“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Backed by real life stories from the past week that I hope you find entertaining, this week's blog perhaps is a bit more on the philosophical side. A meta entry. A lifetime lesson. And a perfect contradiction to that lesson. Can we hold ALL these to be true at the same time?

Acknowledge Earth Is Our Home

Have you ever heard of "morning pages?" It comes from the book "The Artist's Way" which is a 12 week book course on tuning into your creativity. Though I've never done it, I did read the author's 2 ongoing assignments. And one of them is morning pages -- where you write 3 pages in the morning. Even if it's "I don't want to write" over and over again. Those pages help calm and focus the anxious mind I wake up with and have taken all kinds of unexpected turns.

Yesterday as I sat outside in the morning sun after some strong fall rain, I wrote...

Feels good to be outside sitting. The cool feels fresh. Like I could sit here and soak up goodness and alertness from ti. Clearing some petrified cobwebs. Ones that shook me to the point of deep core shivering. Awe at it's most caveman form.

Then I went onto process a tough conversation with a friend from the night before. But I started the entry the same way this 3 Step Reciprocity Cycle starts.

Discover Your Earth Archetype

As social creatures, we sometimes seek permission to start even if it we didn't realize it. For me, this can happen when I feel like I need to learn something and then magically I will get the permission needed to do something. Kinda like turning in an assignment to a teacher.

It's sneaky -- especially as someone who has taken a major leap in life many times. Or has little qualms to go up to anyone and ask, "What's your story?"

Looking back, I'm amazed that we premiered How on Earth? LIVE! only 25 days ago. A show that has felt stuck, is all of a sudden now filled with momentum. Partners I'm talking with about doing more LIVEs. The brief and trailer for the LIVEs that will help me do that. A funder I'm talking with because of my LinkedIn posts about it. Clarity I know have for applications to further it through conferences and universities. An investment prospectus I'm finalizing now with the lessons learned.

All because I stopped asking permission to do the thing I knew I could as a Metaphor.

I knew I had a story. When before people only heard a tagline or read a one sheet, now people are saying without any prompting from me "You have a story here!"

I knew I could put it on the stage. When before people gave me the side eye because they were so used to their lane in technology or TV, now people are imagining how the story can benefit their community.

Helping people see your vision can be tough. And sometimes people nail it -- like Steve Jobs describing the bygone iPod as 1000 songs in your pocket. Lucky for him, he had some potent PR folk by that time in the company's growth. So what if you don't have that?

Sometimes, what you know is possible because of your Earth Archetype, you just need to stop asking permission and do.

After all, these types are about having a relationship with self, others, and the planet. And just like your other amazing relationship qualities, you are loved exactly because you bring those naturally.

Work Together in Community

And then there are times you remember we have work to do. For example, on the the editorial board of a journal through the Ecological Society of American called Earth Stewardship. From the very beginning, it was intended to be transdisciplinary. Integrating sciences, arts, systems, research, practice, action, TEK, and more.

Yet as the only person who is a full time artist, I remember in one of the early meetings when an academic ecologist could not review a piece of art "because it's pure emotion." I instantly interjected and shared how we actually do have methods to our madness.

And to the editor in chief's credit, she created a working group of folks that in some way didn't follow the traditional academic ecologist model. And we've been working for a few months. Meeting via zoom and getting clarity on how to ask for submissions across such a wide swath and then review it on our end.

We've been making some good progress as we near our first IRL board retreat (in Italy!)

Yet, during a full group zoom about the retreat, language once again erupted about the "problems" with art.

Me and one other working group member heard it. The rest did not seem to. But with those ears, and the grace of our editor in chief, we talked about remembering that our little group was in a bit of a bubble and needed to keep that in mind when we share with the whole group in a couple weeks.

In fact, I may get the chance to tell the story of how this working group started. Not a presentation. But the story. How perfect is that!