Create Canada| Manifesto for Now
Dear Owais,| Manifesto for Now
“Don’t go to an ATM if you’re hoping to get a muffin, because no matter how much you argue with the ATM, it is not going to give you a muffin because it’s an ATM.” – Seth Godin| Manifesto for Now
Flower by SGSOscar Wilde famously quipped “Art is useless”. Like all quotes, it’s been taken out of context. Later in the same letter he explains his point more fully, “A work of art is useless as a flower is useless. A flower blossoms for its own joy. We gain a moment of joy by looking at it. That is all that is to be said about our relations to flowers. Of course man may sell the flower, and so make it useful to him, but this has nothing to do with the flower. It is not part of its ...| Manifesto for Now
This is a tough essay to write because we are now almost a full year into our Manifesto for Now and “Now” is a very different place than it was then. Yet, we are hearing, and have been for years, that the problem is the money. We propose that the money is a red herring, a distraction. We write this essay to advocate that what “Now” needs is imagination, from there the money might follow, which is a hell of a lot more interesting than the other way around. | Manifesto for Now
Here’s the thing: we agree. It is unwieldy, very stressful and feels dangerous. How can it not be? We agree! And yet… multiple studies tell us the exact opposite. There is a 72-80% reduction in crashes that cause harm and 35-47% decrease to ALL crashes after the change is made. Who wouldn’t want this? Apparently most North Americans.| Manifesto for Now
Money is the problem. We say later that it’s not. But here we are saying it is. Throughout the ages, and certainly in Christian traditions, money is seen as dirty; a corrupter of all that is good in us. This belief is a problem. Because in order to make things happen, right now, in this world, we need money. It is one type of power. Money keeps the lights on. Marching in the streets costs money. If it didn’t, marches would last longer. Money is a storehouse for value and is as important t...| Manifesto for Now
A shoe shiner sits poised at their corner, made tense by the hot pavement, next to a busy street, desperately calling out to the passing cars with offers for their shoe shining services. No one in the cars can hear their calls. Windows are up, people are talking hands-free, air con is on. Those who do walk by are looking down at their phones and besides no one is looking to get their crocs shined. Those who are out in the heat are probably looking to make their own bit of dough or find a plac...| Manifesto for Now
This essay is for artists and all the people who work with artists. We begin by asking if there is anything that artists could possibly need more than an audience? If the answer is no, as we believe it to be, then why don’t we trust what audiences are telling us? | Manifesto for Now
Following a recipe is a great way to recreate something exactly. 2 tablespoons not teaspoons. Make sure to rinse the starch off first. Thoroughly dry before mixing. The recipe tells us where we are headed, and how to get there. Then the phone dings. Your honoured guest forgot to mention that they are deathly allergic to most foods that begin with the letter “A”. It’s so ridiculous that you laugh. It can’t be. You send back a funny emoji. And you keep following the recipe. Your phone...| Manifesto for Now