it’s about me,
– which it shouldn’t be. If you are employing someone, better do so for what they can do for you, not what they tell you about themselves.
However, having said that; now you’re here, I’m not about to hide anything.
I live with my wife Ania and our twin teenage kids. We spend most of the summer months in the Polish Beskid Mountains and our winters housesitting – usually somewhere warmer. We homeschool the twins who share our love of world-exploring.
In 2018, I moved from a four-decade international career as an architect and senior manager in the design and procurement of major construction projects, to concentrate on my lifetime loves of illustration and travel. I also realised that with decades of experience in a complex contractual profession I had developed strong interpersonal skills – not just for construction but about the whole trick of enjoying being productive.
My interests beyond illustration, storytelling, and family, are food, travel, music, film, recreational maths, science/philosophy, and visual art.
I love all kinds of beautiful things; abstract and physical; natural and manufactured.
Extracts from reviews posted on Linked in
Nick was . . . successful in building a strong relationship with the client, he maintained rapport with the contractor and was well-liked by his team. It was a pleasure to work under his leadership and truly quite a learning experience for me.
I truly admire Nick’s ability in setting a straight track through simple and clear communication which made it easy for the team to follow. He is an ambassador for simplicity and innovation.
Nick is a top class professional . . . even in difficult situations.
He steers the team to achieve successful handling of the workload, but in the same time provides friendly support for his team members in their personal issues where he can and when he is asked to.
My Values and Reflections
Health and Happiness – for the individual, those are the only two things that matter. Happiness embodies both the joy of the moment and a longer term self-esteem born from delivering whatever contribution we want to make. The right balance for me is more towards the longterm, but I wouldn’t put a percentage on it.
Contentment is a great friend. It lives in the things we do, not the things we have.
Anger and fear are interesting emotions, acceptance and self reflection on those feelings can be the most telling exercises on the path to emotional maturity.
Violence and threats of violence, whether at a personal level or a tribal/national level are either failures of diplomacy, or failures of character.
I have discovered that the only things I can change are the things that I do. I’m not a successful persuader, and it’s a waste of time to complain about the behaviour of others.
My only regrets are actions I have taken under intimidation. I know my values and my meta-value is to be true to them.
I have been a good leader and mentor, but only in the last quarter of my career.
In the global age: Open-minded is good. Tribalism is bad. History and news are both negative influences and carry a risk of entrenching tribal prejudices. I take them both in small doses with a big supplement of scepticism.
Money is a unit of exchange. That’s it. If I have more, that doesn’t make me better or worse than you. I don’t understand why money has such vast power over so many people. Some believe they wield that power, but they only do so to the extent that others buy into their story. Even then, it’s the money that has the power, not the people holding it.
In the analysis of options, and when searching for strategies, scepticism is wiser than faith, but when we find something or somebody we trust, a bit of faith is a wonderful thing.
There is no Planet B. The most inhospitable environment on Earth is far cosier than the most comfortable spot on the best exoplanet.
My Visions and Aspirations
I aspire to a culture of creativity, growth, diversity, inclusivity and appreciation.
A positive future for this world. Enjoyable, enriching, broadminded and encouraging.
Embrace creative, exploratory, curiosity-driven inclusive endeavour, both artistic and scientific.
Within the boundary of truth to my values, I aspire to live in the moment, enjoying whatever I find myself involved in – doing it well – rather than living in frustration, wishing I could be doing something else.
Better to do simple things with excellent style than draw a mediocre result from magnificent intentions.
My Mission
To lead from the front; by example.
To spend the majority of my productive time practicing what I enjoy and what I’m good at. To spend the balance growing, learning, and exploring to expand that range of skills.
Search for angles on life that aren’t obvious – speak at different levels, and from different aspects. The sensual child, the intellectual geek and the contextual explorer.
Keep busy – Being productive is the best tonic for melancholy.
To add value to my own and to humanity’s stories by the enrichment of life, fun, and character.
To share what joy I find in life. This isn’t a zero sum game, the more we share the more we get.
I didn’t say preach it, I said share it. There’s a big difference.
To pay forward; to enable others to develop within themselves positive values that I have spent a lifetime learning.
Site and content copyright Nick James
2020-23
