First, Gratitude.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible people in my life who have made this year truly incredible. This was such a big year of transformation and growth, and I absolutely would not have been able to evolve without the incredible humans who have blessed my life. I can only name a few here, but there are literally thousands of people who I’ve connected with this year who have transformed my life and brought me hope in humanity. I am you, and you are me. 

Most importantly, I want to acknowledge and express my overwhelming love for my partner, Carson Linforth Bowley, who is my greatest muse and creative partner in every piece of this reflection, of this year and moment. My words and actions are deeply inspired, complimented, and compounded by his. Words cannot express my gratitude and respect for your beautiful soul, your wisdom and beauty that you share with me every day, that helps reflect my light out to the world. 2016 was a year about our love story -- deepening in partnership, learning from one another, creating and laughing together, and witnessing the beauty of the world as one. This exposé is truly an integration of our experiences, perspectives and reflections. We hope it inspires you to live every moment with presence, intention and atunement to the sublime, and to shine your light brighter, to reflect more deeply and to give more generously.

With love,

Ting & Carson

Key Learnings

moments of wisdom and truth 

• We are intensely tribal by nature. My gravitational pull has been towards truly creating community this year, which has led to the co-founding of the Emergent Collective (launching in Jan 2017). I believe that what we need in the world are more intergenerational, intercultural and interdisciplinary tribes, working together in a decentralized, hyper-transparent and proaction mindset — weaving people together on a project-basis for their expertise to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. Learn more about our current thinking here.

• Relationships are our best mirror, where we can discover our edges. The key is to hold a relationship as your greatest teacher, and encounter challenges with a student’s perspective, willing to learn and delve into self-inquiry and observation, in order to grow, empathize, take responsibility and find solutions together, as collaborators. If we can continue to hold this intention and mindset, relationships suddenly become a constant, dynamic adventure and journey of mutual discovery, lightness and depth. Thank you Carson for constantly reflecting me and teaching me about
• We are living in the experience economy. Those are able to not only “consume” experiences, but create them for themselves and others will learn and improve the human experience. Designing experiences is one of the hardest arts, but if you can really empathize with human behavior and emotional needs, than you can will succeed. It starts with understanding human psychology, and the behavioral curves and needs that emerge. Group dynamics are some of the hardest to predict, and so you have to create a plan that can emerge with the group. One of my goals for 2017 is to master this art by teaching a course on Experience Design as well as make every day a practice of intentionally designing each moment and sharing my experiences with my community.
• How we start our morning, is how we live our life. The role of morning practices can dramatically change the course your life. We started this year by practicing The Artist Way, a 30 minute writing practice of brain dumping words on a page in order to push through to our creative genius first thing in the morning. Once we got to a dropped in state, then we just let whatever wants to emerge come out — whether that is expressed through dance, painting, photography, writing, etc. I adapted my morning practice throughout the year, refining day by day to achieve a peak flow state first thing in the morning. On average, my practice includes 15 minutes of yoga or 20 min of cardio (running or cross training), 10 min of visualization or concentration meditation, tea, journaling and a healthy green smoothie.
• The true test of our yoga practice is how we behave when we’re off the mat – when we’re jet lagged and traveling, when we’re under pressure from several deadlines, or we are triggered from a conversation with a loved one. We do these daily practices and asanas so that we are in a better state to handle and manage these moments of intensity and challenge. 
• Necessary structure helps create the space for more creativity. This year, I became disciplined about my calendar and file organization, which has helped me to be more effective and better at both my time and energy management. Carson and I implemented a system using color schemes to categorize different aspects of life. Each week we would review my calendar and visually check to make sure every color was represented and balanced. Our thinking has been heavily informed by Integral Life Practice, by Ken Wilber, and all the research I have done on habit design, behavior change and developmental psychology (thank you Tiago Forte for helping me get more serious about this!) This life philosophy inspired the founding of Ritual Living Systems, a new brand that we will be launching in 2017 which will include tools, stories and experiences to help people live in flow and in healthy, integrated moments everyday. (stay tuned for more updates here).
  • Movement & Wellness
  • Personal Creative
  • Focus & Flow
  • Community & Learning
  • Meetings & Connecting
  • Client Milestones
  • Travel & Transit
  • Family
  • Guests
• Living in the Tao is the key to living blissfully, without suffering. This means sailing instead of steam plowing, being ready for change and spontaneous for anything. It also means non-attachment, which leads to suffering. Attaching to an idea of the future is what leads us to pain when it doesn’t come true or doesn’t satisfy our desires. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t desire and dream, but not being attached to that as the truth or way is the key. Reading the Tao de Ching every morning as part of my morning practice and being part of the #dailytao message thread has helped me remember this every day, and stay fluid and supple. 
• Follow the natural cycles of the moon. Especially as women, this is one of the keys to finding vitality. Listening to our body and the somatic intelligence already within us is the best access to wisdom that we have. Breath is the best medicine for any ailment in our body. When we feel a slight tightness or rigidity someone in our body, consciously breath into that area for 10 breaths. Just by putting our attention to that area, we are able to start to heal and release whatever is stuck there. 
• I am of the Earth, of the ocean element. Swimming in water at least once a day brings me the deepest joy and sense of peace. If I don’t have actual water nearby, “be like water”. Go through life as water. I have discovered this element within myself when I dance, when I paint calligraphy and watercolor, when I move through cities like the river, when I dive in the ocean, and when I speak poetry and prose without inhibition. 

