Happy World Environment Day: here’s how improvisation can save the world
5 June 2012What does improvisation have to do with the environment? As it turns out, plenty. We humans are the ones that have tried to tame and control the environment. Nature adapts to what is, and is resilient. Michelle Holliday explains: Living systems (like plants and people and companies) appear to be static things, but in fact,…
Look! Out there, and all around us, for ideas, answers and solutions
24 November 2010Above and Beyond A weekly exploration of creativity – or something just ‘out there’ Biomimicry. If you’ve never heard the term before check out this TED video by Janine Benyus. The premise is that we live in a competent universe. Just about anything we want to do has already been done – by nature. Take…
Sustainable is Attainable
11 August 2010In May, I was involved in a conference called Show Me The Change – all about sustainability, evaluation, behaviour change and complexity. There were lots of expectations regarding the conference and its outcomes. But here’s one that was probably unexpected. It was a conference about sustainability, so we concluded that the conference itself should be…
A simple solution to a complex problem?
18 May 2010Southern Australia, and especially where I live, is particularly bush fire prone. Bush fires start often from lightening strikes. Not much you can do about that except be prepared. In February 2009, the weather gods conspired to create conditions that we now describe as catastrophic – extremely hot and windy, nearly non-existent humidity. It was…
Time well spent
21 November 2009Here’s some images from my recent trip to the US. I was there on holidays, and to attend the Applied Improv Conference in Portland, Oregon. The highlights were the scenery, autumn colours, fresh snow, Yosemite (wow!), indulging my passion for photography, sharing the improv conference with my good friends Anne Pattillo, Geoff Brown and Chris…
Spring
12 August 2009It looks like spring around here. The swallows are back and are renovating last year’s nest. The honeyeaters are collecting dog hair and spider web for their nests. Whales are on the move. And the humans come out of hiding from our short winter and start walking on the beach, along the cliff tops –…
You say tomato, I say…
3 August 2009A friend, who shall remain nameless for the time being, wrote an update on Facebook the other day saying she had just bought a new bathing suit. Now apart from the fact that I am insanely jealous of seemingly EVERYONE ELSE in the world who is taking holidays right now, and I’m not, this little…
Some reflections on the bushfire recovery process
23 June 2009It’s nearly five months on from the Victorian bushfires that claimed many lives, homes, livlihoods, habitat, livestock and wildlife. I don’t live in the affected area. I’ve done a few workshops with people who do, and with people who have been affected indirectly. I’ve seen some of the effects – physical and emotional. I’ve seen…
This week’s cool links
13 June 2009This simple idea is so effective, and creative – love it! Thanks to Patti for the link. I’m tempted to make the trip to Wellington just for this Presentation Zen masterclass! Les Posen is a fan of Keynote and audience-centred slideshows (as am I, and that’s where the similarities end!). I aspire to his level…
New thinking
15 April 2009For many years now I’ve had this Arthur Schopenhauer quote as part of my email signature: “Thus, the task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees.” This TED video captures exactly that! This gives me faith that…