Thank you Todd Siler of Think Like a Genius!

Published on April 23, 2009 in Denver Events by Susan C. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

We want to take a moment to appreciate Todd Siler of Think Like a Genius for his facilitation of a live 3-D modeling lab for tAL participants!  After a brief presentation about the history, philosophy, and practice of Think Like a Genius we literally dove into bags of modeling clay, tongue depressors, colorful pipe cleaners, photos, and styrofoam balls to create dynamic visual installations of how we feel when we are in our element and engaged in our passions/projects.  Ideas bounced, sparks flew, and time stopped!   Once our models were ready, each presented his/her model and received feedback and questions from Todd and the group, which deepened the experience even further.

And another thank you to Todd’s partners Eric Siler and Scott Perlman for their contributions to making this Abundance League meeting one to remember!

Warmly,

Susan (+Taj)

P.S.  Please feel free to respond to this post if you’d like to share your experiences….

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Divvy.com: Get the Most Out of Your Stuff

Published on April 17, 2009 in Abundance by Neal Gorenflo. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

img-logo-divvy-about-timeIn a time when we need to save money, reduce our ecological footprint, and band together to make change, Divvy may be just what the doctor ordered.   Divvy.com helps people and communities to divide up use of various physical assets through a unique billing and asset scheduling system.   So for instance, you can use Divvy to schedule the use of conference rooms,  desks in a co-working space, a car, a snow blower, in fact, almost anything.  And if you want to charge for use, there’s a built in payment system.  The whole thing is pretty much self-service, so it doesn’t consume much time except at set up.  

I had the good fortune to do some work for founder Aaron Freed on the launch of Divvy.com (disclosure: I earned a small number of options for my work).  I got involved because I think that sharing our stuff will solve many problems at once.   And I see a new economy and culture emerging based on sharing that can help us enjoy life more and avert societal collapse.

Here’s my perspective.  And let me use the example of cars to illustrate.   Continue reading ‘Divvy.com: Get the Most Out of Your Stuff’

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Denver April Confluence: Todd Siler PhD & Metaphorming, a Process of Creativity & Innovation—Tue 4/14 @ Hooked on Colfax

Published on April 10, 2009 in Abundance, Denver Events and Meetings+Events Calendar by Taj Moore. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .
Todd Siler, PhD

Todd Siler, PhD

For the April confluence I am excited to introduce Todd Siler, PhD who will be leading us in a process he calls Metaphorming. Todd has developed this over many years, working with people of all types & ages, from school children to top executives at Fortune 500 companies.

He tells us, “this interactive presentation will provide you with some key tools, methods, knowledge, and experiences for discovering and applying your creative potential in new ways … the Metaphorming process provides a global common language that enables people to conceptualize, visualize, express and present their ideas, viewpoints, knowledge, and experiences in ways that effectively communicate the essence and details of their thinking.”

—-IMPORTANT UPDATE AFTER THE BREAK—-

I was particularly pleased to read Todd’s goal for this exercise… Continue reading ‘Denver April Confluence: Todd Siler PhD & Metaphorming, a Process of Creativity & Innovation—Tue 4/14 @ Hooked on Colfax’

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Quick Thoughts on Money

Published on April 9, 2009 in Abundance by Taj Moore. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

A friend forwarded this quote to me, which rings true:

“Money is like an iron ring we’ve put through our noses. We’ve forgotten that we designed it, and it’s now leading us around. I think it’s time to figure out where we want to go – in my opinion toward sustainability and community – and then design a money system that gets us there.”

— Bernard Lietaer Interview with Yes! Magazine: Beyond Greed & Scarcity

This squares nicely with something I have been saying about systems in general: “the hand should shape the tool, and not the other way around.”

But let’s take that one step further and say this:

“The hand shapes the tool, the tool shapes the work, the work shapes the soul.”

And the soul … what does that shape? Please leave your comments; ask your friends, too.

