Setting new priorities
Now is a good time to start writing somewhere new. I want a place to explore a few things which have recently come to dominate a lot of my mental real estate. These things share a lot of common ground: they are all rooted in making the most of experience, they are all tied into shared narrative, they are all about living more intentionally, and they are all underused arts in our society.
The first is shared story creation. Predominantly, this takes the form of story games. Story games are, to me, about a structured exploration of experiences we’ve never had the opportunity for. I’m going to post again soon sharing some more ideas about the roots and the purposes of story games. This notion of shared story creation also takes other forms though. I’m interested in exploring Theatre of the Oppressed, Guerrilla Theatre, and other forms of participationist and activist theatre. Also, things like how we can use storytelling to re-interpret and re-imagine our everyday lives.
The next is still searching for a definitive tag, but I’m interested in rewilding and urban foraging and stepping out of the binding structures that come with civilization. Basically, how do I live in a city (where I want to be) and yet determine the events of my own life (as opposed to being driven by imposed needs, like money and job security, etc). This is tied into urban foraging, scavenging, gardening, guerrilla gardening, activism, working less, squatting and resourcefulness. It’s also tied into how alternate structures alter our understanding of society, and the narrative we collectively and individually form about our existence and our role in the world.
The third is intentional, narrative-grounded communication. I want to learn from my friends who practice/study Nonviolent Communication, I want to continue to explore Appreciative Inquiry facilitation, and I want to look at other methods and approaches to communication which prioritize sharing experience and finding common ground. I am interested in exploring consensus decision-making and other models of representation. I want to explore how different methods of communication can inform our daily activities.
The final thing that I want to explore in this blog is poetry (performance/slam poetry, mostly) and spoken word. Because I like it a lot.
Posted by mcdaldno | 5 comments
Jason Godesky
I said in the thread on Story Games that I might love you.
Now I know I do.
I can only say, as resoundingly as possible, “YES!”
Jason Godesky
Calming down a bit, it seems like a lot of us have started to look at story games more and more in a sense not just of finding a fun way to spend an evening, but a way of reconnecting with real human needs, regenerating traditions and communities that we’ve lost. I didn’t expect to find a lot of other people at this particular intersection, but here we stand. I’ve spent a lot of time lately working on a game called “The Fifth World,” quite explicitly designed to try to serve towards those ends, Willem Larsen in Portland, OR has articulated a whole theory of storyjamming on the College of Mythic Cartography, and apparently, Mike Sugarbaker’s presentation on story games hit on some of the same themes from the “DIY” perspective, and I hear that deep in the heart of that original West Coast indie gamer crowd runs a strong, counter-cultural, anti-civilized sentiment that maybe doesn’t cut quite as far as rewilding per se, but certainly would see the value of its proposition. And these days, I’ll settle for anyone who can at least understand where I’ve come from and doesn’t discount me as crazy because I feel less than satisfied spending my life in such a … well, domesticated, way.
So, thank you! Thank you for contributing your thoughts and your voice. Thank you for sharing so many of the things I hold dear. Thank you for the validation that offers. Thank you for exploring this space.
buriedwithoutceremony
Jason Godesky,
I thought my ego was huge an hour ago. Your replies have done nothing to quell it.
Willem has definitely inspired me a lot, of late. I recently made a few life decisions, namely: dedicate myself to art, quit working, explore urban scavenging, live intentionally. And to see that there were people that I know who are already so deeply immersed in tying those ideas together… wow.
So, yeah. Also, I’ve been reading your Thirty Theses. I’ve just finished #7. Well, typically I read about 80% of your post, and then the first six comments. I have a short attention span. But, that’s also because it fits so intuitively, that once I’ve heard some of your argument I’m already racing ahead from “how does this work” to “how do I apply this”. But yeah, that’s been my lunchtime reading of late.
Jason Godesky
Wow, my reputation precedes me. Awesome! Like I said, I never expected to find anyone else at the intersection of rewilding and storyjamming, but here we all stand!
Julian Michels
Yes, it’s a fascinating intersection, isn’t it? I’ve really been trying to wrap my mind around the relationship between those two, lately.