Resilience

Things are happening here at Something New. Big things. That may seem a bit confusing to you, the reader, as it has appeared as though nothing has been happing for quite some time. Hmmm. Touché.

It’s true. Recently, things took an unexpected detour as a teaching opportunity fell into my lap. It was in the fashion program at my alma mater, so how could I refuse? So that’s where I’ve been for the past year and a half. Trying to figure how I found myself talking about fiber processing, yarn spinning, weaving, aesthetic finishes, and composite materials in a room full of bleary eyed twenty year olds.

But I never expected my path to be a clear one. In fact, I always sort of counted on doing things the hard way or taking the long way around; I’m sure some of you out there can relate to this.

But maybe that’s the way we’re supposed to be doing things. Or the way things will just get done anyway, whether we try to avert it or not.

Do you, reader, listen to Krista Tippett’s show, On Being? I really hope you answered yes because if not, you NEED to stop what you’re doing right now (okay, you can still do something while you listen to a podcast) and devote the next 51 minutes to the betterment of yourself and those around you. I swear this woman has found the keys to world peace. I have no idea why she’s not writing policy.

The most recent show I listened to was about Resilience (not to be confused with resiliency, which refers to how much a textile wrinkles when crushed). 

I am not talking about your wrinkled shirt. 

The guest, Andrew Zolli, spoke of the need to build resilience into complex systems like environmental policy (or career building) for example, because all things fail at some point. As Zolli put it, “we can’t steer around these storms. We had better build a better boat.” We must be prepared for the unexpected because there are, in a sense, expected. We need the ability to move quickly and adapt to our present situation while gaining wisdom and learning from where we've been. We need redundancy, spare capacity, diversity, and a shared body of knowledge. “Failure is intrinsic, healthy, normal, and necessary…” according to Zolli. But that doesn't mean we should take it lying down. We must prepare and be ready to adapt.

And now, as I return from my unexpected foray into education, I've got big plans. New website, new styles, new places, you name it. The sky’s the limit. And I don’t care how many twists and turns it takes me to get there. Allons-y!