Share Your Story: The Bright Green Penguin Story so far

Share Your Story: The Bright Green Penguin Story so far

As you may know, I started Share Your Story's Live A Good Story back in Jan, and have been working on it ever since (missed Feb meet up due to family emergency) & March meet is coming up soon

 http://www.sysbrighton.co.uk/

In preparation for that, want to think what I want to achieve, my three goals were

1. Finding a job in Brighton

2. Setting up a project for Bright Green Penguin (will be known as BGP from now on)

3. Looking into setting up BGP so I could earn an living from it

and here is how they are going 

1. Not going well at the moment. Partially feel I'm either too experienced or not enough experience. 

2. Deciding between using the Lego show I am doing already, or more of a BGP idea

Weirdly I think picking the Lego show as a cheat, as something I'm already doing. Also I feel I need to do something as BGP, something to make people aware of what I do. The Lego show is happening in May at Dice Saloon. Have a few non Lego related ideas

My two original non Lego ideas are a BGP map, a foldable map which features on certain area, championing the creatives,  charities, community groups, supporting local shops. Sort of make it a map/magazine

The other idea is a Doing Good board game / card game / iSpy book. Wanting something to encourage people to do good, recognising Good behaviour

3. This is the big problem, as I can't seem to decide on what I could do. Part of this problem is not being able to focus on what BGP is all about.

Or should I be focusing on Brighton Bricks. Lego is something I love, but just doing BB feels like I missing out on all the great stuff BGP does.

Even though I have been doing BGP a few years now, I'm still not sure what it is, and I think that is why I feel take up has been so slow on this. I have a quite a few followers on Twitter but don't feel I have had any real impact on my the world

Also think I go from one idea to another, like a magpie & cant focus on one thing. Maybe you this is something I need to change, or embrace

So need to focused on what BGP should be about, what I want it to achieve. I know the main thing is I want to expend it from being just me to a bigger thing, to working with others

*BGP career ideas*

Consultancy

Running people's social media accounts

Selling other people's creative work

Running / Hosting events

Creating my own products

*Brighton Brick ideas*

Selling Lego sets / Lego related items

Organising Lego events for kids

Organising Lego events for businesses, team building, problem solving etc

Custom Lego printing

Setting up a BB shop / cafe

So I hope to have for the next Live A Good Story ideas of what I could do

If anyone has any ideas / suggestions would be great to hear

2017 for Bright Green Penguin

What has 2017 planned for Bright Green Penguin

Last year I applied for Share Your Story's Live A Good Life award & managed to get a place. This award gives me a place on their program, which is all about helping people tell a good life story.

My application was about Bright Green Penguin, and how I want to transform it, make it better. So going to use this blog post to think about some of my ideas

First off, what is the purpose of Bright Green Penguin (BGP). I wanted to do something to help improve the world. I never know what impact I have, if I have any at all but I still do this because I believe the world can only get better if everyone makes an impact not matter how small it is.

How do I want to make the world a better place? By sharing, promoting, championing great ideas, creatives, community initiatives which I hope may inspire other people. Like buying from local shops through the great #justacard campaign. Or volunteering while getting fit with Good Gym

So what do I want to achieve 2017?

I want to make BGP more real, not just a Twitter & Facebook account

Ideas I have include

• Offering pay as you feel consultancy
• Setting up networking events
• Become an online store or sell local designers crafts at Art Fairs / Craft Fairs
• Looking at what recycling options I can offer
• Creating a game which helps promote the three Cs of BGP - creative, charity & community
• Create a hub where people can share ideas
• Offer a connection service, i.e. if you are a company looking for a charity to support, or a community project looking for sponsors
• Create an leaflet / map promoting the local shops & community projects which need supporting

Plus also I will be developing Brighton Bricks, my adult fan of Lego group.

If anyone has any other ideas or suggestions please let me know at nick@brightgreenpenguin.com

Thanks

Nick