Octavia Butler is the queen of imagination. Her mind inspires me. As does this article. Thank you for teaching me about the rubber band effect - I hadn’t heard of it but I experience it when explaining ideas to others frequently.
People want to know the “how” of it all, even before the “what” is even created. It can be discouraging and often sidetracks me in creating a full vision. I naturally gravitate towards “ideas”, so I will practice the exercises you have listed to help grow that skill and the craft of imagination. Thanks!
Octavia is the queen for sure!! I got introduced to her work through reading adrienne maree brown, and it blew my mind wide open. I’ve only read Dawn from the Xenogenesis trilogoy, and wow. Unfortunately I don’t read fiction often enough and I do have The Parable of The Sower on my bookshelf aspirationally 🙄
Do you read Octavia?
And thanks so much for your thoughtful reflections on this piece. I’m so glad it spoke to you. I don’t think the rubber band effect is a widely understood concept; to my best understanding it was coined in that talk and I just gave it definition to the best of how I was understanding it. I do think it’s really helpful - I’m glad it was for you!
And yes… the obsession with the how before the what and why is even done. I feel this so deeply with you. I’ve come to see that as a form of cynicism, and try to further understand cynicism as a psychological defence… if you tear down a possibility before you’re even done hearing about the idea you don’t have to suffer the potential disappointment if it doesn’t work — and you get the bonus of being perceived as the smart rational person. Kind of like refusing to love because you are terrified of heart break. I think cynicism is a defence against the heartbreak of being human in this upside down time.
thanks again for reading and the note! I’d love to hear how it goes with the exercises!
I’ll have to put adrienne maree brown on my list! I’ve read a lot of Octavia butler (kindred, wild seed trilogy, the earth seed trilogy, fledgling, bloodchild and rules for predicting the future), she’s one of my favorite authors.
On rules for predicting the future, she explained that the accuracy of her post apocalyptic books came from her observing then-current societal issues and imagined what that world would look like in the next 20-30 years if not addressed.
But agreed, denial of alternative futures does seem to be a psychological defense to uncertainty. But also, fear of changing the status quo when it’s working out for you. I have had discussions with brilliant academics that simply cannot even accept that any another system is possible. In academia, where imagination should be encouraged, it is shamed instead, while logic is held up as the best virtue.
Among all of the challenges that humanity faces, I believe our culture is the biggest. Our own minds are imprisoned and it takes deep, intentional work to set oneself free. Encouraging people to get in touch with their imagination is a important step to that freedom.
it is so enlivening to come across like minds. I didnt know that deeper background about Octavia, thanks so much for sharing Brooke!
one thousand yeses to all you said. you touched on one of many reasons I love adrienne maree brown's work so much, she really connects the dots between liberation work and healing and imaginal work.
thanks so much for taking the time to engage. these ideas are somewhat still at the edges, particularly in institutional settings as you point out. it helps to have the courage to bring them forward to know i'm in a wider dialogue with those who are ready and already there themselves. appreciate you and this exchange.
To what extent do you believe our ability for nervous system regulation and nervous system safety impacts our ability to allow ourselves to begin to entertain these ideas?
I have just started on my own nervous system healing and it occurs to me that this is something that all children should start learning as soon as possible - conscious learning starting in kindergarten and going through all grades. And even possibly not being able to move to a new level in school or graduate high school without demonstrating a basic level of ability with it.
Amy I love this observation soooooo much! You're creating the most perfect segue to the piece I have coming out later this week!
nervous system regulation is going to be a big part of it. through your lived experience you connected the dots I'll also be connecting. I speak about it as 'state determines outcomes'.
Sympathetic activation states -- Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn -- will only get you more of those states.
Creativity, *imagination*, empathy, connection... those generally only accessible in regulated parasympathetic states.
So to directly answer your question, it doesn't just impact our ability to entertain these ideas, it is the required capacity. I will make that much clearer in this week's forthcoming essay. It will tie together this stuff on imagination with a bigger picture on social transformation.
Collective transformation and individual transformation are two sides of the same coin. At the individual level, nervous system regulation is a transformative practice. You are doing liberation work. there's a whole body of scholarship and practice on this, let me know if you want any recommendations for further learning, would be so happy to share.
What do you notice that's different in your life as you do your healing work? How did those insights help you connect the dots when you read this piece?
Thanks so much for the note! you got my brain all excited, best way to start the day 😂🤓🙏🏼
oh hey!! I’m excited to check that out, thanks for sharing, I love learning new methods!! I’ll try to remember to loop back and share any learnings/compare notes after I listen. Tysm Caroline :)
and thanks for subscribing! podcast is being re-imagined now that I’ve split the two publications so thanks for your patience while I get that sorted out. In the meantime, there’s 10 episodes of the original synthesis concept. Would love to hear what you think. You were in episode 6, ya? Loved that one :)
yes of course! I love what you’re doing, any opportunity to get the word out is a good one! (I think I got distracted away from a dm thread of ours…I’m just realizing… more soon!)
