We’re making the rounds with our esteemed Alumni and bumped into Tim Rayner from Philosophy for Change and had some (not-so) surprising conversations about collaboration, innovation and what will be fostering the next big movement in human potential and creativity.

It seems Tim has become his own scribe, viciously scribbling down all the thoughts that pop into his ideaosphere these days. Tim has returned to his passions. Writing has always been the outlet that Tim has used to focus his energy and direct his actions towards the things that matter most. Writing has fueled most of his career as he was a bit of an overachiever in his Uni days while attaining his Masters and PhD. Tim revels in the discussion and debate of old philosophy, new ideas and endless possibilities.

So it seems only normal that his return to writing be something big, something...monumental. Something that he has been pouring over and talking about for the last few years and not even known that all of it had the possibility to become his masterpiece. Tim is excited, and he has us excited just talking about his plans for the future.

Q & A SESSION

What have you been doing since you spoke at Idea Bombing? Exciting projects? New adventures?

(Tim has a laugh) Well, I've got good news and bad news. Good news is, I am writing a book! Bad news is, I am writing a book. I've decided to return to my passion: writing. I'm working on a book around Collaborative Innovation. I like telling stories, and I want to tell Sydney's stories, about all the cool co-creative and collaborative things happening within Sydney spanning the professional world, public sphere and academia.

Now that we know you love to write (and we are crazy jealous!), how do you get into a good rhythm for writing? Any tricks for good writing, work ethic, etc?

For me, routine is very important. That and time. It takes me a couple of days to get into flow, writing-wise. If I can block out a few days and organise my time into a strict routine, the muses come visit. They don’t drop by enough.

Another thing I’d stress is planning. Lots of it. I need to develop a good plan that inspires me. Sometimes I’ll write a plan, stick it to the wall, and let it gestate for a while. When I feel that plan calling to me, I’m ready to write.

Cool!! How do people keep in touch and stay up to date with how the book is going?

I'll be using Twitter to post some teasers every now and then. Stay tuned @TimRayner01!

Have you been inspired by anyone doing great things in Sydney? Anything uber cool you’d like to give us the scoop on?

I've had some really interesting conversations, and probably way too many coffees, with a guy named Ian Love who is the CEO of Go-Givers Australia. Ian really impressed me with his philosophy behind giving. It may sound simple enough but it can be quite rare int he world these days. Ian has brought together the statistics on this practiced philosophy and it seems that giving can not only enrich your life an fulfill you in ways that no other activity or action can, but it also has a tendency to be an extremely profitable way to conduct business and foster professional relationships. It leaves you with a startling question you ask yourself every morning, “How can I add value to people’s lives today?”

MIND BLOWN.

There is also a gent named Dave Wahl, who is UX Designer with Pixel Alchemy. He spearheaded a project called “Gifter” that recently got turned into an App and he is trying to use this app to turn big companies onto this gift giving culture. Very cool stuff.

Sooo, with all this gifting and giving...why didn't we get a Christmas gift this year Tim??  Aaaahhhh, just kidding...just kidding

(Tim shakes his head and laughs)

On a more serious note, What could the City of Sydney and Australian Government be doing to help ensure design, creativity and the arts are fundamental priorities in establishing Sydney as a great city?

I’m a big fan of hackathons and designathons. What I love about them is that they engage people in collaborative innovation, often in the name of important causes. I’m helping out with a series of designathons at the moment called SwitchFest, organised by the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation. The plan is to bring together corporations, research scientists, social entrepreneurs, and the general public to tackle some major challenges. This is a great way to foster creativity in the city. I’d like to see lots more of it.

What are some of your goals for 2015, both personal and with your business? What is ahead for you this year?

Getting an agent and publishing this book!