DESIGNING TO DESIGN
Abstract
This learning review revolves around my experience of being a designer particularly in the field of Integrative EcoSocial Design and more specifically Applied Permaculture Design. Since my enrollment in GaiaU in September of 2013, I have grown incredibly in many areas of my life and successfully designed numerous projects with prosperous outcomes. In addition, I wish to reflect upon some of the specific strategies, tools and techniques that I harvested during my Master's program that heightened my ability as a designer. This includes many of the tools that I discuss in my precapstone Learning Review: LIPD reflections, the 5 Ps, Permaculture Principles, Getting Things Done. The purpose of this OP is to document and sharpen my skills and awareness as a designer I have undertaken the assignment to reflect on this year of my studies and life as an opportunity to talk about designing a website that can accomplish this goal. Key aspects of Gaia's learning methodology: GTD, MTMP, design methodologies, goals articulation, 5 P's are fundamental to the presentation of the OP and Liam as a designer.
I also weave the creation of my website as a synchronous event with the learnings that I am engaging in. Certainly my Digital Literacy is growing. Presenting myself through portfolio seems key. Consequently, I stacked this learning review to include presenting myself as both a learner and a world-changer that offers services and products that will help create resilient communities and a better future. I am grateful that this Learning Review inspired me to present myself and my learnings through the web.
Goals Articulation
- To weave my thesis of Applied Permaculture Design into the past 11 OP's.
- To compile the key outcomes from my entire Capstone phase.
- To compile and reflect upon key un/learnings through my Capstone phase.
- To create a design chart comparing and contrasting all of the design methodologies that I have used and any other design methodologies as well.
- To articulately write about curriculum creation and my experiences of creating curriculum for myself as an action learner.
- To reflect on my preCapstone OP 5 and update the "Tools of Gaia" section.
- Brainstorm my layout for my Website
- Brainstorm services offered in Applied Permaculture Design for my website.
- Illustrate how all of my projects are aligned with permaculture principles and ethics.
Actionable Items
I researched the field of Applied Permaculture Design and wrote on all of my OP's and my life's connection to APD.
Create a text box in outcomes page of Cumulative Key outcomes from this phase.
Create a text box in outcomes page of Cumulative Key un/learnings from this phase.
Create chart showing pattern level awareness of many different design methodologies.
Reread Precapstone OP 5
Reflect on growth regarding key learnings and key tools of Gaia
Brainstorm website layout
Read services offered by other Applied Permaculture Designer
Brainstorm what services I would like to offer
Write on meta level how each of my projects is connected to Permaculture Ethics and Principles.
Write on specific level how each of my projects is connected to Permaculture Ethics and Principles.
The Field
Define
This OP is predominantly an academic paper about design and learning. This is a field that has vast interest to me as an academic. I feel like Knowledge as a Resource is fundamental to our Information Age and the permaculture strategies for creating a new world.
Contributions
The primary contributions made by me inspired by this OP: Creating lists of Best Practices from many designers across the board, using TED and BBC talks on design as primary sources. Moving forward with my Website creation which feels in a way the translation of the OP work I do in Gaia and bringing this work into a more public eye. Creating the designing the design chart. This will be a very helpful tool for many Gaia associates overwhelmed by what design actually is.
Dissemination
As this is primarily an academic paper, my dissemination efforts have been limited to the Gaia community and the Mahara platform. This feels like the appropriate audience for now.
Dissemination Cumulative
My efforts toward dissemination over the course of this phase include creating dozens of videos highlighting loads of content and skills in which I am: Healer, Chocolatier, Land Stewardship. I have a significantly expanded youtube presence due to Gaia and I believe all of these will eventually be links from my website highlighting skills and talents that I offer vocationally and in addition, simply showing people what I am capable of when I am hired as a consultant or coach.
Weaving my thesis: Relocalization
See my OP 4 Annotated resource review regarding Applied Permaculture Design.
See my full thesis on 5.2.8 Relocalization
Wendell Berry's most scathing critique of our modern world is to tell, quite plainly, how the country has become the "colony of the city." The implication of this urban abuse of the pastoral earth based history from where we have come is disheartening at best and perhaps an indicator of our catastrophic future. He goes on to say that "Lacking an authentic local culture, a place is open to exploitation, and ultimately destruction, from the center." The need to relocalize can come in the form of grassroots awareness and organizations reclaiming the country, the land from which we are all born, or can be a top down design leveraging regulation and policy from a national level that is able to honor the interconnectedness of the future of humanity with our mother Gaia.
Opportunities for Relocalization
Energy: Solar, Wind and Microhydro
Natural materials - Adobe, Cobb, Straw Bale, Earth Bags -- moving away from energy intensive concrete.
Food production: Dehydration, Fermentation, Canning, Infusions
Economies: Gift, Barter, Fair trade, 7 types of capital, Cottage Industry, DIY
Placemaking: VBC
Community building: Sociocracy, Holacracy, NVC, Reevaluation Counselling
Health Care -- Mind/Body/Spirit practices, Herbalism, HomeBirth, Hands-on Healing moving away from allopathic/ big pharma
Land Stewardship: Save seeds, Improve soil, Plant trees
Interventions
The primary intervention is that I had hoped that this OP may function as a way to finally put all of my cumulative key outcomes and key un/learnings onto my website. However, I continue to stall on my website, perhaps in taking care of myself, perhaps in wise reflection as I need to decide which site/language I wish to learn. Initially, I started this process coding my own website in html; however, I am not facile in html. Secondarily, receiving Tommy's OP 5 for Pro Review and witnessing Tommy's and Najiha's EoY presentations during this spring of 2016 applied some intervention and clarity around how I wanted to frame this project.
