We-Space

The necessary components of creating a We are:

❶ 2+ people

❷ Trust

❸ Some kind of shared understanding, or interest

❹ Open communications

❺ A sense of play, freedom, room to roam

❻ A curiosity about yourself and others

❼ A growth mindset, strong beliefs held loosely

These components allow for a style of relating to one another, a type of emergent collaboration. While having some kind of direction is important (a shared understanding or interest), what's more important is being curious and open to change/growth. The idea is that no one individual knows exactly where we're headed; and for that matter, neither does the group. There's an implicit agreement that we'll find it, together, through a playful kind of collaboration.

Communications are the necessary backbone of any group, if you can't communicate effectively, how can you play together? Communications can take many forms - written, oral, creative, formal, musical, embodied, etc. The key here is the group is able to translate what each other are communicating, and can understand one another to some degree. Sometimes we may not completely understand someone, but we have open communications and a curiosity about what that person is trying to express. We have patience for ourselves and others to articulate and make sense of what we're communicating.

Trust is an interesting one. And difficult for me to describe. Trust is the ingredient that ties the room together. Any member of the collective trusts that the other members are committed to the principles (components) of the We. For this trust to be fulfilled, individuals must show up and act in accordance with these components. It's often not a spoken or articulated manifestation of these principles, but an enacted or lived experience - a participatory knowing. Actions speak louder than words, that kind of notion.

Now's when things start getting interesting: what happens when an interdependent group forms?

When an interdependent group forms, a type of transcendence occurs - the emergence of something that is beyond simply the accumulation of individuals, it's BOTH the individual participants AND that which symbolizes their interdependence, the We, the collective.

As a collective, we can tap into new information that we could never reach individually. And we achieve this, in part, by relinquishing our grasp of self as an individual entity. We begin to view ourselves IN RELATION to one another. We are not solo participants in a group setting, we are individuals become interdependent.

The We represents something greater than the sum of its parts. Which is not to say that as an individual you are no longer whole unto yourself. You've just leveled up, transcended to become part of another whole. You can stand alone but you can also stand with the We.

This post, and this blog, are a step toward finding a more interdependent style of living. I'm seeking others who want to live this way. And in particular are interested in finding a way to not only create together, to bring into the world that which we cannot alone, but to also find ways to capitalize this style of being. I've had some taste of what it's like to be part of a We, but haven't yet found the a sustainable collective that satisfies both my artistic side and my business (for lack of a better word) side.

☞ NOTE:

This is a divergent writing exploration, that is I'm not basing anything here on an explicit model or approach to interdependence. I'm rooting around in my brain to express what I've got bottled up. I mention this to make clear: this is a work-in-progress! This is not some culmination of work and research, it's a snapshot in time. I often find that this is a good way to start formulating something more concrete, just start writing, get it out, build from there.