Come Inside: An Experiment in Intimate Conversation

This afternoon I’m trying something new. Well, not entirely new – it’s more like watching one experiment evolve into another, which is often how these things work.

I’ve invited eight people to “Come Inside: The Chief Explorer’s Library” – a one-hour session exploring some of the small experiments from my book Precious Jewels. No agenda beyond curiosity. No outcomes to achieve beyond connection. Just an invitation to step into conversation about the small ways we test ideas and see what happens.

The title came to me as I was thinking about how different this feels from the usual “let me present my work to you” approach. Instead, it’s more like opening the door to the Chief Explorer’s Library and saying, “Come in, let’s talk about what we’ve been discovering.”

I’ll be sharing three experiments that have evolved over the years:

• How “Book Club with the Author” became this very conversation
• The journey from “Stuart’s Been Thinking Again” videos to Field Notes (another forthcoming experiment currently in pilot stage)
• And “Imaginary Letters” – which I’m planning to demonstrate by sharing thoughts from a letter I’m writing to my father Henry this morning

What strikes me is how these aren’t really separate experiments at all. They’re part of an ongoing practice of staying curious, of testing small ideas to see where they lead. Some work, some don’t, some transform into something entirely different.

The people joining me this afternoon are all folk I know – coaches, writers, thinkers, fellow explorers, web developers. That feels important. There’s already trust in the room, which means we can go deeper faster. We can be vulnerable about the experiments that didn’t work as well as celebrate the ones that did.

I’m curious to see what emerges. Will people share their own small experiments? Will we discover connections between our different approaches to testing ideas? Will someone say something that sparks a completely new direction?

That’s the thing about experiments – you never quite know where they’ll take you. Which is, of course, the whole point.

I’ll report back tomorrow on how it went. For now, I’m off to write that letter to Henry and see what he has to tell me about leaving your mark on the world through small, careful acts of creation.

The Come Inside session is full, but if you’re curious about small experiments, you might enjoy my book “Precious Jewels: a small book about small experiments” – available as a free eBook, just click the link and ask, (or a paperback if you prefer) for anyone interested in this approach to creative exploration.

And if this sounds like the kind of conversation you’d enjoy being part of, drop me a line. I’m thinking about running more “Come Inside: the Chief Explorer’s Library” sessions in the coming weeks – intimate conversations about the experiments we’re all trying, the ideas we’re exploring, and the small ways we test what’s possible.