about john

“My work goal is simple: to play all day and get paid”.

For me, this means doing the creative stuff that is most fun for me in a way that has a positive impact on others and in the process makes a great financial return.

My Career

I am a former Senior Managing Consultant at Deloittes, an ex Internet Consultant and was a software developer in special effects and broadcast systems before that. I've been director of my own company now for 10 years and I have consulted to corporations like the BBC and Accenture at a 4-figure daily rate.

I now focus my time on helping creative people figure out what they'd like to do with their life, how to make good money out of it and how to have some fun at the same time.

I am an accredited coach with an Advanced Diploma with Distinction from the Coaching Academy. I also have 7 years' additional professional development in person-centred counselling and humanistic psychotherapy.

My great passion is creativity

My first book Screw Work, Let's Play: How to do what you love and get paid for it is published by Pearson in June.

My other creative projects have included writing for the Guardian and the Reader's Digest, writing music for a BBC Radio 3 arts programme, helping a children's medical charity, and performing standup comedy. My proposal for a documentary on optimism was shortlisted by BBC Radio 4 twice... and rejected twice. I'm still working on that one!

My other projects

I run the monthly London event Scanners Night for people who have loads of interests and don't want to focus on just one job or business. Find out if you're a Scanner here.

I also write a blog Screw Work Let's Play supporting the book and explaining how to get paid for the stuff you most enjoy doing.

I tweet as @johnsw several times a day on the same topic. Follow me on twitter here and you can see my most recent tweets on the right of this page.