Do What You Love interview – Tom Hodgkinson + Win The Gift of Knowledge This Christmas

“I was sacked from my first proper job in 1993 and I put the magazine together while on the dole” Tom explains. “That was the Idler and it has been going in one form or another for 22 years now. I have done all sorts of things to avoid a ‘proper’ job, including freelance journalism, writing books, creative consultancy, being very thrifty, importing absinthe, running areas at festivals and Airbnb.”

In 2002 Tom quit the commercial world and retired to a farmhouse on the coast of North Devon to write books. His first book How to be Idle was a global best-seller and was followed by How to be Free, The Idle Parent and Brave Old World. 12 years on he and his wife, Victoria Hull, returned to London to start their own school in Notting Hill, The Idler Academy of Philosophy, Husbandry and Merriment.

The Academy at 81 Westbourne Park Road, London, W2

 

“During the day our London HQ operates as a calm, quiet bookshop selling beautiful, useful and unusual books and gifts. We serve Monmouth coffee, tea and cake, and there is an enclosed medieval garden to retreat to,” says Tom. “We teach Greek philosophy, handwriting, ukulele and lots of other useless skills and you can enjoy learning in convivial surroundings with like-minded and interesting people. In the evening we have all worst of interesting people dropping by to run events, give talks, do gigs and run courses.”

We were excited to catch up with Tom to find out how we can all achieve more by doing less… ~ Rachel

The Idler cafe

1. You call yourself an idler. What exactly is an idler and how can you call yourself one when you’ve achieved so much?

An idler is someone who longs to gain control over their everyday life. The first step is often to be extremely lazy in the nine-to-five: skiving is a kind of rebellion. An idler also understands the value of thinking time, sleep and reflection. While idle, you have ideas. Then you try to make these ideas into a reality. Which is hard work! So there is a sort of paradox.

2. What inspired you to start your magazine, Idler? 

The name comes from a series of essays by Dr Johnson, the 18th century writer and compiler of dictionaries. He was very productive but very lazy by nature. I identified with him. We made issue one happen by borrowing £800 from friends and family and selling lifetime subscriptions. My friend Gav had an Apple Mac and is a great designer. Friends helped and we spent many evenings editing and screaming at computer screens. The philosophy is freedom: how can you get freedom, how can you live a fulfilled life, in short, how to live?

Making the magazine happen: Tom (R) with old friend, designer and writer, Gavin Pretor-Pinney (L) outside The Academy

3. How do you ensure the Idler doesn’t date?

We talk about work and creativity which are perennial topics. We also talk about how people spend their days. We don’t write about television or global news. Magazines like Vice seem to me to be based on prurience – sex, drugs, violence – kind of like the Daily Mail but with Pumas on.

The Idler is published quarterly in print. This is the latest issue: Spring 2016

4. You must have done hundreds of interviews over the years: which are your favourites, and why?

Probably Damien Hirst. He is an exciting person to be around. Absolutely buzzing with life.

5. Tell us about The Idler Academy…

This is an idea that was born at the Secret Garden Party. We were invited to put on some philosophical talks in a yurt. Mumford and Sons played on our stage (we’d never heard of them). We had Penny Rimbaud from Crass and talks about Aldous Huxley and William Morris. Plus we had an anarchist bookstall. We really enjoyed it and went on to create The Idler Academy of Philosophy, Husbandry and Merriment tent at the Port Eliot festival. Our first class was “how to sew on a button” with a Savile Row tailor. We had Latin lessons and grammar lessons and I wore a mortar board and gown. Then we remortgaged our house and took out a five year lease on a shop in an obscure corner of Notting Hill and put on talks and courses full time. And sold books as well, which I really enjoy.

6. What inspired you to start running courses and how do you decide which to offer?

Because learning stuff makes you happy. “Competence is the foundation of happiness,” as William Cobbett said. I like learning and I like communicating things that I am enthusiastic about, eg ukulele and Greek philosophy. So it started from my own interests and gaps in knowledge. Then gradually the team grew and so have the variety of courses we offer.

Tom playing the ukulele. Image credit: Chris Floyd

7. What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced in running your own business? 

Make no mistake, it can be absolutely hellish. Because of the money. Renting a shop and employing staff means massive overheads. That means you have to make a hell of a lot of sales. And that led to a lot of stress and 16 hour workdays – not great for an idler! Running a small business can be incredibly dispiriting. It was worth it though – we learned a lot. And gradually got better at the business side. It is also very satisfying to see an audience leave a talk or course looking really happy and animated. If I started again I would spend more time on the financial side and more time making sure that I got my VAT payments right and got the returns in on time. No one likes getting fines and a lecture from the fearsome women in the VAT department! Also I would have taken more care when choosing staff in the early days. We had one guy who turned out to be a thief – he stole a laptop from us. Finally, I probably should have taken some sort of business course. Business is a skill, like carpentry. It must be studied – you are not born a good carpenter.

8. What does being creative mean to you? And how does overwork and stress affect creativity?

Being creative means making things and looking after things. That could be a garden or it could be a loaf of bread or it could be an article or an event or a blog post or… Actually I find that stress and overwork can be good for creativity. They force you to be ingenious. Be careful though. I had a mini-breakdown at the end of year one because of overwork and that does no-one any good. I really should not be admitting this should I – I’m supposed to be an idler! These days I have various ways of being idle – a nap after lunch most days, beer in the evening, tennis, reading books… when you are in business, stating idle is even more important.

9. Can you share five practical tips on how to be idle while setting yourself free for anyone?

I’d suggest reading my books, How To Be Idle and How to be free, they are good fun, even though I say so myself. You can buy signed copies from our website.

10. What’s the secret to being the master of your own time?

Quit your job.

11. Why do you think more and more people are stepping away from the ‘norm’ and choosing to do something different from the normal 9-5, ie, work in a way that better suits them or that allows them to pursue their passions?

There are two reasons: one is that I think it is obviously a good idea, because working for a big company can feel a bit like being a slave. The other is that the jobs-for-life culture is fading away and we are moving inexorably towards a culture of greater self-responsibility.

12. What’s next for the Idler brand? And for you personally; what’s your ultimate dream?

Next year we are raising some finance so we can produce more online courses, books and events and put some cash into marketing. We are entering what business people call an “aggressive period of growth”. My only dream is to continue what I am doing now – which is to do work I enjoy, make a living, and be free to pursue any project that takes my fancy.

You can find out more about Tom, The Academy and the Idler here. 

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