Life at the Edge of Creativity
An excerpt from the foreword written by Dr. Milton Tan for ‘SingaporeEDGE’, a book on the design culture in Singapore:
“Life at the edge is tough but never a dull moment. You are constantly positioned for change and uncertainty; nothing seems to be ever good enough.
But this is definitely the place - warts and all - where the future is made; not at the organised and stable core with its disproportionate share of resources, over-manned systems, under-deployed talents, success by association, and the stodgy affluence of many incumbents who only bet on winning horses.
My favourite cartoon strips are from the Calvin and Hobbes series of ‘aha’ moments while sledging dangerously downhill in unmarked trails. In one of these, trust Calvin to figure out that in order to increase your chances to be at the right place and the right time, first find the right place and then hang around there long enough until the right time comes along!
Designers instinctively hang out in places, at events, and with people that would invariably shape their ideas and values. These include the constructed worlds of movies, theatre, novels, art, gaming, not forgetting cartoons, and the Internet.”
This would be the premise of the book that Dr. Tan was going to write, “Life at the Edge of Creativity”.
The backdrop, briefly, was that the creatives left planet Earth on a gigantic space station they built for themselves, called “Creativity”.
It isn’t clear whether they were outcast for being too disruptive or they took off voluntarily to be rid of all the people and systems that would limit their potential. Either way, they now live in a purpose-designed world dedicated to the art, the science, the discipline of creativity.
Through stories from aboard the space station, Creativity and beyond, the book intended to discuss aspects of art, design and, of course, creativity.
such as the rise of a ‘Creative Class’, why change is difficult, creative spaces/ enclaves, design thinking and individual and corporate creativity. My brother and I thought it apt to continue to drive the ideas that power “Life at the Edge of Creativity”. Look out for our re-imagined stories of that space station and its inhabitants. And, with your help, perhaps we’ll go where no mind has gone before.
