Along the same lines, check out the article and sweet graph about how the good life includes lots of walking, strolling, running, biking, people watching, etc. (it's easier to see if you click on the article link right down there vv)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Worldchanging says Move it or Lose It!
Allex Steffen, editor of Worldchanging.org writes about how it's time to bust a move on changing the U.S.'s dark energy lifestyle. His point is that we can't just keep the same U.S. lifestyle, switch out a few parts, and carry on our way, but that we need to reinvent our lives and our sense of culture in a thoughtful and speedy manner. He also points out that suburbia is bad news bears for climate change emissions, that the way you live, and where you live matters!
Along the same lines, check out the article and sweet graph about how the good life includes lots of walking, strolling, running, biking, people watching, etc. (it's easier to see if you click on the article link right down there vv)
Along the same lines, check out the article and sweet graph about how the good life includes lots of walking, strolling, running, biking, people watching, etc. (it's easier to see if you click on the article link right down there vv)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Creative Capital: Kickstart Good Ideas with $$
screenshot of kickstarter.comKickstarter.com combines two simple ideas for a fantastic website: 1) Creative projects need exposure for funding, and 2) We like getting something in return for giving our money away. So "creative and ambitious" projects with a specific funding goal -- say $5,000 -- pitch their project to you, and tell you what you'll get in return for different levels of funding. The fun, creative, and entrepreneurial feeling of the site makes you want to jump in and support your local artist, organization, inventor, researcher, or ethical butcher (he's cool!). But you can only donate to your favorite project for a limited time, and it's all or nothing -- if they don't meet their funding goal, all of the pledges are canceled and it's back to square one. Kinda like Kiva for art and innovation.... Go to their site to check it out!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Martin Luther King Day!
Dr. King reflected this amazing vision of America that continues to inspire our vision of the future. There is something about the story of possibility that he brought to our national dialogue, the action, commitment, intelligence, patience, and perseverance in his character that illuminated our collective conscience. If you haven't read his book "Why We Can't Wait" to understand the United States of your parents and grandparents, it's worth a look.
I wonder who will be the Dr. King of our generation? I wonder what Dr. King would be talking about if he were still alive today?
Thank you Dr. King. I thank the Shuttlesworth family, Minniejean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Carlotta Walls, Ernest Green, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas. And I thank the thousands of individual Americans who stood with you at a time when they didn't know for certain if their participation would matter, but became ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things.
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I wonder who will be the Dr. King of our generation? I wonder what Dr. King would be talking about if he were still alive today?
Thank you Dr. King. I thank the Shuttlesworth family, Minniejean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Carlotta Walls, Ernest Green, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas. And I thank the thousands of individual Americans who stood with you at a time when they didn't know for certain if their participation would matter, but became ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things.
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
James Knight Smith - Abstract Photography
Featured in Visuramagazine.com, Issue 6. Just absolutely stunning, captivating images.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Are Creatives Nervous About Creativity?
An interesting blog article by Grant McCracken titled "Creativity's Brief Moment in the Sun" suggests that we are facing the sunset of a creative era. He is concerned that the supply of professional "creatives" is growing so fast that soon no one will want to pay for creative work anymore, because companies will outsource creative work to online artistic hopefuls willing to work for free in exchange for "exposure." This does not seem like a new predicament in the art world.
To me, the growth of creative professionals is a natural progression from the essay, Art Alienated, which argued against the artificial commodification and separation of art from daily life. I hope that we are leaving a time where we depend on an elite to finance and frame our experience with the creative arts. McCracken's article ponders what designers and other professional creative types are supposed to do now that "everybody" is getting more creative. He worries that an oversaturation of dilettante creatives will dilute the market and make it even harder for professional creatives to pay for their health insurance. I say, let's celebrate! Isn't increased awareness and inclusion of creativity in U.S. culture something that we're aiming for? Now that it's happening, let's encourage it -- we have a long way to go before the average U.S. citizen has too much creativity in his daily life.
When we talk about art being expensive and valuable, remember that it's unlikely that the artist herself received worldly comfort in the process of sharing her vision and skill with the world. The more likely story is that the artist traded his or her artworks for doctor's visits and rent, or was perhaps lucky enough to support an art career on the income of a spouse or inheritance. To a certain extent, the production of such fine art is the creation of an artificially scarce supply of "creative products" that further ensure scarcity after the artist's death. These scarce artworks ultimately become a currency by which capital can be traded among a particular group of economic elite. So protecting who counts as an "artist" doesn't solve this payment problem either.
I think it would be great to see designers and artists 1) employed as the resident creative type, or as McCracken has crafted it, the "Chief Culture Officer," to consult in the "non-art" strategic vision of a company to bring creativity and, 2) called on to facilitate and provide a framework by which citizens (not consumers) can experience and develop their own creative side. I imagine that McCracken's book covers the first topic, but I'm interested to see if it also addresses this second point. That is, let's not accept the status quo -- let's move designers, artists, musicians, etc. into a new role, where they craft frameworks and experiental installations, websites, environments, etc. where non-artists can develop and strengthen their own creative practice.
To me, the growth of creative professionals is a natural progression from the essay, Art Alienated, which argued against the artificial commodification and separation of art from daily life. I hope that we are leaving a time where we depend on an elite to finance and frame our experience with the creative arts. McCracken's article ponders what designers and other professional creative types are supposed to do now that "everybody" is getting more creative. He worries that an oversaturation of dilettante creatives will dilute the market and make it even harder for professional creatives to pay for their health insurance. I say, let's celebrate! Isn't increased awareness and inclusion of creativity in U.S. culture something that we're aiming for? Now that it's happening, let's encourage it -- we have a long way to go before the average U.S. citizen has too much creativity in his daily life.
When we talk about art being expensive and valuable, remember that it's unlikely that the artist herself received worldly comfort in the process of sharing her vision and skill with the world. The more likely story is that the artist traded his or her artworks for doctor's visits and rent, or was perhaps lucky enough to support an art career on the income of a spouse or inheritance. To a certain extent, the production of such fine art is the creation of an artificially scarce supply of "creative products" that further ensure scarcity after the artist's death. These scarce artworks ultimately become a currency by which capital can be traded among a particular group of economic elite. So protecting who counts as an "artist" doesn't solve this payment problem either.
I think it would be great to see designers and artists 1) employed as the resident creative type, or as McCracken has crafted it, the "Chief Culture Officer," to consult in the "non-art" strategic vision of a company to bring creativity and, 2) called on to facilitate and provide a framework by which citizens (not consumers) can experience and develop their own creative side. I imagine that McCracken's book covers the first topic, but I'm interested to see if it also addresses this second point. That is, let's not accept the status quo -- let's move designers, artists, musicians, etc. into a new role, where they craft frameworks and experiental installations, websites, environments, etc. where non-artists can develop and strengthen their own creative practice.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
2010: Climbing Mountains
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. - Edmund HillaryIn addition to some personal resolutions for this exciting new decade (2010 yeah!), I'm also writing something about a New Cultural Resolution for the next decade, but in the meantime, I really want to keep posting.
So happy new year! If you're still looking for a resolution or want to add another one, check out 5 Green Resolutions for the New Year from Matt McDermott at Planet Green. And here's to the mountains we will each climb in 2010!
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. - Buddah
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