About

We’re living in unprecedented times…

A phrase that used to feel a little dramatic and hyperbolic, but now seems wholly inadequate.

I’ve spent three decades working and leading design and innovation studios, with a particular focus on social innovation; how we use the approaches, methods, skills, talents, bits and chips to create a ‘brighter future’.

The hockey stick graphs we got used to seeing around climate change and technology are now being realised. Artificial Intelligence has gone from clumsy to spooky to a general-purpose technology pushing all other fields forward at unnerving speed.

Our challenges are becoming existential while our leaders seem completely inadequate. In the face of global crisis, a good number of them seem to have doubled down on destruction.

What should we make of all this?

The last few years have rocked my beliefs. Rather than letting those beliefs be quietly crushed by the bottomless, anxiety-invoking news cycle, I want to force myself to really learn, think and reflect.

So this is Life in the Mess; it’s about living through these wild, wild times, exploring the currents of change and trying to rekindle my relationship with brightness and possibility.