Inspired by Elastica (1995). Connection [Song]. On Elastica. Deceptive. Photo by Nathalia Segato on Unsplash

I’ve finally got back to writing my blog this week after nine months off (perhaps I could connect this to some sort of birthing metaphor – especially as we’ve just had Easter and it’s metaphor of new birth).

What’s got me writing again is having been to a personal branding workshop with a UN ambassador a couple of weeks ago. They got me thinking about who I am and how I express it. It reminded me of just how important music is to me in how I think about the world around me.

Reflecting on the workshop, one of the words which came up for me was connection. Much like the lyrics to this britpop anthem, the word connection can be considered and applied in a number of ways.

The ambiguity in the song seems to swing from talking about a relationship (the singer Justine Frischmann had left Brett Anderson of Suede for Damon Albarn of Blur), to the idea of selling out. There’s also a hint of the connection being the basis for taking chances.

It’s one of the things about the word connection – what is it that we connect? For me the word seemed to resonate in two ways; connecting with others with compassion and anticipation; and connecting ideas and concepts in new and creative ways.

Of course, these two applications are not unrelated. We all connect different ideas together, and connect with different people, influenced by our own back story, the meaning we have attached to this and our resulting vision. This is what makes connections so unique, we can all join the dots in different ways.

So, where does all of this leave us when we consider the word connection? I think the song hints at connecting things being a very non-binary experience. That is to say it’s not a right or wrong, yes or no, activity. Observing how we and others connect with people and connect ideas isn’t about developing a simple understanding, but instead cultivating a richness of perspective. And the more we do this, the more captivating the possibilities of life become.