Progress has changed. The Jet Age, the Petro-Chemical & Computer Age are not the drivers. Now perhaps it is, the Creative Age.

It is, the artists’ turn.

Daniel Pink posited it in Harvard Business Review, in saying that the MFA (Master of Fine Arts) is the new MBA. Well judging by enrolments, we’re not quite there yet. So Pink is ahead of the curve.

When Financial analysis frameworks are taught everywhere – and after (or during) a global financial mess – perhaps the true Innovation source is Arts & Culture. This is likely to be a hindsight observation for many.

Design is one aspect of arts. As a former Graphic designer, I see design everywhere. Everything you buy has been intentionally designed. And Sustainable design is emerging as the big challenge & big opportunity.

And it is Opportunity that will lift us out of Economic Crisis.

Not massive top-down thinking. Not more Wal-Marts. No. Wal-Mart was once Sam Walton, and the next Wal-Mart will be another Sam Walton. Or Jobs & Wozniak. Or Hewlett & Packard.

It’s 2 guys or gals in a garage building the next Apple, HP, maybe. But ever more insidiously, maybe not.

Decentralized Studios.

Maybe it’s a series of decentralized nodes. A small series of studios, all inter-linked collaborating & ideas & connected from Budapest to Bucharest to Curitiba to Paris to Johannesburg to Adelaide to Detroit to Winnipeg.

It is not where you are, it is what you see, what you share & how creative you are.

Keep innovating,

Christopher Hire
Executive Director

The Trends. 2thinknow view.

Handmade, hand-painted, decorating mass-objects are key trends of the 21st century.

This is a nascent trend of modifying mass-produced objects.

Decoration & personalisation by hand, not machine, will be a strong dominant theme of the 21st century.

Once we were impressed by the modernist metallic sameness of airplanes. Now we are impressed by their uniqueness.

The mass-produced object is losing it’s 1960s gloss, at the cutting-edge. And has been replaced by artisan, hand-crafted.

That’s the 2thinknow view.

Your view? Any neat examples of these trends?

Well done to Serdar Belbag.

The 2thinknow view is that companies seeking to become employers-of-choice, need creative workspaces as an element of their strategy.

What do you think? Would it inspire you to work in these offices?

Or is your work or dream office more creative?

Post the photos in our new flickr group: Creative Companies

About Creative Companies

Creative workplace. Employers of choice. Ethical corporations. Nice seats. Micro-finance projects. Creative Capitalism. Innovation Teams. Inspiring workplaces. Not cubicle farms (unless they are cool). Cool.

The places you work.
The places you’d like to work.
The companies that WOW you.

Think Google, HP, Silicon Valley, Art Co-ops, design firms, Funky London, Apple, Small Business, loose-knit co-operatives.

www.flickr.com/groups/creative-companies/

Or talk below.

Incredibly offbeat and unusual art & design from this Dutch artist, Theo Jansen.

The machines are almost animal like, yet man-made. Machines that crawl across the land as if they are insects, or prowl as if they are a hybrid between war machines and leopards.

These are original, unusual, and this video is well worth watching.

This is avant-garde.

Like sneaker-collector and custom sneaker decoration scene in Melbourne, another scene. With a local, but soon to be even more international, vertical-niche magazine.

The magazine, created by and crafted for T-shirts enthusiasts, T-world highlights global T-shirt culture.

T-world is a new niche publications with a cult status already, after only the 3rd edition.

It can be ordered online, or via MagNation in Melbourne or New Zealand. Try this link to have a look and order.

What’s the broader significance?

The innovation significance is another vertical niche, that could be ignored locally, can become a global phenomenon.

Off the back of threadless and other t-shirt producers, looks like a potent short-term trend. Both the collectible, and participatory aspect. And also serving the vertical niche community aspect.

And long-term, vertical niche publications, addressing this Long Tail are here to stay.

Disclosure: This is an independent review rewarding innovation agents, like T-World who are part of broader trends or social change. The author received no compensation for this review.

[ratings] TRAVEL COMMENT, PARIS

These are French people’s Paris hotels, as far as I can tell, and if you like a Marriott or other US chain instead stay there.

I don’t always stay in these kind of luxury places, I often find stars a poor guide to how nice a hotel is, and 5 stars often disappoint, especially in places like London.

Stars are not as important as the hotels’ attitude, as my many hotel horror stories will attest, but in some cities of the world the rankings of where you stay is important.

Paris is where you most definitely get what you pay for and where the ranking 4-star deluxe means something. (it’s the highest, same as 5 star). Rankings in Paris & France are government controlled.

So in Paris from time-by-time, I’ve stayed personally in the Prince De Galles on a couple of occasions, which is one of my very favorite hotels, primarily for sentimental reasons.

But here’s a list of 4 of the best Parisian hotels…

George V Four Seasons

On George V, right off the Champs Élysées.

Popular with rap/pop stars, celebrities and the like. Considered a top Deluxe hotel for Americans. Can’t afford this one.

It is slightly more modern amenities than the Prince De Galles, so if you are used to American chain hotel with luxury amenities this is number one.

Prince De Galles, Paris

My favorite, this is where I prefer to stay in Paris. Right off the Champs
Élysées, also on George V next door. (I don’t like celebrities much).

I was there when French president Sarkozy ate his election victory dinner across at Fouquet’s, which should give you an idea of the location.

The one thing I will say about Sarkozy, he walked the street like a man, even with heavy security. That’s something you do not see in the US presidency these days.

Actually I rather like the West Bank more as a location to walk around, especially Montparnasse, St Germain des Prés and the areas around the Musée d’ Orsay.

But the Prince De Galles is grand old style European luxury, many windows open, comfortable rooms.

A little run down in parts, but I call that charming, so you may want to pay more, or travel off-peak to get a larger room here. The suites are small but beautiful.

If you prefer modern with functioning heating and like amenities instead of old European luxury, many so-inclined Americans prefer the Westin Paris (former Intercontinental) which I have found more modern, still beautiful, but far less charming.

Hotel Meurice

A favourite on the Rue de Rivoli, with a great fine dining restaurant, and not far from the Musée du Louvre, the worlds finest art collection in one place.

In addition there are many great less formal restaurants within a short stroll, and much better selection of small shops, as well as great subway connections to the main La Defense line.

Whilst being Right bank, this is a short bridge walk across into the Left Bank, so is very well positioned. If you cannot afford, try the Westin Paris.

But Le Meurice is a byword for less ostentatious luxury, I have been told. A small boutique, yet establishment discreet luxury hotel. Favored by the more discreet celebrity.

The Ritz Paris

You know where this is. This is only if you can afford it.

Never been there, even in the door… because if I did I’d want the Chanel Suite, and I can’t afford it so until then… (I have seen photos… Ouch.)

Complaints in Paris

One of the top complaints US visitors have to Paris is the air conditioning / central heating. I don’t like air con, I prefer opening windows.

But if you are a modern amenities kind of person, and you expect service like that found in chain hotels, go to an American chain. Luxury in France is more old world, similar to Vienna, and some European capitals.

It’s basically a culture clash sometimes.

A tip on Paris

One tip, you should try and learn some basic French. And politely ask if the Parisian parlez-vous Anglais? before launching into English.

Most young French people speak French and English, but they may be put out if you randomly start asking questions in English just because you feel nervous.

Many French feel nervous about their English too. Your bad French is better than no French, just to get the ball rolling.

Take care,

Christopher

Work more.

Produce more.

Do more.

Be more.

More, more, more.

I do know of what I speak, until recently I marched to the beat of a steady clock.

Tick tock tick tock.

The marching army of minutes and seconds.

Accordingly, I spent the first few years of my working life mastering time management. Squeezing more into less time.

I wouldn’t call it time wasted, but then again slavishly following the time doctrine of efficiency.

Courses, exercising, work, eating, studying.

Squeezing in a Lot of Work

In my early-mid-20s I was contracting at 3 companies, teaching 3 days a week – of data analysis & reporting skills to corporates, teaching 1 day a week marketing to small business, and teaching Non-English Speaking Background business courses in the evenings.

