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Do we limit the expectations of service users from our own ideas of what they are capable of?

We learn and grow by making mistakes. By listening, observing and trying out things, then reflecting on them, we figure out what works and what doesn’t. Then we use our assumption about why something did or didn’t work and build on that to continue to improve.

‘Failure is not a cataclysmic event. It doesn’t happen overnight. Instead it is a few errors in judgment, repeated, that occur every day.’ Jim Rohn

Matter is an online community for young adult carers which has been created by Carers Trust. The Carers Trust works to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems. With its Network Partners, it aims to ensure that information, advice and practical support are available to all carers across the UK.

I sat down today to write about goats, but that will have to wait for another time. Instead I got diverted into the power, and pull, of a blank page. As I sat musing about where to start, or how to frame my piece, I found myself procrastinating. If only procrastination were an Olympic sport, or a skill available for endorsement on LinkedIn, I feel my value in the world would be considerably richer than it currently is, but I digress.

In my daily work, I research new models to support disabled people. I am passionate about the move towards choice and control for people with disabilities.

I consider myself a bit of a magpie; a bit of a scavenger when it comes to research: I’m opportunistic, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial.  My current design research projects are varied; one explores how digital technologies can help people engage with the arts, another is about using design to help the government procure better services, which I recently presented in Helsinki, and another is about the role design plays in innovation. A broad range of projects. All design research. So what’s the relevance of these kinds of projects to social services?

My thoughts so far:

I've always had a passion for the arts - whether it's music, visual art, or performance art. I’ve spent most of my career working in adult social care training and development. I've always said that being a trainer is a bit like being a writer and a performer and that the more you can entertain people when you are teaching the more they are likely to learn.

One aspect of my job is writing the code behind websites. It can be a hugely satisfying job but at the same time a very solitary one, struggling to solve a bug can sometimes take many hours and when solved there’s almost always no one who knows that you’ve been struggling.

One thing that helps me concentrate is listening to music. It’s not that I find the office too noisy or even that I’m easily distracted (which I am really). I just like good tunes.

“Poetry and hums aren’t things which you get. They’re things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you”. (Milne, 1928)

Everyone deserves music is the title of a conference I’ll be chairing end of April (Community music conference, Gateshead, 29 April). It’s also a good slogan. Music is the way we express our identity and how we relate to the world, especially where the written or spoken word is inadequate or unavailable. As human beings we need music just as we need food, shelter and warmth.