Welcome to the fireside.rs newsletter and to a new endeavor, all about ‘unlocking creative productivity by gathering humans effectively’.
In 1176, the Prince of Wales, Rhys ap Gruffudd hosted the first ever Eisteddfod at Cardigan Castle—a festival to celebrate song and literature.
The name itself comes from two Welsh words which uncovers the deeper intention behind the event: eistedd, meaning ‘sit’, and fod, meaning ‘be’.
To congregate and join with other humans is a gift—ingrained in all of us as sentient and conscious bearers of souls is the impulse to hold space together.
850 years since the inception of the Eisteddfod, another Welshman (me), gives voice to a multi-year research project tracking the different ways in which people congregate—the resulting database of frameworks / shapes when analysed and categorised illustrate over a hundred ways to bring folks together to collaborate, share ideas freely and be productive.
Here’s how you can assist:
- Reach out to book an opportunity to discuss the service offerings.
- Share this newsletter on to other like-minded souls (am presuming you’re already subscribed *emoji wink*);
- Host a fireside.rs workshop (a no-fee chance to experience and participate in the evolving nature of this work);
In closing, this is also an attempt to meet the divisive time we find ourselves in, to shake lose from those clinging to negative power through the positive agitation of the human conditioning for connecting to others. I’m taking this opportunity to also curate and celebrate those who do the same through the podcast conversations whilst inviting you dear reader / listener to join me in this adventure in gathering humans effectively!
Thanks for your time / attention / curiosity,
DK
fireside.rs Founder and Creative Gatherer
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
We feature, celebrate plus learn from those who craft spaces for humans to actively belong:
Natasha Zimmerman, Founder of Unchatter and Leadership Consultant
SHOW NOTES & PULL QUOTES
- Natasha’s Linkedin
- Unchatter (website)
- Unchatter Party principles (download)
- The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation, Roy F. Baumeister & Mark R. Leary (paper)
- Peter Block, Community (book)
- Nerd Nite ChCh: Better Together: The Art and Science of Belonging (video)
- Mentioned quote: “Love is the quality of attention we pay to things.” JD McClatchy
- UC Professor Sarah Wright’s research on tackling loneliness at work (article)
- The Offline Club (website)
- Creative Welly episode (video + podcast)
1.30: “we are very intentional in setting up the space so that people feel like they can really sink into vulnerability and maybe go a bit deeper than they might be accustomed to in everyday life.
2.07: “…when you’re clear about what a space or a gathering is for, that it allows people to feel that sense of psychological safety.”
7.37: “And, yeah, people stayed until the wee hours. But there was just that, you know, that singular moment where I was like, wow, this is really what it’s all about is just sinking into the good stuff with these, you know, humans that we barely even know and seeing a part of a part of them that, you know, maybe they don’t reveal all that often.”
10.46: “…here’s the responsibility that I have as the facilitator, the creator of this space, and also the agency and the responsibility that you have as the participant. And that feels like, you know, an important part of the process is establishing that relationship at the beginning that, hey, we’re both bringing something to this.”
14.14: “So the same, you know, centers in our brain that would respond to a physical threat like, you know, a tiger chasing us, for example, those same areas of the brain light up when we feel a sense of rejection or being excluded. So it cultivates that same degree of pain, whether it’s a physical threat or whether it’s that psychological threat of being in the out group.”
Podcast music attribution: All I Did Was Wait For You: The Upbeat and Positive Track for Podcast or YouTube by kjartan_abel — https://freesound.org/s/543781/ — License: Attribution 4.0
CURATED GOODIES TO READ / WATCH / EXPLORE
Some creative, productive and gathering related content for the brain / heart:
“When a Leader restores civility and fair play, eliminating dysfunction, it is not unusual for the Community Builders to join the good guys as they discover the personal empowerment inherent in authentic belonging. No longer able to manipulate circumstance and sully reputations, Dragons and Shapeshifters willingly leave, are dismissed, or they change their behavior to adjust to the new culture. Figureheads follow, or they are transferred out of leadership roles, opening up a space for the Creatives to get to work.”
Surviving Work: A Creative’s Guide to Dysfunctional Cultures | Psychology Today
“Creativity is made, not generated. Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future. We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us. We’re here for the humans. We’re not chasing a technology that is a moral threat to our greatest jewel: human creativity. In this technological rush, this might make us an exception or seem at risk of being left behind. But we see this road less traveled as the more exciting and fruitful one for our community.”
Creativity is made, not generated — Procreate®
This website which presents a new icebreaker question every time you refresh.
A collection of manifestos from activists and creatives (to inspire you create your own).
Thank you for your attention, please do get in touch with any ideas / comments / insights / suggestions / service inquiries etc. and please consider encouraging others who care about ‘unlocking creative productivity by gathering humans effectively’ to subscribe also:
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