Atlas of 2016

Completed Projects

• Produced the PowerShift conference: Produced and helped the core team with the overall experience design, guest experience, hospitality needs, and branding and messaging.
• Led the outreach and research of APAC region for COMPASS, previously the Startup Genome Report.
• Helped Carson facilitate a new form of brand strategy immersion to help design and launch Acre Fund's new brand. They are a progressive and innovative venture capital firm dedicated to the future of food in LA and Ojai. 
• Joined the team at Burning Man in April part-time to complete the fundraising and strategy for the Fly Ranch project, which closed in June this year. (Deep bow and acknowledgement to the real champions of the project: Daniel Brand, Bear Kittay, Katiyana Kittay, James Milner and Zac Cirivello) 
• Supported Carson with the creative direction and modeling for videoshoots for Meetup.com in Japan and San Francisco, as part of their rebrand.
• Worked with Apple on their rebrand on their Supplier Responsibility site — this was the first time I've been hired to focus on copywriting
• Creating the 5-year marketing plan to rebrand the Delta California region to increase ecotourism and agrotourism, as part of an initiative by Visit California.
• Served as a designer and facilitator for several immersions with Factory for clients such as Nike, Virgin Sport, Campells and Standard Bank.
• Traveled to London and Tel Aviv to conduct design thinking workshops for two clients in pop-up innovation spaces.
• Starting working with the Kauffman Foundation to lead the experience design of their first ever global E*SHIP Summit, which will host over 2,000 "ecosystem builders" from all 50 States. 
• Started serving as Assistant Director for The Culture Conference (taking place next April 1+2, 2017) , leading the brand strategy, experience design, guest experience and overall execution, sponsorship and planning for the event. (Thank you Jenny Sauer-Klein for being such a rockstar!)
• Starting working with BOS Investment to launch a content-focused dinner series to explore “What Matters Most” through highly-curated and facilitated dinner formats as part of their rebrand, which will launch Feb 2017. 
• Went to Patmos island in Greece to scout and plan the next Meraki Xperience retreat in summer 2017 focused on social impact and creating an innovation lab for the refugee crisis in Greece and Turkey, in collaboration with Weezie Yancey, Mike Zuckermann and Mustafa from InnoCampus in Istanbul.
• As The Emergent Collective, we hosted 40 global luminaries for a week in Ibiza for the first time&space retreat, in collaboration with the creative director and founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté. (Thank you Guy, the EMCO team and the incredible human beings who showed up so generously and beautifully).
• Inspired by many conversations and explorations with Carson and many friends, we started The Emergent Collective, a community of leaders on the frontier of space x culture. We are dedicated to experimentation and exploration of the future of creativity, immersive cultural experiences, and ecology. We are also starting a global networked consultancy arm, called EMCO (inspired by early days of GBN). 
• Burning Man 2016 // Da Vinci's Workshop: We contributed to early set up to help make Deep Tea Haus happen, and participated in Early Man for the first time!
• Long Now x Fly Ranch collaboration: We led a site visit and facilitated dinner conversation around the future of land ownership and “flat” community-building over the long-term, with some of the founders of Burning Man and the Director of Long Now, Alexander Rose, plus his team. 

Speaking + PRESS

• Spoke at TEDxShanghai (with CLB and Mike North) at the opening of Shanghai Tower with crowd of 2,000, plus live streamed across Asia to audience of more than 10,000+. 
• Spoke at TEDxTokyo about my 4 years of research on innovation ecosystems in Asia
• Spoke at Kinnerlat in Antigua, Guatemala about emergent design 
• Presentation to Taiwanese Parliament government with CLB
• Presentation to 40 top cultural influencers in Taiwan at the Red Room 
• Verizon Wireless Innovation, Interview, "The Future is Wonderously Human"
• Interview for book, The Neo-Generalist, by Kenneth Mikkelsen & Richard Martin

Creative Expeditions

Emergent Collective retreat in Occidental, CA (Jan)

Santa Barbara for Ben Henretig’s film international screening (Feb)

Kyoto, Osaka + Naoshima Expedition (March) - exposé above- exposé above

Shanghai + Hangzhou Expedition (May)

