Karim Rashid's Creative Manifesto

Karim Rashid's "Creative Manifesto."

I particularly enjoyed Karim's manifesto, out of all the ones we've read. I really connected to his point #9. which reads: "Experience is the most important part of living, and the exchange of ideas and human contact is all life really is. Space and objects can encourage increased experiences or distract from our experiences." This is actually something I grew up hearing, because it is something my mother would probably include if she ever wrote her own manifesto. 


My parents are artists, so we never had any notable amount of expensive material possessions, fancy cars, or lavish houses like some of my peers had. My parents built our house, the car I learned to drive in is turning 20 this year and looks it, and when we went on vacation we didn't buy souvenirs for ourselves or all our friends because we simply couldn't afford it. 


Which leads me back to the point Karim is making. 


Where we didn't buy a lot of material items, my parents made up for in experiences. In the end all you have is your memories, and that's what sticks with you the most anyway. I actually read somewhere that Queen Elizabeth I's last words were, "All my possessions for a moment of time." In the end possessions don't matter. So my parents made darn sure that my sister and I got life experiences few other kids can boast of. I have backpacked in Utah canyons so remote the only roads to the trail-heads are not even gravel, but dirt, touched ancient Anasazi ruins, snowboarded in Colorado, participated in a month-long program to bring peace to Northern Ireland (and went there the next Spring), swam in glacier-fed mountain lakes, taken the train through Germany and walked to Austria, and many, many others. 


Karim says that experiences are imperative for understanding the world and learning about yourself and others, and I agree completely. I read a quote that said "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." You cannot begin to understand how the world works unless you experience it, and likewise you cannot lead a creative life exploring these kind of things unless you have experienced life. 


Looking at Karim's work, I can definitely see a connection between his manifesto and his work. He talks about creating and buying culture, and he shows that in his work. It is all creative and out there, and you know he has soaked in all the work of others he has seen throughout the years to create his own stuff. He also says that "Normal is not good," and this is apparent in the weird yet fun and organic shapes he creates in his works. His manifesto is fun-loving and prompts thinking outside of the box, and his work mirrors that. 


Here is my own Manifesto:


Gretchen's Super Duper Manifesto

• Travel, travel, travel. There's always another culture out there that you've never experienced, and you must experience as many as possible if you want to understand the world outside of your own little bubble of your home. 
• Do something every day that scares you or puts you out of your comfort zone, or just something you never thought to do. Run in a race, get your ears pierced, see an opera, cut your hair, get in your car, throw a Rand McNally in the backseat and just see where the highway takes you. 
• Explore! Go for an adventure! The real world can wait. 
• Take a class way outside your major for no other reason than because it sounds kind of interesting to you. 
• If your're interested in something, do it. Don't just sit there and go, "Gosh it sure would be fun to paint something." Buy yourself some watercolours and do it. 
• Don't worry. There's a song called the Sunscreen Song that says, "Do not worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is about as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum." Worrying will accomplish nothing but stressing you out, so for goodness sake, refrain from it. 
• Relish the weird. 
• Don't be afraid to show your work to others. In fact, show it to everyone who will look. 
• If you have an idea or a goal, don't wait for some undetermined future date to put it into motion. There won't be some magic date when suddenly flashing lights will appear saying, "Now!" You've gotta live in the moment. 
• Sing loudly and break out into dance. Frequently and with abandon.
• Don't be afraid to fail. There's a great Samuel Beckett quote that says, "No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." One of my greatest acting teachers once told us, "You have to be able to say, 'Look at me! I am a trainwreck! I am a debacle! And I will dance in the flames.'"

FREAK FACTOR

Freak Factor: click me!

In this article, David Rendall is talking about existing between your strengths and weaknesses, and figuring out what needs to be "fixed," versus what can actually be used to your advantage and shape you into a successful and society-accepted individual. He talks about how instead of fighting his weakness -- such as being hyperactive, needing to be the center of attention, and talks to much -- he used them to find a career as a professor, always standing and talking to his class.

He talks about taking your weaknesses and finding out how you can create a strength out of them -- how you can work with yourself instead of fighting yourself. The latter will only make you unhappy and uncomfortable, whereas the former will give you a sense of being in control of your life.

One point Rendall makes is to Find the Right Spot. He uses the example of Rudolph: all the other reindeer laughed at and belittled him, and he felt as though he was a freak amongst the others with no purpose. Rather, Rudolph's "flaw" was what caused him to become Santa's favourite, lead the others, and save the day! Rudolph's nose was the "perfect fit between his unique qualities and the situation." You don't have to change yourself or hide who you are to be successful, sometimes you're just looking in the wrong spot. You need to choose situations that fit you, fit your strengths and spotlight you for the difference you can make.

Another point Rendall makes is to recognize the Power of Uniqueness. Here, he uses the example of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Tower was, of course, a complete accident but as we like to say in the creative world, it was a happy accident. Because of its uniqueness, tourists have simply flocked to Italy to see this landmark, spending absurd amounts of dollars to do so. People are attracted to its "flaw" because it makes the Tower interesting and unique. Quite simply, it is better to be interesting than normal, because we are surrounded by normal and people trying to be "normal" every day of our lives. What we want is a breath of fresh air, and that is what uniqueness gives us.

A third point Rendall makes is to Put Your Quirks to Work. Throughout this article he has made very clear that being unique and working with your strengths and weaknesses is the key to success, so how do we do all that? How do we channel our individuality like he says we must? Rendall put together a wee list explaining this, and they are an excellent way to get started. You need to do things like seeking out situations that maximize your strengths, and keep yourself from situations that highlight flaws. Stop doing activities you don't like, because they will only drag you down and stop the creative juices from flowing. Find people who complement you and bring out your strengths, while you bring out theirs. This kind of partnership will benefit all parties involved. Finally, find the uniqueness in others, and that will help you understand them and understand yourself. These connections, bringing together all his points, really helped me understand everything he was saying and how I could relate it to my own life.

I have found out a lot about myself and my strengths and weaknesses. My weaknesses include:

• I am a perfectionist, and it is often hard for me to be satisfied with an end product and stop continually tweaking it.
• I can get restless. 
• I can sometimes bite off more than I can chew, and then be very reluctant to admit this and ask for help. 
• I am easily distracted. 
• I am very impulsive and will jump into one thing or another, sometimes without taking the time to really think it out. 
• I often like to be in the center of attention. That might be the product of my theater major. :P

Some strengths I have found include: 

• I am a very good listener. 
• I am good at self-entertaining and am very patient. 
• I am very organized and like to keep everything in order in my head. 
• I am always punctual. In fact, the clocks in my room and my car (and my wristwatch) are set 5 minutes fast so I am never late.

Audio Response to "Collapsus"

Trans-media piece "Collapsus": click me!

Here is my audio response to "Collapsus":
(There's some extra time at the end, it didn't stop recording when I first hit stop... Oops.)