Always have somethin'
cookin'
I can't really claim any of these projects as mine. They are ours, I can't give enough credit to all of the amazing people I worked with along the way. A few of their names pop up here, and you can find more on my forthcoming Guides page.
Conceptual
WE Program Simple Rules
What guides you when you have to make your toughest decisions?
For the WE Program, we had a feeling that the answer was a set of ideas that was embedded in the culture they had built through years of hiring the right people and asking the rights questions.
In the beginning Helen sent me out on a vast quest to research what people around the globe were doing in the world of impact measurement. Then I read hundreds of reports from the WE Program. Finally, we had lots of calls with people inside and outside our community.
Then, and only then, did we start writing. After about a dozen revisions, I thought we were done. Then we went through another 4 versions before settling on our first set of simple rules. They will change, but for now, they help to guide the WE Program on the path forward.
DISC MythLab 3.0
What happens when you try to combine complexity theory & storytelling?
Chaos happens. At first. Then, if you are patient, careful, and willing to let go of a few darlings, something beautiful can emerge.
I brought together six storytellers to collectively create a story together from nothing. Over the course of six two-hour sessions we combined minds to craft a story about a man, a little girl, and a sea that had disappeared. At the end of the story we gave him a magical conch shell, and a choice. Bring the sea back, or let it remain away forever.
Then, each of us went off and wove our own version of our collective story before coming back together one final time to share our creations. It was one of the most beautiful storytelling sessions I have been a part of, and many of the stories have since be shared on stage with audiences across Netherlands and around the world.
DISC MythLab 1.0 & 2.0
How can storytellers stay connected during COVID-19?
Honestly, this project was born our of sheer loneliness and desperation. I was new to the world of storytelling and needed to meet people. So I invited a whole bunch of them just to hang out with me online.
I based much of what we were doing on existing communities of practice, and we added a bit of flavour of own along the way. We talked about everything storytelling for more than a year, with a rotating cast of friends from near and far. It was a great project that lead to many new friendships. MythLab will be coming back in the Winter of 2022-2023!
Digital
Finding Freedom - Stories of Surinamese Women
What does freedom mean to you?
When we started this project, I knew nothing about Suriname, very little about being black, and perhaps even less about being a woman. Tirzah Baank accepted an invitation from a stranger (me) and took me places I never imagined.
Finding Freedom is the result of our work, stories and data sonification together painting a picture of Suriname's past, and perhaps hinting towards her future. I did not become an expert in any of the topics listed above, but I have found a new appreciation for hair, Surinamese art, and the history of (the lack of) freedom in the Dutch colonies.
Oasis - the WE Program's Monitoring & Evaluation App
How can replace traditional impact reporting with something more meaningful and true?
I'm going to say something that you might find controversial, or cliché, depending on your perspective.
Reports are where stories go to die.
In the WE Program, everything begins and ends with stories. It has been that way for a long time, but it's only been recently that we've managed to finally start breaking free from traditional reporting.
Oasis in a monitoring and evaluation app that centres the stories of the people we work with in the factories. These stories are how we share what is happening and start to collectively make sense of the stories at the centre of our work.
Becoming Atoq - an interactive story for Justice & Peace
How can we tell Atoq's story in a way that features his photography in a new and unique way?
Atoq is a photojournalist and human rights defender from Peru. I am also now proud to call him a friend. I spent the better part of a year working with Atoq, Rous (an illustrator from Peru), and Aisha from Justice & Peace to create Becoming Atoq.
This ~30 minute multimedia art gallery is an interactive photo gallery that features Atoq's photography as it tells his story of trauma, recovery, and hope.
Physical
DISC Storytelling Cafés - A community of love& Peace
How can we plant the seeds of storytelling in our community?
As part of the Dutch International Storytelling Centre, I go to a lot of storytelling events. Sometimes as a host, sometimes as a teller, but usually just to listen.
We're always searching for new ways to connect to the healing power of stories as a community. One of our more recent experiments has been with Artificial Intelligence and storytelling. A topic everyone seems interested in.
Oasis - the (prototype board) game
How can we help people see new patterns together?
I knew a major challenge we faced with Oasis was the fact that it is an entirely digital system. I am lucky enough to be able to conceptualise stories as bits floating in my head, but many of the users of Oasis just don't have the time to sit around thinking like that.
We needed to find a way to let them touch Oasis. Enter: Oasis - the game.
This prototype was a major undertaking, and now has copies scattered across Asia with WE teams for testing and continuous development. The test-play session was a huge success, and demonstrated that this game can become several different tools for helping people spot patterns in the stories they tell.
Policy Mythology
The stories we tell today about how we govern our society will become tomorrow's myths. Over time, I have built my own mythology: stories about plastics, human rights, and climate change.
My old website, policymythology.com, is where you can find my repository of stories and a selection of my other projects.
InstaPoetry
I write poetry on Instagram, which might be the worst place on the web to share written text. That's sort of why I do it.
The poetry's not often great, but I do get lots of life from plucking wild lines out of the wind.
Musical Musings
From 2016 to 2019 I harvested some of my favourite 100± songs for playing just whenever. It might be the best thing I ever made.
In 2020 I began my second playlist, which is about 30% complete.