently.

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This evening I’ve been chatting with Leon Barton and Russell Todd about how they have been managing during the lockdown, and what they have been doing to keep themselves occupied while they are based at home. Leon is based in Innsbruck in Austria, and Russell is in Cardiff, Wales. We chatted about our coping strategies, what music we are listening to, and how we are keeping connected with our families and friends.

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The lockdown is affecting all countries across Europe, and to get a sense of what the mood is like in Lithuania I spoke with Jurgis Masilonis, who is an audio engineer based in Vilnius. We chatted about the way he is coping with the lockdown, what his creative response has been like, and how he thinks the music community in the city will respond after the restrictions has been eased. Jurgis uses Instragram to share his experience living in the city, and he’s put together a Spotify playlist of some of the bands that he has worked with and that he likes coming out of the local music scene.

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This is the first Distraction Therapy Podcast. I wanted the chance to do something more persona and to connect with people who have something valuable to share about how they are coping with the coronavirus lockdown. I’ve known Eric for over twenty years, and he has one of the best engineering minds around. So I wanted to find out what Eric thinks about our present situation and how things might change in the future as we look to build a more sustainable, resilient and less risky global society. You can contact Eric via LinkedIn.

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I’ve spent more time this week wandering around Leicester city centre, watching people and looking for sounds and images. I’ve put together a music playlist from the tracks that I’ve been hearing while I’ve been out and about. The weather has been cold, and the short days make everything look gloomy. I’m not a winter person. Once the Christmas period is over I always feel better. The promise of longer days and more sunlight. In the meantime I’ll keep drinking plenty of coffee.

Iggy Pop – Loves Missing

Michael Kiwanuka – Hero

Four Tet – There is Love in You

Coldplay – Amsterdam

Subjective Feast, Featuring Aaron Janik – Act 1: Music for Inanimate Objects

The Chemical Brothers – Wide Open

Adam F – Metropolis

Foul Play – Being with You (Foul Play Remix)

Richard Skelton – Altar Valley

Olga Wojiciechowska – I’m Never Not Thinking About You

Fujiya Miyagi – Flashback

Alexandre Desplat – Everything Will be Fine OST

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I’ve put together a podcast with some sounds I’ve collected in Leicester, and a mix of some music I’ve been listening to over the last couple of day.

Tracklist:

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