2 nights a month I also attended and taught public speaking through Toastmasters wherein I was Treasurer.

In between I was going to the gym 4 times a week, and running along the Eastern suburbs coast line in the morning (when I could be bothered getting out of bed).

My weekends were spent eating out in cafes (at that stage good food was very cheap in Sydney, as well as being fresh.) No time to cook.

Because I was young and had energy, it got done.

Of course I wasn’t in a relationship, and was trying my luck on anything female with a pulse. I was always busy.

The Pluses of the Time Doctrine

I gained a lot from all those organizations.

The various multi-cultural people from all of walks of life I met taught me a lot.

One of the many fascinating business observations was seeing a strategy implemented by a corporate from a frontline and an executive view. Of course there was rarely alignment between strategy & outcome.

During this busy time I learnt more about how businesses actually work (as opposed to theory) than at any point prior.

And was the fittest I have ever been in my life.

Throughout it all my incredibly scheduled life was managed by a detailed diary and a series of Filofaxes, PDAs and other devices.

And I got something out of it. At least in those years.

But as you get older, you can’t do it any more.

The Problem with the Incessant March of Time

The problem is that managing your time in such segments is tiring.

What is exciting becomes mundane.

Constant time pressure means you start to feel stressed without knowing that you are.

Constant feeling of more to do, means you never relax.

You go somewhere, spend money, but rarely enjoy as your rush onwards.

The buzz when you get out of bed becomes the stone in the pit of your stomach.

The future: Slow Down

We are entering the world where the ultimate benefit is to not rush.

Where relief of stress is the ultimate lifestyle accessory.

Bearing in mind the way innovation is adopted, we can see the nascent trend towards a slowing down.

Travelling for the journey, not getting there

Turning off the TV

Reading long books

Poetry

Enjoying fresh locally-sourced food cooked and eaten locally.

The good news is it has begun.

It’s only starting.

But slow is the new fast.

Take care,

Christopher

Reading books is one of those few great things that no-one can take away. Ben Franklin used books to raise his intellect and become a great thought-leader and statesman of his day.

Ben Franklin was a lifelong avid reader, having being a tradesman-printer and never attended Harvard the university of the town of his birth.

Ben Franklin started the first lending library in the USA (or at least that is the popular wisdom). He also had a private scheme of a group of friends sharing books.

We have to remember books were far more expensive than they are now.

Why books?

We can read books anywhere. Any time. In wealth or poverty. In sickness or health. Anywhere in the (developed) world.

Libraries. Bookshops. Book fairs. Amazon. Second hand bookstores. Friends books. Families books. Need not cost you a cent.

Also now we have the internet, a plethora of content.

But still there is something about books.

By way of example, at current, I have been reading concurrently a few books:

an excellent book on John Maynard Keynes only available in Australia
(I have a somewhat strong interest in Keynesian economics)

Al Gore’s The Assault on Reason

A Robert Collins book of French grammar

Richard Vinen’s A History in Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth Century

and just now, Alan Greenspan’s The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World

Gore, Greenspan and Vinen are recommended reads. The links in this post takes you to Amazon with details of the books.

Starting with the Threads of History

Vinen’s book is especially interesting for someone taught basic classical modern English & French history.

Vinen focusses on the impact of the events on the lives of people in many countries across Europe. He uses many interesting statistics. Vinen challenges many assumptions, but also draws the reader to make many assumptions.

Some of his assumptions agreed with my experience of visiting French, British, Australian and German War history Museums. There are vastly different pictures of the events of the war in each museum.

De Gaulle and Vichy are viewed vastly differently through the prism of French & English history.

For all it’s strength in raising the unexpected, Vinen’s book is not the only book to read. Vinen slips in some ideological viewpoints neatly into the text as new assumptions.

The antidote to One Author’s View – reading Multiple books

I often read multiple books. I also often stop at the 1/3 or 2/3 point before finishing the book some time later, if at all.

Sometimes I will read a book from cover to cover in a store or library in around an hour. Especially books which have a good single theme but have been expanded to fill too many pages.

