53. Conversations make for a great playground where learning is rife | with Inma, Reddy & Steve

Tankespjärn with Helena Roth

Rounding off season two (How IS it possible, that I’ve already had another 5x5 conversations?!), we do a repeat of what we did at the end of season one: getting everyone from the season together to share what it’s been like to partake. Here’s the first of two group conversations, with me, Reddy, Steve and Inma, chaperoned by Caspian who’s my behind-the-scenes man (and dear friend!).

Having 5x5 deep real-life meandering conversations has been very instrumental in my personal growth ever since season one took off, but there’s something very rewarding in hearing how these conversations impact my dance partners, which is what they all feel like.

“It's a very strange kind of dance these conversations. No one's really leading. No one’s really following. It's like we're taking turns or it's like… we don't even know? I mean, the dance floor is changing, the dance keeps changing and it's almost like the partners keep changing because every time we speak, we move from one topic to another.” ~Reddy

As there’s no topic to start off with, what wants to happen is invited to happen, which incidentally makes for a great playground where learning is rife.

“You have a conversation in a protected space and you learn how to ride without training wheels, and then you find you can do it someplace else.” ~Steve

Sometimes it’s not even what we say, but that we say it, and how our voices come together to help create a space of intimacy.

“There’s also the component of the sound of our voices, that for me, with Izzy and Helena, it’s just like Oh my God, this is good because the sound of their voices when they are talking is just so intimate, and they are talking about intimacy. It’s a WOW for me. It becomes like threads of the fabric [that we are collectively weaving by participating in the meandering conversations], the sounds of our voices.” ~Inma

Tag along with me, Reddy, Steve, Inma and Caspian, as we reflect on the past six months. Perhaps those pieces of tankespjärn aren’t quite as obvious… but… they are there. Promise!

Links:

Steve Emery is most easily found on Color Sweet Tooth

Reddy on Twitter (and me on Twitter)

Inma J Lopez, sommelier and writer on Attention

Caspian Almerud, my behind-the-scenes-man and best buddy

The Creatives Workshop (aka PRO2 that Steve refers too, I attended PRO1) of Akimbo

The Tankespjärn community where this type of conversation takes place in a monthly meet-up – you are more than welcome to join!

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Creative Community (that me, Steve, Inma and Matthew are all engaged in)

Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb