Speculative Design

The idea of Speculative Design took flight for Ben Bratton. Bratton explains its whimsical thinking, “Although impractical, it gives us a new way of thinking and new perceptions. It helps us to re-imagine and re-engineer the physical world.

Bratton continues, "It has no practical function other than to get one to think about conventions that govern the design of objects, spaces and systems.”

The three speculative design projects listed consider ideas beyond the ordinary. They involve problems to solve even though they are not real projects.

The Cloud Project involves a truck that shoots sugar, flavoring, coloring, and cream into the clouds to product a snowfall of ice cream.

The Fish Project farms colorful fish that contain chemicals released from their bodies to neutralize poisons in polluted water after a toxic chemical spill.

The Heart Project implants an electric eel in the chest of a heart patient so in the event of a heart attack the eel can shock the heart back to life.

Using creativity and speculative design, what type of project would you create?

The Vitality of Friendship

"A wonderful thing about true laughter is that it just destroys any kind 
of system of dividing people."

 - John Cheese

The poet, Rumi, sought to find truth in competing beliefs. He said, "A life without love is of no account. Don't ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, eastern or western … divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water."

When Mongol armies got close to his home in Konya, Rumi walked out alone to speak with the general, Bughra Kahn. Surprisingly, the Kahn felt such authority in Rumi's presence, he did not sack Konya. Legend has it that the general said, "There may be others like him."

Coleman Banks, who has translated the words of Rumi, speaks of friendship, "However it might be in this violent world, I would rather see us walking along inside the mystery of friendship, with its soul fury and its kindness, to sit down together finally at the table that Rumi, and many others, have set."

Of all the things that wisdom provides...the greatest...is the possession of friendship.” 

– Epicurus

Reach out to a friend today. Use humor and laughter to bridge any communication gaps.

Reconnect with someone you may have forgotten over the years.  

Write to a friend to resolve issues.  

Send a note to someone who has inspired you because of Friendship.

Everyone has a deep friend
and something that they love to do,
A beloved and a craft. - Rumi 

Discover the vitality of friendship.

Myths and Messages

The Bini people of West Africa tell a story about a time when the sky came down so close  everyone could reach up and touch it with their  hands. The sky provided food and nobody worked in those days. Everyone just had to stretch their hands when hungry and break off a piece of the sky.

The sky demanded that individuals should only take whatever they needed for one meal, no more. No one could store food. Everybody obeyed this rule except for one greedy man who broke off a large piece. Unable to finish this piece, he tried to store it but the food rotted. 

The sky became so angry about this waste it shot up so far away where no one could reach it. Since then people have had to work to get food. 

 

Recall the first story with a moral or message told to you during childhood. Why does this message stick with you?

Does your family tell a story based on a family happening that has become a myth everyone tells in a variety of versions?

The Marvel of Moments

"The secret of health is not to mourn the past or worry about the future but to live in the present moment wisely."  — Zen Proverb

  

Human beings have such a difficult time just "being."  We are always doing . . . worrying about yesterday, then shuddering about tomorrow.

The natural world has a lot to teach about existing in the marvel of moments. 

When the brain sends out negative thoughts or someone sets you off about events in the past or future, take time to identify with an animal in nature.  

Make time for a walk. Forget about politics, negativity, and even the weather. 

Go for a natural immersion.

Appreciate the feeling of breezes on the arms, a whiff of eucalyptus or a scent in your environment. 

Listen to birdsong and look up to appreciate the miracle of flight.

Let the shimmer on a hummingbird's wings in sunlight activate a peaceful state of mind.

Observe behaviors that fill each moment. 

Enjoy an opportunity to dance, trot, and breathe in, then out.  

Once in a rhythm, you will stop the mind chatter.  

Let laughter stimulate the stomach muscles to tighten.

The magic of minutes in the present will calm your nerves. Find a friend who will remind you to stay in that focus.

In the details you will discover the Marvel of Moments.

Random Acts of Kindness

 Life requires random acts that include courtesy and kindness.

                         Practice RACK today!

Reach out to a stranger.

       Anticipate a way to show appreciation.

Create an adventure to share.

               Keep searching to share Kindness.

The Power of Scent

 

"Tita liked to take a deep breath and let the characteristic smoke and smell transport her through the recesses of her memory."       From Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Scents have the power to bring back the past. They transport us into memories. Think about your favorite and least favorite foods, scents or tastes. Reflect upon the first time you experienced each. Does that first reaction affect your feelings now?

How about chocolate.  What images does it evoke from childhood?

List three to five favorite scents and tastes. Recall when you first met them?  

Take a negative experience and play it forward. Why do you retain its influence?  Write about how you can alter your sensations from the past and transform this taste or scent?

Winter Possibilities

 

"In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer."

 - Albert Camus

Our life paths jumble us with ups and downs, turns to navigate and corners to investigate. Seesaw effects and roller coaster anguish confront us. We must advance toward blind alleys and dark spaces regardless of how we try to avoid them. Often jubilation greets us in the darkest moments.

Consider the good and challenging aspects of a winter day. Do you need to play in the shadows of sunshine more than the sunshine itself? Move your imagination into both places.  

Balance the seesaw and get into the thrills of a roller coaster on a summer day. 

Contentment's Comfort

 

The eternal search for Happiness might disappoint. Often negative situations produce satisfying results depending upon one's attitude and perspective. In the choice to search for Balance rather than Happiness, feelings of contentment enliven the process and result.

Contentment equates to feeling comfortable amidst the seesawing between the fun and frustrations of life. It becomes a way of wisdom to stay satisfied regardless of the situation.

Consider what works for you when faced with choices. Do you require Happiness as a goal? How does writing or wandering in nature assist the process?

Discover the comfort of contentment. Stay buoyant in its process.