Wow. I need to pause and just say how grateful I am to be mentioned here. Your writing and speaking voice has a way of landing for me like a weighted blanket—it settles me in, gives my mind space to listen, and makes it possible for me (with my neurodiverse brain) to really take in every layer of what you’re teaching. That, in itself, is a gift.
Two things stand out for me:
1. Your way of teaching design fiction. The clarity, the framing, the why behind it—it’s brilliant. You don’t just explain what it is, you give it form in a way that feels alive and urgent.
2. The quotes you wove in. “We are reliably shitty.” “We are in an imagination battle.” “We are colonized.” Each of those hits with such precision. They’re not just lines, they’re truths that expose what we’re up against, and you placed them exactly where they needed to be.
As an executive coach, I spend a lot of time with leaders testing for language and perspective that can wake them up. We are numb as you say. What you’re modeling here is exactly that. You show that teaching is not just content delivery—it’s a kind of presence, a way of being.
I deeply respect the work you’re doing and I’m honored by the mutual respect you’ve shown me. Thank you.
Michelle thank you so very much. One of my best friends taught me a long time ago that compliments without specificity ring hollow, a bit pollyanna, but with specificity you can make someone feel seen. It was very generous to take the time to be specific with your impressions. This means a great deal to me, I very much feel seen. I've had to read it a few times to really let it land.
You gave a little masterclass a few weeks back when we exchanged thoughts on engaging with those we disagree with, I learned a lot from you, so indeed the respect is very mutual. Thank you for being a reason substack is somewhere I want to be.
always! I’m such a fan of your beautiful brain. @Bette A. Ludwig, PhD 🌱 was just telling me how much she enjoyed your work on AI levelling the playing field for neurodivergents! She first only mentioned the theme so I asked whose work it was and smiled to myself when she replied it was yours :)
Octavia Butler is the queen of imagination. Her mind inspires me. As does this article. Thank you for teaching me about the rubber band effect - I hadn’t heard of it but I experience it when explaining ideas to others frequently.
People want to know the “how” of it all, even before the “what” is even created. It can be discouraging and often sidetracks me in creating a full vision. I naturally gravitate towards “ideas”, so I will practice the exercises you have listed to help grow that skill and the craft of imagination. Thanks!
Octavia is the queen for sure!! I got introduced to her work through reading adrienne maree brown, and it blew my mind wide open. I’ve only read Dawn from the Xenogenesis trilogoy, and wow. Unfortunately I don’t read fiction often enough and I do have The Parable of The Sower on my bookshelf aspirationally 🙄
Do you read Octavia?
And thanks so much for your thoughtful reflections on this piece. I’m so glad it spoke to you. I don’t think the rubber band effect is a widely understood concept; to my best understanding it was coined in that talk and I just gave it definition to the best of how I was understanding it. I do think it’s really helpful - I’m glad it was for you!
And yes… the obsession with the how before the what and why is even done. I feel this so deeply with you. I’ve come to see that as a form of cynicism, and try to further understand cynicism as a psychological defence… if you tear down a possibility before you’re even done hearing about the idea you don’t have to suffer the potential disappointment if it doesn’t work — and you get the bonus of being perceived as the smart rational person. Kind of like refusing to love because you are terrified of heart break. I think cynicism is a defence against the heartbreak of being human in this upside down time.
thanks again for reading and the note! I’d love to hear how it goes with the exercises!
I’ll have to put adrienne maree brown on my list! I’ve read a lot of Octavia butler (kindred, wild seed trilogy, the earth seed trilogy, fledgling, bloodchild and rules for predicting the future), she’s one of my favorite authors.
On rules for predicting the future, she explained that the accuracy of her post apocalyptic books came from her observing then-current societal issues and imagined what that world would look like in the next 20-30 years if not addressed.
But agreed, denial of alternative futures does seem to be a psychological defense to uncertainty. But also, fear of changing the status quo when it’s working out for you. I have had discussions with brilliant academics that simply cannot even accept that any another system is possible. In academia, where imagination should be encouraged, it is shamed instead, while logic is held up as the best virtue.
Among all of the challenges that humanity faces, I believe our culture is the biggest. Our own minds are imprisoned and it takes deep, intentional work to set oneself free. Encouraging people to get in touch with their imagination is a important step to that freedom.
it is so enlivening to come across like minds. I didnt know that deeper background about Octavia, thanks so much for sharing Brooke!
one thousand yeses to all you said. you touched on one of many reasons I love adrienne maree brown's work so much, she really connects the dots between liberation work and healing and imaginal work.
thanks so much for taking the time to engage. these ideas are somewhat still at the edges, particularly in institutional settings as you point out. it helps to have the courage to bring them forward to know i'm in a wider dialogue with those who are ready and already there themselves. appreciate you and this exchange.
To what extent do you believe our ability for nervous system regulation and nervous system safety impacts our ability to allow ourselves to begin to entertain these ideas?
I have just started on my own nervous system healing and it occurs to me that this is something that all children should start learning as soon as possible - conscious learning starting in kindergarten and going through all grades. And even possibly not being able to move to a new level in school or graduate high school without demonstrating a basic level of ability with it.
Amy I love this observation soooooo much! You're creating the most perfect segue to the piece I have coming out later this week!
nervous system regulation is going to be a big part of it. through your lived experience you connected the dots I'll also be connecting. I speak about it as 'state determines outcomes'.
Sympathetic activation states -- Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn -- will only get you more of those states.
Creativity, *imagination*, empathy, connection... those generally only accessible in regulated parasympathetic states.
So to directly answer your question, it doesn't just impact our ability to entertain these ideas, it is the required capacity. I will make that much clearer in this week's forthcoming essay. It will tie together this stuff on imagination with a bigger picture on social transformation.
Collective transformation and individual transformation are two sides of the same coin. At the individual level, nervous system regulation is a transformative practice. You are doing liberation work. there's a whole body of scholarship and practice on this, let me know if you want any recommendations for further learning, would be so happy to share.
What do you notice that's different in your life as you do your healing work? How did those insights help you connect the dots when you read this piece?
Thanks so much for the note! you got my brain all excited, best way to start the day 😂🤓🙏🏼
You might appreciate this in the meantime: https://jenniferangelamcrae.substack.com/p/ep11-we-have-a-zero-percent-success
ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. I am fully on board. Such a relief to find people who are grounded and positive at the same time. 🖖
Love the practical exercises! I’m going to try at least one out today. Appreciate the mention as well 🙌🏻
whoop! love that! would love to hear your reflections on whichever one you do, Whitney.
Brilliant article, brilliant work pulling us together. I quoted several sections of this on Tiktok xoxo
Thanks for the shoutout
and this article is a gem 💪😀 Love speculative futures and the futures wheel method. Wrote something about how to use it too. https://andrs-projects.notion.site/envisioning-ai-s-impact-using-the-futures-wheel-for-roadmaps
Or if you rather listen: https://youtu.be/7MFiqcTwCEE?si=booyfaJIrrKjJZbm
Also I’ve subscribed to your Apple Podcast 💪
oh hey!! I’m excited to check that out, thanks for sharing, I love learning new methods!! I’ll try to remember to loop back and share any learnings/compare notes after I listen. Tysm Caroline :)
and thanks for subscribing! podcast is being re-imagined now that I’ve split the two publications so thanks for your patience while I get that sorted out. In the meantime, there’s 10 episodes of the original synthesis concept. Would love to hear what you think. You were in episode 6, ya? Loved that one :)
Ow, checking …🎧
Thanks for the shoutout Jenn! And love the visual storytelling format here....this is great.
thank you for the kind words - and for the community building work you’ve been doing.
Thank you for including a mention of SheWritesAI, Jenn!
yes of course! I love what you’re doing, any opportunity to get the word out is a good one! (I think I got distracted away from a dm thread of ours…I’m just realizing… more soon!)
You rock! Thank you 💜
And you! Such a joy to be connected, thank you for the ongoing support. xo
Wow. I need to pause and just say how grateful I am to be mentioned here. Your writing and speaking voice has a way of landing for me like a weighted blanket—it settles me in, gives my mind space to listen, and makes it possible for me (with my neurodiverse brain) to really take in every layer of what you’re teaching. That, in itself, is a gift.
Two things stand out for me:
1. Your way of teaching design fiction. The clarity, the framing, the why behind it—it’s brilliant. You don’t just explain what it is, you give it form in a way that feels alive and urgent.
2. The quotes you wove in. “We are reliably shitty.” “We are in an imagination battle.” “We are colonized.” Each of those hits with such precision. They’re not just lines, they’re truths that expose what we’re up against, and you placed them exactly where they needed to be.
As an executive coach, I spend a lot of time with leaders testing for language and perspective that can wake them up. We are numb as you say. What you’re modeling here is exactly that. You show that teaching is not just content delivery—it’s a kind of presence, a way of being.
I deeply respect the work you’re doing and I’m honored by the mutual respect you’ve shown me. Thank you.
Michelle thank you so very much. One of my best friends taught me a long time ago that compliments without specificity ring hollow, a bit pollyanna, but with specificity you can make someone feel seen. It was very generous to take the time to be specific with your impressions. This means a great deal to me, I very much feel seen. I've had to read it a few times to really let it land.
You gave a little masterclass a few weeks back when we exchanged thoughts on engaging with those we disagree with, I learned a lot from you, so indeed the respect is very mutual. Thank you for being a reason substack is somewhere I want to be.
Thanks for including me 💕💕💕
always! I’m such a fan of your beautiful brain. @Bette A. Ludwig, PhD 🌱 was just telling me how much she enjoyed your work on AI levelling the playing field for neurodivergents! She first only mentioned the theme so I asked whose work it was and smiled to myself when she replied it was yours :)
💕💕💕💕💕💕