Detroit + Movement Festival (June)

Essouira and Marrakech, Morocco - exposé above

Barcelona + SONAR Festival Expedition / CLB's birthday (June)

Greece scouting trip (June)

Ibiza, Nice, Monaco scouting and sailing trip (July)

Kinnerlat Expedition in Antigua, Guatemala (August)

Asia 5-city Creative Expedition  (Oct) - exposé above

Bodega Bay + Invernes retreat for Ting's 26th birthday (Nov) - exposé above

Winter solstice date in Sonoma, CA (Dec)

Creative collaborations in Los Angeles (5 trips)

San Miguel + Mexico holiday expedition with the Kelly family (Dec)

Community Gatherings & Experiences

Other gatherings: 

Hosted Open Studios every Sunday at the Metatalier with Carson

Hosted monthly salon dinners at The Embassy after Long Now Seminars (w/ Daniel Barcay, Tyler Willis, Carson Linforth Bowley and Josh Elkes)

Bi-weekly Coffee + Crags climbing at sunrise (thank you Daniel Barcay)

Weekly group meditations at Juniper Foundation (thank you Lawrence and co!)

Saturday morning spin classes with Kai and Rob (thank you Rob!)

Janet Stone yoga classes @ Yoga Tree Castro

Stacy Overby's Yin/Yang yoga classes + Fall Nourishing retreat @ Green Gulch Farm

Helping Rachel Rossitto with Magnetic retreat with 8 incredible women

Dancing with the local creative Ibizan community at La Granja and Can Soleil

Cacao ceremony and Full Moon circles with Mill Valley family (thank you Maria Molfino and Rachel!)

Safehouse gatherings // Deep Tea Haus & more (thank you Matt Wiggins!)

Burning Man costume design, research, scouting and creation with Annu Yadev

On a process level, as part of my new years creative retreat, I went through my calendar month-by-month and inventoried in detail every key moment into three categories: personal, community and work. This became my 2016 Inventory of Time document. If you're curious about the process, feel free to email me at ting@tingkelly.com and I'll send you a breakdown of my process! 

Reader's Portrait

our Favorite Reading list of 2016

Ideas and Integrities, by Buckminister Fuller

A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander

The Artist Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown

Wabi-Sabi, For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, by Leonard Koren

Neo-PreHistoria, by Kenya Hara and Andrea Branzi

Wabi Inspirations, by Axel Vervoordt and Tatsuro Miki

The Red Book, Carl Jung

Integral Life Practice, by Ken Wilber

The Bhagavad Gita, by Eknath Easwaran

What Technology Wants, by Kevin Kelly

The Book, by Alan Watts

The Meaning of Human Existence, by Edward O. Wilson

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche

Essays by Ralph Emerson

The Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondō

Rebecca Solnit’s Atlas of San Francisco

Woman Code, by Alisa Vitti

The New Nomads: Temporary Spaces and a Life on the Move, by Gestalten & ­Michelle Galindo

GENESIS, by Sebastião Salgado

Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition, by Paul Pitchford

In Praise of Shadows, by Junichiro Tanizak

The Alphabet vs. The Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image, by Leonard Schlain

(Talk) Valorizing the Sphere, by David McConville

(Article) SFMOMA on Whole Earth Catalog: Access to Tools

(Article) “Does Design Make Us Human?” Istanbul Binneal 2016 - One of the best accounts of human-centered design

(Video) “The Story of a Spoon” - Tickles my curiosities around the comprehensive design of everyday objects. Have you ever wondered where the objects around us are made?

(Video) Greenpeace: Inspire Action - Especially given the election, its time that as civilians, we take action and responsibility for making a difference for climate change.

(App) Google launched its new time-lapse of Earth since 1984. Incredible to see these data being made accessible to a general public to educate and for some, see the evolution of Earth for the first time. 

The Pleasure of Sound

Wisdom Mantras

captured in the field (distilled neologasms from CLB)

"I want to help people grasp the magnitude of their moment." 

I travel so I know where and when I live in context. 

Coming home is the new traveling.  

"We are cosmographic artists."  

Art as a gift, to remind people of their humanity. 

Design is the adaptation of means to ends. 

Deduction. Less is more.  

Having a regular, consistent dance, movement and nutritional rhythm is vital to our vitality.  

We are as gods. We are more powerful and beautiful than we even know.

Sobriety is the new psychedelic experience. Treat it that way — its that magical.  

Annual Cycles

Reflections on 2016, and looking forward to 2017

2016 was a year of TRUST. Trusting the emergent process.

2016 was a year of many unknowns and perpetual change. It was a year of many deaths, which have seeded rebirths in new and unexpected ways. 

