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November 7, 2012

The gapingvoid Manifesto, a work in progress

6 Comments

[One of the pie­ces we did for Techc­runch etc.]

The gaping­void Mani­festo, Draft One.

[This is what we have so far. Jason (our CEO) wrote most of it. We feel we’re on the cusp of something, now we just need to make it more real for other peo­ple. Feed­back wel­come, thanks. Exciting!]

PART ONE:

Busi­ness is lan­guage. Busi­ness is about communication.

Art is is the undis­co­ve­red UX of business.

We live in inc­re­di­ble times.

Every sin­gle per­son on this earth has the capa­city to make a dif­fe­rence… the
abi­lity to lead, and leave their mark.

Every busi­ness is dri­ven by for­ces far more power­ful and pro­found than money.

We help busi­nes­ses dis­co­ver and arti­cu­late their purpose,

We help peo­ple make a difference,

We help lea­ders inspire.

We help busi­nes­ses kick ass.

We create social objects that trans­form orga­ni­za­tions, start con­ver­sa­tions,
and spread ideas at light­ning speed.

We live in inc­re­di­ble times. And as long as there is one per­son on this earth who does not agree, there is still work to be done.

Any Company/Cause/Political Party/Religion that com­mu­ni­ca­tes more clearly and con­ci­sely stands a bet­ter chance at win­ning. Art brid­ges this com­mu­ni­ca­tion gap.

It is per­cei­ved as more genuine, More honest, less varnished.

Well con­cei­ved art gets atten­tion organically

Art allows you to have con­ver­sa­tions that you couldn’t other­wise have.

Art is a lever for action.

Art crea­tes connection.

Art is shorthand to com­mu­ni­cate com­plex issues.

Art crea­tes community.

Art con­nects with a dif­fe­rent part of the brain.

Art is Visual. Visual com­mu­ni­ca­tions are 10x more effec­tive than writ­ten communication.

Give a gift bas­ket and be remem­be­red for a week, give a print and be remem­be­red forever.

PART TWO:

We want to trans­form the world of busi­ness by trans­for­ming the world of office art.

Most peo­ple believe that the act of deco­ra­ting the walls of their office is see­mingly one that is deci­ded by taste: The colors of the art on the wall need not clash with the fur­ni­ture, car­pet or CEO’s aesthe­tic sensibilities.

In rea­lity, act of deco­ra­ting the walls of your office is a cri­ti­cal busi­ness and we believe, a moral deci­sion. It can either set the stage for great­ness and inno­va­tion, or set the stage for per­pe­tua­ting the dreary, gloomy and mono­to­nous world that is your busi­ness. It has nothing to do with aesthe­tics, and everything to do with pur­pose. The pur­pose and beliefs of your business.

If you could steer the course of your busi­ness by simply making a dif­fe­rent deci­sion about what hangs on the walls, why wouldn’t you?

Many busi­ness lea­ders do not rea­lize that envi­ron­ment influen­ces everything at work: Job satis­fac­tion, pro­blem sol­ving, crea­ti­vity, con­tent­ment and effectiveness.

You want posi­tive out­co­mes? Then start with posi­tive work spa­ces. Your office envi­ron­ment is the com­pass that gui­des how peo­ple view what they do and how they live their work life.

If you unders­tand what your beliefs are, what your core values are, and how you want peo­ple to view why you do what you do, then you should shout those beliefs and values from every avai­la­ble space in your office.

Let the walls talk, guide and ground. Let ins­pi­ra­tion hang in the air and have your peo­ple breathe and be surroun­ded by the bright glow of the good­ness that your busi­ness represents.

The idea of deci­ding what wall cove­rings hang on your walls, isn’t about décor.
It is about pur­pose, cul­ture, and values. Inform your cul­ture, moti­vate your teams and send a mes­sage to the world that will have astoun­ding impact every day of the year.

Tags: art, gapingvoid manifesto, manifesto, Office Art, transforming the business place

6 Responses to “The gapingvoid Manifesto, a work in progress”

1. John Dodds says:

   November 7, 2012 at 5:14 PM

   I’d start from “Every busi­ness is dri­ven by for­ces far more power­ful and pro­found than money.”

   It’s atten­tion grab­bing and the heart of what you’re about and gets the rea­der to the sta­te­ment of what you do within two lines.

   The lines that pre­cede it should in my opi­nion be wor­ked into the text later (split bet­ween the “we” secc­tion and the “art” section).

   Reply
2. Paul says:

   November 7, 2012 at 10:14 PM

   Yes, abso­lu­tely; and the second line should be:

   “Every sin­gle per­son on this earth has the capa­city to make a dif­fe­rence… the abi­lity to lead, and leave their mark.”

   In fact you don’t need to say any more, what a power­ful statement.

   I’m going to steal it as my new motto. Because busi­ness needs more Art.

   Thanks Hugh

   Reply
3. Travis Tasset says:

   November 8, 2012 at 2:44 PM

   Beau­ti­fully stated.

   We live in inc­re­di­ble times indeed!

   Reply
4. Reid says:

   November 9, 2012 at 1:52 AM

   Hugh and Jason,

   Couldn’t sleep up here in cold Iowa and this was a gem to hang out with for five minu­tes. Thank you for invi­ting input. “Art is a lever for Action.” The sta­te­ment is kick-ass. I hope that phrase is allo­wed on here. That is what I feel. Short, pun­gent, calling. When I read books or see art that really moves me, I can only desc­ribe it with “kick-ass” because the chills inside me let me know, “Reid let’s get to work and make something hap­pen for someone today.” That sta­te­ment gave me that reso­na­tion. Keep that in there.

   Thanks again for enter­tai­ning my semi-somniac night.

   Have a won­der­ful weekend,

   Reid

   Reply
5. Reid says:

   November 9, 2012 at 1:53 AM

   Jason,

   I meant to say-great work so far. Each sen­tence is pac­king a punch. Please let me know when the mani­festo releases.

   Reid

   Reply
6. The gapingvoid Manifesto, a work in progress | Texto casi Diario says:

   January 6, 2013 at 4:35 PM

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