Filed under: bigsociety, design studies, design thinking, made me think, master of design, people I like, reading and writing, Red Jotter Work, service design, servicedesign
This weekend I travelled down to London to be part of a festival at the South Bank Centre.
“This festival celebrates something we all have in common. Death is a subject we are fascinated by and fearful of; it is a favourite topic of all arts and all societies find rituals to deal with it. But most of us ordinary mortals find discussing it quite tricky – even though the more information we have about it, the easier it is to face. This weekend is not about morbidity, sentimentality or sensationalism. In fact it’s a weekend full of delight and humour. It’s about hearing the powerful stories and surprising facts from people who have had to sort out practically and emotionally how to face up to the greatest and most challenging of all certainties.”
Jude Kelly, OBE, Southbank Centre Artistic Director
Where to begin? I was utterly fascinated by every single person in the audience. I sat in audiences made up of every age, race and character. But why a death festival? Lemn Sissay, Associate Artist at the South Bank Centre, started to answer that question for me by reciting some of his poems. Invisible Kisses raised enormous applause and was the one that really touched me. He asked all of us why we don’t celebrate crying and where do we go to cry? Jude Kelly set the tone of the weekend by sharing the loss of her son to cot death, her openess was admirable and I really believed her when she talked about why she wanted to curate a festival of death in the first place.
What’s the one thing you’ll do before you die? People shared their new year’s resolutions, pledges and life-long dreams on a giant chalkboard as part of an on-going international project by artist Candy Chang. This was so simple yet so effective. I loved coming in on the Sunday to see it blank again and watch it filling up over the day. I was amazed by the range of statements on it – everything from ‘become a farmer’ to ‘loose weight’. This is a classic example of a what Snook call “generative design techniques” that are used to connect, innovate, make, tell and share. Generative tools must be useful and usable for all types of people and it doesn’t get much simpler than a blackboard. Tools like this provide a design language for everyone, designers as well as non-designers, to provoke imagination, stimulate ideas and stir emotions and Candy Chang is superb at creating them on a large scale.
Sam Winston created a pop-up registry office, commemorating the quarter of a million people who are born and die in the space of 12 hours around the world. I drew circles to represent my loved ones and register their names in writing. The reason this worked so well was the fact that unlike the blackboard it didn’t really have any emotions attached to it. I read a whole wall of names, but they were just names with no messages or personal anecdotes and that made it work. I liked that they focused on birth as well as death. Although projects similar to this sometimes feel a little self indulgent this one felt it was in the right place at the right time.
I went along to a death cafe, described as a “good old heart to heart and a nice slice of cake”. By a chance twitter meeting I discovered one of the girls who was sitting across wrote a detailed post about the experience ( we were advised the session was confidential but the post does give you a feel for what it was like ) I was intrigued by the funeral director who spends his time taking photographs of funeral shop fronts as they are so out-dated and in-humane. I think the concept of death cafe is brilliant and the idea of a pop up death cafe lends itself well to Start Up Street Stirling.
“Overall, the discussion was disjointed yet eye-opening. Even with my limited experience of death and loss I found it fascinating. Understandably, I don’t think it’s a subject most people want to dwell on all the time and I can imagine people thinking that it’s a strange way to spend an afternoon. However, in a forum such as this and made cheerier with tea and cake, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be more open and progressive about discussing a universal subject which remains something of a taboo in our society. Death Cafe has plans to branch out from their Hackney home and encourages people to hold their own meetings. So if you ever get the opportunity to attend one of these dark tea parties, I urge you to give it a try. You’ll be almost guaranteed to meet a weird and wonderful selection of people and it’ll certainly give you food for thought.”
