Man, sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself
Miles Davis
Welcome. I’m Carlo Navato, 50% Londoner, 50% Neapolitan.
I’m fuelled by insatiable curiosity and forever on the look-out for the next connection and the next possibility. Growing up in a household with an English mother and an Italian father set the scene early for an environment predicated on opposites. My childhood, mostly feral and spent outdoors, was built on adventure, exploration and seeing things a bit differently. Life on an edge-land council estate in the 1970’s, showed me time and again that it was possible to create great things from nothing. We were frugal, experimental, and creative.
From a young age it seemed instinctual to me that the tension between opposites was at the heart of creativity. So boisterous tree climber and studious reader, maker of bows and arrows to shoot with and maker of cakes to please with. Lover of art, lover of science.
I’m a collector of things including new experiences, new juxtapositions and new intuitions. I studied building and real estate in my 20’s, wine and design in my 30’s, photography in my 40’s and performance coaching and Zen in my 50’s.
I’m impatient, adaptable, and resilient and find that resourcefulness is our greatest resource. I value craftsmanship and I’ve learned that cheap is expensive.
I believe in the essence of not knowing, and the wisdom of holding uncertainty lightly. I’m never happier than hanging out with open-minded mavericks in wild places.
Most of all I like to make spaces: physically through my development company, creatively through photography, writing and experiments in connection, and professionally through consulting, coaching, and advising in leadership transformation and change.
I’ve recently given up worrying so much about being found out.
Find out who you are and do it on purpose
Dolly Parton
Brian Eno has this lovely idea that children learn through play and adults play through art. Art is just our way of continuing to play through acting on our imagination. This freedom to act on our imagination is increasingly being driven out of our structured world. But it sits at the heart of creativity, and it loosens boundaries and invites possibility.
And everywhere we look there are overwhelming choices, and relentless pressures to accumulate. Back in a simpler time, Aristotle said “For the more limited, if adequate, is preferable.” I’ve come to believe that. Excellence is achieved not when everything that can be added has been, but when everything superfluous has been taken away.
So, this site is an experiment in playfulness and in seeing whether less can be more. It is a collaboration with the designer Jo Briggs and the plan is for 1196 weekly offerings. There will only ever be the two most current pieces live at any one time. There’ll be words, images, sounds, conversations. The archive will be preserved annually and re-presented in analogue form as a series of physical things, and books.
I hope you find something to enjoy. Thank you for coming along.
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The Ember Sessions
Carlo Navato
17 . January . 2025
Read Look Listen
There is one spot left for the third Ember Sessions and the chance to enjoy this very view, this coming May.
The Ember Sessions is about uncertainty and discovery and each gathering is unique.
Through an eclectic brew of action, discussion, creative production, and questioning, we’ll uncover new possibilities. This is a gathering for the soul not the ego.
In Zen we talk about mushin. Mushin is most often translated as a state of “no-mind” or “empty mind” — not meaning a blank or absent state, but rather a mind that is fully present, uncluttered, and ready to receive experience without judgment or resistance. ‘Shin’ also translates as heart-spirit.
I believe everything is possible in spaces where we bring mushin, and all you are asked to do is bring that. I’ve found that a lot of the impact is in the not-knowing.
The accommodation is spartan, a woodland located stone hut with basic facilities. Think of it like a masonry tent. It’s what makes it work as well as it does. All food, drink and necessities will be provided but we will be hands on. You’ll get a suggested kit list on confirmation of booking.
The timeline is as follows:
Meet Western Lakes 1400hrs, Friday 23rd May 2024 – Monday 26th May, depart hut 1000hrs (Bank Holiday Weekend).
The promise is that the value to be gained will resonate in unexpected, immeasurable ways. The investment is £1,450. This includes a 90 minute follow up discovery call, 6-12 weeks later dependent upon what works best for you.
Please drop me a line on carlo@carlonavato.com if you’d like to participate.
“It is in vain to dream of a wildness distant from ourselves. There is none such.”
Henry David Thoreau (Journal entry August 1856)
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Carlo Navato
10. January . 2025
Read Look Listen
You are welcome here, suffering, joy, mystery.
I put my trust in attentive awareness.
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