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SF April Meeting: Calling All Gardening & Local Food Nerds

Published on March 29, 2009 in Meetings+Events Calendar and San Francisco Events by Neal Gorenflo. 3 Comments

snail1This is your signal. Like Batman’s bat sign in the night sky, you’ve been called. But instead of a bat, you’re called by the silhouette of a SNAIL! It’s time to put seed in soil, so we’re gathering to share our gardening knowledge and inspire each other to create a sustainable urban food system. Not to mention that our deteriorating economy and environment give us ample reason to take control of our own food supply!

Three experts are kickstarting this month’s Abundance League discussion on gardening and local food. The discussion will be focused on practical gardening tips and how we can support a sustainable urban food system through politics and our participation in the food economy. Our panelist this month are:

-Tarka Sanchez: botanist, ethnobotanist, cook, sustainability consultant, and international cuisine and garden design entrepreneur. Learn more about Tarka here.

-Jen Dalton: food consultant, food journalist, Slow Food organizer, editor of the City Slicker Eats series on the groundbreaking food politics blog Civil Eats, cookbook collector, and gastronome. Learn more about Jen here.

-Olin Anderson:  urban planner, habitat restorer, eco-landscape architect, designer of therapeutic and edible garden spaces, and recent prize winner at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show for a demonstration landscape entitled, “11:44AM, Friday.”  You can learn more about Olin’s work here.

The combined experience of our panelists is truly dazzling. It includes communing with shamans in the Amazon rainforest to learn plant medicine, selling authentic distrito federale-styled Mexican food in a London market stall, helping launch the Slow Food movement in the US, designing a prize-winning therapeutic garden for disabled veterans, and decades of hands on gardening experience.

We hope you’ll bring your own experience to share. As well as some yummy local food for the potluck.

MEETING
When: Thursday, April 16th, 6:30-10:00pm
Where: Citizen Space , 425 Second St., #100, San Francisco

AGENDA
6:30 – 7:00 Arrive, mingle, nosh
7:00 – 7:45 Member announcements: come prepared to share your passions, needs, gifts & favorite food or gardening experience
7:45 – 8:15 Break – share knowledge, mingle, nosh
8:15 – 9:45 Panel discussion
9:45 – 10:00 Clean up, and as an option, take the discussion to the 21st Amendment, a nearby bar

 

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SF March Meeting Notes

Published on March 20, 2009 in San Francisco Events by Neal Gorenflo. 0 Comments

Last night was filled with pleasant surprises. For starters, Josh (banjo) and Stereo Steve (acoustic guitar) improvised a bluegrass-tinged version of a deconstructed Led Zeppelin song. Serolynne spun poi to it, and really nailed it even though she’s never spun poi to banjo! That combination was definitely unexpected emergent phenomenon. Pure Delight.

Then Jen Anderson took us through an offbeat but radio-friendly alternative play list she created to help break her niece out of a suburban-imposed Top 40 prison. Pearl showed up with her music loving crew from Oakland – Eric, James, and Kimberley – and a free-flowing discussion about favorite songs, bands, and live shows ensued.

We touched on many genres – reggae, ska, gospel, old time, alternative, 70s, soul, and more. Folks connected to the past and to each other around the music they’ve made and experienced. Jen’s lively “niece prison break project” play list kept the conversation going jazz-like.

Then JX treated us to a couple songs on guitar. In between, we traded CDs, chatted, and noshed. I’m happy to report that I gave most of my CD collection away, plus I scored two compilation CDs courtesy of Stereo Steve – one of awesome Who covers and another featuring The Jam, Beth Orton, Billy Bragg, Squeeze, and the Arctic Monkeys. Thank you Steve!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
We’ll be at Citizen Space for the next 6 months on third Thursdays. Here’s the address: 425 2nd Street #100, San Francisco (2nd @ Harrison). Citizen Space is a vibrant, spacious co-working facility with all the amenities we need. Plus, you can enter the space through the ground floor loading dock! How industrial.

If you have any ideas for activities or speakers for upcoming meetings, please drop me a line. Feel free to suggest yourself. Here’s the schedule:

April 16
May 21
June 18
July 16
August 20
September 17

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Denver March Meeting Notes

Published on March 15, 2009 in Denver Events by Susan C. 0 Comments

TALers converged March 10th at Hooked on Colfax in the Bluebird District for an interesting discussion with Taj Moore on the  social photography experiment called the “postmodern photosafari.” Postmodern photosafaris are field trips where people go take pictures where they don’t usually think to or have access to.  Past photosafaris include San Francisco’s Chinatown, a research ship, Denver’s own Colfax Avenue, and the Denver Stock Show.