‘Gone but not erased: Digital Death’ was led by PhD student Stacey Pitsillides, she talked to us about what happens to our data after we die. She is also involved in Digital Death Days - which I’m interested in too. I must admit I was disappointed in this session as a lot of questions were posed but no answers or alternative solutions were shown. I follow Stacey online and didn’t discover anything I didn’t know already but I think the questions she is asking are highly relevant. For example, do I need a will for my digital self ? Will all funeral homes follow the example of Conley Funeral Homes in Ireland who live stream funerals for relatives who can’t be there in person? Of course my data is part of my digital personality so I wonder how my family and ( offline ) friends would know who I love and respect in my online world? In the past when someone died their relatives sort out their home and all their belongings, now the same thing has to happen to our laptops and our i-phones? It’s a fascinating area and it looks like the place to be connected to around all this stuff is Digital Beyond . I wonder if Facebook and Twitter are thinking about formulating death policies?
Meghan O’Rourke talked to an audience about her memoir ‘The Long Goodbye’ which is a profound exploration of the nature of grieving. She wrote the book after her mother died from cancer at 55. I am in awe of her story and her openness. She talked about grief in a way I have never read about or heard before – so real and raw. The reality is that we don’t know how to behave when someone dies – no-one shows us or tells us – it is the one experience that unifies us and such an opportunity for connection – is a sympathy card the best we can do? Meghan talked about the work of Kevin Young and shared beautiful snippets of poetry that helped her face her grief. Isn’t it curious that our society is somewhat comfortable with mass grieving for people we don’t personally know but we find it so difficult to be open with bereaved people we do know. Meghan introduced me to the concept of anticipatory grief – something that happens when you are told a loved one only as a certain time to live. This also happens when loved ones are diagnosed with long term conditions as their families grieve the person they were before the disease.
Over one million people die by suicide every year, and there are an estimated 15 to 20 million attempted suicides every year worldwide. I went along to “Suicide – not waving or drowning” to listen to a panel of experts talk about the causes of suicide, the effects of suicide spots on local communities and how different cultures and religions view suicide. Film maker Jez Lewis showed us his film ‘Shed your tears and walk away’ and I was shocked to learn that the police and the NHS boycotted the showing of the film in the local area. I have read about the idea of suicide becoming infectious in The Tipping Point but watching this video reinforced the fact that the more people you know who have committed suicide the more it becomes an option – it becomes the norm. Statistics really matter when it comes to suicide mainly because they don’t reflect the truth – five people on Jez’s street had committed suicide yet the statictis didn’t show anything abnormal. Also, statistics don’t break down suicide by race or ethnicity which is important when 75% of those who commit suicide are men. The language around suicide is also topical because people find the word ‘committed’ offensive.
Rosetta Life presented a series of short films made with people with life-threatening illnesses about the things that matter most ; stories of cancer, self discovery and truth that go to the heart of pallIative care. They showed a wonderful film of a lady dancing with the hands of a man with a neurological disease. He told the camera “Movement keeps me in relationship” – there was something so powerful about these films around the intimacy of touch. It seems at the end of your life touch becomes a clinical thing but touch is so important. Touch and intimacy in health is an area I want to know more about as I think it could add so much value yet we shy away from it – even when we are healthy! I am looking forward to the book Cassie Robinson is curating,due to be published in Spring of this year, with 14 authors, discussing the practice and experience of intimacy and vulnerability in different aspects of our lives, and how empathy scales in public services. Death is surely one of the most intimate experiences and yet often happens in a clinical situation. We were shown an incredible film commissioned by Labour peer and political strategist Lord Philip Gould, who died in November 2011. There was a part of me that watched this thinking of the people who could never afford to have a film made or a story written about them before they die – yet so many probably could if they were shown how easy it was using flip cams, wordpress and the like.
This event was most definitely one of a kind. I met some fantastic people such as Dr John Troy from the Centre of Death and Society at The University of Bath , chaps from the service Tell Us Once, ladies from The Samaritans and the folks from Dying Matters. It was great to meet people who were enthusiastic and keen to listen to my ideas and share their stories and experiences.
I can’t wait to see what The SouthBank Centre are going to do next in the space and I really hope they step up to the mark in terms of doing something really worthwhile and meaningful. Jude Kelly shared a little of the feedback she had got so far – next time people want to talk about survivors guilt and accidental murder ( of course the latter evoked a reaction ) maybe by then someone will have developed a ‘Kill My Facebook’ app or death will have become a disease that is curable.
