UpCreation Workshop coming this July 2020 through January 2021
/The World in UpCreation!
“The designers of complex adaptive systems are not strictly designing systems themselves. They are hinting those systems towards anticipated outcomes, from an array of existing interrelated systems. These are designers who do not understand themselves to be in the center of the system. Rather, they understand themselves to be participants, shaping the systems that interact with other forces, ideas, events and other designers. This essay is an exploration of what it means to participate.”
In another part of this newsletter is the story of Joi Ito, head of Media Lab, while driving with friend and conversing on complex adaptive systems. They were stopped in the midst of a traffic jam. One said to the other, we are stuck in a traffic jam. The other, took note, and replied, we are not stuck in traffic, we are the traffic. A stark reminder that there is no out there. We are all in this together.
From https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/design-as-participation/release/1
There is no doubt now that our world is undergoing a global transformation, its own upCreation, prompted perhaps by coronavirus pandemic. With Black Lives Matter suddenly becoming relevant, and surely there will be more, perhaps even before this pandemic goes away. Almost all existing systems are beginning to give way to new and hopefully better choices for all life, including Earth, our wondrous, awesome home base. If we fail to assist Earth in her upCreation process, we will likely move toward worst case, mass extinction.
We know several things about this unfolding: 1) We have more opportunity now, than in our lifetimes to shape and bring about systemic change. This is true with any major crisis is that crisis and opportunity go together. The center begins to fall apart, dissipating the energy of failing strategies. 2) This transforation will be largely self organizing by we the people as no politicians can lead us where we need to go. 3) We can only do this by working together. That’s why I am so excited by the upCreation offering which will begin on July 20 and continue for seven moons. We will meet formally seven times on the day of the new moon. In between will be personal work, journaling, and small team interactions.
These thoughts are to nudge you into joining us as we bring our collective expertise and stewardship together to explore how we each can make major contributions to our world while becoming more fit ourselves and thus being able to help clients, friends, family become fit too. Please don’t let financial concerns prohibit your participation. We can make adjustments. And note in the invite, that we encourage you to reach out to clients, competitors, families, and good friends in this mutual learning experience. In this liminal time of redesign and upCreation, there are no experts. There is only us, together, coming to knowing our Humanity, perhaps for the first time!
