I stood on a cliff by the sea, once.
It was a time in March, and I stood next to the edge, looking out at the ocean.
I could look out at the ocean forever.
It felt infinite and expansive yet there was more land on the other side, and somehow that was important.
Because I could feel someone there, or maybe then, on the other side—see her as my imagination expanded across
There is an ocean between me, she writes, not knowing if
these words give her life or a life of their own or if it
remains a thought unsung,
the imagined memory of an alternate future past
with the passing of the tide,
which only exist s there, or maybe then.
A child playing…
THIS
OCEAN
BETWEEN
(This is me, Olivia Powell, founder & steward of THIS OCEAN BETWEEN.)
and feel, in myself,
the memory of some character from a story that I don’t think exists,
who was, perhaps, myself
—as a child,
as the thought of a song,
as a wish,
carried by a dandelion seed...
Why do I feel my imagination by the sea as something waking within me?
Something ancient,
like memories
echoing out of a seashell...
Hi! I'm
(These are also me)
OLIVIA POWELL
I'm someone who grew up with story, always wondering what else stories can be and do. A being for whom narrative served as both world and frame, both method for being and mediator with reality. Someone, or something, quite like a character from a story by the sea, looking out at the ocean (or somewhere in between).
I think a lot about the stories I grew up with and how these stories have reflected, influenced, shaped and reinforced my sense of what's possible in the "real" world. This makes me think of the stories I wish I had growing up and the stories I want to help create for generations in the future.
So, with an intense thoughtfulness, playful curiosity, and poetic sensibility, I wander across and between roles and realms, helping others:
-
Cultivate their awareness of where/when/how imagination and stories shape their relationship with Life
-
(Re)develop their skillfulness and confidence with imagination and storytelling
-
Co-create experiences that nurture wonder, expand potential and bring regenerative systems to life.
e.g., imagination activist, (learning) experience designer, strategic/embodied storyteller/consultant...
e.g., learning & education, art, narrative, work, community impact
As a writer, experience designer, and imaginative leader, my works have been described as "the bedtime stories that we forgot to tell" and reflect a kind of storytelling that is at once nostalgic and imaginative, critical and questioning.
Tell me more... what exactly is
THIS OCEAN BETWEEN?
THIS OCEAN BETWEEN is what I call the space of imagination. The space of potential and of possibility. The space between Story and Life and all the magic they hold.
Sometimes I imagine this space as a strip of beach where a child plays, building sandcastles that wash up and away with each passing tide.
Sometimes it's a hill, dotted with dandelions, upon which I dance with Life.
Sometimes it's the place where people live.
Sometimes it's a circus.
Whatever form THIS OCEAN takes, I invite you to join me in this in between and to fall in love with Life, again and again, as we co-create...
spaces for/of imagination and story
I like to think of stories as spaces and also about the spaces of story. Rooted in experience design and immersive theater and informed by architecture and emergent strategy, I consult and lead workshops around cultivating spaces for imagination and story. Spaces like schools, community centers, your office or living room, your mind...
shared (learning, imagining) experiences
We are relational beings, but sometimes we forget that. Shared experiences – especially ones that invite imagination and expand awareness and skillfulness – nurture belonging, collective movement, and resource sharing. What's an experience you'd love for your team, group, community to share together?
stories for
connection & resonance
I am, at heart, a writer. Tell me, what are the stories you need most today? What are the stories the world needs most? Let's create these stories together. This might look like me writing on commission, consulting around strategic storytelling, or providing dramaturgical support for something you're passionate about (i.e., I'm someone who can hold your story and help ensure all the elements of your experience support that story in the strongest ways. I love doing this kind of work!)
a sense of wonder
There is magic in this world. It is always already here, and we get to create more of it. How? By being brave enough to listen, look, observe. By cultivating skills of awareness and imagination. I can guide you.
life-expanding systems
How might we connect wonder to governance, imagination to system design, story to rituals and routines that shape so much of our world? Here, I bring a unique combination of story and experience design expertise with organization, work and system design practices to support next-generation business and civic imagination.
