Big Little ThingsMutiple bottom lines moves business towards art
So we were eating our pancakes and sausage this morning, and when the coffee kicked in, we kinda got on a talking jag. We were talking about whether BurningMan is a business or what? Because if you’ve been there you know that the whole thing is a huge work of art, and also that that it makes tons of revenue. This is really fucking cool. Because it shows that life’s rewards don’t only go to the mercenaries, and that it’s possible to become extremely prosperous by focusing on creativity and generosity—two things that usually don’t play a huge role in a business plan.
Previously, you’d never hear a businessperson described as an artist, and vice-versa. But now, the idea of business seems to fit more comfortably with the idea of art. We think it’s got something to do with a change in businesses and the people who start them. More and more, we see companies adopting multiple bottom lines that factor culture, community, and wellbeing (which are traditional domains of art) into their accounting, right alongside money. Entrepreneurs are now looking to build companies that don’t just make money, but actually create a positive change in the world. They want their work to mean something, and that’s pretty well aligned with the spirit of art.
Here’s a bunch of encouraging evidence:
Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class & his blog
Dan Pink
Good Magazine
Cambrian House
Your Name on Toast
Pixelotto
False Profit
Anyone wanna add to this list?
