🛠✨The Nexialist #0046
Tentacular Thinking | Tools for A System Thinker | Find True Belonging | Art, Science, Futures Studies | Mystic Truths | Trusting your Destiny | No Filter | Masculinity
Welcome to this weeks’ synchronicilist… of whatever that is
I have to share with you that the level of synchronicity when I’m writing The Nexialist is leaving me in awe these past weeks. As I start writing a week’s edition, related content comes my way. Or is it my brain getting the practice of connecting everything with anything? I guess that makes more sense. Sometimes I feel the alGODrithms are actively throwing stuff my way (can one become a dad just by telling dad jokes?). Well, I’ll not take up any more of your time, so enjoy the ride:
🐙Tentacular Thinking
Talking to my friend Gustavo about my octopus dream, ignited a spark in his brain and he sent me a link: Tentacular Thinking: Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene by Donna Haraway. This is one of those concepts that is still taking shape inside my brain, but I could not wait to share it with you. I’m not sure if there are sparks in my brain or if it’s just frying, but definitely it is allowing me to look at things in a different way.
Etymologicallly, 'her' Chthulucene is not a reference to H. P. Lovecraft's monster Cthulhu (note the spelling difference). Rather, it conflates the Greek chthonios (of, in, or under the earth and seas) and the suffix kainos (i.e., '-cene', which signals the new, recently made) (Haraway, 2016b). It “entangles myriad temporalities and spatialities and myriad intra-active entities-in-assemblages – including the more-than-human, other-than-human, inhuman, and human-as-humus” (Haraway, 2016b)."
“The Chthulucene is “made up of ongoing multispecies stories and practises of becoming-with in times that remain at stake, in precarious times, in which the world is not finished and the sky has not fallen – yet” (Haraway, 2016b). In the Chthulucene, humans are not the only important actors – they, along with other beings, are with and of the earth, and “the biotic and abiotic powers of this earth are the main story” (Haraway, 2016b).
Read: Chthulucene - P2P Foundation
🛠Tools for A System Thinker
Systems thinking requires a shift in mindset, away from linear to circular. The fundamental principle of this shift is that everything is interconnected. We talk about interconnectedness not in a spiritual way, but in a biological sciences way.
I found this post in my “content bank” that I have for the Nexialist and I guess this was the perfect time to share it. A bit more structured and less chaotic than the “tentacular thinking” but equally interesting.
For some reason, lately my brain is getting a lot of pleasure from organizing and seeing patterns, so having some tools to help me with that gives me even more satisfaction.
Read: Tools for Systems Thinkers: The 6 Fundamental Concepts of Systems Thinking by Leyla Acaroglu
🫀Find True Belonging
“Here's the thing… We are lonelier and we are more disconnected than we've ever been. And it's polarized. But art can save us. Art has the power to render sorrow beautiful and make loneliness a shared experience, and transform despair into hope. Music, like all art, gives pain in our most wrenching emotions, voice, language and form so it can be recognized and shared. The magic of all art is the ability to both capture our pain and deliver us from it at the same time.
I’m having a crush on Brené Brown these days. Her message on accepting vulnerability is necessary for me at the moment and for our society that is so influenced by perfectionism and cancel culture. Here, she’s so truthful with her message: belonging is about having the courage to stand alone. Connecting that to system’s thinking, it’s being a strong node yourself, to be able to connect to different systems, exchange energy and knowledge, but also be able to step outside of those when necessary.
🎨Art, Science, Futures Studies
This Scenario Report from the Copenhagen Institute For Future Studies is full of great pieces, so if you were looking for something to read, go for it. If you’re an artist or are involved in anything creative, at least skim through it. (I’ll read more this weekend).
“Art is a lens through which we can explore uncertainty and examine both the need for and limitations of human agency in an increasingly complex future. This publication explores the role of art as a unique and invaluable form of futures inquiry and showcases how art and futures studies interrelate and shape each other in various ways, drawing on examples and cases from international contemporary art, curators, art institutions, and futurists.”
This new definition of museums was already exciting content to see there, which made me smile and sigh: I WANT TO READ THE WHOLE THING.
Also, while doing this edition, I came across a quote that relates directly to this, so I had to add it here.
“To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; Study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” ― Leonardo da Vinci
Download: New report: Futures shaping art / art shaping futures - Copenhagen Institute For Future Studies
👁Mystic Truths
“The true artist helps the world by revealing mystic truths” - Bruce Nauman
I went to this exhibition a few months ago in the Stedelijk Museum with my friend Raquel and I still see this poster on the streets of Amsterdam (and a folder on my wall). It is so true.
💃Trusting your Destiny
If you have been following the Nexialist for a while, you know how obsessed I am with Nathy Peluso. She’s is such a force of nature.
“I never thought of the price of a life that had creativity as its main motivation and where all of my work would be ruled by art. But it’s a worthy road, because if I hadn’t done this, I don’t know if I could do something else.”
💅🏾No Filter
Iza is one of my favorite Brazilian pop stars, another one that the world should know of. Loving her new sci-fi video, with incredible choreography and heavy 90s references. Enjoy!
Read: The Importance of Iza - Allure
👨🏻Masculinity
I wish everyone understood Portuguese to listen to all the nuances and vulnerability of this song. But for now, I recommend using the “translate automatically” button, since it gets around 80-90% right. Tiago brings us so many intimate realities that resonate with so many men in Brazil and the world, including me: hiding your feelings, peer pressure, generations of men that perpetuated toxic behavior… the list goes on. It’s beautiful to see an artist showing their vulnerability to tell a truth about today’s society and calling the listeners to think about and change.
Talking to my friends
I understood it was not only me
Shutting fragility up is punishment
I am real
Take care, my brother
Of your emotions
Take care of what is real
❤️If anything made your brain tingle, click like and don't hesitate to share it with the world. It helps The Nexialist to reach more curious minds. See you next week!🦦
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🤙Call me…
If you like what you see here and your project, brand or business needs some ideas or inspiration from outside your bubble, maybe you need a Nexialist to help you out 🙋🏻♂️ I can participate in brainstorms and workshops, guide inspiration sessions, or provide you with creative research. You can always send me an e-mail to figure something out together.