Category Archives for ProxThink

Brief Summary of My Major Accomplishments in Life to Date

This is a brief summary of my six major accomplishments in life to date, including some of my motivations and background. But before that, below is an introduction to the rest of the page.

One-Paragraph Introduction

To help others and myself be more alive and meet challenges, I leveraged my very diverse knowledge and experiences to create an integrated set of patterns for creativity and innovation. To make the patterns conceptually coherent I created a philosophical structure, and using both I created integrated collaboration processes for our connected world, and then conceptually linked those with our current state of technology and networks. The creativity patterns, the philosophical structure and the collaboration processes are the three main parts of the proximity thinking (ProxThink) framework, and they are called the ProxPatterns, the Basics and the Growth Model. Then I proposed, and continue to propose, using all of this to meet some of humanity’s ordinary and tough challenges like climate change, sustainability and quality of life. I’ve also made attempts to implement all of this in a number of projects, and share it with people using the idea of sustainable variety (which I also created) via groups and online sessions, websites, an online course and a guide within an app. I invite you to help yourself and others by joining me on these adventures for benefits on many levels. For a longer summary and relevant links to more information and how to get involved in the adventures, please see the rest of this page. In light of the work I’ve done and my current circumstances, at the end I’ll ask you to consider a proxri (one of the collaboration processes I created for our connected world, which can help create lively proximities). However, if this introduction has convinced you already, you can explore and join the adventures here and/or proxri here.

Motivations and Background

Below you’ll find some of what motivated me on such large-scope endeavors and the diverse background that helped support and propel them.

NOTES: (1) Related links below that say “desktop” can be viewed on mobile if you zoom in. (2) This is a work in progress, and may get copied elsewhere later. When I’ve finished editing it, I’ll note that here.

Motivations

I’ve had several goals, described at a big-picture level as helping other people and myself to: feel more alive, be more alive, pursue possibilities, meet challenges and avoid problems. Why? Multiple reasons. To help other people and to connect with other people. For my own sake and for the challenges of such goals. Also, because my father wanted me to do something for the world.

Background

Partly in preparation for what came later, partly to survive and partly out of curiosity, I have …

  • explored diverse domains of knowledge (emphasizing the arts, sciences, design and business),
  • explored diverse work environments (entrepreneurial, small to large business, government, cooperative, nonprofit), and
  • explored diverse work activities (marketing, finance, sales, art, design, business ownership, public interest fundraising, survey interviewing, others),
  • pursued many different creative activities (art, design, invention, music),
  • earned a math degree and a masters in business along the way and
  • met a huge variety of people.

Related Links
• Overview (mobile and desktop)
• Bit of a Bio (desktop)

My Six Major Accomplishments, Your Invitation to Join the Adventures, and Questions for You Related to Proxri

Below are my six major accomplishments, and your invitation to help yourself and others by joining me on these adventures! Plus, a couple questions for you related to proxri.

1. Creativity Patterns (ProxPatterns)

Leveraging my diverse knowledge and experiences, I created an integrated set of patterns for creativity, problem-solving and innovation. I call these patterns the ProxPatterns.

Related Links
• ProxPatterns — Mobile | Desktop

2. Philosophical Structure (ProxThink Basics)

To ground the creativity patterns and make them conceptually coherent, I created an elegant philosophical structure that can also relate to mathematics, engineering, business, design, the arts and the sciences. I call this philosophical structure the ProxThink Basics.

Related Links
• ProxThink Basics — Mobile | Desktop

3. Collaboration Processes (ProxThink Growth Model)

Then, using the philosophical structure and the creativity patterns, I developed an integrated set of collaboration processes that create new possibilities for collaboration and relating to proximities for our connected world. In addition to creating new possibilities, these processes may augment and/or replace some processes of markets, governments, nonprofits and more. I call these collaboration processes the ProxThink Growth Model. Note that this and the previous two sections form the three main parts of the proximity thinking framework. That is, the ProxPatterns, the Basics and the Growth Model.

Related Links
• ProxThink Growth Model — Mobile | Desktop
• Proximity Thinking Framework — Mobile | Desktop

4. Linkage to Current Technology (Sustainable Proximities Approach)

Next, I conceptually linked the ProxThink Growth Model with our current state of technology and networks. I call this the Sustainable Proximities Approach.

Related Links
• Sustainable Proximities Approach — Desktop

5. Proposals to Use All of This (Various Proposals)

Then I proposed, and continue to propose, using all of this (1 through 4 above) to meet some of humanity’s ordinary and tough challenges like climate change, sustainability and quality of life.