To give you an insight into the scale of the conversation, here are some figures from #deathfest.
“500 tweets generated 829,478 impressions, reaching an audience of 143,340 followers within the past 24 hours”
I can say with absolute confidence the Death Festival has made me think differently and taught me things about the world and myself. Now I feel it is my responsibility to share my experience with all of you and I want you all to ask yourself two questions:
1: What do you want done with your body when you die?
2: Have you told your next of kin?
Asking these questions can open us up to really human and loving conversation.
Snook are working with Cassie Robinson to determine how we go about making a difference in this space. This weekend’s conversations confirmed our thoughts around the massive need for people-centered thinking around end of life services. There are several areas in particular such as the transition between paediatric to adult care, the learning about death in education and the absolute basic need for practical information. There are also issues and problems around the role of intimacy in health and and how services are joined up, after all there is no shared languages or rituals. And of course it isn’t all about services or design, but the fundamental human nature of it and how we share that as a culture, letting go and making room for new.
The one theme that cropped up time and time again for me over this weekend was storytelling. The anecdotes tell the truth in suicide – statistics and numbers don’t tell the truth because we learn through stories. Every single thing death throws at you there is a story somewhere proving you can do it. There are stories about making or doing – where a 93 year old train driver tells you his life lesson is to fight for what you believe in.
We need to find a relaxed way to talk about the things that unite us. What about the relationship the media has with death? The way the Hebden Bridge suicides were reported was simple not acceptable! Designers might not think of themselves as a storytellers, but in many ways, they are. The success of a designers work is dependent upon how well we tell the story and narrative of our process to the world and this is just one example of where I think the skills of designers link up with this space. Are death services seen as public services? it would appear the answer is no – they are seen has either charitable or money-making with little in between.
Do you know people doing good work in this space? Do you have a story you would like to share? Do you want to join us in looking at death with curiosity? Send me an email at lauren (at) wearesnook (dot) com
Filed under: design thinking, people I like, Red Jotter Work, service design
A little sign of why things have been so quiet on redjotter – Snook is hiring! We are working on some great projects and growing our team! Find out more and share with your talented friends.
Filed under: design studies, design thinking, made me think, people I like, Red Jotter Work, service design, servicedesign
This is Edit for the 10th time around, but the for the first time in the beautiful and mysterious area of Røros. It is an old mining town so the theme of ‘Digging’ fits very well.
This conference was originally a computer conference for designers and illustrators, it has gradually changed over the years. Today, the conference aims to increase the understanding of visual communications and the role it plays in society. I am excited these guys are keen to explore Service Design at such an event.
Keetra Dean Dixon was first up, she calls herself an Experiential Choreographer and is the brains behind the fabulous hugging wall which I have experienced as a hugger and a huggee. Keetra challenges herself with ‘one-a-day’ projects which is something I attempted many times at University but never seemed to have the discipline for. I like the idea of pushing yourself to make something in 24hours and then share it. Listening to Keetra reminds me very much of my ambitions when I was at high school – I wanted to design products that would bring surprise and delight to people’s everyday. I must be honest and say that now I find this kind of work fairly self-indulgent. But it works and it’s beautiful and there will always be a place for it.
Marius Arnesen then talked about his journey of making a documentary about the Norwegian Army in Afghanistan. His talk was mainly made up of film footage and I will be honest and say it was very scary and shook me up a little. I am grateful for his bravery to show such footage to an audience mainly made up of traditional designers.
He talked about the reality of war. The fact is it’s not all action – it’s 99% eating, sleeping and waiting. I sensed from the audience that the link between this talk and design wasn’t clear. For me, the way Marius talked about going into this situation and having to become friends with the soldiers first echoed the way we design. It’s about real human to human trust and Maurice’s job is to get close to people.
Robert L. Peters shared many quotes that inspire him. One that stuck with me was the fact that 85% of what we know today comes through our eyes. For me, this reinforces the reality that designers see the world differently and can make thoughts, ideas and visions visible. I would have liked to see examples of what Robert has achieved by following quotes such as ‘think sideways’ and ‘aim high’ and I must be honest and say that I don’t think design is responsible for ‘creating the future world our children will live in’ . I think design is part of the solution, but many other fields and disciplines have a role to play.
