I was so struck by the spiral writing exercise we did for Dreaming Higher Ed Futures… it’s like ripples, but different, so that is the metaphor I want to write about. More specifically: MYFest is not just a spiral, but also a spirograph.

Spirals start out SMALL, and then they get bigger. The theme of “small” here at MYFest has meant so much to me. I always work on a small scale… but I am a believer in the way that small things grow, and the spiral shows that happening.

As spirals grow bigger, they radiate OUTWARDS. That is what I hope I can do with MYFest, taking what we have learned and done in all these sessions outwards into my future work, sharing and connecting with others as I do.

Hohokam petroglyph in Saguaro National Park
photo by Don Sniegowski CC-BY-NC-SA

When you ITERATE the curve, beautiful and unexpected things can happen. And that’s what spirograph does: it uses slight deflections and iterations to turn the curve into amazing shapes. When I was little, I played for hours and hours and hours with my Spirograph. Here’s an online Spirograph. Play with it and see!

Iteration is magical, and it happens even at the tiniest scale: just small changes as you iterate can yield wonderful new patterns. That is what MYFest has been doing for me, and I hope all the small iterating will keep on going, helping me to grow outwards in new, unexpected ways.