Related Links
• Proxearth Climate Change Effort — Desktop
• (More to come. I need to track down a number of relevant blog posts and pages from various sites.)

6. Attempts to Implement and Share All of This, Including the Related Concept of Sustainable Variety (Various Efforts)

I’ve also made some first attempts to implement all of this (1 through 5 above) in several domains via a number of projects, and share it with various groups of people. These efforts can be grouped within the general related concept of sustainable variety, which I also created. I’ve developed ways people can get involved, from small to big, to create more sustainable variety with my major projects (ProxThink, Shared Situations, Variety People, Artsdown). They can join groups and online sessions, interact with sites, use an online course in proximity thinking, and collaborate using the Shared Situation Guide in a mobile app.

Related Links
• Adventures in Sustainable Variety — Mobile and Desktop
• (More direct links to come, but there are many links to the ways people can get involved in the sustainable variety link just above.)
• Intro to ProxThink — Let’s Be More Alive online course — Mobile and Desktop
• My Projects (multiple links here) — Mobile and Desktop

Help Yourself and Others by Joining Me!

I invite you to help yourself and others by joining me on these adventures for benefits on many levels!

Related Links
• Find out why, how and the many benefits of getting involved here.

Questions for You Related to Proxri

Given the six major accomplishments of my life to date listed above, is it right and does it make sense to you and/or feel right to you that this is my personal ProxMonitor? If not, what can or will you do about it (this link explains more about proxri)? You might want to proxri me. Briefly, Proxri (pronounced prox’ree) is short for one or more ProxRewards, which are rewards that relate elements in the proximity, and are often made with the proximity in mind. The proxri process is part of the ProxThink Growth Model, and can help create lively proximities. You’ll find more about how to proxri at the links below. You can proxri once or in ongoing ways, with money or in other ways. Patreon is recommended as you’ll get the benefits of your Patreon tier and all the tiers below it!

Related Links
• My Circumstances (My ProxMonitor)
• Proxri David with the proximity in mind.

Video Intro to the Shared Situation Guide

Here’s a brief video intro to one of my new projects, the Shared Situation Guide. It shows you how to access and start using the guide on your desktop and/or mobile. Your shared situation can be whatever your group is dealing with or considering. You can learn and use it on your own right now if you like, but stay tuned for upcoming online workshops for learning to use the guide!

No Fill Marks?

This short video (3.5 minutes) is for people who own French press coffee makers AS WELL AS designers and anyone interested in innovation and creativity. It also uses a mind map you can explore while learning some proximity thinking at the same time!

New One Minute Overview of Proximity Thinking

I’ve created a one minute overview of proximity thinking, including what it is, why the word “proximity,” and the main parts of the framework.

NOTE — THIS IS A PLAYLIST OF THREE VIDEOS. The first short clip is me introducing the new one minute overview, which will then play next so you can just wait for it to start. Then third, it will play a long video, and if you watch that I highly recommend clicking the FULL-SCREEN button (lower right corner when you hover your mouse over the video).

Getting Tired of Beautiful and Special Things

I don’t know about you, but I can get tired of even the most beautiful and special things. I think this is probably true for most people.

I’ve lived in beautiful places like Boulder and Vail in Colorado, both of which I appreciated less over time. I’ve taken truly special photos, put them on my phone as the background, and gotten tired of them. I’ve made awesome art I loved and grew less fond of it, and seen amazing, historically important art in museums that started to bore me over time. I’ve listened to great music too much and cared for it less and less. You get the drift.

This is why I think differently when I see houses by the beach, or in the mountains, or some other amazing place. I’ve realized, yes, it would be great to live there for a while, but I would not want to live there for the rest of my life, or even for too many months or years. So I would not want to pay the high premiums people pay for houses in those places! For the same reasons, I avoid collecting expensive art, as I would get tired of it so quickly.

This line of thinking also probably implies I would get tired of being wealthy!

The thoughts in this post are yet more arguments for variety. And when you think about variety for a while, you’ll probably realize what you want is sustainable variety. At least that’s what I realized. This means finding ways of living over weeks, and months, and years, that give you variety you don’t get tired of! I don’t want kinds of variety that are like beautiful and special things that I get tired of. I want varieties of variety, and I want that to be sustainable, so I stay engaged and have the potential to keep being engaged. I think probably one of the best ways to get sustainable variety is to also pursue sustainable proximities. I think the two go together. Although that’s another topic, for now, here’s more on what I call the sustainable proximities approach.

If some of this rings true, you might be a bit of a variety person. Check out a project I started called varietypeople.org, where anyone can post their own thoughts, wishes and experiences, comment on the posts of others, and share ideas, events, resources and opportunities for other variety people. You might want to join us.