Election Year Dilemmas 20040122
I'm struggling with Dean, Edwards, and Kerry because I'll vote for almost anybody who can beat the American Empire agenda currently known by the shorthand "Bush". That is my unfortunate primary criteria. Kerry may be my choice because, though Dean's anti Iraqi War stance fits what I believe to be closest to the truth, I believe the country will not elect a candidate that accurately calls our complicity into question. In short, Dean may be right but Kerry (and maybe Edwards)seem electable, typically unencumbered by the ubiquitous questions about hypocrisy there. Still, Iowa is not Delphi and more will become clear shortly. This election year is chess rather than a chance to cling to a fantasy that voting my principles will matter. Hopefully the Supreme Court will be at lunch when it comes time to appoint the President this go 'round. | posted by Unknown @ 1/22/2004 12:00:00 PM
I'm struggling with Dean, Edwards, and Kerry because I'll vote for almost anybody who can beat the American Empire agenda currently known by the shorthand "Bush". That is my unfortunate primary criteria. Kerry may be my choice because, though Dean's anti Iraqi War stance fits what I believe to be closest to the truth, I believe the country will not elect a candidate that accurately calls our complicity into question. In short, Dean may be right but Kerry (and maybe Edwards)seem electable, typically unencumbered by the ubiquitous questions about hypocrisy there. Still, Iowa is not Delphi and more will become clear shortly. This election year is chess rather than a chance to cling to a fantasy that voting my principles will matter. Hopefully the Supreme Court will be at lunch when it comes time to appoint the President this go 'round. | posted by Unknown @ 1/22/2004 12:00:00 PM
Process Culture v.20040118
The word Culture applies to individual groups, not simply to society as a whole. Every gathering of people instantly generates and begins to develop its own culture that impacts every aspect of collective life. In the endless movement toward more effective collaboration, areas of life often written off as out of control or off limits are accessible to a process directly engaging a group in terms of its culture. Not everyone is willing to do the hard work required discovering and co-creating truly satisfying work. The only requirement for beginning is the determination to try.
From the moment dialogue begins, unassuming facilitation and process-level modeling can develop awareness both of collaborative necessities and the potential for transition into a community of process artists, sharing responsibility for creation. Intention is the central necessity behind the specific development of group culture, followed closely by supporting behavior.
I hope bring to bear the areas in which I have been proficient longest – my strengths in martial discipline and group facilitation, professional collaborative decision making, inspirational teaching, even music and performance, to find the road your group can travel together toward mutual investment and shared leadership. The groups with whom I work form a core that stays together, produces the goals they set, and does so sustainably, with mind, body, and heart. Implementation of custom proposals and the ensuing process requires time and buy-in from existing leadership. The end result can be the most satisfying creative environment any group member has ever known. Imagine the effect on the world we pass to our children if every workplace could lay claim to that. It is likely you work every day with people who love where they are and what they do. That must be cultivated in order to spread, even to continue.
Several years ago I made a personal and professional transition. With the founding of Beamish I shifted from providing an easily recognizable image as either an artist or an administrator to a more accurate identity as a Process Artist and Cultural Architect. For years I had been paid to accept whatever job description was available and then expected to maintain whole system awareness, mediate conflicts, and facilitate everyone’s success. I love that work, have been building that skill set for most of my life, and must stand up for the value of devoting appropriate time and financial resources to a more thorough process.
Consequently I study and teach, create and administrate to that end – so that groups of people at whatever level of organization identify the associative process underneath everyday work, play and relationship as profoundly valuable and in need of both professional tending as well as more casual awareness.
I offer my services to groups of any kind to co-create a comprehensive process environment wherein everyone is heard and may expect to have their needs seriously taken into account. I aspire to be flexible – able to do any task necessary to help us thrive as a group, but my primary function is to pay attention to and ask questions about the way in which we are doing what we do. This requires time, focus, and the highest level of support.
Process Artistry involves the cultivation of flexibility to integrate needs as they are expressed and implied and speak directly to building a consensus through which the very real and specific people actually look forward to continuing in daily collaboration. That is the kind of environment in which I want to live and work. | posted by Unknown @ 1/18/2004 10:56:00 PM
The word Culture applies to individual groups, not simply to society as a whole. Every gathering of people instantly generates and begins to develop its own culture that impacts every aspect of collective life. In the endless movement toward more effective collaboration, areas of life often written off as out of control or off limits are accessible to a process directly engaging a group in terms of its culture. Not everyone is willing to do the hard work required discovering and co-creating truly satisfying work. The only requirement for beginning is the determination to try.
From the moment dialogue begins, unassuming facilitation and process-level modeling can develop awareness both of collaborative necessities and the potential for transition into a community of process artists, sharing responsibility for creation. Intention is the central necessity behind the specific development of group culture, followed closely by supporting behavior.
