CAP OP 2: Introduction

            Well, I really want to be a driving force in inspiring others to make positive change in my community and beyond.  For the past 6 years I’ve been working on several different endeavors that I have arrived at through nature connection and permaculture awareness.  I pursue projects that can be easily taught and adopted locally.  Much of what I do is seasonal and the busy work of each one will ebb and flow throughout the year. 

There is definitely some overlap in the timing of the things I have been doing.  That can make it a little hectic sometimes.  But there is also overlap in the markets I’m aiming to reach.   So after several years of trying to bring these projects together I am finally doing so.  Through the branding process I will bring my passions together under one roof.  It will be the educational aspect of my business that leads the way for me.  It will offer a way for me to further establish myself in my community as a curator of permaculture knowledge.   It is my intention that the educational aspect of my business will bring projects that I do or aspire to do into the public eye more. It is my goal to increase the validity for sustainable solutions in an unsustainable world.  My business brand will be demonstrated and publicized through courses I will teach!    

Following is a map of the things I plan to spend most of my time on throughout the year, and how I can incorporate them into education and building my business..

            When I first heard about permaculture I was tremendously inspired by it.  I found a copy of the Permaculture Design Manual when it was out of print and studied it from cover to cover.  I began cracking away at how to understand this seemingly basic but complex design science.  When I actually saw my first Permaculture site at the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Insititute (CRMPI) I was also inspired to do some similar things- workshops, food production, interns, apprentices and volunteers- on the property that I grew up on.  That was the way to get the work done and make a living.  So here I am about a decade later with much more practical knowledge and skills, ready to bring it to the masses on a professional level.  

Not only is this project for my capstone year of Gaia University preparing me for my career, it is also a necessary stepping-stone towards developing my next few Outputs.  It is a vision for where I am to go and what steps I will need to get there.  How am I going to tell the story of who I am and what I offer?  This story isn’t the detailed life story of how I came to be here.  It is the story that intrigues the reader to want more of the kind of services I offer or be involved with projects that I do.  This is the story of what I do, not what I’ve done.  To me, reflecting on this story is a first step towards developing my brand.

What design framework did you choose?

            I started with an outline of my ideas to create my foundation.  Next I reviewed the PoDAPO (Presentation and Organization, Design, Action Learning skills, Process skills, Outcomes) so I could fulfill it.  Finally I used a framework from the Gaia U Mahara site, OP's 2 to 4 - Template and Guidelines, which I’m finding is OK, but since I haven’t quite used this template yet I’m still wondering if I like the way it’s set up.  I went with this framework but also incorporated the basic framework outlined on the GEL site.

What design method did you choose? 

            I would say that GASADIE (Goals articulation, survey, analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation) was my overarching design method with outlines and mind maps also being tools that fit into some of the steps within GASADIE.  I also used the action-learning spiral (do, reflect, think, design) and repeated several times.  These are methods I’m familiar with and it works for me so I continue to use it.