Introducing Generation M

This piece struck accord with me. It seems to summarize the sentiments embodied by parallel practices. To be parallel means to be doing work that you love but also building systems outside the older models and institutions.

Zombie Economies

The linked video dovetails nicely with the previous as it talks about the crises that capitalism faces. It explains that with everything now transparently interconnected (both through technology and conceptual awareness, I would argue), that many organizations that perform business as usual are not really innovating nor adding value to the global society. What is created is a Zombie entity that trundles along but that cannot change. Interesting ideas.

Where to Begin?

For a clear explanation of the challenge that we - the global population - face, the following film makes it extremely clear:



It is important to remember designers' roles in sustaining this system. 

For more information, please visit the website: THE STORY OF STUFF

New Beginnings

I've had this blogspot space and blog for several years now. My 'drafts' folder is full of articles but I have felt that the key ideas have been weak, needed much more research, or, perhaps, too polemical. Fortunately, there are many other writers and thinkers who have taken up the notion of creating all sorts of parallel practices (of course, they don't call it that). Some have produced very interesting work that will support and augment my thinking. 

So, to start I must explain that my parallel practices are centered on creative production and, more specifically, on the role of designers. I have spoken and written on the topic for many years now and am constantly up against a sort of prejudice. Those who come from the viewpoint of a more traditional academic critique (read: Marxism) often find designers nothing more than corporate lackeys therefore not even worthy of any serious discussion especially in regards to change. Designers who are so embedded in the system don't necessarily want a critique of their practices or a change in their role. It has been frustrating and fairly unrewarding and I can feel that in many ways this blog, like my dissemination these past few years, will essentially be me talking to myself. Thinking through what design can be in the future.

I have no trouble believing that designers will be a powerful contributor to whatever solutions we seek - to environmental, socio-political, medical, and countless other problems we face as a global society. But I see a time when the keystone solution (perhaps even a reevaluation of capitalism) requires the practices of designers to be very different.

In the meantime, parallel practices have happened in the past and have had lasting impacts. It is my job to highlight how these practices will contribute in the future.

Introducing the Parallel Practice

Welcome to the Parallel Practice blog.

The Parallel Practice is partly the tension between work/play in networked creative communities. It takes many forms and is sometimes mistaken for freelance practices. It is, however, something more far more complex. Parallel practices, in their purest form, are intrinsically motivating and only tenuously tied to a system of capital.

This blog will provide discussion about a book that I am writing about parallel practices within online design communities. Along with any discussion, I will share a healthy collection of resources that I have collected that will help you to engage in your own parallel practice.

Enjoy.