Overlapping themes become apparent when reading multiple works. Works in related texts reinforce each other. Themes across texts can be identified.

All of these books are excellent brain-food books.

Ideas Person Activity 1

This week, pick a topic that interest you.

And why not read around the topic instead of reading one book on a topic?

Bonus Points: Read divergent / opposite / contradictory views.

I am reading about Keynes, but in the past have also read other opposite or dissimilar economists. Just 2 hours ago, I read some others’ blog posts on the classical economics school

Suggested books.

Any of those books above.

If I had the time I would throw Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (Bantam Classics) into the mix as a suggested book for myself. (The French Grammar is a bit of a odd-one-out.)
Even if you are not a capitalist you should read Smith. Often Smith is misquoted repeatedly, so much so that much of what he wrote is actually against the type of the laissez-faire thinking he is associated with.

Smith is worthy of considered reflection, so will be left for when I have more time.

Ideas Person lesson:

Read widely and well. One of the first steps to being an Ideas person is to read multiple texts on related themes simultaneously, and get over the desire to finish those books or read anything fully except that which is worthy of considered reflection.

It’s an idea. Let me know your thoughts. I have opened up the comments so you can add comments (not spam which is bounced automatically) more freely.

Take care,

Christopher

I am going to drop the political commentary. Too much unwelcome ‘response’.

Culture, art, ideas, innovation

From now on we’ll be sticking to art, culture, ideas, food, wine, language and more positive things. Some environmental posts. Innovation through inspiration.

These have been the most popular and some of my favorite posts -

• Top 7 Art Galleries you must visit in europe
• Understanding Modern Art
• Generation X and Y is the Creative Generation
  
• End of Cheap Goods
• 7 Inspirations of the World

Many of these posts had 1000 plus readers, and still have many readers.
For politics: I’ll let the two Als’ — Republican Greenspan and Democrat Gore say it for me.

Read The Age of Turbulence and The Assault on Reason.

My recent Open letter to the President, will be the last openly political post I intend to post except where it relates to an analysis.

Take care

Christopher

An open letter to visiting President Bush.

Mr Bush is in Sydney Australia at current for the APEC summit, this was written just after his joint speech with Mr Howard today.

Dear Mr President,

You spoke at the APEC Summit with our Prime Minister, Mr Howard.

I agreed with your remarks Sir, about freedom and human rights being critical to the world’s future.

But the Oil War is not the way to spread freedom.

This war is deeply unpopular because the people ‘get’ it was not an honest war.

Another’s freedom is not won by burning your own.

The USA and Australia are Great & Loyal Friends

We as citizens both still believe in and honor our great military and brave soldiers.

All Australians as a majority support the strong US & Australian alliances, with Australia’s great friends and traditional ‘big brother’ the USA.

If you ask Australia to war, Australia will always join the US, not because it is right, but because you are a friend of the Australian people.

History Teaches us

Multi-nation international relations with world powers are far more important.

We are in the Middle East mainly for our dependency on cheap oil. Cheap oil in a future world of Peak Oil & oil shortage.

We need to reduce our reliance on Mid-East Oil, and the best way is to reduce consumption of energy.

There is an Alternative to a March to War

Moderating and scaling back wasteful consumption is far more useful alternative to oil over-consumption.

But can you imagine a world with less oil?

You may have to.

Even if your future, your friend’s and your families future is tied to oil.

The world economy can survive and thrive in a world with far less oil.

Humans are creatures of ideas

Automobiles were just an idea in a long ago age. Now motor cars are ubiquitous.

We humans are persistent with making our ideas real. We Americans are persistent with making our ideas real.

Oil is just a tool, used because we stopped looking for other ideas.

At the time we selected oil as a fuel, and plastic as a tool we did not know the consequences how large our dependence on oil would become.

The French Eurostar today made Paris to London possible in around 2 hours, with 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions of airplanes, on average.

Indeed we are people of ideas.

Our peoples are smart enough to use ideas to solve threats.

So you think your personal future is tied to Oil? Still?

Wars are uncertain events, and a war does not necessarily lead to power for those in the established order.