It was then my turn to take to the stage and I have never before received such a spectacular introduction. Check out the video below starring Bård Brænde.
I talked about Snook and our vision for transforming the way public services are designed and delivered in Scotland. From conversations I’ve had with the organisers I know that socially motivated Service Design is very new in Norway . Thank you to everyone who talked to me afterwards and shared their inspirations and ideas with me following my talk.
At the start of the year ( through the phenomenon that is Global Service Jam ) I met an awesome lady called Kirsty Burnham. This week has been a rollercoaster of happenings for Kirsty – who is the founder of SoLoCo!!
I was at the recent launch of Scottish based project - the first ever dedicated crowdfunding website for the Third Sector – and its founders want it to revolutionise how projects are funded in the UK.
“We believe SoLoCo can help revolutionise the future of funding in the UK. We want to make it easier to raise funds, and in time make it easier for organisations to be become less reliant on the ‘traditional’ funding bodies. We also want to help improve the visibility of our communities and all the amazing work happening on the ground every day. Crowdfunding has already made a huge difference to the arts, music and even, Obama’s political campaign – now we want it to change communities.”
The SoLoCo launch comes as the Third Sector faces an increasingly tough financial climate, battling reduced income from statutory funding against increased demand for services in some areas.
Six projects across Scotland have already signed up on the SoLoCo website to crowdfund for donations, worth a total value of £124,976. These include:
// The launch of a new Scottish online newspaper, the scottishtimes.com
// Scotland’s first Digital FABlab based at Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture,The Lighthouse, Glasgow
// Renovation of Glencanisp Walled Garden by The Assynt Foundation to create a local enterprise
// Crowdfunding for audio-visual equipment for the hugely successful Youth Football Scotland project
// A multimedia project at Duns Youth Centre in the Borders, to help young people develop skills in film-making & radio production
// A community café Punjab’n De Rasoi in Leith, Edinburgh is crowdfunding to employ its long time volunteer chefs and waitresses.
“The ‘virtual doors’ are now open for projects across the UK to start their own crowdfunding campaign through the SoLoCo site, giving them access directly to the public, a wider network than they have already, and without having to organise any sponsorship activities.
Our project base is across Scotland at present but our doors are very much open to projects across the UK.”
The idea is that a project uploads its crowdfunding campaigns to the SoLoCo website in a few easy steps. They then have 60 days in which to fundraise, with a heavy focus on social media. Projects reaching their target keep all the money, while those who don’t, keep the money raised and can use it to apply for match funding.
Successful crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter in America have seen hundreds of thousands raised for arts projects. Obama used crowdfunding to contribute to his election campaign. And a most recently in the UK, Brewdog, successfully launched its second Equity for Punks crowdfunding campaign, after the first one proved such a success…I am watching this space!
Massive congratulations to Kirsty and her team and three cheers for ThirdSectorLab and Crancomms who have been working their magic behind the scenes!
Filed under: people I like, reading and writing, Red Jotter Work, service design, servicedesign
The idea for Community Lover’s Guide to the Universe was conceived in Rotterdam in April 2011 by Tessy Britton and Maurice Specht.
Following the fantastic response to the collaborative book Hand Made (40,000 online readers), which was published in Autumn 2010, the idea evolved that they might be able to start producing local versions of Hand Made.
Since announcing the project in June 2011 the team have 20 confirmed voluntary editors and another 10 or so in discussion. Their ambition is to publish about 50 editions in the next 12 months!
Tessy explains:
A few weeks ago Maurice Specht turned to me on the way to Schiphol airport and said ‘So when are we going to bring out a Hand Made for Rotterdam?’.
What a brilliant suggestion!
Since then the idea has really taken off with 12 community enthusiasts already volunteering to edit special local editions – collectively now called the Community Lover’s Guide To The Universe. Since we brought out Hand Made last August the number of people-led projects has continued to grow and we wanted to explore both the common themes, but also the unique cultural ideas and interpretations from all parts of the world.
