Is creativity and making in your future world? I think about Station Eleven a lot and what persists when the world goes to shit. In that world, celebrating art, theater, storytelling, and myths is such a critical part of human experience. Will 2050 have real books? Will vinyl be around? Will we continue to send postcards?
Oh yes. I'd like to dedicate a whole newsletter / book chapter to the last and next 25 years of creativity. I'm really interested in experiments like France's decision to give teenagers $350 to spend on culture: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/arts/france-culture-pass.html
I think the next 25 years will see a big focus on *why* we create art as the long tail of creative work will get longer and longer with everyone creating, but no increase in the amount of time we have to consume art.
Anyway, way more thoughts on this. Maybe it's a collab between us?
Yeah I’d love to collaborate. I feel like every generation wants to uncover the why because it’s an evolution, especially as technology continues to break paradigms of media consumption and creation. I agree the why will continue to be debated but I think emphasis on what art is (games, experiences, virtual realities) will also get complex. That’s where I wonder if the next 25 years will see a return to things...like lost arts. Calligraphy, for example. Or certain textiles. It would be a great adventure to interview all kids of artists for this.
There's a distinction between satisfaction and happiness.
And people are not a monolith (though society provides enough sorting methods that you will see local trends counter to the true average), RE:
> I think that it’s deep in our nature to worry and focus on threats more than beauty and wonder. It is in our nature to be more concerned about what others think of us than how we can connect with them. We prefer to watch Netflix or play video games than risk feeling rejected when asking a new friend to hang out. Most of us like the idea of nature and how it makes us feel, but then we find endless excuses to avoid it.
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> highly-skilled immigrants: she struggled to find the kind of industrial design job she was trained for because she lacked an American credential
This isn't limited to immigrants. Credentialism and automated resume screening hits natural-born citizens, too.
> we’re united in our passion for lifelong learning. When she takes a week off from work, like she is doing this week, it’s to enroll in a weaving workshop. And even then, she wakes up early to catch up on classes from her dry garden design class.
Just as a comment, this seems to be a sub-set of learning that would be social learning (as in learning within a group-based, typically instructor-led format). It's the mechnanism around which the vast majority of modern-day (past 150 years) learning is oriented around, though the likes of Khan academy and Youtube have expanded opportunities for other modes of learning. It works great for some people, but to refrain: people are not a monolith.
One of your best posts, interesting throughout, thank you.
Thanks, Marc!
Copy, pasted, and sent to group chat what resonated with me. Yeah, Iris!
Is creativity and making in your future world? I think about Station Eleven a lot and what persists when the world goes to shit. In that world, celebrating art, theater, storytelling, and myths is such a critical part of human experience. Will 2050 have real books? Will vinyl be around? Will we continue to send postcards?
Really good post.
Oh yes. I'd like to dedicate a whole newsletter / book chapter to the last and next 25 years of creativity. I'm really interested in experiments like France's decision to give teenagers $350 to spend on culture: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/arts/france-culture-pass.html
I think the next 25 years will see a big focus on *why* we create art as the long tail of creative work will get longer and longer with everyone creating, but no increase in the amount of time we have to consume art.
Anyway, way more thoughts on this. Maybe it's a collab between us?
Yeah I’d love to collaborate. I feel like every generation wants to uncover the why because it’s an evolution, especially as technology continues to break paradigms of media consumption and creation. I agree the why will continue to be debated but I think emphasis on what art is (games, experiences, virtual realities) will also get complex. That’s where I wonder if the next 25 years will see a return to things...like lost arts. Calligraphy, for example. Or certain textiles. It would be a great adventure to interview all kids of artists for this.
There's a distinction between satisfaction and happiness.
And people are not a monolith (though society provides enough sorting methods that you will see local trends counter to the true average), RE:
> I think that it’s deep in our nature to worry and focus on threats more than beauty and wonder. It is in our nature to be more concerned about what others think of us than how we can connect with them. We prefer to watch Netflix or play video games than risk feeling rejected when asking a new friend to hang out. Most of us like the idea of nature and how it makes us feel, but then we find endless excuses to avoid it.
---
> highly-skilled immigrants: she struggled to find the kind of industrial design job she was trained for because she lacked an American credential
This isn't limited to immigrants. Credentialism and automated resume screening hits natural-born citizens, too.
> we’re united in our passion for lifelong learning. When she takes a week off from work, like she is doing this week, it’s to enroll in a weaving workshop. And even then, she wakes up early to catch up on classes from her dry garden design class.
Just as a comment, this seems to be a sub-set of learning that would be social learning (as in learning within a group-based, typically instructor-led format). It's the mechnanism around which the vast majority of modern-day (past 150 years) learning is oriented around, though the likes of Khan academy and Youtube have expanded opportunities for other modes of learning. It works great for some people, but to refrain: people are not a monolith.
What Iris's done since she moved to the US... RESPECT!
I'm chilanga-centered so I'm more concerned about water (or the lack of it) than colder/hotter temperatures by 2050 (obviously related).