If you always do what you always did then you'll always get what you always got.
So goes the popular epithet. Think about that then imagine what you 'do' today. Then think how different what you do might be if you could get the answer to literally anything you needed together with the inspiration of the whole world delivered to you in whatever way you wanted it.
Well that's now!
"When you discuss your own work you have to ask yourself what you acquired from whom. Because everything you find comes from somewhere. The source was not your own mind, but was supplied by the cultures you belong to. Everything that is absorbed and registered in your mind adds to the collection of ideas stored in the memory; a sort of library you can consult whenever a problem arises. So essentially, the more you have seen, experienced and absorbed, the more points of reference you will have to help you decide which direction to take" 
So, now add to this memory you already have to the incredible system we have have to hand - a considerable system that expands our horizons beyond belief - the internet and the platforms and applications that are coming on-line every day – and that is connecting and connecting up – adding immeasurably every second to our collective brain.
What do we think will actually happen when we can harvest (in real–time) amazing insights from the fire hose of information and inspiration we have at our fingertips?
What will it mean when we've wrestled and re-engineered it all into that perfect 'app'? What will we think when we have sorted inspiration from mess – structured it intelligently within a platform that we can all use as if we were brushing our teeth?
We receive gazillions of bits of information through all our media devices every day? What will it be like when this information ONLY consists of the stonkingly incredible stuff we actually value and want? What will be capable of when we have at our disposal stuff that we can immediately do something with – something that we can make real value from?
Well what would you do with it because it's almost there now?
The following was written in a letter to Eva Hesse (the eternal artist) from Sol LeWitt (the conceptual artist)
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Eva
From your description, and from what I know of your previous work and your ability; the work you are doing sounds very good 'Drawing-clean-clear but crazy like machines, larger and bolder… real nonsense.' That sounds fine, wonderful – real nonsense. Do more. More nonsensical, more crazy, more machines, more breasts, penises, cunts, whatever – make them abound with nonsense. Try and tickle something inside you, your 'weird humour.'
You belong in the most secret part of you. Don’t worry about cool, make your own uncool. Make your own, your own world. If you fear, make it work for you – draw & paint your fear and anxiety. And stop worrying about big, deep things such as 'to decide on a purpose and way of life, a consistent approach to even some impossible end or even an imagined end' You must practice being stupid, dumb, unthinking, empty.
Then you will be able to DO!
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Whatever it is you say you will do make that what you think deeply about. Really think what that means – then do that.
Imagine if this new connection we have with such inspiration could connect you to things that you always wanted to do. Perhaps you hadn't recognised it before but there it now is. You are truly inspired. Well that's what these new insights and opportunities mean.
We are all too conditioned to do things that we actually don't like and don't get value from – and all too often it isn't really valuable to anyone else. But it is called work. You get paid for it. But what if you had better value to add and you could do that so that you could do something of more value.
If you think about that it would have to start by thinking about different things, being inspired by new sources of value. Then if you didn't agree with something that isn't valuable against your wider thinking then you can say no.
In practice this means that if you can think of something more valuable then push to do that!
What's so tough about that idea? That's evolution. Why don't more people say that they don't want to do something – rather than just going along with it. Why don't they think for themselves about what they could do that's more valuable?
If we thought more, widened our horizons, made smarter choices then we could get on with things we actually wanted to do. Like Eva that thing could be cathartic, spirited, different – wholly satisfying and even more creative and interesting to the world.
I don't think people think hard enough about what could they be?
What could we do? What might we become if we could get access to that much inspiration. If we could sort the rubbish from the truly inspirational would we? Would we know it if we saw it? Could we do something special with that much powerful stuff?
I think people try to be something they so aren't. All too often people are inspired by what they hear around them and think they are supposed to be inspired by it. They tend to agree with the popular view without really thinking it through. Without widening their world view. I think they are conditioned to simply want to look like they are going with the flow of things and yet have no sense of what that means or worse have no intention at all of doing the thing with any vigour!
It drives me nuts in a working sense because nobody gets value from this.
We don't get at the root cause of anything or changing things really because we are pushing the thinking through a very restrictive filter. We aren't pushing ourselves as a species to be truly creative or innovative – we don't get at the true value of ourselves.
Well listen up people - we are getting very close to this ability so will we do the smart thing and take advantage of it or will we continue to let progress pass us by? I hope not.
Final word goes to Sol
"Just stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder, wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out, struggling, gasping, confusing, itching, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, rumbling, rambling, gambling, tumbling, scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding grinding grinding away at yourself. Stop it, and just DO!"
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