• I consciously separated from a very serious partnership with Bjorn, and in turn, a new, beautiful partnership with Carson emerged.  
• I withdrew myself from the company I co-founded, and began consulting independently as a sole proprietor, taking on several part-time roles with incredible teams. 
• I moved out of my shared community housing, and manifested and designed a beautiful apartment and sanctuary for myself.
• I started my dance practice and finding my inner joy and creative expression. 
• I reclaimed my feminine power and explored the question of "what does sexy and healthy mean to me?"

2017 will be a year of BUILDING. It is about compounding creativity. 

We can already feel the momentum building and the feeling that our tribe is building together in a synchronized weave and vibration. We have a beautiful feeling about The Emergent Collective coming to life in a powerful way (read more about our current thinking here).

My resolution is to put my ideas into action in more significant and leveraged ways. Every project I decide to put my energy into must follow these criteria:

• Civic impact — whether global or local, the work has to make a difference on a citizen level and the human experience
• Working with a team of world-class, talented players
• Less projects, but much deeper and longer-term focus (1-3 year horizon)

The two key projects we will be focusing on:

(1) Launching Ritual Studio as a lifestyle brand and company

(2) Growing The Emergent Collective (and my experience design and strategy practice within it) toward civic consulting on a global scale.

specific GOALS for 2017

COMMUNITY

• Build out a more comprehensive brand and operating system for Sunday Open Studios
• Host another time&space in a unique location with the Emergent Collective
• Successfully host the second Meraki retreat, working on social solutions to the refugee crisis.
• Publish my Atlas of Gatherings and Global Innovation Hub Index as public catalogs. Share the “Best Of” at the end of the year. 
• Write and publish articles on the future of emergent community building for the 21st c. (to be published online, PDF and print)
• Teach a course (with another teacher) on The Art & Science of Experience Design

WORK

• Create more pop-up innovation spaces around the world — starting in Asia, US and Europe.
• Plant deeper roots with my clients and partners in Asia — starting with Taipei and Changsha.
• Launch the Ritual Studio brand in Q1 and prototype products and business models to optimize for learning and quality. Build into a profitable business by Year 2.
• Officially launch the EMCO consulting arm and build the minimum viable structure to support it.
• Learn a new skill that can be integrated into my work.

PERSONAL

• Deepen in conscious partnership, and design more integrated living systems that compound and optimize for deep connection, intimacy and joy. 
• Do at least 30 minutes of movement every day (yoga, dance, pilates, running, spin, swimming)
• Morning practice every morning. Jet lag and travel are not excuses!
• Train for and complete an Olympic triathlon (or longer)
• Participate in a Vipassana meditation retreat
• Take a part or whole yoga teachers training somewhere outside the US
• Visit at least 5 new places, focusing on the rural, craft, rustic, weird, heritage cultures vs. cities and well-traversed places. 
• Visit India to explore textiles and leading arts and culture 
• Go to a country in Africa and design a ethical safari
• Complete the Southwest Expedition to reignite love and connection to the USA

Namaste

a humble bow of gratitude to you.

thank you for making this year so special!

Onward to 2017!

- TK & CLB

2016 Inventory of Time

Habits / Patterns:  

• Met for coffee with lots of different people (gave lots of time to friends, catching up)
• Much more self-care investment (spa days, yoga, dance, tea, doctors appts, health)
• I tended to schedule too many events that came too close to an expedition — need space after a trip or big engagement to recover. 
• More intentional family time (potluck dinners, meeting with Kai, dinner with Di, etc)
• Better calendaring system to plan for the space time of things that I are important to me (finances, health, artist date, business development, writing)
• Artist Dates to visit museums, work from SF MOMA and Cal Academy
• More immersions of intensity, followed by moments of integration, slowness, wellness

Inventory of moments by month: 

JANUARY 2016

Personal: 

• Considering taking a full time job with FANTASY and NewCo as a full-time producer (David Rameriz)
• Apartment hunting with Christine and Lesley
• Separation with Bjorn
• Still navigating interest from Lion
• Started sessions with Rose Holistic
• Seeing therapist with Rhea 
• Moving into new house (with Carson’s help)
• Starting dancing again (Gaga, Rhythm and Motion)

Work:

• Working with Parliament team (part-time)
• Personal branding retreat

Community: 

• Dustin’s Occidental Retreat to explore Emergent Collective
• Sonoma Jeffersonian Dinner
• RETURN retreat at Esalen
• Palomi Birthday
• CaseySimone’s new years party:  Really felt into the presence and attraction to Carson.
• Emergent collective visioning at Carson’s
• Robert Decker ballet show
• Santa Barbara trip to support Ben’s film screening
• Muir Beach retreat for Emergent Collective (with Caseysimone, Lion, Mikyo, Carson)

FEBUARY 2016

Personal:

