Finding innovation in the messiness of blurred lines.
More and more I find myself thinking about living and working in the “in between spaces”. Maybe we could also say liminal spaces. I used to think that only occasionally are we in liminal spaces- that is the space which is in between the old and the new. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older or if it’s because the world has changed so much, but I feel like we are now continuously in liminal spaces or in-between spaces. Nothing seems certain anymore. When someone asks me “Do you think ‘this’ or ‘that’”? my answer these days is “Tell me about what is in the blurry middle”. Or when someone says “We have to do it either ‘this way’ or ‘that way’” I think, what about where those two things meet- that smudge? What interesting and curious things are happening there? Where is there life and juice in that space?
That doesn’t mean that I think the middle ground is the best place to be today. More than ever do we need to stand firm on particular issues that impact the future of our world. But there is such complexity that I’m not sure that certainty or definition is a posture or practice that will help us thrive. It’s not something that will help us to imagine a better future for our planet. I don’t think certainty can help us imagine alternatives.
It seems to me that in between spaces are messy, complex and frustrating- we don’t have all the answers and it’s hard to articulate exactly what we are doing. There may not even be a name for what we are doing in the in-between spaces yet. But it’s also the place where we can be the most creative and where we might find possible answers to the questions we are asking today. It’s where true innovation can happen.
Thinking about the in between spaces where we work and play can help us to do things differently rather than repeating the same formulas over and over. This repetition might give us stability and comfort which we all need sometimes but it won’t help the new to emerge for a world and community that is needed for the continually perplexing times that we live in.

May we have the courage and perseverance to stay in the liminal spaces until the novel and beautiful things that are needed emerge for our brave new world.
What are the in-between spaces where you are working and playing? What new things could emerge from those spaces to meet the needs of our challenging times? Can you even name what you are doing?
Rev. Dr Karina Kreminski, Mission Catalyst – Formation and Fresh Expressions, Uniting Mission and Education. Karina also blogs, this article is reprinted with permission from This Wild and Precious Life.