Intersections, Liminality and You.
Thoughts about leaning in to uncertainty, to create positive change.
Between no longer and not yet.
I’m having a moment.
I’m rattling around in it.
I mean, we all are, right?
A shared, weird, moment. That’s all a bit blurry and surreal. Nearly there. But not quite. It’s not the way it was pre Covid, but not quite the way it’s going to be yet post Covid. So, we’re stuck. At an intersection, of the past and the future. Between realities. In a liminal time. It’s kind of weird. But also, an opportunity. Because intersections and liminality, have great potential.
Stick with me. Let me tell you why.
Life at the intersection
Right, firstly, intersections are great.
Our lives are full of them. Pasts, presents and futures. People and places. Interacting. Intersecting. We stop. We go. And we grow because of it. As Bowie said, “The truth is, of course, that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.” Like a roundabout.
Intersections are places of convergence. Where things meet. So, they’re creative spaces where often, new things are formed. Discovery and insight sits at intersections. Where, what we know now, intersects with what we learn. Sparking and creating new things.
Culture too, is fed by intersections. It’s the intersection of place and people. In the late 90's, I lived in Manhattan. A hole in the Lower East side. East 14th, between 1st and 2nd. Where dive bar Alphabet City, intersected with a more refined Lower Manhattan. It was a melting pot. An intersection. So, it was filled with interesting things to discover.
Art is intersections. Kate Tempest, sits at the intersection of literature, beats and rhythm. The Pogues sat at the intersection of punk and Irish trad. Hip Hop, trip hop, dance rock, R&B, blues rock, all intersections. Innovation is intersections. Ideas are intersections. Energy is intersections. Change is intersections. And so on and so on. Intersections are good things.
Liminal magic.
So. It’s also an “in-between” or liminal time.
The word, from the latin limen, means threshold. So it’s a “crossing over” or a transitional time. Good for practicing magic apparently, because the energy isn’t one thing or the other. So perfect for bringing about change. Thresholds are magical. Full of possibilities. Like Autumn, Spring, dawn and dusk. Where nature is most magical. Or, like hallways, stations, airports. Where we come and go. Where, we’re in-between. All interesting, intersectional and liminal.
Liminality has a rich history in spirituality, and rituals too. Where people have sought out these kinds of moments. Like tribal rites of passage. Where significant, transformational events occur in a liminal realm and from ‘threshold’ experiences. Like the ‘Walkabout’ in Aboriginal culture, where a child leaves, wanders and returns as an adult. Liminal spaces, places and times, have the potential to be transformational.
Transformation and change.
So. Here we are.
Fumbling and bumbling through this blurry time.
And it’s not just the pandemic. It was already happening. Everything’s in flux. Workplace. Retail. Finance. Entertainment. Education. Transport. Economics. Climate. All of them, Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. And whilst it’s stressful and overwhelming, there‘s great opportunity for change. And for progress. Look, a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor and this sea is anything but smooth. So here’s three ways to think about embracing change in this this mad time.
Observe differently.
At intersections, you get to slow down. To look more closely. To see, not just look. To find new connections, in seemingly unrelated ideas and things. So, look at common things, in an uncommon way. Like artists do. It’s called de-familiarizaton (the English translation of the Russian idea of Ostranenie. which means “making strange”). It makes the familiar, unfamiliar. And it refreshes our routine-dulled perception of things. So we can rethink their value. So, imagine it’s your first day on the job. Or you’re a 9 year old child walking through the business. Or you’re from 30 years in the future. When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. And it’s a great time for that.
Mix things up.
Gravity isn’t normal here. Liminal experiences suspend, bend or break the rules. So, mix it up. Break the rules. Change has sped up, and become more constant. So, lean in. If interesting things happen at intersections, then make things more interesting. Force change. Break habits. Create new intersections. And new energy. In his book The Medici Effect, Frans Johansson outlines the breakthrough insights that come from the intersection of diverse ideas, concepts, and cultures. That’s what the Medici family did. What can you intersect with your life, your business or your brands to stimulate positive change? And how can you use this liminal time to create new magic?
Make choices.
Intersections stimulate change. When Caesar met the river Rubicon, he was forced to decide. Go big, or go home. He said “let the die be cast” and the rest is, well, history. When Cortez landed in Mexico, he burned the ships that would bring him home. Forcing choice. Change has been forced upon us. But how are you leaning in to it? How can you use it? “We are our choices” Sartre said that. And sometimes it takes a little bravery to make them. To step forward. As Robert Frost says in the poem Two Roads “way leadeth on to way…” . One decision begets another, and another, and soon you’re on the road to transformation. This is your intersection. This is your time to choose.
There’s something incredibly exciting, that exists in uncertainty.
In the blur. When you’re separated from “normality’. Out of your comfort zone. Understanding. Growing. The future is going to be full that. It’s about how you adapt. And now is a great time to start.
I sit firmly at the intersection of brands, technology and culture.
In that liminal space.
I believe that’s where magic happens.
Look forward to seeing you there.
