Summary

The website content presents a case study on the application of the Meaning Discovery Canvas, specifically focusing on the "Moment — Present — Future" thematic space, and illustrates how this framework facilitates the discovery of thematic spaces and strategic intents in knowledge projects.

Abstract

The case study detailed on the website revolves around the Meaning Discovery Canvas, a tool introduced on October 25, 2023, to facilitate the exploration of meaning within various contexts. The author shares insights into the thematic space of "Moment — Present — Future," emphasizing the importance of this framework in understanding and developing long-term narratives and themes. Materials, such as personal experiences, are juxtaposed with the Meaning Discovery Canvas model to create a thematic triangle, which aids in framing thematic spaces. The case study exemplifies the use of this approach through a real-life example, demonstrating how it led to the creation of several knowledge projects, articles, and books. The author's strategic intents and the resulting outcomes, including the development of an Evolving Concept System, are discussed, highlighting the shift in focus from the popular "X-Y-Z Echo" model to the "Network — Container — Platform" move. The insights gained from this case study underscore the significance of managing the balance between exploring new perspectives and exploiting established models to enhance understanding and strategic decision-

Meaning Discovery: The “Moment — Present — Future” Thematic Space

A Case Study

The above diagram is a case study of the Meaning Discovery Canvas.

On Oct 25, I made a new canvas for discovering Meaning.

On Dec 12, I used “Value — Truth” to replace “Individual — Collective”. I also started collecting some materials for case studies.

Today I’d like to share one case study about the “Present” and “Future” blocks.

This case study also introduces a new method of discovering thematic spaces around the Meaning Discovery Canavs and the Thematic Matrix Canvas.

1. Materials and Models

For my case studies, Materials are pieces of experiences found from my real-life events.

The Meaning Discovery Canvas is a knowledge framework or knowledge Model.

Each case study happens within a Thematic Space between Materials and the Model.

How to represent the Thematic Space?

I selected one theme from the Materials and two themes from the Model to make a thematic triangle to frame the thematic space. The diagram below is an example.

“Moment” refers to a short indefinite period. I used it to refer to the Immediate Situational aspect of Materials.

“Present” and “Future” are two blocks of the Meaning Discovery Canvas.

For some case studies, the immediate situational aspect is not the primary focus. For example, Life Meaning Discovery tends to engage with the long-term development of stories and themes. We could use “Story” to frame a new thematic space. See the example below.

This article will use a Moment as an example.

2. A Moment

On August 15, 2023, I used the Knowledge Discovery Canvas to reflect on the Landscape of the Ecological Practice Design approach. See the diagram below.

I also wrote a long Thematic Reflection Report about it. You can find more details in The Ecological Practice Design Toolkit (V2, 2023).

Let’s pay attention to the set of Perspectives.

I have applied these Perspectives to many projects. I also wrote some articles about them. See the screenshot below.

On August 17, 2023, I wrote the article titled The Ecological Practice Design Toolkit (V2, 2023) and recognized that the X-Y-Z Echo (see the diagram below) is the most popular model!

In fact, the Network — Container — Platform Move offers a large view for understanding the concept of Attachance. See the diagram below.

On August 23, 2023, I realized that I should use it as the knowledge model for curating the set of possible themes.

3. An Action

What did I do?

I made the diagram below.

I used “the Network — Container — Platform Move” as the basic model to curate several themes together.

You can find more details in TALE: A new network of possible themes (August 24, 2023).

This diagram framed my strategic intents behind several knowledge projects from August 2023 to Dec 2023.

4. The Result

The moment led to several knowledge projects, articles, and books (drafts).

On Dec 7, 2023, I wrote a story about this journey with the diagram below.

You can find more details in Social Moves: Weaving the Mind and Clarifying the Order.

6. The Motivation

The “Moment — Present — Future” Thematic Space is located in the “Motivation” Thematic Area.

In the above case, I realized that I didn’t often use “the Network — Container — Platform Move” Perspective. So, I decided to deliberately use it for future projects.

This Motivation led to an amazing outcome: the Evolving Concept System.

On Nov 4, 2023, I made the diagram below: