In June 2018 I had everything I needed to start my own side hustle – everything that is, except for a name.
Naming things is hard! I wanted something that represented the way I do foresight and my mixed bag background of artist-come-project manager-come-change leader-come-futurist.
Looking through my bookcase I found my answer in an art book on wabi sabi.
What is wabi sabi?
Wabi sabi is a Japanese aesthetic and philosophy of accepting the transient and imperfect nature of the world. It celebrates the beauty found in flaws and imperfections.
It’s commonly explained as nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect.
This became the guiding star for how I approach the futures.
Nothing lasts
At any point in time there are things gaining momentum, things losing fit for purpose, and ideas competing with one another to shape the future.
Nothing we do now can fix or solve the future, just shape how it continues to flow.
Nothing is finished
Played right, futures is an infinite game.
The work is never done. The dynamic flow continues to shape new challenges, possibilities, opportunities.
Nothing is perfect
There are no perfect futures for us to create.
Life is complex, messy, and a constant dialogue between what is emerging and what is letting go. The most useful future scenarios capture that tension. Focusing on perfect utopias (or dystopias) lands flat and serves us poorly.
Heaven is a place / a place where nothing / nothing ever happens – Talking Heads