Roisin Markham

Welcome to week 49 of 52, my year long commitment to building in reflection further into my practices and work.

I write these notes, I don’t use AI during the process, that would be pointless. These weekly studio notes create spaciousness and a look back on the week that was. The notes are organised into reflection, insights, a question for you, resources and a view to the week ahead.

Lets jump in!

Reflection

Last week my pace of work changed and I am appreciating being more in tune with the natural rhythms of wintering. There are still bits and pieces to tie up and they just take the time they take.

I’ve been thinking about selling and marketing of our business offering. We can offer considerable value in a short space of time, creating immediate and strategic relationships where the work delivers high value but deepens and strengthens over time. Messy complex problems require this deep relationship and capability. For me understanding people’s challenges and business pain points creates space for conversations exploring what’s possible. I suppose that’s really my wheelhouse ~ what’s emergent?

Our business, BDT Consultancy has plenty of capacity I’ve just not found a commercial direct application in December. So if you need extra support don’t hesitate to ask – strategic planning, PMO, project management, design thinking and innovation, sustainability literacy, applied doughnut economics, event design and planing, facilitation, team building, communications.

I celebrated the launch of Gamestorming 2.0 which was an unconference organised by a group of people most of who I knew, celebrated in the Digital Hub D8. I’d received two invitations from two different spheres of my career, tech and design. Big thanks to the organisers, about 80 facilitators came from all across industry and the public sector were there. It was a lot of fun. So few people had experienced an unconference before which I thought was telling in itself. It is a brilliant way to organise people to make sure what they want to talk about gets explored. I’d love to see the methodology used more. I ended up supporting a little on it as I’ve experienced it delivered really well in creative and cultural settings more than once. Bravo to all involved. It really felt like the kick off of Christmas and the holiday season. My Civic Listening Project was spoken about and shared in the pub after. I never even thought to share it during the event. It has not found a way to get itself resourced. As a stake in the ground it’s been downloaded over 80 times. Wonder what people have done with the ideas contained in it.
The event offered an opportunity to see and catch up with people I rarely see but have lose connections, some more familiar faces and some new to me faces. We were referred to as sparkly people.

I attended the Wexford Enviromental Network Food brainstorm in Gorey, a group of us want to collaborate on food themed work.

Wednesday I was back in Dublin overnight and enjoyed meeting and re-connecting with associates, celebrating a years work, projects and catching up on work related projects and personal milestones. Thanks Lucy and dinner it was delicious.

I’d practical considerations and preparation for Friday’s session with Festine Lente’s Social and Therapeutic Horticulture Facilitation Course where I’d been invited to offer a zooming out and in session with natural surroundings and doughnut economics. A nature based provocation where I combined people people planet rather than using the ropes, using the three questions from step into the doughnut to offer reflection, conversations and a deeper unpacking. At the session on Friday I used the Tending to Ending cards that really added to this group’s session before their final assessments. Ending well, more on that in insights. The bias disclaimer on the deck is a good one to note: The makers of this deck all live in the United Kingdom, and the contents reflect gardening norms dominant in the UK (with all their limitations).

This week for the first time I chatted with someone I’ve gotten to know through Bluesky, we’ve been following each other for a while and enjoying the content each other shares. It was something I did regularly in the days of old Twitter. Get to know someone through following them, reading their microblogging sometimes longer form writing, or other content like video or some other aspect of their work. Hop on a zoom or meet them in person. It was also a way that I built work. Blogging and microblogging used to be a whole practice in its self. It was relational.
Anyways I meet Claire Boardman, fascinating work with Heritage, Archeology, spatial and cultural lenses across data and design. We spoke about deep time and shared how we are using it across time with organisations and people. Exploring how not for profits in this moment that are struggling might consider their impact as a 100 year old organisation and that might support different thinking and experimentation for funding, legacy and their work. An hour went by quickly.

I’ve also been thinking about all the universities I’ve worked with over the past 3 years and shaping the value further there. If that is where all the research and innovation spend goes perhaps there is a deeper conversation to have…

Things I can’t stop thinking about

• embedded economy
• ideas for workshops who’s time has come – a Dublin city doughnut, what’s your favourite food, futuring through imagination and play, local place making
• what a time machine sounds like and how might I make that using the head piece in my 2030 portrait as inspiration
• co-ops
• mutual aid collectives
• UBI – funding for activists, community weavers, artists and vegetable growers
• mending, maintainance and making
• micro-credentials that build livelihoods
• endings and rituals
• design as an enabler and mixed methodology including lean six sigma
• reducing novelty, this is a hangover from the social permaculture course I did in Derry last year

I’ve begun reaching out to clients, interested enquiries, associates and potential clients for work in 2026 – 2027.

