~On fear, humility, perfectionism and learning in any creative endeavor

I’ve written a piece below about my entrepreneurial journey over the last 15 months launching my latest business. It’s divided into four chapters. My hope is that you find threads that mirror your own risk-taking ventures, and also find validation in the time it takes to get a new project up and running, the many failures to learn from along the path, and the inner grit required. This piece is more personal than most because, in a facilitation-based business like mine, I am, in a sense, the product. And as I write that, I wonder how much my thinking has been influenced by capitalism and, of course, by schooling—a few good rants about which are contained below. I hope you enjoy and, as always, I’d love to hear any reflections this piece brings up for you.

Our current system is in stark contrast to a view of learning that is based in global Indigenous traditions known as Restorative Justice. In this view of learning, we would learn to embrace paradox and divergent thinking, which is not just tolerated, but necessary to arrive at the best possible course of action or solution to a given problem. Collaboration is prioritized and reinforced, not just because “most great learning happens in groups” (another Robinson coinage), but also because of the belief that the world is profoundly interconnected. Restorative Justice also holds that we are holistic beings and that all gifts are needed. Imagine how we could transform schools based on these principles. Because school transformation is what our world needs.

Do you remember Sir Ken Robinson’s 2006 talk, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?"? Chances are high that you do given that it is the #1 most watched TED talk of all time with almost 75 million views; obviously the talk hit deep chords within us. What became of it? Why didn't it ignite a movement? I believe that the answer may lie partially in our inability to collectively face up to the harms of school. We need to stop pretending that schools are not a part of the systems that keep us stuck thinking we're separate and powerless.

In light of the increasing upheaval in the world, I want to return to why I do what I do by sharing a story about a student I used to meet with when I was part of the guidance team in a public high school. This girl, we'll call her Morgan, presented as tough: an imposing figure with heavy make-up, she was constantly embroiled in drama with other girls - almost always former besties (the most lethal kind with endless secrets to dredge from the depths of shared hearts and dump into the terrifying pit of 8th grade judgement). Underneath it, Morgan was the biggest softie of them all: her nervous system shot from warring parents and mother wounds. One day, I told Morgan that I couldn't wait to see what she'd be doing at 30; she is a natural leader with personality oozing from every pore - the kind of kid that couldn't conceal themselves, even if they'd wanted to. She responded that she didn't plan on being around at 30.