We also wanted to start to show how places that are buzzing with community activity and projects are amazing places to live, increasingly more amazing than places with cool architecture or luxury shops. Community brings places alive, gives us new and interesting ways to contribute and connect … and there are signs already that people are finding places that have this creativity and excitement going on highly desirable.
Community can’t be mass produced and it can’t be ‘delivered’. But in rising numbers there are a lot of very excitable people just getting on and making and shaping their local communities for themselves. This series of books will create the opportunity for them to tell their stories, which in turn we hope will encourage other people to put aside any hesitations they might have and get more involved in their neighbourhoods.
So I have a brilliant excuse to get oot and aboot in Glasgae and meet all you community evangelists and capture your stories. Who should I talk to? Where should I go? Who do you think should be in the Community Lover’s Guide to Glasgow?
Filed under: made me think, people I like, Red Jotter Work, service design, servicedesign
Andrea Peach, a lecturer and craft historian at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, is writing an academic paper entitled “Contemporary Craft and the Commodification of National Identity in Scotland after 1970“. Her research is mostly based on craft and craft policy in the 1970s, but she is trying to draw some contemporary parallels. Andrea was in the audience at my recent keynote at Craft Connected where there was a little burst of chatter in the audience about how creative Scots use their Scottish identity as part of thier brand. James Donald and I were eager to let the audience know that we are both very proud of our roots and see travelling away from home as a great excuse to show off our tartan. This snap ( although slightly resembling a girl band album cover – not intentional ;) below was taken by Adam Lawrence in Berlin and Snook are very proud of it!
“It was also interesting to note at a recent Craftscotland conference, titled Craft Connected that contemporary makers were not ashamed to rely on Scottish tropes to generate interest. James Donald, a weaver and one the makers who will be represented at the Craftscotland launch in America, said that he always wears his kilt when promoting his work abroad, and Lauren Currie, Director of the Scottish service design consultancy Snook , said that she is happy to wear her tartan tights when promoting Scottish design.”
Andrea has asked to interview me about the relationship between my work and the notions of ‘Scottishness’ and frankly I can’t wait!
Oh, and here is a translation of the title: “Here’s tae us ; wha’s like us? dam few – and they’re a’ deid! ” = “Here’s to us! Who is as good as us? Damn few and they are all dead”
What are the connections between your roots and your work? and thank you to the beautiful blog that is Scouts Honor for the photograph.
Filed under: made me think, people I like, Red Jotter Work, service design
Three years ago today I was teaching first year design students at The University of Dundee. Those students are now going into fourth year. I am delighted that many of them have kept in touch and one young lady, Fiona Harper, popped into Snook for lunch this week to pick our brains about her dissertation topic: empathy!
Fiona would like to know about he best example of empathy tools you have used or seen? Fiona is keen to talk to non-designers too so all of you reading who work in governments, schools and charities – tell Fi what you think!
Filed under: design studies, design thinking, made me think, master of design, people I like, Red Jotter Work, service design, servicedesign
All around the UK, Universities are welcoming their first year students through their doors – bright eyed, bushy tailed and facing a lifetime of debt, Mike Press is one of those chaps who sees it has his mission to fill them with passion and self-belief. He asked me to make a little video to give the students one piece of advice.
Here’s what you guys came up with…
What would your advice be?
Me and my fellow Snookettes are on the hunt for a graphic designer with a social conscious ! Download the details here and get in touch!
This week I facilitated an intoductory session to Service Design for staff from Universities across the UK. This was the first time I have ever delivered a workshop from the other side of a screen and I must say it worked surprisingly well! Of course, being there in person is the ultimate preference but with the help of the organisers and some brilliant technology we made it work!
We started off with some playful tools around story boarding and journey mapping. It was clear the audience were very good with words but felt uncomfortable drawing! Once I reinforced the reason behind drawing and they understood why they were drawing and what the value was – they got it.