Insights

Writing on a keyboard and screen vs. phone or ipad brings a different quality of perspective. Perhaps it’s to do with the spaciousness or the variety of the week I had.

Yes, 2 days in Dublin really suit me.

Insights seem to come with more clarity as the year folds in.

Just pick up the phone and call.
We have fallen into emailing, texting – when does it suit you to talk, not wanting to interrupt people, scheduling obviously if you are in a shared office space you might drop by someone’s desk or see them casually in the corridor but when you are working with clients, vendors, associates and people spread geographically sometimes you need to just phone someone and have a conversation.

People don’t know you, tell them who you are and what you have been up to.
Sometimes this is hard. Weave it into the work you are doing so people don’t have to ask. Always tell them where they can find out more information, it can also be an opportunity to seed other work, never be selling but do share resources and where to find more information.
My issue is somewhere in my brain I’ve separated this as a very strong line of – its not about me it’s about this piece of information, knowledge or experience we are doing together. Part of this is if I’ve been invited and am already standing in front of people then I don’t need to credentialise myself. But I get it, have a sentence or 2 prepped be succinct and relevant.

Shallow knowledge should always have pathways to deeper knowledge.
If I get an opportunity to deliver a workshop or speak to a group it might be anything from 20 – 90 minutes for once off sessions. I try to land the tenet of information on why I’ve been invited into the room, I’ll also add generously extra bits of information or share insights in the moment back. Always be generous. There is plenty and plenty to share.

Endings are hard when there is no acknowledgement or ritual.
Make a closing ritual, for teams on projects, at the end of the year, for courses and groups. No I’m not speaking about assessments or exams. I’m talking about the human side of change. The last impression is also important. End well. I hold this true for when I design events and workshops the closing, the ending is important.
Since 2016 I have been kind of fascinated with endings, off boarding, closings, finishing. People are so good at beginnings but so bad at endings. We are quick to sign people up to have them join but really don’t pay attention to the goodbye, the final hand shake or sudden stop. Yes death, loss and grief also feature and have led me to the work of Joanna Macy, Plotkin and Hübel along with Megan Devine on grief and loss specifically through death. The work of Vanessa De Oliveira Andreotti Hospicing Modernity and Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures. Adding Decolonised Minds by Talha Alala.

I have been yearning to make things again. So on Friday afternoon I sat at my desk after some emails and writing and made a puzzle fold.

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The dynamic fold at the end was a bit difficult to get to work but it came good. Now I’m designing some fun gifts and invitations with it in mind.

After I’d successfully made the puzzle fold, I wondered about doda’s or fortune tellers. I’ve always wanted to make one since schooldays, but I never knew how. I’d never made time to learn. During a recent project we were going to use them as a device for engagement with children, young people and adults. I’ve a playful futures project I want to use them in.

So I searched for a How to and followed the instructions from Wikihow. Done made, learnt. It was very satisfying.

This paper making and folding is related to my love of zine making, using recycled paper, a tactile thing to hold. When I worked as an artist I had a few themes in my work with families and communities, making paper move was one of them. It’s obviously something that still resonates with me. I love that the time and space was there for me to finally learn how to make a fortune teller. I know exactly how I want to use it in workshops and playful engagement.

The end of the year and Winter Solstice is on my mind, there are a number of groups and sessions I’d like to offer – time travel club, 6 impossible things, reflection to the end of the year for people and teams I’ve worked with.

A question for you

Would you like to attend a session for the closing of the work year? This maybe more relevant to those that are self employed or people I’ve supported through my mentoring and coaching work.

Resources

My new workbook – Creating Futures Worth Living Into – sign up for updates here. I’ve been dreaming this book into being in some form for 5 years. When I began my quest about understanding How to create futures worth living into I was not sure where it would take me. In this moment what seems the best thing is not a book a tome tackling How Ireland can save €26bn, I think the are others writing to that and perhaps my voice is not needed there. I’ve thought about a graphic novel and drawing the kind of book in relation to what all of my enquiry has led me through but that feels dead. It does not produce energy or drive action so if action begets action then the book I make must be a workbook.

Vanessa Andreotti’s work continues to inspire me:

A view to the week ahead

Next week looks different again as I bring a new business model to clients for work, continue conversation and spend time with people who are making time for me.

As 2025 draws towards a close, 2026 planning and imagining starts forming.

Hope you have a great week.