• Decorated home, first time buying furniture
• Got coaching from Rachel Grossman
• Deepening in my dance practice
• Created Cord-cutting ceremony at Pacifica beach

Work:

• Produced PowerShift conference successfully, was a big success
• Helped Carson produce Acre Fund immersion in LA
• Produced BLKSHP event at GOOD in LA
• Still finishing taxes and Doorstep Studios wrap up
• Started the Parliament office redesign and move
• Went to the REAL conference on VR
• Took a stand to end working relationship with Peter and Parliament team
• Started exploring part-time team member of Fly Ranch team 

Community

• Lots of coffee meetings with new friends
• Started working with Josh and Tyler to produce Long Now dinners
• Shabbat dinners with Schusterman family
• Started new friendship with Annu
• Connected back with old friends: Matt Walters, Tom Kamei
• Obscura party opened eyes to what is possible

MARCH 2016

Personal:

• Started relationship with Carson officially in Kyoto, Japan. Fell in love!! <3 (realized how perfect this timing was — the closure of my work with Parliament, and opening of new work with Fly — with a time of space in between)
• Explored the most beautiful parts of Japan:  Kyoto, Osaka, Naoshima — learned from the masters, and soaked up the wabi sari art form.
• Explored Shanghai alone for first time

Work:

• Spoke at TEDxTokyo Salon
• Geared up for Fly Ranch with some meetings
• Took time off! 

Community:

• Went to Tulum with community for Charlie Wiggins birthday — opened up eyes to the power of community, dance, beauty, and what it means to push our edges of intimacy
• Met up with Richard in Shanghai to plan out the TEDxShanghai experience
• Went to Octave for the first time, and did interview. 
• Went to Brownfield Farm in Tokyo with Todd Porter
• Explored Tokyo with Todd and friends

APRIL 2016

Personal: 

- Continued to pursue interest in VR. Went to VR lab at Stanford. Met with Adam about Flow Dojo

Work: 

• Started working with the Fly Ranch team (starting with the GLC conference April 1st). 
• Went to Powder Mountain for team offsite 
• Led my own branding immersion with Design Media team. Started my working relationship with them. 
• Helped Carson with MEETUP video shoot at pottery class. 
• Prepped and led Fly Ranch site visit with friends from Coachella
• Met hero, Jan Chipchase, and was interestingly surprised

Community:

• Built new relationship with Zander after the Interval site issue
• New friendships with people in more aligned areas of human development (Adam Leonard, Paul Wallis, Daniel Barcay
• Hosted my first house-warming party on April 9th
• Hosted Justin Mast in SF, reinvigorated that relationship

MAY 2016

Personal:

- Created LINEAGE brand and podcast immersion

• Did a Life Design immersion on self with Carson 
• Strong and Clear workshop with Larissa and other women 
• Took Carson to Cranbrook and showed him my world in Detroit 

Work:

• Led Wharton design thinking workshop
• Did a branding immersion session with Pam Scott
• Gave talk at TEDxShanghai
• Started working on Ibiza immersion

Community:

• Went on TEDxShanghai expedition with 30 people
• Bear and Kati’s wedding in Sebastapool. Part of wedding party
• Annu’s birthday celebration
• Went to Detroit for MOVEMENT with new community (Nina Bianchi, Doc North, Carson, Alex)

JUNE 2016

Personal:

• Continuing interviews for LINEAGE
• First time traveling alone in a while (London, Tel Aviv, Greece)
• Getting back into practice of writing

Work:

• Personal website immersion 
• Closing of Fly Ranch on June 8th
• Nomad Studio product immersion (first one)
• Left for Europe for 1 month for work: Led Immersion for Standard Bank in London, Facilitator for workshop with Intuit in Israel, and scouting trip for Meraki in Patmos, Greece. 

Community:

• Dad’s Interval Salon talk about his new book
• Trip to LA to meet with Melissa, meet Carson’s aunt and family
• Carson’s Birthday Party at his home with core community — hosted at Metatalier
• Went to SONAR in Barcelona with friends for Carson’s birthday
• Took Carson to Morocco for birthday (planned out trip + tips from Yasmine for Voyaj)

JULY 2016

Personal:

• Last Rachel session
• Transformational medicine journey in Ibiza, felt into my love for Carson
• Deep Spring cleaning and purging
• Colonic Cleanse
• Processing everything with Exposure pieces
• Started RoseGold cleanse on July 30th to clean and purify after all the travel

Work: 

• Nike Immersion
• Campells Immersion
• Dinner with Lucas and crew, building relationship with Acre
• Hosting Justin Mast in SF at Factory, starting exploring partnership with Guardian together
• Virgin Sport Immersion

Community:

• Went to Ibiza for 1 week to plan expedition with crew 
• Sailing yacht trip along the medittarean, ending in Nice and Monaco
• Day at the Louvre with Carson in Paris

