Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you:
Gold Soundz a.k.a. Bill Reid
Your current job:
Drawer
In which city are you located?
Melbourne, Australia
A word to define what kind of worker you are:
Spasmodic
What tools are essential to your life? (app, software, etc…)
Anything that can make a mark – digital or analog. I may sound like a Luddite, but I do think it’s important not to become too obsessed with the latest technological tools and to remember that great things can be achieved via relatively simple means. NASA engineers sent humans to the moon based on calculations using slide rules; Sgt. Pepper’s was created using a 4-track recorder, and Goya’s black paintings were made using colored rocks and mineral salts combined with oil and then painted onto the walls of his dining room.
What does your office space look like?
A mess.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working?
I listen to music all day. As soon as I start work, the first thing I do is put some music on. As an indication, the last 10 tracks I have listened to according to my iTunes playlist are by: Yo La Tengo, Deerhunter, Mogwai, The Fall, Wire, The Chills, Young Marble Giants, The Gun Club, Death in Vegas, and Sleaford Mods.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work?
When I was most productive, I used a stopwatch. I had to draw for at least four hours a day, for six days a week. If there was any type of interruption the stopwatch stopped and only restarted when I was ready to work again. Some days it was a real struggle, and the clock stopped after exactly 240 minutes of drawing. On better days I might keep going hours over the daily quota. It might sound a bit obsessive, but I’ve got a lot of work done this way.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
Delete your Facebook account.
You’re better than your colleagues to:
I really don’t know.
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
It was not given to me directly, but I always like the advice Ingres gave to a young Degas: “Draw lines, young man, many lines; from memory or from nature – it is in this way you will become a good artist.”
What is your best tip for saving time?
See the answer to improving productivity above.
What is your routine start and end of the day?
I like a long walk at the start of the working day, and a glass or three of red wine at its end.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
A corkscrew bottle opener.