Taj’s work on photosafaris has created some interesting community experiences in which typical perceptions of everyday places and everyday people shift.  A back alley on Colfax becomes a special landscape … a woman gets her photograph taken by 3 different people with varying perspectives at various times of day … something interesting happens with these perspectives. And with a community gallery showing  following the Colfax Photosafari, Taj saw a convergence of community participants  and their loved ones connecting to hear each other’s stories while appreciating the photos.

Taj presented on the Colfax Photosafari in Pecha Kucha format, “a presentation format in which content can be easily, efficiently and informally shown, usually at a public event designed for that purpose. Under the format, a presenter shows 20 images for 20 seconds apiece, for a total time of 6 minutes, 40 seconds (Wikipedia)”. Taj’s version was actually five minutes, but the Q & A period lasted much longer with everyone’s questions and observations.

For more information about the next social photography event on Colfax you can email Taj: taj (a) gmail.com or go to ColfaxLove.com.

Please join us for the next Abundance League gathering in Denver Tuesday, April 14th at Hooked on Colfax, where we’ll share passions, needs, and gifts and hear from presenters Todd Siler, PhD and Scott “The Mayor” Perlman on the realization of their passion project and consultative enterprise Think Like a Genius. Continue reading ‘Denver March Meeting Notes’

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Denver—March Confluence, Taj Moore Speaks on the Postmodern Photosafari (Tue 3/10 at Hooked on Colfax)

Published on March 4, 2009 in Denver Events and Meetings+Events Calendar by Susan C. 0 Comments

Join us for our next Abundance League gathering this Tuesday, March 10th, when we will share our passions, needs, and gifts and hear about social innovation through photography from presenter Taj Moore.

Taj Moore will present “postmodern photosafari: the influence of social photography on perspective, place + purpose”.  Taj has been conducting “postmodern photosafaris” since 2005, beginning with a simple idea: gather people to take pictures in places they wouldn’t normally have access to, would normally not think to go, and see what happens. What does a place look like when a dozen people photograph it? How do they see a familar place as if for the first time?

Nearly a dozen photosafaris later, Taj now organizes Denver gatherings around Colfax Avenue and the ranching lifestyle, while photosfaristas in San Francisco continue to explore the Bay Area’s hidden treasures.

For some examples of photosafaris, look at these:

www.flickr.com/groups/pomophotosafari
www.colfaxlove.com
www.rodeorange.com

WHEN:  Tuesday, March 10th, 6:30 – 9:30 pm (come and go as needed)

WHERE
Hooked on Colfax, 3215 E. Colfax Denver, CO

http://denvercoffee.blogspot.com/2005/09/hooked-on-colfax-coffee.html

AGENDA
6:30–7:00 pm — Mingle and Eat
7:00–7:45 pm — Member Announcements: Your Passions, Needs & Gifts
7:45–8:45 pm — Presentation
8:45–9:30 pm — Eat, Mingle, Exchange Support, Clean Up, Clear Out

BRING

  • Yourself, friends, and food! This is a light-fare potluck, so please bring finger foods to share.  Also, please support Hooked on Colfax by purchasing a drink.  We’ll supply plates and utensils.
  • Business cards, handouts, flyers
  • Share: books, CDs, DVDs or anything that you’d like to loan or gift at the meeting.

QUESTIONS? Call Susan at 303-455-0852.

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San Francisco, February Meeting Notes – Traveling on Purpose

Published on March 1, 2009 in San Francisco Events by Neal Gorenflo. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Wow.  Thursday’s meeting was amazing.  Having thirty world travelers in one room created a palpable sense of possibility.  And the topic and timing seemed to resonate with some who see the unfolding economic crisis as an opportunity to reinvent themselves, their livelihoods, and the world.  

