Marking the turn of spring

Photo by Evgeny Lazarenko on Unsplash

Spring is a time for new beginnings as the cold, rain and sometimes snow of winter ebbs away. At New Fables, we have been reflecting on what 2022 was like for us (challenging, to say the least) and looking to where we are now in 2023.

It is hard to believe that this time last year we were at the end of Plan B Covid protocols. The Omicron variant was still ripping through the population, with face masks being recommended on public transport (and worn!) to try combat the surge.

Despite the horrors going on outside, the peak of the pandemic gave us a lot of headspace for New Fables. As such, the return to work in the ‘new normal’, ‘post-Covid’ world (otherwise known as ‘The Work Culture Strikes Back’) was a real shock to the system. Like many similar groups that emerged within those first two years of the pandemic, the return to work reduced the headspace and time we had to dedicate to New Fables, to give it the love and care it deserved.

When we were able to hold time to hold space, we had a new set of considerations to ponder:

Highs and lows

2022 was also quite a big year of loss, with numerous difficult life events, pulling our attention away from the work. As well as coming to terms with these losses, these events were a helpful reminder to be kinder to ourselves and manage our own expectations.

Despite this, 2022 was still an incredible year.

• We managed to meet in person a few times. We spent time in the park, went for food and spent time envisioning new futures - all things that helped us get to know each other better.
• We registered New Fables as a company, we were featured in the Reset Narratives community insight blog, and Farrah attended Frank Conference to share our journey.
• We also joined a collective imagination space, hosted by the Maia group, giving Shomari and Farrah the much needed space to reflect with peers also holding space for imagination

And all of our members made time for joy, holidays and rest, including Shomari getting married!

Shomari and his wife, Katie

Our New Fables Members also shared so many inspiring activities and books that gave us hope and energy… including (but not limited to):

• Black Cake: Charmaine Wilkerson
• Renaissance: Beyoncé
• When we are birds: Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
• Investigative Aesthetics: Conflicts and commons in the politics of truth: Matthew Fuller and Eyal Weizman
• Race Forward Conference: Facing Race: Arizona
• On the psychology of military incompetence: Norman Dixon
• Atlanta: TV Series
• Smll Mvmnts: Karim Kamar

We are looking forward to sharing more of these with you as they emerge over the coming year.

Looking ahead

We plan to continue steadily, centring joy, imagination and collective being, supporting each other as we navigate our lives. We are thinking about how we utilise the strength of our collective to design, narrate and orientate towards new ways of being. In particular, we are struck by the energy and enthusiasm in the group to build new things, and will be exploring how we better support each other on the things we are building.

We are also saying goodbye to Fon Browndy and Jenny Oppenheimer who will join our New Fables alumni group, and welcoming Michelle Ulor as our newest member.

Photo by Pietro Soldi for Fine Acts