Synthesis and our new economy

Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine and author of The Long Tail has written an exciting and enlightening article about the new *FREE* economy.  Check it out here.  This is mind bending stuff, and vital info for anyone in business today.

The bottom line is that the bottom line has become far more sophisticated.  The new perspectives and possibilities offered by the internet age have resulted in a new interpretation of value.  We still value money, of course, but the intangibles of reputation and attention suddenly have huge worth.  More and more every day, we are becoming aware that money is not to be obtained without these other values also firmly in place.  The three values are becoming so closely aligned that it’s now understood that by building reputation and attention, one simultaneously builds monetary wealth.

The synthesis of unlikely elements is a characteristic of creativity.  Interesting how the macrocosm of the overall economy mirrors the microcosm of personal growth.  As our economy migrates towards a more complex system of values, we’re also increasingly concerned with the well-balanced personal life and the creative approach to work and productivity.

If we follow the above threads, we can take a hint from this organic evolution of our society, to help develop our personal creativity.  Lay one reality on top of another and presto! you have a new expression.  

To practice, pick up any two objects on your desk and examine them as if they were one thing instead of two.  What are all the different ways they could go together?  If you’re well-tuned to your sensations, the simple act of bringing these two objects together causes an instant stream of images and stories in your head.  Though the actual content of these thoughts may be rather silly, without obvious application to your uses, it’s the process and your awareness of it that’s important here. 

After you become comfortable with this way of perceiving, try synthesizing bigger things:  your important meeting today combined with your craving for tacos; your broken washing machine combined with getting a haircut; your business leads list combined with your photography hobby. The fresh combination of any two things is the beginning of anything creative.