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! 

Good Enough to Be True

One time a participant in one of our DesignShops came up to us after a DesignShop and shared this thought. “My Mom would always say when something good happened, ‘Oh this is too good to be true!’ But now, I have turned that saying around and I will be looking for things ‘Good enough to be true!’

Why is it that we are so willing to accept bad news? What keeps us from believing we are worthy of good news? These questions are vitally important to consider as we go about creating a world that works for all of us… to design our collective well-being by design, not default.

Matt and I in our early days with our MG Taylor Process would develop simulations customized with the clients objectives in mind. These simulations were challenging and often showed the clients where they were vulnerable. By participating in the simulation they were directing their own future. A knowledge worker core team played the role of newspaper. We imposed one rule on them. “When the participants acted negatively about an idea or a headline we published, we would pile it on, adding one negative headline after another. However, when one of the teams would publish a positive response to an article or situation, we would pile on positive headlines. And do you know what? When the participants caught on to the negative/positive headline offerings, they began to really put their heads down and find positive solutions to the situation. They stopped griping, whining. They were eager to contribute, to find good paths forward.

Today, the news seems mostly bad. One crisis after another is reported. One killing after another. One failure after another. Recently, however, I am beginning to see some really positive and action oriented good news. By looking I am discovering that there are thousands of people working hard to solve the problems we have created for ourselves and Earth, this place we call home. WOW! Are we reaching a tipping point where good news can be recognized and honored?

The Tomorrow Maker challenge to design a new operating system for humanity is being well received as are many other bold initiatives. Lets celebrate and act with these projects, make them better, take them further. I would truly like for us as global citizens to recognize that the world we are creating with so much good energy and purpose is intact, Good enough to be true! We can celebrate the old world crumbling, no longer useful as it morphs and transforms into a culture of “Yes, just watch us step up to the challenges and opportunities the future is offering us.”

I believe that together we have choices we do not have as individuals. Its a scary world to be an individual in todays world. But collectively, wow, there is no stopping us and we are good enough to be true. And working together in no way stamps out the fact that we are each unique, unrepeatable with our own contributions to make.

Look for good news. Add to it. Record it; pass it along. Imagine our delight in 2030 to 2040 when we wake up to the fact that we have/are creating a world that works for 100 percent of humanity while restoring Earth, our home planet. We are good enough to be true!