Recipes: Network Weaving
by christypdx
Collaborative and creative energies, abundant as radio signals—one only needs to build the right machine to engage them.
The dreams we’re working to build are manifested more efficiently through intentional tending of networks of allied co-visionaries. Maybe you already identify or would easily identify yourself as a network weaver. Perhaps you’re pursuing a goal that would benefit from your stepping into a network weaver role.
Identifying as a network weaver means committing to proactively nurturing existing networks and seeking out new connections - not an insignificant commitment. Of course and importantly, people have lives and time commitments—any energy allocated to your cause is meaningful and can have outsized impact. Don’t be put off by time constraints of yourself or others. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Great works of art require walls of necessity. This is your canvas!
An online community events calendar like meetup.com is a good resource for discovering, tapping into, and fostering local networks. People enjoy varied ways of being with one another, so becoming an organizer of a local meetup group and facilitating different, perhaps (hopefully!) experimental types of gatherings is a fantastic way to weave. Examples include low key restaurant/bar meetups, co-working sessions, film screenings, educational get-togethers, and topic-specific workshops. Touch grass, together! Attend events hosted by aligned groups to meet new people, grow your network, and stay up to date with what’s being talked about in your field of interest locally.
“The city is a cosmological plateau.” The city comprises infinite visible and invisible, ever-evolving(/dissolving) networks. Sustainability (for as much as it’s worth) depends on the fostering of an anti-fragile system. Encourage network newcomers to freely participate and contribute (- and fork toward their own ends). So long as members are acting in pursuit of a shared vision the network benefits from open and autonomous operations. Decentralization and plurality are our greatest tool for eluding collapse, capture, or homogenization. Diversity and difference is generative, challenges overcome build strength.
Ingredients
- Consistent time and energy to dedicate to working toward your vision.
- A public events group calendar like meetup.com (when necessary, utilize a shared private calendar for non-public events).
- One or more communication channels - for general chat, event coordination, etc.
- Optional: The book Impact Networks by David Ehrlichman – an excellent primer on and resource for network weaving and building inspiration and tools.