AUGUST 2016

Personal:

• Bodywork session with Anthony opened up so much, recovering for a few days
• Spent 5 days with Carson’s family for Half Moon Bay retreat + baseball game
• BM Planning and Shopping with Annu
• Tea with Ivy Ross on 8/7, started new friendship
• Still doing cleanse until just before BM
• Managing roommate drama

Work:

• Launched new personal website
• Started conversation with Jenny about conference
• Planning time&space retreat
• Hosted Nomad Studio immersion at Metatalier 
• Working on Apple copywriting project 
• Hosted Long Now x Fly Ranch retreat 8/17 - 8/21
• Spoke at the Kinnerlat Antigua Retreat
• Started working with JF Compass Team

Community:

• Dinner at Charles and Socheata, still keeping thread live
• Mikyo celebration evening
• Cousin lunch at hot pot
• Double date with Rach & Ben - decided on DTH camp
• Double date with Louis and Jane
• Richard Hsu in SF, hosting event at Embassy
• Early entrance and set up at Burning Man 8/26, went to Early Man
• Deep Tea House at BM (8/26 - 9/5)

SEPTEMBER 2016

Personal:

• Post-Burn Decompression
• Kai’s new house warming
• Swam in medittarean almost every day, morning practice
• Had depression period of 2 weeks after BM and before time&space
• Started working with Larissa
• Managing roommate drama, Lesley decides to move out

Work:

• Work with Apple SR team
• Working with COMPASS team
• Working on Culture Conference
• Sebastapool immersion for time&space at Adele and Michael’s place
• Delta Conservancy Work Session
• Pitched E*SHIP project
• Hosted time&space 9/25 - 10/1

Community:

• Community events with Richard and PAN asia crew
• Matt Wiggens birthday and white dinner event
• Flew to Ibiza 10/22 to set up for time&space, went to La Granja for opening dinner
• Stayed a few days after in Ibiza to conceive of EC, and meet with Guy

OCTOBER 2016

Personal:

• Leg injury from Ibiza, needed to get ultrasound and other check ups
• Finding a swimming pool to continue swimming
• Ting’s Casita Immersion
• Visiting my family and Carson’s family in HMB
• Hosted parents for day in Mill Valley
• Started coaching sessions with Larissa

Work:

• Went to Kansas City to meet with Kauffman Foundation to plan E*SHIP summit
• Emergent Collective session at Metatalier, with Matt Brimer
• Standard Bank Immersion at Factory
• Emergent exploration and dissolution in LA
• Strategy and work sessionson Delta plan
• Started Culture Conference immersions

Community:

• Went to Long Now Members Summit
• Full Moon Circle in Mill Valley
• Spending time at Acre house and Getty in LA
• Went to Griffith show
• Le Petit Halloween night

NOVEMBER 2016

Personal:

• Somatic Workshop
• Met with Bjorn for first time on 11/8
• Election on 11/8 — disturbed me emotionally for 2 weeks
• Started going back to Juniper for meditation
• Started going to Janet Stone’s class once a week
• Started going to Stacie’s yoga classes
• Lots of necessary integration time at Carson’s house (alone) 
• Stacy Overby Retreat in Green Gulch 

Work 

• Presented to Taiwanese parliament 
• Business development in Asia
• Big push on Delta Plan 
• Full day of taxes
• Work on E*SHIP
• Work on CC

Community 

• 4 cities Asia Trip (1 week), business development 
• Pier 24 visit
• Interval Salon talk: Fred Turner
• Cirque du Soleil show: reminded us of the role of art and beauty 
• Birthday surprise from Carson
• Wai-Po’s birthday celebration 
• Mystica’s birthday 
• Thanksgiving — a time when everyone finally relaxed and returned to community after election

DECEMBER 2016

Personal

• Create Christmas presents and books with Artifact Uprising
• Indigo Dying open studio
• Conversation with Annu and Bjorn, navigating difficult emotions
• Planned surprise date retreat to Occidental with Carson (Osmosis Spa), to celebrate holidays
• Nutcracker show with Carson
• Personal new years retreat in Mexico
• Doing exercise everyday (Classpass, running, morning practice)

Work 

• Designed final marketing plan and presented to client
• LA trip to build relationship with Jason
• BOS Branding immersion
• Big push on Culture Conference, meeting with producer AJ
• Put together big proposals for next year: World Bank, Taiwan Government, Apple
• Sold KES immersion

Community

• Rick Prelinger’s Lost Landscapes + Member Party
• Play on Purpose workshop at GA
• Meeting with Matty, starting to spend more time at Factory again
• Anna Halprin dance class
• Dinner with Gemma to catch up
• Hosted birthday / first M&M event at Factory
• Hosting Open Studios at Metatalier with Joty and Charlie
• Early Christmas with Family
• Family trip to San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, Mexico for Christmas and New Years! (and to celebrate Mom and Dad’s anniversary!)

Gratitude Notes from 2016

I have so much gratitude for the incredible people in my life who have made this year truly incredible. This was such a big year of transformation and growth, and I truly don’t know if I could have done it without anyone else. I can only name a few here, but there are literally thousands of people who I’ve connected with this year who have transformed my life and brought me hope in humanity. If you are reading this, you are one of them. 

The Emergent Collective: 

You each inspire me. You make me feel alive, and want to do better, to live in integrity and to follow my bliss and radiate it back out the world. You are the perfect combination of mischiveous and responsible, wise and child-like, ambitious and present, loving and respectful. I love each of you so much and cannot wait to create and get to work this year. 

The Deep Tea Haus family: 

Deep bow. Deep love. Deep knowing. My heartfelt gratitude for rekindling my love for life, my sensuality and the connection and hope I have for humanity. Each of your ability to be vulnerable, to open your hearts and be wholly yourself, and to live in flow with the mysteries and magic of every moment. Special call out to the beautiful couples, Abe + Barb and Michael + Whitney and Ben + Rachel for taking leadership, for catalyzes so much beauty and for always showing up with your radiant, most raw and beautiful selves, so that we may all have permission to do so.

The PAN Asia family:

I never thought it could be possible to feel such connection, like-mindedness and a real sense of community from across oceans. But because of each of you, and how you show up, I have found my home in two worlds -- the West and East. You are each remarkable and insanely talented. I love being able to get a window into your world, and find the language to connect and exchange ideas. Thank you for opening your hearts and homes, and for your incredible generosity, sense of humor, and wisdom. I cannot wait for 2017! 

Rachel Rossitto: 

You have showed me the power of divine femininity and the beauty of self-love and self-care. Only through our own inquiry and knowledge of self, are we able to truly serve and be the best partner, family members and friends. I love the way that you love yourself and carry yourself in the world — endlessly compassionate, sweet, feminine, loving and generous. You feel to me like wild and beautiful stallion, truly beautiful inside and out. 

Larissa Conte:

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have helped me uncover my inner tiger and diamond of energy. You have guided me in the discovery of my own power, and ability to tap into the deepest source. Through your clarity and grounded presence, you have shown me what is possible when we cultivate our inner sources of wisdom, connection to spirit, and our deepest sources of compassion and empathy. I see you as my lioness protector and warrior of the most divine feminine energy.  

Richard Hsu:

I have too much to be grateful for, I don't know where to begin. Simply, I love and admire your grace and unworldly generosity and spirit. I have witnessed your creative genius and tireless devotion to creating true community and beauty in the world. I love everything you stand for in the world, and work tirelessly to bring more of in the world. You are truly a gift to the world, and my life, and I am so grateful to know you and learn from you in this lifetime. 

Bear + Kati Kittay: 

Bear, Thank you for believing in me, for seeing me, believing in my potential, and initiating projects and big idea projects. Your radiant and full embrace for the bigness of life, and the power of manifestation and living to create coherence, connection and magic together is insatiable and completely inspiring. 

Annu Yadev:

For being such a beautiful model, sister, creative inspirer, and always beautiful, inside and out. I have loved every minute we’ve shared together and the love we hold for one another. You have reminded and helped me fall in love with women, and how powerful and amazing we are! 

Daniel Claussen (now Brand!): 

My soul brother and someone who brings magic to life and tickles my inner adventurer. You inspire me with your tenacity, courage, intuitive direction, capacity for love, and your powerful leadership and strength.

Bjorn Cooley:

I am amazed by how your wise spirit shows up in my daily life, inspiring and reminding me of the preciousness of life, the power we hold when we are in integrity, and what it means to live life purposefully and with zest. Thank you for all our shared experiences and moments of growth, and for everything that you continue to teach me. I love the way you see the world and devote yourself to improving it every day. You truly are a remarkable human being with unbelievable capacity and potential, and I wish you a year full of love, growth, peace and abundance! 

Daniel & Angela: 

What a deep pleasure to know that there are people like you in the world doing such amazing work with such humility and integrity. Being so well read and advantaged, you have shown what can be possible when you put that knowledge and wisdom to practical use for helping others. I am excited for what we can co-create next year. 

Lucas Mann:

It’s been an incredible journey to deepen in friendship with you this year. Thank you for taking care of Carson as a brother, and hosting us so generously during our much-awaited trips to LA. Our trips get better and better each time, and its largely because of you and your curation (not just in LA, but globally!) Your commitment, verve, wit, foresight and taste are such a delight and inspiration, and I can’t wait to get to know you more deeply and continue co-creating in 2017.

