Combined Mind – The Creative Matrix
The easy part of creating something is the idea itself. How many have been born in a pub only to wither away into the ether with the passage of time? There is no getting away from the fact that somewhere along the line hard work, will power and determination will be involved no matter how good the idea or how talented you are. So when you witness something come to life and flourish, having become aware of its existence around the time of conception you feel a certain pride and affinity towards it. And this only increases and intensifies when you truly believe in the quality and potential of the concept as well as the talents and skills of its creators.
I first became aware of Combined Mind on one of the endless Big Brother shifts I was working on. There had been whispers and conspiratory glances amongst a couple of the directors – primarily James Abadi and Jake Taylor – as they passed notes to each other and spoke in hushed reverential tones. Slowly word spread that a small group of people were making a bid for freedom, that this idea and concept could actually come to life and whisk them away from the endless hours of boredom and creative drudgery. As it grew and developed we looked on in envy and disbelief until we could no longer deny that Combined Mind may actually survive beyond the back of an envelope stage and become a living breathing presence in all our lives.
And this too is essentially Combined Mind‘s raison d’être. To bring ideas to life, to provide a team of people – doctors and midwives – who will come together and allow your idea to live and breathe, kicking and screaming, beyond the first few tenuous moments of conception that take place during a drunken exchange in the pub.
A couple of weeks ago their website went live after months of existing solely in the worlds of Facebook and Twitter. There are already nearly 300 members with skills ranging from producers to film directors, from writers to actors, from caterers to interpreters and from web designers to 3D animators. There are even people on it who class themselves as investors – such a rare and shy breed of person.
Essentially, if you have a creative bone in your body or have any interest whatsoever in the world of arts and the processes that surround the production of film, television, music, the written word, exhibitions, games or performances (to name a few) you should visit the website and register. Those behind Combined Mind will bring together a hand picked team of all the people and skills required to bring an idea to life, pooling together all their resources and years of experience in the various creative industries they have worked in. They also bring with them first hand experience in giving birth to an idea, turning it into a reality, finding funding and finding the courage to walk away from a reasonably safe, secure and familiar environment into one that is unknown and full of uncertainties, yet full of promise and excitement.
Yes, I have witnessed something come to life and flourish, yes I was aware of its conception, yes I feel a pride and affinity towards it and yes I believe in its potential and in the talent and skills of its creators. So yes, I am biased when I say you should register and join Combined Mind. I have. And I will be putting together an idea and looking to them to help me bring it to life and fund it.
I will let you know how I get on.
