Our Permaculture Stories – Enriching the 40th Anniversary of PermacultureWest

As part of the 40th Anniversary of Permaculture West celebration we though it would be wonderful to help everyone share their permaculture story/journey/inspiration. We are hoping this sharing process helps you reconnect a little with your story and inspires and excites you as you browse through what others have shared.

Anyway it can be difficult to get started on these sorts of things so we have a process below for you to follow and/or if you would prefer a verbal podcast to listen to and help the creative juices flow.

All contributions have value. Even if your writing seems to you that it might seem of minimal interest to others, it can almost be guaranteed others will find it interesting if not inspiring too. This is often because your writing might only represent a fraction of what you want to say, or of your experience, whereas to others it is likely to be something new or a refreshing way of looking at things.

All contributions are valid, whether they answer questions or prompts specifically, or go way off on a tangent to produce what needed to be told. To put it another way, there are no rules and no wrong answers. All material produced during the podcast workshop remains the property of the writer. Electronic copies sent to Permaculture West may be used for the 40th Birthday Celebrations of the Permaculture Association of Western Australia.

Please submit photos, scans or typed versions of all or any of your work produced during the podcast session to convener@permaculturewest.org.au

We strongly urge to limit editing if typing up what was hand written during an activity. Sometimes the gems are in raw and earthy unedited versions even if you can’t see it in your own writing. In other words, shove a sock in the inner critic. Your drawings and photos of mandalas or other workshop creations are also encouraged. And perhaps a single favourite ‘permaculture’ photo. It is possible the collective writing from around the state will be used to produce a book, an art installation or other artistic creation by Permaculture West.

One last thing to consider: whether you want your name and location assigned to your writing, or you wish it to be used anonymously. Variation examples: eg Donna, Suburban block, Denmark; Donna Marie, Southwest. Donna Carman, south coast. Thankyou for CELEBRATING !!!

 

So lets get started on our Story Seeds

Written instructions below for the engineers among us, or play our helpful PODCAST for a more creative experience.

Instructions /invitations / provocations for writing & recording stories of your journey in Permaculture in Western Australia over the last 40 years

Welcome & congratulations for coming here for joining us in story-seeding,

Thanks for showing up to share!

Before you start, we need to tell you the rules:

there are no rules … really 🙂

no spelling, punctuation, grammar, correct interpretation,

however you wish to respond is right,

you can speak your story into a voice memo on your phone and send it in, handwrite and photograph it and send that along, type it up if you wish …

any way you interpret the ‘instruction’s & respond is right ! ok

Find yourself a comfortable place, away from distractions, turn your phone onto airplane mode
(it might come in handy to set a timer, or take photos), have paper and writing and drawing materials ready.

 

Take 5 minutes & go outside and take a look around 🙂 gather from your garden, or surrounds:

a handful of leaves, flowers, seeds, veges or anything that may represent either fruits or inspirations of permaculture for you

(so pause, step outside … and then come back to your page)

 

(1) What spark first inspired your connection with permaculture? – a detail, an element, a principle, a way of seeing or practice, a particular idea

& with this in mind, arrange what you have brought in from outside, perhaps in a circle or mandala, holding this spark of inspiration/connection at the centre

you have 1 minute 🙂

  • we invite you to take a photo of your arrangement &

tell your story of that spark,

your inspiration/connection/intersection with permaculture …

if in a group, take turns in telling your stories to each other, taking a couple of minutes each,

if alone, speak your story out loud, even dare to tell your story to the voice memo on your phone!  then …

  • write that down

you have 5 minutes 🙂

remember the rules, there are none

just keep writing … if you get stuck,

try a sentence starting with: ‘I remember …’ or ‘What i really mean to say is…’

go … (when time is up, finish off that sentence 🙂

 

 

Ready those drawing materials: colored pencils, crayons or paints are handy draw something that represents:

(2) What gem have you gleaned in your journey in your backyard and bioregion that you would love to share with anyone new to the journey to help them on their way?

you have 1 minute 🙂

stick figures, lines, patterns, shapes, anything to represent that or those gems…

  • now, write that down

you have 5 minutes 🙂

remember the rules, there are none

just keep writing … if you get stuck,

try a sentence starting with: ‘I remember …’ or ‘What i really mean to say is …’

go … (when time is up, finish off that sentence 🙂

  • distill or compost that gem,

read through your piece and glean only the essential words that are crucial,

highlight or underline them as you read through

if you wish, write them together on a page

(you may need to add some linking words or maybe not)

if in a group, take turns in reading your distilled gems to each other,

if alone, you could dare to read your gem out aloud and record it on the voice memo on your phone…

  • transformations in gardens or life around you may be very apparent,

how about transformations in yourself?

(3) How have principles or practice of permaculture transformed you?

since that first spark in your intersection with David Holmgren and Bill Mollison’s work …

how has the way you see, think, feel, practice changed?

  • write that down

you have 5 minutes 🙂

go

  • if in a group, take turns in telling your stories to each other, taking a couple of minutes each,

if alone, speak your story out loud, even dare to tell your story to the voice memo on your phone!

you have reached the end …

It would be fabulous if you could share what you have written here, or longer stories, in written form, or recorded on your phone’s voice memo, images, drawings, photos of your arrangements, distillations / poems

 

Please email, with Story Seeds in the subject line, to Tanvier Fowler <convener@permaculturewest.org.au>

Thankyou

&

for anyone who wishes for more …

  • ask yourself:

(4) What has brought me most joy in my journey since meeting permaculture?

you have 10 minutes

go