What I am doing now.
Updated August 17, 2025 from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
What I am Thinking About
Summer is on the wane, but still here. With it comes the slower pace of things more generally. People are a little slower to respond to things, less frenetic in their planning, and more relaxed in the way they approach most things. This is what summer should be.
That’s not to say it’s quiet and there’s nothing to do. I’m travelling at the moment, visiting family in Calgary, my hometown. Calgary has always been an “outside” city to me, a place where being outdoors is part of everyday life. The outdoors was — and still is — a huge part of what life is here. Hiking, sports, sightseeing and being near the mountains, rivers, creeks and hills bring a lot of vibrancy to my perspective.
Being outdoors is connecting to nature.
This also inspires me to more directly confront what the natural world is facing. The myriad climate-related issues and the effects from a world that still seems unable to grasp what’s here and coming are front and centre.
It reminds me of why I do what I do and brings a pause to my thinking about what makes a difference. I’m always reflecting on what makes a difference, how I contribute, and what’s more to be done. I’ll be doing more of this over the next week as I visit family and many of the outdoor spaces that I love, including the reflecting pond and waterfalls in my parents’ backyard.
— Cameron
Projects
The Design for Health Colloquium 1 course is finished, and I’m looking forward to teaching Colloquium 2 in the fall. I’m also returning to teach in the Strategic Foresight and Innovation program — my alma mater — as I’ll be teaching the Research Methods in Innovation course to the incoming cohort of graduate students.
Client work continues and provides much inspiration and focus for my days. Strategic design for multiple organizations has been something that I’ve been doing more of as the primary focus of work, with evaluation being more integrated into the work rather than as a stand-alone focus.
The Strategic Design summer series on Censemaking has wrapped up and I’ve just started recording the third season of Censemaking: The Innovation Podcast, too. Stay tuned for more to come.