A Line I Heard

"They are the ones that know that the climate crisis is ultimately a crisis of imagination."

Journey Framing:

This is what I say about the Metaphor Earth Archetype.

It's also why I submitted a talk to SXSW about "yes and" and climate — and why your vote matters.

Let's move through it together. To build language for real conversations.

Starting with "Notice"...

NOTICE

What happens when you read this quote?

Maybe something shifts. Like you've been trying to solve a math problem and someone just told you it's actually a fashion makeover.

Or maybe you feel the relief of it. If it's a crisis of imagination, then imagination is what's missing. And you have that.

Whatever's showing up, just notice it's there.

CONNECT

In 2016, writer Amitav Ghosh wrote: "The climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of the imagination." Our stories hadn't caught up to the reality. And we’re still working on it 10 years later.

Metaphor knows this. It's why they show up with images, reframes, and new ways of seeing.

Amber's national tour of “How on Earth? LIVE!” finds one pattern when casting climate professionals as Earth Archetypes: “Yes and…” unlocks collaboration, innovation, and creative problem-solving. One cleantech leader even said it helped her have better conversations with her brother.

TRY

This week, try this:

Vote for the “The ‘Yes And’ Path to Climate Storytelling” talk at SXSW 2027.

A stage at SXSW is a bigger room for imagination as a climate tool. Public votes are how it gets there.

https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1784738341449001ZGMH

Then notice: what would YOU say “Yes and…” to in the climate conversation?

REST

You don't have to have all the answers.

Imagination doesn't require certainty. It requires permission to begin.

& REPEAT

Watch for this pattern elsewhere.

Notice when a climate conversation gets stuck. What happens if you throw in a “yes and…”?

See where it goes.

In Community,

Amber Peoples

Creator of Earth Archetypes

p.s. If you aren’t already signed up to the SxSW system, you will need to for voting. Here's 75 second video to walk you through the 4 steps.