This session was a chance for people to start thinking about how Service Design is relevant to higher education. It was a chance for them to play with techniques and ultimately realise that this approach is very beneficial. A big chunk of the audience were from an IT background and the concept of visualising was new to them. Of course a change in mindset doesn’t happen over night and the screen was definitely a barrier but the participants were keen to see the social side of Service Design and the practical examples of services Snook have designed.
The participants left the event asking “Who do I need to talk to?” “Who should I be listening to?” There was a real buzz in the room and lots of story telling happening. Service Design offered them a fresh lens to look at their projects, they had never considered engaging a diagonal slice of their organisation – experts like janitors, dinner ladies and receptionists.
I was fascinated by the questions that were raised around building personas and the value they bring. The level of detail some of the groups went into was truly brilliant but some struggled to see the value at first. The audience have realised although they used to think they understood their audience they actually do not! - so in their minds it made no sense for them to create personas! “How can we create an empathic persona when we don’t know the students well enough?” “How can you possibly create personas that cover everyone who will use the service?” I explained the value of creating personas is about viewing services and scenarios from someone elses perspective. They are about training your mind to become empathic very quickly and putting your self in the shoes of people who live a very different life to you.
“I was at the other side of this video link watching Lauren’s presentation from Nottingham, it was totally engaging and I learned so much, until the fire alarm went off that is! Otherwise I left feeling very inspired by Snooks approach to service design” Laura Henaghan, University of Glasgow
We had to cut the session short due to a very loud fire alarm but it did spark off a discussion around the use and detail of personas. Many people in the audience had never tried this approach before and were uncertain about the level of detail to go into and when to use them at first.
“I think the introductory presentation worked really well as it put the practical uses of service design into context, using real-life examples. Up until now, apart from last year’s projects, most of the people in the audience who’d heard of service design (never mind actually use it) had not seen it put into practice. The practical sessions were well thought through and gently led people through from one stage to the next. It certainly got people talking (in fact they didn’t want to stop!) and whilst they found it hard to actually put pen to paper and draw (it’s hard to get academics to do this!), once they got the hang of it, there was no stopping them.” Sharon Perry, Learning Technology Advisor, JISC CETIS
One of the participants sent the organisers an e-mail to say “[they] have returned to work brimming with ideas” after the service design session. So it looks like we got people thinking!
Snook are one of five critical friends involved in this program. The others have expertise in CRM (Customer Relationship Management), SLRM (Student Lifecycle Relationship Management), information management systems and social media, and one still be appointed with expertise in alumni.
Service Design is gathering momentum in the higher education sector and Snook are very excited to be part of it!
Filed under: design thinking, made me think, people I like, Red Jotter Work, service design
Whose health is it anyway? was the question posed by a panel of public health experts at the Aye Write festival.
“Glasgow has the record as ‘the sick man of Europe’, but has a reputation for innovative thinking about public health alongside community-driven models for change. What is the overall picture of public health in the city, and how can we best aid and support long-lasting and fundamental change both in individual attitudes and at the level of society?
‘Where is the Public in Public Health’ was part of the Reimagining Scotland series of discussions looking at issues and debates for Scotland’s future. Speakers were: Professor Phil Hanlon, Dept of Public Health, University of Glasgow; Fiona Crawford, Glasgow Centre for Population Health; Dr Gerry McCartney, NHS Health Scotland; Isabella Goldie, Mental Health Foundation Scotland. The event was chaired by Dr Rosie Ilett, Glasgow Centre for Population Health.”
The panel talked about inequality and the fact that people in Scotland are dying far too young. This is a true injustice and I commend the panel for being so blunt about it! Transport was a topic that cropped up several times – we need to work together to slow the traffic down both physically and metaphorically. I think we are all good at identifying what needs fixed but need to question why it is broken in the first place and focus on assets rather than new shiny solutions.
Sketchbook visuals
As you would expect mental health was also a topic of conversation. Niel talked about promoting positive mental health that considers social networks, self-esteem, social capital and our physical environment. A mentally healthy society will be an equal one and I think that requires lots of different thinking from society and citizens.
But there is hope! Phil Hanlon declared ‘let’s be innovative’ Of course things weren’t always this way and things can be different! Hear Hear!
