“Merchant of Chaos” served me well for a while – it captured my relationship with consistency (complicated), my need to explore and deconstruct ideas (constant), and my tendency to take things apart to understand them (compulsive). There was also something deliciously ironic about it – I’m actually quite introverted, my chaos lives primarily in my head rather than in the world. But for those who didn’t know me, the name suggested someone who deliberately stirs up trouble, someone who creates chaos for chaos’s sake. That wasn’t me, and over time, this misalignment started to become a barrier to writing, a contradiction I never intended but that sat uneasily regardless.
And lately, the political and cultural climate has become more chaotic, polarised and aggressive. Suddenly I found that the name was unintentionally setting up a different expectation, one that didn’t align with what I care and write about about. So, I’m changing to a name that (hopefully) better reflects what I write about: Unruly Assets
This name keeps an element of chaos while more clearly alluding to the messy, unique and mostly untapped potential of the most innovative technology we possess – the human mind. What could it mean to optimise for the greatest possible expression of that potential instead of the current system of dominating, subjugating and destroying it to the advantage of a tiny percentage of the population?
Honestly, I don’t know, but I’d like to find out.
Digging up my past
Despite working in design for decades, my primary degree is in Economics and Finance. The finance part was a struggle (thank you undiagnosed Dyscalculia & ADHD) but I loved economics. My degree was so many moons ago that I am excited to revisit the basics of economics to help me understand why so many people in power consider a more socially equitable world for all to be such an impossibility. I’ve got no answers so I will be asking questions, learning in public, and hopefully tripping across ideas for better ways forward for all of us.
Meeting The Misfits
I’ll also be meeting with people who are creating change, tiny social and cultural rebellions in their own, unique ways. People who couldn’t wait for the system to change so they’ve found ways to change their little patch. These are the misfits – incredible people who have the courage of their convictions and do rather than debate about change.
If you’re curious about social economics, innovative business models, technology for good, discovering the misfits creating tiny rebellions or how we unlock the latent potential within ourselves and others, I’d love for you to join me. Together, let’s embrace the unruly and see where our curiosity takes us…
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