Nina Bianchi: 

For being such a bad-ass and always-down co-conspirer, and incredible host during our stay in Detroit. I love your sass, sharp mind, love of learning and willingness to dive into the adventure. Your dedication to the revitalization and creative renaissance in Detroit and beyond astounds me, and I cannot wait to collaborate with you further in the new year.

Justin Mast:

I am so grateful for our deepening friendship and for the incredible conversations we've had that have been always on point and deeply enlightening. You are such a wonderful combination of grounded and insanely creative. Cannot wait to make magic together in 2017!

Weezie Yancey: 

Weezie, thank you for being such a wonderful friend, co-conspirator, and fellow didactic traveler like myself — its a relief and deep comfort to know that there are people out there like me! I am so grateful for you and your family who hosted my in Patmos this summer and are always so encouraging and fulfilling to spend quality time together on our adventures. I hope for many many more in 2017. 

Matt Dorey:

You inspire me with your crazy ambition, generous spirit, and shrewd entrepreneurship. Thank you for creating the Factory community and house where so much creativity is born, and for giving me so many incredible opportunities to push myself and apply my creative brainpower to solve big problems and be useful!  Wishing you an even more epic, creative, connected and abundant 2017! 

Lesley McClurg: 

What I love about you is your raw, authenticity and openness to the fluidity and beauty of life’s vibrations. I can feel the dancer in you, but also a deep grounding and practicality that creates a perfect tension. I appreciated every moment and conversations over tea with you that we shared, and feel such a heart connection with you. I am sorry if I ever did anything to hurt you in a small way or was insensitive to you — that is my own work. Wishing you the most abundant, vibrant, powerful and flowing 2017!

Christine Sanford: 

What I love about you is your insatiable for living life to the fullest and owning your life and choice to make each day count. I love your tenacity and ambition, combined with a relaxed and ability to flow and move spontaneously. It has been such a delight to live together and find our complimentary rhythms and approach to life. I can’t wait to have more adventures with you in 2017, and see how much we can grow in a year!!

The Cooley’s: 

Thank you for still being such an inspiration for me when I think about family and what good looks like. You are always in my heart and mind, and I am so happy to hear of Louise and Aaron’s new one! What a joy. Wishing you a peaceful, joyful and abundant 2017! 

Charles and Socheata: 

Thank you for welcoming me into your home for a taste of intentional community, delicious home cooked feasts and always a willingness and enthusiasm to listen. I greatly respect the intention and care you put into each other and every aspect of life, and with such integrity. You inspire me and I am so grateful to know you in this lifetime. May 2017 be peaceful, joyful and abundant. 

Ivy Ross: 

For showing me “what good looks like” and being such a model of the woman I want to become. For shining a light on the underlying vibrations of the universe, and for demonstrating what zen leadership looks like, and what tuned in creativity can be like, at a global and organizational level. 

Dad (Kevin Kelly):

I have so much to be thankful for you for. Thank you for teaching and showing me to be self-reliant and truly resourceful and creative. You have showed me the benefits of inquiry, systems thinking, being of service, being a family dad, paying attention. You are the best dad that I know. 

Mom (Gia-Miin Fuh-Kelly):

I absolutely love your renewed sense of life and zest for the small things in life. Your work is so important in the world, and I absolutely love how you care about your family, your mother especially, and provide for everyone. You are one of the most selfless and giving person that I know. 

And lastly, my sweetheart, Carson Linforth Bowley:

Words cannot even begin to describe my love for you, Carson. 

My biggest fan and most beautiful partner. You have one of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know in this lifetime and I feel so grateful that you chose me to spend your days with. You give me the deepest feeling of hope for humanity and human potential. You’ve showed me how to follow my bliss, and express myself with presence and purely. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. You have changed my life, and I am so excited to deepen in partnership and love for one another. 

I can attempt to express my profound love and respect through this poem:

fertile void, you

soft glow, eyes

The most beautiful wide smile

sweet with an intoxicating 

intrigue, beauty seer

blissful stillness 

center as the only craving

rejuvenation of spirit

ageless, soft billowy pink

and peaks of intervals 

between the rivers of flowing, 

pumping chi. 

fingers encounter

fortresses abound

In an cavern of wind and

light, call to join

your eyes call out to me

honey, honey,

you want to follow me

listening

call out to the stars, universe

shine brighter

and become the moon 

gaze of transformation 

of invigoration 

and wonder

for the deeper depths of

existence and presencing

evoke deepening

soft sturdy wool, 

linen rice paper

and african drums

thumping and breathing life

into spaces

three dimensions

four, maybe five?

the perception and possibilities grow

brought forth 

in rhythms and gestations

of life in a full tone and

accordion of sound

falling through the wells

and channels of the chakras

deep awake 

atonement to the full body

beating heart

to your soul

my heart sings for your together

and I can’t stop singing your name.