The notion of community empowerment began to shine through towards the very end when a report by Shiela Bec ‘Good places, better health’ was brought up because of it’s approach. The research for this paper involved handing the citizens cameras instead of questionnaires – incredibly simply yet so powerful.
Sketchbook visuals
I left this event wondering whose job it is to change this stuff? Who is held responsible? and it seems Scotland thinks its much healthier than it actually is…
I respect Phil Hanlon for his unwavering optimism! ‘We will change and it’s so exciting’ I echo his advice to talk about vision and imagine a radically different Scotland. Of course, we could both be accused of being flippant but I believe we have to see this as an opportunity.
I would like to see this conversation continue in a more open way with members of the public in the room!
Filed under: made me think, people I like, Red Jotter Work, service design | Tags: changin scotland, scotland, ullapool
I first heard of Changin Scotland ( yes no ‘g’ and no apostrophe ) from Geoff Huggins who has been attending the event for a few years now. Although on reflection I wouldn’t quite call it an event as I go to alot of those and this one felt different. Over the weekend I met a food scientist, a whistle maker, a furniture maker, the traffic commissioner for Scotland, a project manager, a nurse from a methadone program, a film maker, an actress, an artist, a land rights expert, a public health academic, an author, an activist and a counsellor.
All this to the backdrop of daffodils, fresh air and beautiful scenery. Nobody was on their laptop, there was no hashtag and nobody talking or texting on their mobile. By the end of the weekend everyone knew my first name and I knew theirs. It was peaceful.
Ullapool is a small town of around 1,300 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty, Highlands, Scotland.
First up on the Friday evening was Andy Wightman, a land rights expert who spoke about land, politics and power. I checked out his twitter stream before hand and must admit I made the assumption his talk was going to be a little over my head and a bit ‘landy’. I was wrong. Andy spoke passionately about localism and how land is fundamental to enable localism to flourish.
So how do we use the public land that is ‘ours’ right now? I think this is about life and imagination. How do you re-imagine your neighbourhood? 1600 people live in Ullapool and there are 47 organisations that do good. As one audience member said “We are living the Big Society”. As much as these two words are toxic in Scotland they did creep up time and time again over the weekend. I was fascinated.
Making conversations visual
Professor Drew Scott talked about why Scotland needs Fiscal Autonomy ( I had to google that before hand as I wasn’t quite sure what the phrase meant beyond ‘taxes and stuff’ ) This talk was very jargon heavy and at times difficult to follow but I value what I took away from it. Drew asked the question “What is Scotland trying to achieve?” The audience made it clear the answer is about confidence and competence. Can Scotland do things right? Look at the trams in Edinburgh, the Holyrood building, the Forth Road Bridge…we need to start believing in ourselves again.
Liz Gardiner from Fable Vision talked about Scots fear of public conversation – after all we only have one think tank! There was a strong theme of story telling and narratives in what Liz said, she spoke of ‘the crisis of stories’ to make sense of the lack of ideas and voices in the system and the confidence people need to tell their own stories. It seems we need a new and different way of bringing people together so we can really explore what Scotland is and where we get agency from.
Fablevisions approach to policy and planning is called Cultural Planning. Cultural planning is a culturally sensitive approach to all planning and policy. It’s all about local people being in the lead and mapping their own assets. One of the brilliant outcomes of this way of working is Govan Folk University; a local manifestation of a global conversation all about people, place and purpose.( there is lots of amazing stuff happening in Govan and I intend to find out more )
Visualisations
To everyone from Changin Scotland – thank you for welcoming me, answering my questions and forcing me to take a deep breath, slow down and really think about Scotland.
Filed under: design thinking, people I like, Red Jotter Work, service design
EDGE is happening tomorrow !
“These are exciting times for councils embarking on ambitious transformation programmes and the intensity of challenge lies in delivering excellence for customers while reducing costs.
Technology is changing service delivery fast, customers want more and different and will continue to do so. We need to be ready for the pace of change of the next ten years and how we will have to change the face of council services.