I hope bring to bear the areas in which I have been proficient longest – my strengths in martial discipline and group facilitation, professional collaborative decision making, inspirational teaching, even music and performance, to find the road your group can travel together toward mutual investment and shared leadership. The groups with whom I work form a core that stays together, produces the goals they set, and does so sustainably, with mind, body, and heart. Implementation of custom proposals and the ensuing process requires time and buy-in from existing leadership. The end result can be the most satisfying creative environment any group member has ever known. Imagine the effect on the world we pass to our children if every workplace could lay claim to that. It is likely you work every day with people who love where they are and what they do. That must be cultivated in order to spread, even to continue.
Several years ago I made a personal and professional transition. With the founding of Beamish I shifted from providing an easily recognizable image as either an artist or an administrator to a more accurate identity as a Process Artist and Cultural Architect. For years I had been paid to accept whatever job description was available and then expected to maintain whole system awareness, mediate conflicts, and facilitate everyone’s success. I love that work, have been building that skill set for most of my life, and must stand up for the value of devoting appropriate time and financial resources to a more thorough process.
Consequently I study and teach, create and administrate to that end – so that groups of people at whatever level of organization identify the associative process underneath everyday work, play and relationship as profoundly valuable and in need of both professional tending as well as more casual awareness.
I offer my services to groups of any kind to co-create a comprehensive process environment wherein everyone is heard and may expect to have their needs seriously taken into account. I aspire to be flexible – able to do any task necessary to help us thrive as a group, but my primary function is to pay attention to and ask questions about the way in which we are doing what we do. This requires time, focus, and the highest level of support.
Process Artistry involves the cultivation of flexibility to integrate needs as they are expressed and implied and speak directly to building a consensus through which the very real and specific people actually look forward to continuing in daily collaboration. That is the kind of environment in which I want to live and work. | posted by Unknown @ 1/18/2004 10:56:00 PM
Xmasusurrations
Christmas with my wovely life, sister and brother-in-law, and mom was wonderful. I'll edit this to say more about it later. For now, this is a list of the things that went awry, for humor value:
1. two mugs were KIA, one of which was precious
2. Isaiah sled directly into a pile of canine (hopefully) fecal matter
3. three glasses and one wedding wine glass were also lost to the fray
4. Saab story: one broken seatbelt which dissintegrated in my hand, and
5. a seriously overtaxed suspension
6. the basement of Clare's house flooded and we worked with shovels, etc.
7. the water heater failed in the flooding and had to receive resuscitation
8. the flashlight broke
9. a wonderful Christmas gift bracelet vaporized
10. my new boots disintegrated
11. the snowshoe kept falling from its nail on the wall and killed several people
12. the ears were burned off the donkey
13. by playing indoor baseball with a cork we blew a hole through a blind and detached the insulating plastic
14. getting high behind, the toilet seat cracked under one and pinched another quite convincingly
15. a migraine set in
16. the final topper was a next door neighbor suffering from debalconestration (like defenestration but using a balcony rather than a window). Meghan ran to the rescue and the cops moved in.
Did I mention it was a GREAT Christmas? Especially getting to be blocks away from Isaiah and Meghan for several days, due to Mikaela's generosity. More later... | posted by Unknown @ 1/01/2004 04:20:00 PM
Christmas with my wovely life, sister and brother-in-law, and mom was wonderful. I'll edit this to say more about it later. For now, this is a list of the things that went awry, for humor value:
1. two mugs were KIA, one of which was precious
2. Isaiah sled directly into a pile of canine (hopefully) fecal matter
3. three glasses and one wedding wine glass were also lost to the fray
4. Saab story: one broken seatbelt which dissintegrated in my hand, and
5. a seriously overtaxed suspension
6. the basement of Clare's house flooded and we worked with shovels, etc.
7. the water heater failed in the flooding and had to receive resuscitation
8. the flashlight broke
9. a wonderful Christmas gift bracelet vaporized
10. my new boots disintegrated
11. the snowshoe kept falling from its nail on the wall and killed several people
12. the ears were burned off the donkey
13. by playing indoor baseball with a cork we blew a hole through a blind and detached the insulating plastic
14. getting high behind, the toilet seat cracked under one and pinched another quite convincingly
15. a migraine set in
16. the final topper was a next door neighbor suffering from debalconestration (like defenestration but using a balcony rather than a window). Meghan ran to the rescue and the cops moved in.
Did I mention it was a GREAT Christmas? Especially getting to be blocks away from Isaiah and Meghan for several days, due to Mikaela's generosity. More later... | posted by Unknown @ 1/01/2004 04:20:00 PM
