Why I joined The School of the Possible

Early this year I was laid off from the startup I joined in 2022.

It was a seed stage startup and the founders were navigating a consumer landscape that AI was shifting under our feet on a daily basis, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

However, it was also the first time I was laid off in my life and I’ve had dozens of jobs since I was 13 years old.

Driving home, I realized I didn't have anywhere I needed to be for the next several hours so I drove through central Austin and found myself heading to one of my favorite bookstores to help myself calm down and think.

While walking the aisles in a daze that morning, I came across a book that was very popular with the UX (User Experience) community when it was first released: Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray.

I had stubbornly refused to read it up until that point simply because it seemed so popular when it was first published.

But that morning I picked it up and read only a couple pages before I realized it was exactly the book I needed at that moment. I purchased it and read through before the end of the week.

I enjoyed it so much I found Dave on LinkedIn and learned about his latest project: The School of the Possible.

Dave calls it:

A third place for people who want to practice the Art of the Possible.

I joined his Friday ‘Campfire calls’ and found it incredibly refreshing to meet every week with people from very different backgrounds who were all interested in trying new things and exploring new creative opportunities. Many of them were also in liminal spaces in their lives like I was at the time.

Dave also holds a Wednesday call where members of the community share their expertise and hold workshops with the group around topics related to creativity, collaboration and connection.

I think Dave's genius is being able to create space for people to explore ideas openly and form new connections - between people and ideas. He can deftly guide a group through ambiguity and help them find structure and a way forward.

The Campfire calls are the highlight of my week in many ways. Talking about creativity and sharing ideas every week is very therapeutic and enjoyable, but it isn’t really enough.

So it wasn't surprising that after only attending the campfire calls for a few months that he identified an emergent need for the group.

Creativity can’t really be developed or expressed in the abstract. Talking about it isn't enough

It needs work to give it a focus.

It needs a project.

And that is why I joined the next evolution of the School of the Possible and I will share that in my next update.