Can passion give you blinders?

And some thought-provoking art

I was at a 3-day scenario planning workshop for the Waterloo Region at the Elora Mill Inn, in Elora, Ontario, last week, and this particular piece of art on the window really got me thinking….
From picture 1: “Can passion give you blinders?”

Since I came across it, this question is all I can think about. It has led me to question some of the underlying assumptions as to why I do the work that I do, and why the notion of social change really interests me, making sure that I am doing all this for the right reasons.

It seems that passion can really only take you so far. In the end, you need to back it up with a well-thought out strategy followed by a deliberate action plan. Passion can certainly be thought of as a ‘multiplier’ in this case, so if there is no map that showcases the way forward and you really only have passion to go by, the chances of achieving success are very low.

To provide some context for these photos, SiG, together with rare Charitable Research Reserve, Musagetes and RENDER, hosted a three-day scenario planning exercise for the Waterloo Region, with a diverse group of thought-leaders and practitioners, to think through and plan different future scenarios for the Region in the next 10-20 years. More on this later.

A team of very talented artists from RENDER, were on-site to help provide artistic interpretation and intervention, providing a mirror, if you will, that reflected the dialogue and questions that emerged throughout the scenario planning.

At the end of the day, there really seems to be something powerful in art that reflects and captures the essence of creative dialogue geared towards social change.

Posted via email from Renjie Butalid