Our chosen speakers will demonstrate how they have used their vision, creative and innovative thinking to deliver excellence and efficiencies. This opportunity comes at a time where cost-efficient and effective outcomes are paramount.”
You can watch a little clip of me and the rest of the speakers here.
I am really looking forward to it and especially keen to hear Kevin Winkler from New York Public Library speak!
I can’t wait to talk about a game Snook are working on around rethinking the future of libraries; a facilitators toolkit to co-design ideas for the future of libraries with people who run the service, specialists and the general public…
Hat tip to Mike McLean for putting me in touch with Liz. You will be able to follow tweets on the day.
The Virtual Enterprise Conference was a treat ( unfortunately I wasn’t quite south enough to hear a Welsh accent – but the thought was there!) Matthew has wrapped it up nicely in a little post over here.
I met some really fantastic folks – it was a pleasure to see Ande ( the founder of media140 ) again and I really loved the phrase he shared with the audience…
“It’s always morning somewhere”
How very true. Next time I’m frustrated at myself for getting up in the middle of the night I will remind myself that somewhere it’s morning and somebody somewhere will be excited to hear my ideas!
Virtual Enterprise Conference
Paul Smith is a character and an inspiration. The story of @twitchhiker is one everyone should follow. It is so good Paul has written a book about it and a film is in the pipe line! To cut a long and exciting story short Paul traveled the world using twitter as his only method of accepting travel offers. It really made me think about the generosity in the world and the community spirit that something like this highlights. Although, Paul did remind me that it wasn’t all sweetness and light with people setting up twitter campaigns to leave him stranded and even putting bets on his death!
Alex Tewy talked about the concept of internet phenomenon’s – something that is impressive and extraordinary. It’s safe to say his Million Dollar Homepage fits the bill. He talked about failure being feedback. Spot on. Oh, and the next time someone tells you your idea is crazy it’s probably a good one.
There was only one design student in the audience so this was a brilliant chance for me to explain the value of my work in plain English and show it’s relevance.
I think it’s worth noting that all these chaps I met work mainly on their own. We chatted about feeling isolated and the reality of work pressures – now more than ever I’m grateful to be doing what I’m doing alongside Sarah. I truly believe we have only just begun to tap into what we could achieve together so I am super excited about the next year.
What did I learn? The importance of walking the talk.
Filed under: people I like, service design | Tags: burns, scotland, supper, tartan
Last week was a rollercoaster of toasts, terrific highs and some tears. It seems apt that we all raised our glasses to Rabbie Burns at the weekend and I wanted to share it with you dear readers and wish you all a Happy Burns Day!!
This time last year I attended my first traditional Burns Supper. I was blown away and came home to write a post about Rabbie’s “Genuis of writing about people” . This year, I decided to hold my own supper and with the help of Mum’s cooking, Dad’s musicianship, Craig’s beautiful recitals, Lorna’s housekeeping and Lynsey’s organisational skills – we pulled off a wee Burns Nicht for over twenty folks!!
Burns Nicht' 2011
The focus of the poems I have explored this year has been relationships and friendships. Robert Burns was a man of love and passion. I think it says something about our nation that we have chosen a man of words – a poet, a wordsmith, a man of love and passion to be our national hero. Not a warrior, not a politician, a man of the people and a man of the heart. Any man that could write…
Had we never lov’d sae kindly,
Had we never lov’d sae blindly,
Never met – or never parted –
We had ne’er been broken-hearted.
is a genius in my book :)
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties
The humorous highlight of any Burns Night comes in the toast to The Lassies which is designed to praise the role of women in the world today. Burns was a liberal and he loved lassies. He was a true romantic. This year has really pushed and challenged my thinking around femininity ; immersing myself in the predominantly male police service and managing an all girl team in the predominantly male ‘tech’ scene has been tough and I have learned alot. Also, Cassie and I held Women of Scotland last October and it was a really lovely experience, I’ve met some amazing lassies in 2010! Those of you who know me have witnessed my feelings of patriotism grow stronger so I would like to make a toast… to Burns, The Lassies and Friendships of 2011!
Thank you to everyone who came and showed off their splash of tartan!