More likely a new order arises.

The government of France changed after World War II.

The German government changed after World War I and II.

In 1941 the rational business person in full possession of the facts believed Hitler had won, and would likely remain in power.

Instead all throughout the 1950s collaborators with the Hitler government were tried in France and other countries. The trials continued until 1959.

Others were tried by our loyal friends the Israelis.

Rational minds would have backed Petain & Vichy in France, not the great De Gaulle.

All De Gaulle had was ideas and persistence to be the voice of a Free France. At the beginning he was a lonely clear voice. That is how innovation happens.

War rarely leads to safety

Wars are the least predictable way to ensure security for any nation.

No matter how big or strong. In 1900 Britain ruled the World.

Britain believed it would be a quick war.

Millions dead and many more scarred for life, who in turn scarred their families as their mental wounds never healed.

If the US government start wars over Oil Supply then they may not be the dominant power in the world at the end of that war, and all the resulting wars.

The USA has more to lose than it has to gain by war. Unilateralism rarely lasts.

The world has already started re-arming after the USA got a case of itchy trigger finger.

Why War is a Tool of Last Resort

Again, wars are uncertain.

Wars generally are unresolved and lead to more wars.

Wars are infectious when used as a tool of diplomacy or State, even when our country is a unilateral super power on paper.

Russia and China might beg to differ on that point and deserve our respect.

Worst yet, sometimes wars lead to Balkan generational conflicts like those of the former Yugoslavia.

We should never be scared of war, but in the modern world wars are rarely limited.

Large wars should be a tool of defence, not of aggressive foreign policy.

Often small wars of aggression become total wars with lasting effects. Both World Wars started this way in part.

History doesn’t lie.

There’s an alternative to Oil Wars

How about instead of this we temper our consumption, initially?

Whom does it hurt? Change what we consume away from disposable goods.

You said, “we need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.”

To do so, we need to hasten the movement towards the Creative Age.

We need to leave our modernist-manufacture-more-consume-more thinking behind.

We need to remember we are ideas people first in a digital age where all is possible.

That is the key choice.

Again, Wars are uncertain.

Chances are those in power at the beginning of a war will be so exhausted by the end they will no longer be in power.

Britain was the global power at 1900. A few decades later they were not.

USA was the global power at 2000. A few decades later they may not be.

And the world deserves the USA as a beacon on the hill.

The USA had the courage to work to end the scourge of communism in Europe, when Europe itself did not.

The Europeans I have spoke with, ordinary citizens from many countries in East & West Europe; are frustrated.

Europeans still like America, but they want America as a beacon on the hill again.

France bankrupted its own country fighting for a free America in the 1770s, and they have been our loyal allies in every war ever since.

Sometimes we need to listen to our friends.

America can again become the respected land of the free.

History rarely lies.

Wise counsel would advise to avoid making the mistake of the establishment, that of always assuming the war will favor those in power.

When instead wars favor the unknowns and stir up forces of various kinds that invariably leads to overthrows of the status quo.

Sometimes for good, and more often for bad.

Stalin came to power after the Bolshevik Revolution. The French Terror of the 1790s occurred after the 1789 revolution. Hitler assumed power as a result of the World War I reparations and global economic conditions.

The United States of America itself is a beacon of light on the hill in these dark times. Or it should be.

We dare not give up being a beacon of light for being a voice of fear.

We create the world

History may be unpredictable, but is often a monotonously accurate predictor of the future.

I hope this future that you have created does us no harm.

But I suspect that the war-march and global arms race that preceded previous global conflicts has started.

There is an alternative sir

People are bright. We need to trust the brightest of our own people.

We need the best and brightest of our young Americans to solve these problems.

But in a global world we need France, we need Russia, we need China, Germany and broader Europe, and of course, Australia.

We cannot afford to ignore ideas.

Ideas don’t create global warming but they can stop it.

Ideas don’t create wars but they can stop them.

Ideas create democracies, but mistakes can stop ideas.

Ideas can repair mistakes we all make.

Thank you for your time sir.

Respectfully yours,

Christopher Hire