Architecture of Intention
A ten-part online group process for people who want to clarify where to direct their attention and what should take priority in the time ahead.
The starting point is what you want, before you have made it realistic, reasonable or internally consistent. From there, you develop criteria for your inner orientation, define the field in which it is meant to take effect, and test a first concrete step.
How intention takes shape
When several possible directions sit side by side, you need an order: What takes priority? How can you tell whether a direction genuinely belongs to you? Which consequences are you willing to carry? And which seemingly reasonable options fall outside your orientation?
The work starts before any individual decision. You examine what is actually there, put what you want into words, and develop criteria that remain useful when time, money, responsibility and expectations pull in different directions.
An inner orientation and a deliberately chosen field of attention give the steps ahead a coherent context. They reveal what fits, what takes priority and how you can assess what you do next.
See what is there. You separate observations from the stories, explanations and judgements already attached to them.
Say what you want. At first, you put into words what you want without immediately testing it against what seems possible, reasonable or acceptable. Missing or awkward words are not a problem. They are part of the starting material.
Test what holds up. You examine the implications, costs and contradictions of your statements. Some lose importance. Others become more precise.
Turn it into criteria. You put the remaining statements in order. From them, you derive core statements, questions and exclusion criteria for decisions.
Read the system. You map the people, relationships, obligations, resources, rules and habits within which your intention has reach and impact. This reveals where change may be possible.
Take a real step. You design a first applicable and measurable intervention, put it into practice and observe what happens. The response informs what you do next.
Six movements, ten sessions
What you will leave with
This is not a finished life plan. It is a working structure that will evolve as your situation changes.
Why work in a group
The group serves two purposes. Other people can hear assumptions, omissions and contradictions in your words that are easy to miss on your own. The group also provides continuity, allowing unfinished thoughts to be spoken and tested without immediately being replaced by advice or ready-made solutions.
Some of the work takes place during the sessions. Some happens through writing and observation between them.
Who the current cohort is for
The pilot cohort is intended especially for people whose working lives have grown rather than been planned. This includes self-employed people, freelancers, founders, employees between chapters, and people combining several roles or forms of work.
The process may be a good fit if:
Architektur der Absicht is not career guidance and does not provide a ready-made answer. It is also not designed for acute crises or decisions that have to be made within a few days.
The desire work at the heart of the process has its roots in the work of Marianne Brün and the School for Designing a Society. Between 2012 and 2014, I lived at and worked with the School in Illinois and West Virginia and went through this work several times myself.
When I realised that I wanted to change my professional direction after more than twenty years in film and media, the sentences I had written there became very useful criteria. They did not make the decisions for me, but they made their basis visible.
The individual elements have been part of my own practice and my work as a systemic coach and facilitator for years. This ten-part group format is being offered as a pilot for the first time.
Where the work comes from
Autumn 2026 pilot cohort
Dates: 23 September to 25 November 2026
Schedule: Ten sessions across nine weeks
Time: Wednesdays, 18:30 to 20:00 Berlin time
Location: Online via Zoom and a shared Miro board
Working language: English
Group size: Six to twelve participants
Application deadline: 18 September 2026
Choose the contribution that reflects your current situation:
€250 · Social
The complete ten-session group process at a reduced price for people with a low income or experiencing financial hardship.
€450 · Standard
The complete ten-session group process at its regular contribution.
€650 · Supporter
The complete group process plus two 60-minute 1:1 sessions, bookable during the cohort or within four weeks after it ends.
The Supporter contribution also helps keep the Social contribution available.
Self-assessed contribution
Apply for the pilot cohort
The application consists of two short questions. We will then have a one-to-one conversation before confirming participation.
The sessions take place in English. You are welcome to apply or ask organisational questions in German.
Apply for the pilot cohort
Two short questions, then I will get in touch for a one-to-one conversation. Six to twelve places, applications close on 18 September 2026.