The core theme of the meeting was just GO.  Whether it’s a trip, a life change, or both, the hardest part is just taking that first step.  Elizabeth and Todd urged us to take that first step, and do it even though we might not know where it’ll lead.  And even if our friends and family are saying DON’T GO.  

Why do this?  The stories of transformation they shared demonstrated that the world conspires to help us when we take that first bold step toward manifesting our purpose. As Author M. Young might say, the universe is reflexive, it responds, and that everything unfolds in a similar pattern, and everything begins with a purpose. Elizabeth and Todd’s stories showed us that starting on an authentic path, one that originates in our own imagination, can bring us into a mythic narrative of our own making where, as Joseph Campbell said, “doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.” The universe becomes magical, alive, and we, perhaps for the first time, come into true conversation with it.  

I’m convinced this timeless quest is absolutely essential to becoming fully human.  It’s heartening to know that Elizabeth and Todd are enabling others to embark on it. Their stories couldn’t be more timely given that existing institutions are failing us so badly and we need a generation of heros to embark on bold, worldchanging projects.  If there was ever a time for boldness, it’s now. Just GO.

Thanks to everyone for creating a great experience together. You can learn more about Elizabeth and Todd here.

Our next meeting is Thursday, March 19th. Mark your calendars. We haven’t settled on a featured speaker, artist, or activity yet. Got an idea? E-mail me: gorenflo [at] gmail dot com.

We hope to see you then.

–

ABUNDANCE LEAGUE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Name:tabi musselwhite
Passion:knowledge
Needs:integrate travel and career
Gifts:creative, adventurous! positive

Name:kim
Passion:orginization
Needs:proposal/contract knowledge
Gifts:orginization to create time and space in your life

Name:simin
Passion:learning different things, meeting new people, doing new things, life-long student..
Needs:an excuse to get back to travelling (my excuse to move to SF was a graduate program at SF State..com’on give me some ideas..)
Gifts:event organizer, fundraising..etc, have local connections.

Name:Ali Wender
Passion:life, music, travel, laughing
Needs:more community/network/bouncing ideas
Gifts:helping people help themselves, sharing the gift of self awareness, humor

Name: Cherie Ve Ard, Technomad
Passion: Variety of experiences, travel
Needs: Balancing wanderlust with feeling connected to community.
Gifts: Helping you realize the reality of your visions.

Name: Nita Winter
Passion: life, photography, capturing the essence and spirit of living things
Needs: Finding clients, especially green businesses and non profits who value the power of photography and images to tell there story or create cherished keepsakes
Gifts: email me and I’ll send you an image that will make you smile. www.nitawinter.com. Here are some websites that help you travel inexpensively and get to know locals wherever you go:

www.Couchsurfing.org (note from Neal: Casey, the founder, came to the first Abundance League meetings)
www.globalfreeloaders.com
www.hospitalityclub.org

Name: Rob Badger
Passion:many, especially,beauty photography, widlflowers
Needs:connections to team to help get the message of how climate chaos is chnaging the planet, including wildflowers in alpine and sub-alpine ecosystems
Gifts: Many, (like all of us) especially Creativity in photograph.ySend me an email and I will send you a wildflower.
www.robbadger.com

Name: Chris Dunphy // www.technomadia.com
Passion: Travel, possibility, connection.
Needs: Inspiring people and projects.
Gifts: Mobile technology expertise, and more.

NAME: Evan Denbaum, copywriter (www.evandenbaum.com)
Passion: I love being a student of myself. I’m passionate about looking inward to uncover, examine and potentially change the deep-rooted beliefs that rule the feelings I experience and the behaviors I exhibit. I do this because it’s a blast, and because I’m continually striving to heal, be happier and be more full of love.
GIFT: My communication skills (as a writer and speaker). What I can best offer members of the group is a conversation where I’ll listen, ask precise questions based on what you say and reflect back your ideas with a twist that inspires or piques curiosity.
NEED: Time with people living from an abundant mindset and experiencing immense prosperity. It’s healing and inspiring to see how “easy” things can be.
FOUR-WORD TRANSFORMATIONAL TRAVEL: Tilden Botanic Garden Wedding

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