This is Five and Nine, a podcast and newsletter at the crossroads of magic, work and economic justice. Welcome to Season 4, Episode 2, recorded on location in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan.
Season 4 is co-presented with One of Many Studio (OoM), an experience design & consulting studio connecting people with what it means to be a Future Ancestor.
You can find Five and Nine on Apple, Spotify, Google, Instagram and at thisisfiveandnine.com.
Summary
Season 4 continues in the heat of day, when the desert falls to silence. Writer and artist Cher-Wen DeWitt talks about her many careers, the allure of other people’s problems, and the changing nature of philanthropy. Along the way, we travel back to the early days of 2020 and discuss burnout and finding the fire again with the tools of creative practice. Also: why hell is other people’s cooking knives.
Five and Nine Season 4 is about crisis. It’s our first season on location, with the majority of our episodes recorded from the beautiful Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan, thanks to a special artist residency hosted by One of Many Studio (OoM). We ask our guests what’s changed since the beginning of the COVID-19 emergency, and how to think about our relationship to the world, the earth and the people around us.
The deck used in Season 4 is the Mixed Signals Tarot, designed by Season 3 guest M Eifler/BlinkPopShift. Music is performed by Hashim Bin Muaitiq and recorded on location in Wadi Rum.
About One of Many Studio
Season 4 is co-presented with One of Many Studio, an experience design & consulting studio connecting people with what it means to be a Future Ancestor. One of Many works at the intersection of immersive experiences and social change, elevating critical conversations to transform the way we relate to ourselves, each other, and our legacies.
Coaching from Five and Nine’s AX Mina
In this time of tremendous change, we’re all asking how to align ourselves and our careers with our values. How do we communicate our skills as writers? How do we build our platform and get our thoughts and ideas out there to a broader public? How do we (yikes) find courage to speak boldly and clearly on stage? And most of all, what do we stand for? And what about the nuts and bolts — how do you navigate the business side of building out a sustainable writing career?
Five and Nine’s AX Mina offers coaching as a tool for creative career discovery and finding ikigai, or meaning, in our paths toward impactful careers, sustainable livelihoods and personal wellness. And she’s thrilled to partner exclusively with The Shipman Agency to offer coaching specifically for writers.
Looking for a coach? Learn more at theshipmanagency.com.
ICYMI:
In this talk at re:publica in Berlin, Five and Nine’s AX Mina examines the use of the word “magic” in technology and rise of the technological sublime during the Industrial Revolution. She explores a more expansive, pluralistic view of our future, grounded in ancient wisdom traditions and not a small amount of the magical and mystical.
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Five and Nine is a podcast and newsletter at the crossroads of magic, work and economic justice. We publish “moonthly” — every new moon 🌚 and full moon 🌝 — , and we provide an ongoing critical discussion through readings, reflections and debate.
Five and Nine is produced by Five and Nine Futures Lab, a research, design and strategy consultancy that helps organizations and companies build better futures through the lens of work, care and magic.
In this new world, we’re all rethinking the meaning of work and justice in our lives. Our lives and livelihoods are more essential than ever in identifying ways forward for society that can be grounded in care, compassion and sustainability.
Directors of Magic. Dorothy R. Santos and Xiaowei R. Wang
Creative Director. Xiaowei R. Wang
Lead Producer. AX Mina (Ana)