Who is doing What, with Whom, When, Where and Why
Liam is working with the support of GaiaU to reflect upon the last 4 years of his life while receiving a Master's Degree in Integrative EcoSocial Design with an emphasis in Applied Permaculture Design. I do this joyfully, as Gaia has helped me to understand that Reflection after any process can optimize our learning and empower the entire experience.
Design Methodology
For my final OP in Gaia, I thought it most appropriate to construct a Design Methodology that uses the language of Gaia:
STEP 1: SURVEY
OP: Life & Career Review
Kolb Kite: Reflective Observation -- This step ideally comes at the start and the end of each design cycle.
Skills: Awareness, Observation, Take time to allow the design process to unfold naturally.
This OP 5: REREAD All OP's. Reflect on my journey through Gaia.
STEP 2: GOAL ARTICULATION
OP: LIPD
Kolb Kite: Reflective Observation/Abstract Conceptualization
Skills:Within each OP, I find it extremely valuable to articulate my goals early on in the process.
This OP 5: See text box Goal Articulation below.
STEP 3: ANALYZE/ASSESS
OP: Critical Evaluation, Talk with advisor, Research the field
Analysis and Assessment are necessary tasks in order to turn our goals into Actionable Items or Implementable actions.
Kolb Kite: Abstract Conceptualization
For an OP, the PoDAPO metrics provide a key
For the core report, it can be invaluable to establish the metrics/criteria under which you are analyzing "success".
Skills: Research the field
This OP 5: All of the goals that I articulated seemed very valuable. I reread all of my previous OP's to gain insight and wisdom on how to move forward. I researched Applied Permaculture Design to ground myself in the field in which I am weaving my thesis.
STEP 4: DESIGN
OP: Mindmap, Timeline, Actionable Items
Kolb Kite: Abstract Conceptualization
Skills:
Create a timeline.
Create Actionable Items.
Abstract conceptualization between Assessment and Doing.
Managing Time, Managing Promises.
Clear explicitly articulated communication with self and others.
This OP 5: I used material that I could from PreCapstone OP5. MTMP: I created a timeline for working on this OP. Most significant pieces for me are weaving my thesis, articulating curriculum creation and synthesizing patterns of design.
STEP 4: IMPLEMENTATION
OP: Core Report
Kolb Kite: Active Experimentation and Concrete Experience.
Skills: Rapid Prototype, Just Do It, Getting Things Done
"Don't let Perfection be the Enemy of the Good."
Action Learning -- Action Learning is ALL parts of the design cycle; however, the implementation phase solidifies the action part of learning.
Rapid Prototyping and Active Experimentation become mini-cycles within design cycles where the designers is exploring solutions to find the best strategy toward his goals
The Active Experimentation is the first 1000 hours of the 10,000 hours of Concrete Experience that makes a master.
Allow the design cycle to be iterative and grow as a learner and refine each system through time and experience.
This OP 5: See text box Actionable Items below.
STEP 5: EVALUATE
OP: Commentary. Outcomes. Documentation Process
Kolb Kite: Reflective Observation.
Skills: Journalling
Documentation
Outcomes
Commentary
Competence and Attention
As I said before, Reflective Observation as we start and end a design is invaluable to good design.
This OP 5: For evaluation of Process: See Commentary, page 5.1.4. For Evaluation of Content, I imagine that I will continue to re-evaluate action learning, creating curriculums, "Why to Relocalize?" and best practices in design. This current iteration represents a culmination of 4 years of wonderful work and support in the framework of GaiaU.
Relocalization and my OP's
PreCapstone
OP2 Rethinking Energy is about our highly industrialized fossil fuel burning power plants and encourages Solar wind and microhydro.
OP3 The Land of Milk & Honey powerfully demonstrates the need to move away from the industrialized food world where we refuel our bodies and cars at fossil fuel stations. The opportunity to embrace culture and ancient human food production techniques ranging from fermentation, culture, cheesemaking to dehydration and infusion.
OP4 Designing to Design Relocalize Community awareness both in the work and play sphere. Highlighting a 200 person gathering and envisioning community building from both the perspective of feeding each other (catering) and building community. Fun, peace and love.
CAPSTONE
OP2 Health & Happiness. Relocalizing our personal health care away from pharmaceutical allopathic disenfranchisement to the joy of personal empowerment of our health. Incorporating nature, community, nutrition and exercise as significant patterns that we can explore to personally take control of our health and happiness.
OP3 Chocolates & Cordials: Relocalizing our economies. This OP explores creating sustainable business practices and practices that feed a small scale entrepreneur. Fair trade practices and natural herbs are incorporated into both of these sustainable business developments.
OP4 Land Stewardship. Relocalizing our care of the earth comes through information and hands in the dirt awarenesses of rebuilding our soil and food supply. This OP documents several bourgeoning business opportunities and growth as a landscape designer and steward of mother Gaia.