Michael Vav lead a rich discussion about his social experiments and social creativity in general. Thank you Michael for inspiring us! Besides being a dynamic social innovator, he’s also a personal coach, and these passions get meshed in highly creative ways. To learn more about Michael’s work, go here.
Here’s a few takeaways from the discussion Michael facilitated:
-You can flip the script. If an interaction is heading in a direction you don’t like, you have the power to shape it differently. You can improvise and experiment while remaining respectful.
-Resist autopilot. Acknowledge the power of the social now. Try something different in interaction to open up new possibilities, whether on the bus, on the street, at work, or in the bedroom with your partner. Infuse your interactions with life.
-From elaborate events to everyday encounters, there endless ways to exercise your social creativity. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Each day holds endless possibilities. Look for them.
-Small talk can be a prelude to instrumentalizing the relationship or some form of judgment. Be aware. And do something more fun and humane.
-That in being able to receive help or gifts is important to making your visions into reality. And just as important as giving in creating an abundant society where generosity is encouraged.
When you reflect on these points, you can see how oppression and psychological pathologies can be reinforced by our interactions if we aren’t careful to do something different, and that opening up new patterns of social expression can lead to new possibilities. And at a minimum, we can liberate ourselves – and hopefully others – from boredom.
Big thanks also goes out to Bosco and Kim Connector for a great job facilitating the meeting, and for everyone who participated and brought yummy food. Please check out member announcements below. Lots of great skills, offers and chances to help.
Our next meeting is Thursday, August 21st. We’re featuring Chris Carlsson, a writer, editor, and community organizer. Chris will talk about his new book Nowtopia, and lead a discussion about how pirate programmers, outlaw bicyclists, and vacant lot gardeners “are taking back their time and technological know-how from the market and in small under-the-radar ways, are making life better right now.” And how these Nowtopians are laying “the foundation for a genuine movement of liberation from market life.” Details of the meeting to follow. Learn more about Chris and his new book here.
We hope to see you then.
–
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Name: Kim Connector
Passion: sf culture: art, music, fashion, food
Needs: need places, people and shops to visit in san francisco
Gifts: social skills, inimate knowledge of san francisco’s scene, organization and food
E-mail: thebrainpoolconnector [at] yahoo dot com
Name:Lucci
Passion:studying life and its dimensions, and communication my observations artistically and through dialog; and helping cultivate the social cohesiveness that allows each temperament, personality, and perspective to nurture and develop in their own determinations and life roles. Needs:visioning allies to develop a resourcing enterprise for parallel culture lifestyles.
Gifts: 501(c)3 sponsorship of social cohesiveness ventures, east bay development space and forums
E-mail:lucci [at] well dot com
Name: Bosco
Passion: science, music, the written word
Needs: an iphone
Gifts: a mirror of ideas
E-mail: apposite [at] gmail dot com
Name: Ray
Passion: Changing our model of leadership from Machiavelli to Gandhi & Martin Luther King. I’m a full time volunteer for the Green Party.
Needs: Web developer for political campaign sites, volunteers for www.marksanchez.org
Gifts: I speak html, c++, asm, Graphic design with Illustrator & InDesign. I’ve got postal mailing machines. If you want to run a small city, I can arrange that.
Name: Xander
Passion: Trple-bottom-line business, social enterprise, effectively utilizing technology to empower change
Needs: Passionate, talent, social-minded web developers, green business contacts
Gifts: Strategic Planning, Creative Visioning, Group Facilitation
E-mail: xanderpage [at] gmail dot com
Name: Don Cadora
Passion:awareness, travel, communication,foods.
Needs:Job, music connections, musicians.
Gifts:mediation, health, healing, writing, music, teaching.
E-mail: doncadora [at] gmail dot com
Name: Michael Vav
Passion: To inspire awareness through adventure.
Needs: Work. Part time. Full time. Clients. Participants. Freelance. In general, external structure of time and income.
Gifts: Professional coaching; team-building program design and facilitation; event production; writing/editing; project management
E-mail: coach [at] michaelvav dot com
Name: Emily Shurr
Passion: you guys
Needs: a ride to & from these meetings
Gifts: i will inspire you to weird new directions
E-mail: egshurr [at] yahoo dot com
Name: Allison Quaid
Passion: being in SF; creativity, sustainability, art
Needs:re-integrate in SF social scene
Gifts: art therapy and visioning
E-mail: aquaid [at] gmail dot com
Name: Suzi Chang
Passion:”being” the change, the Pink Revolution, Calling for a “Tea party” at the white house, sustainability,inspiration, empowerment,paradigm shifting, love,love,love activism, adventure…
Needs:fund raising, awareness raising, organizing,grant writing, web designer
Gifts:Photography,Crisis managing,styling,strategizing,creative/artistic direction,event production/management,hugging
E-mail:worldsuzi [at] gmail dot com
Name:carrie flemming
Passion: creating, learning, becoming, challenging injustice
Needs:a creative, challenging job that financially sustains me, excites me and creates the opportunity to learn and grow & folks to artistically collaborate with
Gifts: sensitivity & vision, collaborating, bringing together seemingly disparate ideas/elements
E-mail: flemmica [at] gmail dot com
Name:jessica Lilga
Passion: Being Self-sustainable by gardening-grow your own!, cooking, natural health & healthy living and.. enjoying life and finding things to appreciate!! Yeah yeah!
Needs:More direction on what type of business to start, with so many passions where do I focus?
Gifts:niceness, listening, yummy snacky things, gardening knowledge, connecting needs and others… 
Name: Katrina Zavalney (Kachina Katrina*)
Passion: Sustainability, organizational Development, Community Organizing, fun*, lots of magic, and clowning!
Needs: website, blog, new e-mail address, long term job (consulting agency for OD with organizations and city government tagged with sustainability is best*), most things have just
fallen into place- including short-term job with Allison Quaid
Gifts:facilitation, networking, deep sustainability knowledge, tarot readings, organizational development, event coordination and production + greening events, community organizing, being
with people, adventuresome*
E-mail:katrina [at] uas dot coop
Name:Josh Wilson
Passion: Stories, narrative, music, bicycles, banjo
Needs: Philanthropy (strategies and implementation) for nonprofit project, arts and culture projects, workshop leaders and exhibitors for Expo for Independent Arts
Gifts: Big free local arts expo on Sept. 27 in Dolores Park!!! Free news at Newsdesk.org!!!! banjo!!!!
E-mail: joshua [at] artsandmedia dot net
Name: Pearl Lee
Passion: connecting with others
Needs: All kinds of job searching and/or career building advice/where to network with different people; C++, Java,
and multi-media help to finish my school projects
Gifts: organizational skills, bilingual – Chinese and English
E-mail: sf.buddies [at] gmail dot com
Name: Neal
Passion: culture and culture change, bringing people together to live into constructive narratives
Needs: to be OK with whatever is happening, whatever i do
Gifts: books, perspective, strategy skills, listening to you
E-mail: gorenflo [at] gmail dot com
Name: Andrea
Passion: Educating and empowering families and children to optimize their health and maximize their potential
Needs: a nap, a gardener, a lead on a burning man camp
Gifts: concrete thinking and planning for all you dreamers, medical advice
E-mail: rudominer [at] hotmail dot com
