An Ongoing Discovery Of Being Ecological
Ecological Us explores the ongoing question: ‘How are we being in relationship with and within this ecological universe?’.
It does this through long-form essays, enquiries and ideas about moving through the world as an ecological creature, with occasional recordings bringing the listener ‘into the room’ as a small group explores questions of ecological-ness together.
In Ecological Us, we dive into interbeing, complex relationality, the more-than-human, worldviews and cosmologies, co-created edges and wholeness, matter, aliveness, and more.
The name ’Ecological Us’ reflects our human creature entanglement into a multigenerational, multispecies, multicultural world, weaved into interbeing, place, neighbourhood, ecosystems, social systems, cultural stories, histories, possible futures, the more-than-human, this planet, and so much more.
The name ’Ecological Us’ also holds a kin perspective, recognising how we and the more-than-human are worlding together.
About Me And My Work
I’m Anna-Marie Swan, the author of Ecological Us. I used to shorten my name to Anna but I have since reclaimed its fullness. I don’t have many daily practices; instead, I follow breadcrumbs that life kindly and mysteriously lays out before me. When I follow these, I generally find that I get cellularly and relationally rearranged for the better.
Living in Exeter, Devon (UK), on the edge of Dartmoor and the Jurassic Coast, this place saturates my work, interests, and perspectives.
At the root of my current work is the ongoing daily enquiry: ‘How are we being in relationship with and within this ecological universe?’. From this root, arises two branches: the development and practise of ecological enquiry, and ecological organisations: a design lens, shared for free as creative commons and aiming to spark enquiry for organisational founders, stewards, and guides.
Part of my Ecological Organisations work is as author of Ecological Organisations: A Design Lens, a free organisational design lens available in multiple formats (along with free educational resources) at ecologicalorganisations.org. Here, you can read all about the Creative Commons license that the lens is released under, as well the answers to FAQs.
CLICK ON THE BELOW IMAGE TO SEE THE FULL OVERVIEW OF MY WORK
CLICK ON THE DESIGN LENS TO ACCESS MULTIPLE DOWNLOADABLE AND PRINTABLE FORMATS
My Perspectives
My perspectives have been moulded by twenty-five years of chronic health issues that bring my gaze to my inner world with laser focus. At the same time, living in a queering body has widened my gaze far beyond my self, into animism, interbeing, ancestry, the more-than-human, living systems, place, ecology, and the magnificent, mysterious resonance of the natural and physical world.
My perspectives have also been moulded by the middle space I situate as a woman that’s no longer a young adult but not quite an elder, my white skin in whiteness-dominating systems, a middle-class upbringing in a class-based England, my lack of connection to my Croatian ancestry, and chocolate (less chocolate than I'd like and more chocolate than I probably deserve).
You can find out more about my work and how partner-clients and collaborators can work with me on my website. Of all social media, I’m mostly active on my LinkedIn page; please do reach out and connect.
In ecological solidarity,
Anna-Marie x
