Bill Berger.org

Seattle, a Creative Class city. What does that mean?

Richard Florida has helped us understand who, and where the Creative Class cities are, and what they are doing to garner economic and social momentum. Florida and his research, have been extremely helpful for me to know who the people are in my city, what they value, and what messages they will listen to. I have found this analysis of Seattle very insightful. From the Creative Class website:

“Seattle has an enormous number of Creative
Class members as well as a ridiculous amount of creative potential…Microsoft, Adobe, Starbucks, Tully’s, REI, The North Face,
Nordstrom, Washington Mutual, Amazon.com, Safeco, Jones Soda, Taco Del
Mar, Getty Images, Real Networks, Sur La Table, Red Robin, The Little
Gym, Nintendo…All of these companies are pioneers for
there industry … People in Seattle are constantly using their
individuality to invent, rediscover, and engineer … As
reported a number of months ago, Seattle, a very affluent city, was
found to be the least philanthropic … Seattle was found to be the least generous city in
the country … So
here is where I am left…can a city that is highly creative change their
lens? Can we begin to use our creativity for positive influence? Can we
stop relying on Bill Gates and Paul Allen to carry the load of
influence? How do we move high creatives to have positive influence on
the world? Can Seattle stop waiting for their arts to leak to the main
stream and begin to see ALL creativity as a movement that can inspire
hope to those who are in desperate need? Can we stop looking to use our
creativity to make money and gain popularity and see it as a gift that
we possess that can move other’s to a common good?”

How do you answer these questions?

Getting excited for the 2011-12 Ballard High Basketball season

Creative Class and Exiles

Thank you, David Kinneman for a very insightful article. For more info on the Creative Class, see Richard Florida.

All things Steve Jobs day

Andy Crouch has a compelling piece on Jobs as culture maker. Read it here.

Steve Jobs reflects on God and the afterlife

From @CNN

Jobs also was a Buddhist and a spiritual person whose religious beliefs were altered by his cancer diagnosis, Isaacson said.

“I remember sitting in his backyard in his garden one day and he started talking about God. He said, ‘Sometimes I believe in God, sometimes I don’t. I think it’s 50-50 maybe.

“But ever since I’ve had cancer, I’ve been thinking about it more. And I find myself believing a bit more. I kind of — maybe it’s ’cause I want to believe in an afterlife. That when you die, it doesn’t just all disappear. The wisdom you’ve accumulated. Somehow it lives on.’ “

What are you thoughts?