Hibernation Skills

When animals hibernate, their metabolism slows. They grow more underfur or feathers and some add extra fat. To conserve heat they often huddle with each other.

Find ways to engage in behaviors that resemble hibernation.

Slow down mind and body with breathing.

          Think deep thoughts and deep feelings.

Seek extra cuddles and hugs.

Get satisfying food and sleep.


What else might appeal to your desire to drop out of fast-paced world rhythm?


Super charge your mental batteries.

Sea Dragons

 

Imagine shapes that flap and flow. They appear quirky.  Sea creatures and seaweed  both sway and shed their coloring with flashes and glints. Artificial light creates a challenge. The photographer  moves beyond and plays with the blur.

Two types of Sea Dragons exist in Australian coastal waters. The Weedy Sea Dragon has a cartoonish shape. Both the Weedy and the Leafy Sea Dragon have protrusions that serve as camouflage. The pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and dorsal fin on its back near the tail move it forward. They undulate to move it with the illusion of floating seaweed which provides its protection.

The Leafy Sea Dragon maintains its illusion when swimming, appearing to move through the water like a piece of floating seaweed. It can also change color to blend in.

It uses a pipe-like snout to feed, eating crustaceans, plankton, shrimp and small fish. Leafy sea dragons do not have teeth, which is rare amongst animals that eat small fish and shrimp.

Both are related to the pipefish and belong to the family Syngnathidae, along with the seahorse. They differ from the seahorse in appearance, form of locomotion, and inability to coil or grasp things with its tail.

Friendship Day

 

Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time - like to have a friend takes time. - Georgia O'Keefe

What does it mean to become a friend? How does one develop a friendship? It takes skill and risk. Anticipation and expectation can destroy more relationships than misunderstandings.

Friends remain realistic in their needs. They give what they want to get. They take time - a lot of time, for one another.

Designing oneself to become the friend desired requires listening skills, empathy, compassion and reciprocity.

A friend arrives like a cool drink on a hot day. An understanding glance and hug can do more than medicine to cure illness.

Laughter and play become necessities in all situations. 

Respect and restraint help friends walk in different directions, yet side by side. 

Friends build a two-way street of give and take. One way street signs do not exist in their relationship.

How do you survive friendships? Can you be there and be fun?

Which friendship survival skills do you have?   Do you develop talents in yourself as a friend?

Take Five

 

Instead of a jump right out of bed in the morning, give yourself an extra five minutes.

Set your alarm or ask Siri to remind you when the time has expired.

Lie in bed for the five minutes in silence. 

Keep your eyes closed and let favorite colors float in.

Listen to your breathing as the only sound. Begin with breathing in four and out five breaths through the nose.

Imagine unfolding like a bud to greet the sun. Take in a favorite scent.

Remind yourself of what creates the most fun in your life or the greatest success. Then think about all that you will accomplish today. 

Focus on a joy or passion. Pick a dream or goal. Let them energize you.

Feel one Gratitude.

Applaud yourself when you have achieved the five minutes of bliss.

Feel the joy if you went over the time limit.

Leap into Creativity

 

Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally.  The broke world waits in darkness for the light that is you.  L. R. Knost

Today we face challenges that do not belong to us alone. We cannot control the media, government, or others' opinions.  

Personal intention matters. Once our eyes grow accustomed to the dark, details appear. Shapes and colors arise for consideration and choices. Breezes bring in scents not noticed before. Birdsong announces another view.

What we do next involves giving the best of love, respect, and devotion to making decisions beyond the darkness. 

Creativity moves us.

Gradually we gain ideas of what we can do to enhance life for ourselves to translate to others. 

Our enlightenment revels in thoughts put into actions.

Jump beyond any wallow in a wilderness of frustration. Make plans to greet the day with brightness and acknowledge others who walk with their heads down. Bring their eyes level with yours and turn their frowns upside down.  

It takes small steps. The flash of a bee at work will bring illumination into your world. 

When wandering in the dark, discover three ideas to arouse awe. Use your potential.

Manage from your inside out to bring in light necessary for renewal. Follow Rollo May's directive and develop the Courage to Create.

Take the leap into creativity.

Write into Fun

Take time off from your usual worrying or trying so hard to please everyone else. Make a list of the five biggest worries on the left side of a sheet of paper. Opposite each worry write why they would never-in-this-world happen. You'll discover you worry using creative improbabilities not creative reality.

Write a Dear Child of Me letter. What would you like to do that's really fun, daring or outright wild? As you write, try to remember your fearless self.

Take a timeout and write yourself into Fun.

Pursue Heightened Perception

I have not arrived at my understanding of the universe by means of the rational mind. 

- Albert Einstein

We use our rational mind to read maps, balance budgets, prepare taxes, and attend to many of life's activities. Carl Jung defined intuition as an unconscious process of perception required for creative thinking. He felt sense perception became a starting point to stimulate ideas, images and ways out of a blocked situation. 

No matter how small a drop of water, it reflects the entire moon. 
- unknown author

Our eyes, ears, noses, mouths, tongues, fingers and toes assist us to experience life. 

Questions abound:

Do we learn curiosity and creativity?  

Is intuition nurtured? Does it rattle in the background of experience, knowledge and synaptic connections?

Do you feel a heightened perception at times where sensory imagery leads you to discovery?

Will a flash in the corner of the eye flame into an idea or concept?

What unlocks mysteries and reaches for connections?

Writers benefit from a high level of curiosity mixed with syncronicity and its extensions. It becomes a push with all the senses to uncover flickers, fragrance and fun.

Awaken awareness to movement around you. Take in substances, textures and make correlations.  Invite synchronicity and include a collaboration with nature. Squint to see objects beyond what they appear.

Stimulate your perception. Ask questions of nature and write to discover.