Paths & Ways 💜 #3

🦋 Transformation comes in many shapes and forms. In this monthly brief I curate different paths and ways to transformation that are currently tickling my curiosity. February 2025.

Carola Verschoor

Feb 03, 2025

`In this issue of Paths & Ways 💜:`

`📚 Books: Designs for the Pluriverse | The Creative Act | Local is Our Future`

`💬 Quotes: Avoid | Simplicity & Clarity | Multi-Layered Relationship`

`🗺️ Models: Visual Frameworks | Transformation Framework`

`▶️ Videos: The Alignment Problem | Permission to Muck About`

`🦋 Transforming Worlds Podcast`

`💜` Books

`📚`As we seek to understand what’s going on, books are repositories of wisdom and perspective that provide a space for reflection and resilience. Here’s what I’ve been reading:

Designs for the Pluriverse by Arturo Escobar is a book that I have read some time ago but which came to the surface during my podcast interview of Malex Salamanques Amiel and needed to be shared with you. In Designs for the Pluriverse, Arturo Escobar emphasizes the potential design has to create justice and harmony with the Earth. Escobar advocates for an "autonomous design" that moves away from profit-driven and modernizing objectives, prioritizing collaboration and local context. This design philosophy considers the environment, human experience, and politics, emphasizing the interdependence of all beings. Escobar suggests that transforming design practices could create more just and sustainable societies. My favourite quote? “Design, in its most profound sense, is a conversation about life.”

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin is a source of inspiration to anyone with a creative practice either in work or life or both. In The Creative Act: A Way of Being, music-producer Rick Rubin explores his approach to creativity, offering insights into the process of artistic creation that extend beyond music. Rubin suggests that creativity is an intrinsic part of life, accessible to everyone, and not limited to a select few. He emphasizes the importance of being present, embracing uncertainty, and allowing creativity to unfold naturally. He advocates for openness, removing distractions, and trusting the process rather than seeking perfection. Drawing from his experiences, he reflects on how creativity can shape how we engage with the world, urging readers to embrace creativity as a fundamental way of being. I couldn’t agree more!

Local is Our Future: Steps to an Economics of Happiness by Helena Norberg-Hodge. A book I serendipitously came across on Spotify Audiobooks. In Local Is Our Future, Norberg-Hodge, a leading voice in the anti-globalization movement, calls for a turn toward localized economies to address the widespread crises we face, from economic instability and environmental degradation to rising mental health issues. She argues that these challenges stem from the unsustainable nature of a globalized economy that prioritizes growth and profit over the well-being of people and the planet. As she advocates for policy changes and grassroots initiatives, she provides many examples already in progress worldwide, that promote local economies, cultures, and ecosystems. By embracing localization, she believes we can create more resilient, equitable, and sustainable communities for the future. It was an inspiring read full of examples that gave mea much needed sense of optimism.

`💜` Quotes

💬 Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s true. By the same token, as an author and speaker I find that a good quote is a spark that ignites a thousand ideas!

Here are my top three picks of the month, to trigger reflection and transformation:

`💜` Models

🗺️ The map is never the territory. And models are never reality. But, in a sea of complexity, models and frameworks help us find lenses of meaning.

🔍 Visual Frameworks: A language of patterns by Dave Gray

A full library of visual frameworks to help you organize your ideas, think creatively, share, imagine and more. Head out to Visual Frameworks Library but be warned: you may want to hang out there for days 😉

Here’s what author and possibilitarian Dave Gray (who you’ll soon meet on the Transforming Worlds 🐛💫🦋 Podcast!) says about these frameworks: “I noticed that many of these issues, strategies, and approaches exhibit similar patterns. The great polymath Gregory Bateson called this phenomenon “the pattern that connects” — the idea that patterns repeat themselves at all scales of magnitude. At the tiniest scale, electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom. At the largest scale, the planets in our solar system orbit the sun. But a common pattern connects the two Visual frameworks are a language of patterns that connect. They are simple diagrams of recognizable, meaningful patterns that you may encounter in life and work. I am collecting these patterns here, and I hope you will enjoy poking around in them. They have helped me make sense of complex situations and find clarity of purpose in my work and life. I hope they can do the same for you.” I mean, this is just fabulous! And he even quotes Gregory Bateson: it’s like everything I love about patterns and transformation suddenly comes together in one place!

🔍 Transformation Framework: special highlight

Okay, I’ll leave you to browse through the frameworks on your own. Just let me draw your attention to this one and let the proposed questions guide you: “What transformations do you see around you or feel inside you? How might they change things? How can you prepare for the transition?”

`💜` Videos

`▶️` Videos bring power of the spoken word and audio visual inspiration together. Here’s what I’ve been watching:

The Alignment Problem with Mihaela Ulieru is a recent video published by the London Futurists and shared with me by Jesús Martín, in which Mihaela Ulieru, PhD
President of the IMPACT Institute for the Digital Economy explains our current conundrum with scientific simplicity and introduces the concept of the Moloch Trap. She talks about how we might get out of this zero-sum game we are caught in and move into new forms of governance and how our relationship with technology may help shape this. Fascinating and thought-provoking.

Why do we make life so hard? with Jon Jondai was shared in our family whatsapp group. And while it may be a more informal source of information it invites a reflection. For it was shared as an invitation to stress less and enjoy more. What is being proposed in the video will seem somewhat utopian perhaps. But at the very least it will make you wonder…

`💜` Transforming Worlds Podcast

`🦋` Transformation is happening everywhere around us. On the Transforming Worlds 🐛💫🦋Podcast I speak with trailblazers and pioneers of all walks of life. Together, we explore the art of transformation, fueled by inspiration, creativity, and a shared vision for a brighter future.

I have continued to have the most inspiring conversations with incredible guests, so if you haven’t had a chance to tune into Transforming Worlds, here are our latest episodes: